AllOutdoor Review: Athlon Argos 20-60×85mm HD Straight Angle
Sam.S 03.01.21
I have never been much of a long-range marksman. It has always been more comfortable sitting behind a set of iron sights and feeling your way around rather than peering through a scope and relying heavily on it.
Alas, sometimes this is necessary to achieve long shots and more so it helps to be able to see farther than your optic that is mounted on your firearm. That is where a spotting scope comes in.
Whether it is just sighting in or on a hunt with you, it is an extremely useful tool to obtain supreme accuracy. I had the opportunity to try out some Athlon Optic products and I was not disappointed with their Argos 20-60×85mm HD Straight Angle Spotting Scope! Check out the full run down and review below.
Specifications: Athlon Argos 20-60×85mm HD Straight Angle
The Athlon Argos 20-60×85mm HD Straight Angle Spotting Scope that I had for review is one of two options in the Argos lineup. You have the option of a straight angle or a 45-degree one. There are pros and cons to either one, but the straight angle option is a little more versatile in that if you are looking downhill it is not much of a pain to peer into the scope. Both options come in a large box with the spotting scope, a manual, lens cleaner, and a bag for the scope to reside in for travel or ill weather. Some specifications of the Athlon Argos 20-60×85mm HD Straight Angle are as follows:
- Magnification: 20-60x
- Objective Lens Diameter: 85 mm
- Prism Glass: Porro Prism
- Prism Coating: Phase Coating
- Lense Coating: Wind Band Fully Multi-Coated
- Field of View: 102 – 48 Ft
- Exit Pupil: 4.2 – 1.42 mm
- Eye Relief: 0.77 – 0.70″
- Close Focus: 39.4′
- Dimension (LxW): 16.9″X4.0″
- Weight: 70 Oz
The MSRP of the Athlon Argos 20-60×85mm HD Straight Angle stands at $462.49 and I think that is very spot-on (pun intended) for the package and quality you get. It is an easy-to-use setup that works well out of the box with very little need to look through the manual which I will always recommend you do. This is what Athlon Optics had to say on the Argos Spotting Scope on their website:
“We designed the Argos family of spotting scopes with good optical quality and ease of use in mind. The Argos spotting scope features our wind band fully multi-coated lenses and porro prisms with phased coating. They bring great clarity and brightness within the reach of all enthusiasts. The light-weight composite chassis protected by rubber armor is fog proof, waterproof, and filled with nitrogen gas to prevent internal fogging and promote better thermal stability. The product comes with a specially designed soft case allowing you to mount the spotting scope on a tripod and use it with the soft case on it all the time.“
Notable Features: Athlon Argos 20-60×85mm HD Straight Angle
Some notable features of the Athlon Argos 20-60×85 HD Straight Angle are things like its mounting capability. I have a generic tripod I use for some amateur hobby photography and the threads are standard to what is on the mounting spot for the Argos because it screwed on perfectly. The Argos features a ring that is attached to the tripod mount portion of the spotting scope and it can be loosened to rotate the whole spotting scope for maximum comfort.
The eyepiece is adjustable and can be moved closer to or farther away from your eye if need be. The focus is a ring in the center of the scope and is easy to adjust as well as the power adjustment towards the eyepiece. On the objective lens, there is an attached adjustable sunshade that I am sure comes in handy. It was a cloudy winter here in Minnesota so I did not have to deal with too much sun. Aside from a carrying/weather protectant bag the Athlon Argos 20-60×85mm HD Straight Angle also comes with lens caps!
Range Time: Athlon Argos 20-60×85mm HD Straight Angle
Range time with the Athlon Argos 20-60×85mm HD Straight Angle was super pleasant actually. I took it out on a few separate occasions and it handles well in the middle of a Minnesota winter. Setting up on my large photography tripod probably is not ideal and it is certainly not anything against the Argos, but it worked really well regardless! I had Athlon’s Midas MG31 Magnifier with at one point for another review (which is now live and can be found here) and the spotting scope was essential in saving my legs and feet from trudging out 50 yards in the snow to see my groups while testing that review out.
I also had Athlon’s Neos 4-12×40 BDC 22 Rimfire with for another review that will hopefully go live around this one and I will link to it here. The Athlon Argos 20-60×85mm HD Straight Angle was absolutely essential in helping me achieve possibly the best groups I have ever had. A lot of that was because the rifle scope was really good, but the Argos accelerated all of it and saved me time which I believe is a valuable thing you get from this product. Using the magnification and focus ring was buttery smooth, the adjustable eyepiece made my crappy tripod bearable and the quick-adjust mounting ring made it easy to adjust the scope on the fly rather than me having to adjust myself.
Final Thoughts: Athlon Argos 20-60×85mm HD Straight Angle
Now comes the “all in all” bit! The Athlon Argos 20-60×85mm HD Straight Angle Spotting Scope was the first I have worked with in the field and I think it is probably the most ideal for a beginner. It can be used by someone shooting a league and practicing up, a long-range shooter with a spotter, or even the beginner/average-joe that wants to sight in on a budget. This scope is of excellent quality and better yet it is not ridiculously expensive. I would hands down recommend this to anyone looking to add a spotting scope to their optics lineup!
In closing, I want to say thank you to Athlon Optics for allowing AllOutdoor and myself the opportunity to try out their Athlon Argos 20-60×85mm HD Straight Angle. That is always greatly appreciated. Also, we would like to know what all of you guys and gals think? Do you believe that the Athlon Argos 20-60×85mm HD Straight Angle is something worth spending your money on? Would you take it on a long-range hunt? Use it at the range? Let us know all of your thoughts in the Comments below! We always appreciate your feedback.
