Thank you.

If the cheapy doesn't work out, I'll re-open this and add that one into the mix.

That's the scope I have on my 6.5CM and my 5.56 bolt gun.  A fantastic scope for the money.  It replaced a Vortex Dback Tactical I had...the Midas Tac is better in every way.  Liked it so much, I bought another.  Under the windage cap is just a standard turret knob.  It doesn't need to be an open knob...you don't dial windage; you hold left/right using the reticle...since the wind is constantly changing and not fixed like ballistic elevation.  I zero the rifles for wind, never touch it again.


As for the Arken SH4, I also have one of those on my Bergara BMR 22lr.  It's also a great scope for the money.  Yes, it has a fair amount of chromatic aberration....but I'm not reading a novel with it, just shooting holes in paper at 200 yards or less.  The reticle is very nice and crisp. The SH4 is a feature packed scope, and I don't think you will find a better scope for the price point.  It's a beefy son of a bitch...nearly 3 lbs.  It has some of the cleanest turret clicks I've ever felt, and the zero stop is incredibly easy to use.  The only feature I'll never use, and it isn't terribly great to begin with, is the reticle illumination.  But, I expect some flaws in the feature set for the price...it's a $400 scope, not a $4,000 ZCO.  I wouldn't hesitate to buy another Arken if I need another scope in the future...or maybe I'll get a 3rd Midas Tac.

Thank you for the input.  

For those talking about the Optika 6.
My 3-18 does have a parallax that dials to 10 yards.  At that distance it will focus up to about 10x.  Needs to go a bit further to focus at 18x
Glass is subjective, but I’m very happy it’s on par with my Z3.

My only complaint is the zero stop is poorly explained and after I zeroed I messed my zero up trying to set it.  It was so bad I wasn’t on 24x24 target at 100y.  I went to 25 yards and was still not on paper.  Was 18in high at 25 yards when I shot at the bottom.  
I’d have to take pics to explain but it’s a cool system, but a better explanation or video clip on their site would help a lot.
   

10X at 10 yards would probably be fine.  What I didn't want was to be locked into the 25 yard minimum distance, which is what they advertise for that scope.  

My Leupolds LRT's don't focus below about 50 yards.


Not being able to go to a retailer to see and touch before buying is really bad!

The Athlon Midas TAC 6-24X50mm I ordered showed up today.  I spent a few minutes reviewing the scope and how it will be used.  

My Lyman SuperTargetSpot is good for 12X at 10 yards but this thing will be 24X at 10 yards, so that will be a new experience for me.    

I also revisited the other available options, just in case I am unhappy with the Athlon (pending optical testing).  

As far as I can tell thus far, I ordered the right optic.

The table shows what I wanted and what I got.  Not too bad:



A simple reticle could have been ordered but it was only available with milliradian adjustments rather than MOA.  That was trade-off as both are important parts of the user interface.

It's always something, isn't it?

The rear end of the scope body interferes with the iron sight base I have on the rifle, so the scope cannot be mounted with the rings I have.  It is only 10, 20 or 30 thousandths but it might as well be a mile.

That adds $170 to the bill for new, taller rings, delivered in less than 2 weeks.

SUCCESS!

Glad to hear! It’s been a fascinating ride watching this thread!

Congrats!  Looking forward to hearing how you like it after shooting with it.

I lapped the rings and mounted the scope.

I got it zeroed in just a few shots - mechanical zero for windage was very close; elevation had it about 12" low at 25 yards.

It tracked quite well during initial zeroing but I am more interested in long-term reliability of the tracking, tracking after lots of use.

The windage knob was great despite being hidden beneath a cap.  I was concerned about this because I never found good images during my searching.  It's totally fine.

I only got to use it at 25 yards during the outing (too much on the agenda for this range trip).

Jeez, 25X at 25 yards,...you could see the surface roughness and fibers of the paper targets.  

The reticle was not great for super-close range work but I will take it.  The center dot was too small compared to the X ring on the target.  At longer distances, the target will appear smaller and the center dot will be fine.  

All that is just picking nits.  



Overall, I liked it.



P.S. - next range trip is rimfire only and another go at the Tack Driver game!