Dustin Harding of Athlon Optics talks to HAM Community Moderator Pan60 in this exclusive Hard Air Magazine interview.
First, some background…
Pan60 is an avid fan of Athlon Optics. For those that don’t know, he has several Athlon scopes on his airguns. His favorite model is the MidasTAC HD FFP 4-16 x 44 model. Yes – Pan60 says – the next scope he buys will be another Athlon.
And no – he says – Athlon hasn’t given him anything other than great customer service. They replaced a scope he bought used that was hard to focus properly due to having been over-torqued in mounting by the previous owner.
Above. In our heading photograph, Dustin shoots in the NRL22-style airgun “Steel Scramble” at Extreme Benchrest 2025 with a BRK Ghost.
Dustin and Pan60 have some background together, so this is a discussion between friends. Take it away, gentlemen…
Pan 60: So, Dustin can you first just tell us a bit about yourself?
Dustin Harding: My career in the outdoors field began about 2 decades ago. I’ve been involved in hunting and competitive shooting sports for just as long. I started off in USPSA and moved into 3-Gun.
When I started at Athlon Optics, the company was well-known for affordable long range scopes: that was a side hobby of mine at the time. I moved away from 3-Gun and into precision rifle matches such as PRS and NRL22.
Lately, I’ve found that I can pull a trigger quite a bit more often with an airgun than a powder burner, so that’s been a focus for the last couple years. You can find me on Facebook @TheWellRoundedShooter.
Pan60: What is it you do at Athlon?
Dustin Harding: I’m one of the project managers for Athlon Optics. Primarily, I work on our electronic devices. I’m also involved with the Marketing team, however to a lesser degree than previous years.
Below. In his earlier airgun days, Dustin shoots a Benjamin Marauder in Field Target at the Pyramyd Air Cup.
Pan 60: Tell us about Athlon. When did the company start and who started it?
Dustin Harding: Athlon Optics was founded in 2014 by our CEO, Kevin Qu. Kevin’s passion for the outdoors resonates throughout our company. His mission is to deliver top-tier products at a fraction of the cost of our competitors.
Oh, and he is also good at designing reticles! That’s something that initially drew customers looking for long-range optics to our brand.
Below. Dustin shoots Extreme Field Target with a BRK Ghost.
Pan60: Why did Kevin start another scope company?
Dustin Harding: Kevin had been in the industry for years and realized that he could overcome a lot of the challenges and short-comings that other companies faced. Given the success of Athlon Optics, he obviously was right!
Pan60: What all types of products does Athlon offer? is there a plan off more diversified products such as, say bipods bags or cases?
Dustin Harding: We have an ever-expanding range of products. We started off with riflescopes, red dots and prisms, rangefinders, spotting scopes, and binoculars. Now we offer thermal optics, tripods, accessories such as scope rings and tripod saddle mounts. Plus – of course – our new chronograph!
You’ll see this expansion continue and evolve in the future.
Below. A couple of years later, Dustin is back at the Pyramyd Cup, this time shooting a Daystate Red Wolf.
Pan60: Dustin, tell us about your new chronograph system and how all that works?
Dustin Harding: Pan, I thought you would never ask!
The Athlon Rangecraft Velocity Pro Radar Chronograph is a remarkable piece of kit and one of the most robust designs on the market. While it sports features like faster processing and higher sampling rates, the antenna array is about 30% larger than our competitors as well.
We shot and documented over 40,000 rounds from .177 up to 50 BMG to create the algorithm that powers this unit. Plus we started off with superior hardware, leading to about a 99% capture rate.
As we receive feedback from around the world, we are continually testing, evaluating and improving the chronograph. (It’s worth noting since release, almost all of the chronograph firmware changes have been to improve the phone app support).
The ability to upgrade the firmware means this device will only continue to improve over time.
How does it work? The short and simple answer is: Place it between 4 and 10 Inches from the muzzle (any direction) with the black side facing the target.
The radar sends out a 30 degree cone and continually looks for a projectile once a session is started. The radar bounces off the projectile and is reflected back to the radar where the algorithm interprets this new signature.
There is a lot more that goes into it. For example, ensuring that it doesn’t pick up adjacent shooters more than 48 Inches from the unit and avoiding outside interference like other radar signatures. Plus all the while maintaining the ability to detect velocities from 65 – 5,000 FPS from small calibers as well as large calibers, etc.
Pan60: Are there any “go to” Athlon products that you always take shooting?
Dustin Harding: Regardless of whether I am hunting, or discipline I’m shooting, there’s a few pieces of equipment I always have with me.
The Midas G2 PRO 12×50 UHD binoculars are my definite go-to. Excellent glass, a great field of view, and with a mil-reticle; these help make range/target estimates, shot corrections, and finding targets/game a breeze.
In matches these are supported by the Athlon CF40 tripod due to the rock-steady stability. For hunting I prefer to shave a little weight and step down to the CF32 tripod.
Other than weight, and a slight difference in stability, both tripods are feature packed with a ton of included accessories, allowing me to customize my setup to match my needs.
OK now scopes. When shooting airguns, I use an Athlon Ares ETR Gen 2 4.5-30 x 56 for speed and nrl competitions.
Foe Extreme Field Target and Benchrest, my choice is an Ares ETR Gen 2 15-60 x 56. Plus I use a Talos BTR Gen 2 10 x 42 on my big bore airgun as it has 36 Mils of elevation adjustment.
Pan60. Not everyone may know that you are an airgunner, and in a big way to boot. So how did you get into airguns?
Dustin Harding: It started out with visiting a few Athlon dealers during their major airgun events, RMAC and EBR.
After a couple years attending as a rep, I was lent an air rifle and told that I needed to compete in the upcoming EBR. I had a Summer shooting the Delta Wolf .30 cal.
Fast forward to October and I was lent a .22 cal .barrel about 20 minutes before my first 50 Yard benchrest match. Luckily, one of my shooting buddies helped me get a quick tune set up for it and I rushed to my bench.
I ended up with a 696 and 17 X’s, putting me in 6th place. Needless to say I decided to keep exploring this exciting sport!
Below. Dustin (far left) also placed 5th in the Extreme Benchrest 2024 “One Gun Challenge”. That’s a tribute to his wide range of shooting skills. “TheWellRoundedShooter”? Yip!
Pan60: You are also a member of the Daystate team. Now how did that come about?
Dustin Harding: Yes, in 2025 I was delighted to be invited to join the Daystate team. It’s an honor to be part of such an outstanding group of shooters!
Below. That’s Dustin – far right – in this Daystate WolfPack team photograph at RMAC 2025.
Pan60: Will we see a Athlon team in the future?
Dustin Harding: Pan, we already have a team! There are about 40 people representing Athlon Optics in various shooting sports and types of hunting.
I would like to thank both Dustin and Pan for letting us in on their discussion! Hopefully everyone learned more about Athlon Optics and Dustin’s love of airgun shooting.
The post Dustin Harding of Athlon Optics Talks To Hard Air Magazine appeared first on Hard Air Magazine.
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