If you’re looking for a quality First-Focal Plane tactical scope that won’t break the bank, this story is for you! We’ll be taking an in-depth look at Athlon’s Midas TAC 5-25-56mm riflescope!
About the Midas TAC 5-25x56mm FFP Riflescope
From the Athlon Product Page:
The big brother in the Midas TAC family, this 5-25×56 first focal plane scope gives you even more versatility. A minimum parallax of 25 yards and 32 Mils of elevation travel makes this scope perfect for close range rimfire or long range engagement with standard and magnum calibers. HD glass and advanced Fully Multi-Coated lenses enhance target appearance at all distances. A true precision Zero Stop for a repeatable return to zero and a capped windage turret give confidence you’ll be able to make the shot. This Midas TAC 5-25×56 Model has APRS3 first focal plane MIL reticle in it.
Features:
- HD Glass
- Non Illuminated Reticle
- First Focal Plane Reticle, Etched Glass Reticle
- Advanced Fully Multicoated, XPL Coating
- Precision Zero Stop System
- High Precision Erector System
- Aircraft Grade Aluminum
- Direct Dial Elevation Turret, Capped Windage Turret
- One Piece Tube Construction
- Waterproof, Fog proof, Shockproof
- Argon Purged
Specs:
| Magnification | 5-25 power |
| Objective Lens Diameter | 56 mm |
| Reticle | APRS3 FFP IR MIL, Glass Etched non-illuminated |
| Surface Finish | Matte |
| Lens Coating | Wide Band Fully Multicoated |
| Extra Coating | Xtra Protective Coating |
| Tube Material | Aircraft Grade Aluminium |
| Tube Diameter | 34 mm |
| Exit Pupil | 9-2.2 mm |
| Eye Relief | 3.7″ |
| Field of View @100 yards | 22.1-4.5 ft |
| Click Value | 0.1 mil |
| Adjustment range per rotation | 10 mil |
| Total Elevation Adjustment | 32 mil |
| Total Windage Adjustment | 32 mil |
| Turret Style | Zero Stop Elevation & Capped Windage |
| Parallax Adjustment | Side Focus – 25 yards to infinity |
| Purging Material | Argon |
| Length | 15.1 “ |
| Weight | 30 oz |
Test Results
We performed a variety of tests to evaluate the accuracy and quality of the Athlon Midas TAC 5-25-56mm riflescope. These tests were conducted using our updated Optics Test Rig (OTR) at 100 yards. Here’s a summary of our results!
Tracking
Above: Tracking test at 3.0 MIL left dial (reticle to right)
Tracking was very good on the Midas TAC 5-25x56mm scope, with the following measured results:
Windage tracking error = (0.01 + 0.02) / (2 * 3) = 0.005 MIL / MIL
Elevation tracking error = (0.05 + 0.075) / (2 * 3) = 0.021 MIL / MIL
What’s interesting here is that we saw the reverse of what was observed when we tested the Athlon Ares BTR GEN2 4.5-27x50mm Riflescope. (in that case, the elevation was more accurate than windage!).
Reticle Hashmarks Accuracy, Reticle Alignment
We took our time making sure that the target, camera, and scope were all in perfect alignment before capturing the above image. What this show is:
- Reticle Alignment is very good: the reticle crosshairs are parallel with the reference grid on the target.
- The holdover hash marks on the reticle align well with the reference grid on the target.
Very little error with either of these parameters.
Image Distortion
In the above image, you can see a rectangle overlay showing straight lines on the grid (no pin cushion distortion) when a red square is overlaid. This indicates no measurable distortion.
Magnification Accuracy
For this scope test, we tried something new: Record various magnification settings during a zoom test, and then scale them so they should all be the same size. And here’s the result:
Overall this test looked real good, with the 25 power image not quite as large as the rest. Overall, great results here.
Parallax Test
To test parallax, we first dialed the scope to 100 yards, our test distance. We then used the updated Optics Test Rig (OTR) to move the camera (simulating the shooter’s eye) to the left and right by 0.020″. This shows how effective the scopes parallax is when dealing with head shift. Here’s what we observed:
This is very impressive- over 0.040″ movement, there’s no discernable shift in Point Of Aim (POA).
Shooting Impressions
We’ve used this scope on multiple rifles now, and Travis and I agree: we love this scope. It’s very clear, holds zero, and is accurate. Furthermore, it has a great magnification range plus has the features we look for in a tactical scope. Two thumbs up!
Get Yours
As stated at the beginning of this article, if you’re looking for an affordable First-Focal tactical scope, the Athlon’s Midas TAC 5-25-56mm riflescope is worth a serious look:
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Thanks,
Gavin
