NEW: ATN X-Celsior 5-15x Day/Night Scope (Hands-On)

We’ve tested ATN’s X-Sight 4K Pro and X-Sight 5. Up next is the brand new X-Celsior!

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About the ATN X-Celsior

The X-Celsior is a day/night scope like the X-Sight 4K Pro and X-Sight 5, but at a more affordable price point. ATN offers two magnification options in the X-Celsior Day/Night Scope: 3-9x and 5-15x.

It offers day and night modes with a high-sensitivity IR sensor and 1000 yard high-power IR illuminator. The illuminator is powered by a rechargeable battery.

The scope itself runs on a USB-C charge while video/pictures record to a Micro SD card. The scope has a stadiametric rangefinder which uses the height of an animal to estimate distance.

This is handy if you don’t have a laser rangefinder. Also built in are multiple reticles and a one-shot zero feature.

From ATN:

What’s in the Box

Just like the other ATN products we’ve tested, the X-Celsior comes in a comprehensive package.

The scope comes with an IR illuminator and battery, multiple 30mm rings, scope cap, rear hood, USB-C cables, battery charger, Allen wrench, scope cover, printed materials, and lens cleaning cloth.

Testing

I mounted the X-Celsior 5-15x on my ODIN Works 22 ARC AR-15 build with the goal of early season pest control.

I have been incredibly happy with 22 ARC and this rifle’s performance with Hornady ammunition.

I used the included 30mm rings with the rear top ring with IR illuminator attachment. This mount allows you to mount the illuminator on the left or right of the optic.

As a right-handed shooter, I decided to mount the illuminator on the left side of the optic so I could manipulate it without taking my finger off the trigger.

I zeroed the rifle at 100 yards, making use of ATN’s one shot zero feature. I had three holes touching at 100 yards with Hornady’s 22 ARC V-Match 62 grain ELD-VT ammunition.

At 200 yards, I traded paper for D-M Targets steel rockchuck targets. I shot braced off a tree to mimic some hunting positions using both Hornady 22 ARC V-Match 62 grain ammunition and 88 grain ELD-M ammunition.

I observed a significant vertical difference between the 62 grain and the 88 grain. The 88 grain ammunition was considerably slower.

Overall, I was very happy with the daytime performance of the scope. I created a dope card for the 22 ARC at 335 yards and proceeded to hold 0.8 MILs elevation.

The X-Celsior allows users to choose from a variety of reticles. I prefer the MIL dot reticle.

To test the night mode, I shot at some steel targets in the industrial yard in complete darkness. It was incredibly effective with the IR illuminator and I actually noticed an improvement in the IR sensor over previous generation models.

The illuminator is focus and intensity adjustable. The further out you go, the tighter you want the focus to be. The illuminator mount has a sort of ball and socket that allows you to adjust where it’s pointing.

Also, the automatic exposure compensation for the night mode was really easy to use.

User Interface

The scope has a USB-C port and MicroSD card slot with weatherproof seal on its right side. ATN says the X-Celsior is compatible with SD cards up to 64 GB. I used a 128 GB MicroSD with no issues, but I also did not fill the card.

A rear diopter focuses your view on the “TV screen” inside the scope while the focus on the front of the optic controls the image.

Atop the scope is a power button and small navigation pad to open and select menu options. The center button opens the menu, while the down button switches between day and night modes.

Hitting the top button will cycle through three different magnification ranges. A short press of the left button will take a photo, long press for video. Short pressing the right button will adjust screen brightness. This is just a brief overview of the scope’s navigation systems—there is much more you can do.

Compared

The new X-Celsior series differs from the ATN X-Sight 5 series.

It offers smaller magnification ranges (3-9x and 5-15x) than the X-Sight 5 (3-15x and 5-25x) and lacks a laser rangefinder. (Note that not all X-Sight 5 models come with the laser rangefinder.)

It has the basic options but the latest imaging technology, while the X-Sight 5 is fully featured with ballistics and Wi-Fi. The X-Celsior ranges from $599 to $699 MSRP; the X-Sight 5 has an MSRP of $799 to $1,195.

Conclusion

I would be more than confident to engage coyotes out to 400 yards with this scope, especially when paired with a rangefinder like the one in the ATN BlazeTrek thermal monocular.

I look forward to testing this scope out to further distances. ATN advertises 10 hours of battery power, but after hours of use I noticed no change in the battery level. Combined with the 22 ARC, I made quick work of some rock chucks on the UR ranch.

I had zero issues with this scope and look forward to using it more in the future! (If you are interested in a thermal scope, consider the ATN ThOR 5 XD).