A lot of variables can go into selecting a mid-range optic. Price, clarity, features, and so on. Athlon optics has a ton of options available to fit what best suits you. I decided on the Athlon Midas HMR HD 2.5-15x50 AHMR with the illuminated reticle, for what I needed. The Midas HMR brought everything I was looking for together in one fantastic package.

One thing you notice, when pulling the scope out of the box, is its quality. It has a feel to it that makes you happy. It is the typical smooth, matte black anodizing we are all accustomed to. It has some weight to it, but it really only weighs 26 ounces. Which is a tiny bit lighter than some of Athlon’s other mid-range optics. It is also 13.8 inches long, so average length for this type of optic. You also end up noticing that the Midas HMR runs capped turrets. Probably so you don’t bump your zero off in the field.

For a scope in the $500-550 retail range, the Midas HMR 2.5-15x50 has a ton of features. The magnification range is 2.5x to 15x, as you can figure out from the model. This magnification range is perfect for closer in shooting, but still gives you the ability to see at distances. The 30mm tube and 50mm objective lens give you plenty of light to see what you're aiming at. The low dispersion HD glass and lens coatings also help you see through the scope better. The Midas is a second focal plane reticle, so it stays the same size throughout the magnification range. For hunting, this works out well for me. The reticle is illuminated, but more on the reticle later. Athlon also put a side parallax adjustment knob on the Midas. The great thing about this parallax adjustment is that it adjusts down to 10 yds. Since I mounted the Midas HMR on a PCP air rifle, this was a needed adjustment. Lastly, the Midas has a fast focus eyepiece to get that reticle crystal clear.

The Midas HMR HD has 2 reticle options available. A BDC option and an AHMR option. I’m not big into BDC reticles, so I chose the AHMR reticle. The AHMR reticle (see inset pic) is an MOA reticle with marks every 2 MOA, both for windage and elevation. No Christmas trees or anything like that, just simple crosshairs with little hash marks. The inner reticle can be illuminated red by turning the side knob to one of 6 brightness settings. The brightness knob also has off positions between the settings, a nice touch so you don’t have to cycle through them all to turn it off or on. The illuminated part of the reticle measures 10 MOA. Everything outside of the 10 MOA is not illuminated. The whole marked reticle has measurements to 30 MOA. Might I mention, all these MOA values are measured at 15x. One would have to calculate them for the lower magnification ranges. I just use an app on my phone that does it for me. I am a huge fan of the AHMR reticle. Athlon made a great reticle for hunting and precision shooting, all in one. It is not too busy to distract you from whatever game you are hunting. Also, the center aiming “plus” and 2 MOA marks provide an excellent choice for precision shooting.

As mentioned, I mounted the Midas HMR on a pre-charged pneumatic air rifle. So I didn't do any work past 100 yds with it, of course I did look at targets past 100. The clarity on this scope is amazing. I could easily spot the pellet trace, when looking through the optic, at the same time I was shooting. Especially at 50 and 100yds, there’s a lot of drop on a pellet slug at 100yds. The reticle is super clear also, even at full magnification. The magnification adjustment ring is super smooth. It has some resistance, it's not very stiff, but it stays in place. There’s also a little raised bump on the adjustment ring to help turn it easier, not that it’s needed on the Midas. Under the capped turrets are the ¼ MOA adjustment knobs. The clicks on these are pretty outstanding. No mush to them at all. After you get your zero, you can set the turrets to read zero. Just use a coin to loosen the center, pull the cap off, set it back on at “zero”, then tighten the screw down. I would have liked to have seen a Zero stop on this optic, but that’s not an option. Eye relief on the Midas is stated as 3.9”. It’s pretty forgiving, even at 15x.

I was pleasantly surprised at how well I like the Midas HMR. I can’t get over how clear the optic is. The reticle is so simple to use and didn’t get in the way for me at all. I think this would be an awesome scope to put on an AR style rifle. In fact, I have thought about moving this one over to a varmint rifle style AR. The click adjustments make it easy to adjust for bullet drops, if needed. Those 2 MOA marks work so well for hold-overs that I really didn’t need to use the turrets. When I adjusted the turrets, the scope always returned to zero without any deviation. The Midas performed better than I expected.

So if you are looking for a second focal plane mid-range optic, the Athlon Midas HMR 2.5-15x50 might be the ticket. It is even its own product line in the Athlon catalog. The Midas did everything I was hoping for and more. It is super clear, is priced right, and has a fantastic reticle. Athlon Optics has a ton of different optics options, so go take a look and be sure to check out the Midas HMR when you’re there.

Firearms Insider Reviews - 8 Key Points

Claim to Fame:

Extremely clear second focal plane optic with illuminated reticle

Target Market:

Hunters, competition shooters, or anyone just wanting a good mid-range distance optic

FNBs (Features & Benefits of this product):

Fully coated, low dispersion HD glass
XPL protective coating
2.5-15 magnification
30mm tube
50mm objective lens
3.9” eye relief
Field of View: 41.8 ft - 6.8 ft
Side parallax adjustment to 10yds
0.25 MOA click adjustment value
Capped turrets - adjustable for zero
Length - 13.8”
Weight - 26 ounces
Second focal plane Illuminated AHMR reticle

What other aesthetic options or finishes are available?

600A reticle

What others are saying?:

5/5 stars at Athlon Optics

I have used a wide variety of optics on various rifles, from high-end tier 1 optics to cheap rimfire scopes. I wanted a SFP optic for a long-ish range hunting rifle. This scope is, IMO, perfect for this application.

The eyebox is very forgiving at max mag, the glass resolves very well and shows good contrast, and the color rendering is neutral. There's a bit of barrel distortion at the low end of the mag range, but it's reasonable for the zoom range and it's pretty much unnoticeable after 8x or so. All the controls move easily and smoothly. This scope really shines in low light at lower mag where the 50mm objective gives you a very large exit pupil that really maximizes the available light. The AHMR reticle is, IMO, the perfect width for this application being thin enough not to obscure the aiming point and bold enough to see against all but the darkest of backgrounds (and then there's the illumination for those conditions). Parallax is marked down to 10 yards and I've tested it down to 8 yards at max mag. As the magnification is lowered the depth of field really expands making it possible to leave parallax set, let's say for 100 yards, and the image stays in focus for objects up close (25 yards) and far away (250 yards). Optically this scope is really well balanced for hunting.

Unlike many scopes with capped turrets, the turrets on the Midas HMR are tactile and solid with no play between detents - they feel like the turrets of a tactical scope that have been scaled down to fit under the caps. It doesn't have a zero stop, but the turrets are resettable. This makes it actually useful as a long-range hunting scope where you might need to dial for a ballistic solution. The parallax knob is very smooth and moves easily making it easy to dial out parallax and focus on the target. I can say that this scope has the best mechanical feel of any hunting scope I've used.

This is really an impressive package for the price, and IMO it may be the best value in a SFP hunting optic out there. And of course, it's backed by Athlon's outstanding reputation for customer service. I have zero regrets about buying this scope and recommend it 100% for a mid- to long-range hunting optic.