Battle of the Chronographs: Garmin Xero vs. Athlon Rangecraft

When Garmin first released the Xero C1 Pro Chronograph, it flew off the shelves. Demand consistently outpaced supply, and for good reason. The Garmin Xero marked a major shift in the industry’s approach to chronographs, delivering high-end performance in a compact, user-friendly design.

Now, Athlon Optics has entered the radar chronograph space with the Rangecraft model. On paper, it does everything the Garmin does. So how do they really stack up?

Specs and Features

Both chronographs share a similar feature set:

- Radar-based tracking

- App support for detailed data analysis

- Compatible with pistols, rifles, air rifles, and archery

Speed detection:

- Garmin: 100 - 5000 fps

- Athlon: 65 - 5000 fps

Included accessories: Mini tripods

So in terms of raw specs, these chronographs are neck and neck. The Athlon’s ability to detect lower velocities is a slight edge on paper, though in practice, few users will benefit from this unless they’re working with subsonic projectiles or very light loads.

User Experience

Using either chronograph is straightforward. Here's a step-by-step comparison of the user flow:

Step 1: Power On

Athlon: Displays a helpful positioning guide on screen; press OK to proceed.

Garmin: Boots straight into the main menu.

Step 2: Start a New Session

Select your activity (e.g., air rifle, archery, etc.).

Optionally, input projectile weight - useful for calculating power in the app.

Garmin: Shows a positioning reminder once you start a new session.

Athlon: Already covered this on startup.

Step 3: Shoot and Record

Once set up, simply take your shots. The chronograph records and calculates speeds in real-time.

Accuracy Test

To compare the two, I ran a simple 13-shot string (my magazine’s full capacity) with an air rifle.

The results? The readings differed by only 3.2 fps on average. In real-world terms, this is negligible and could be attributed to pellet inconsistencies or slight variations in my shooting position. Both devices performed impressively well.

App Performance

Both chronographs sync easily with their respective smartphone apps. I found both stable and responsive, with clear session data and history tracking.

Personal Note: I preferred the layout and interface of the Athlon app, but that’s a subjective call; both are solid.

Final Verdict

If you're choosing between the Garmin Xero and Athlon Rangecraft, you can’t go wrong with either. They’re virtually identical in performance, ease of use, and accuracy. So the choice is a hard one.

That said:

Already in the Garmin ecosystem or want a slightly faster startup? Go Garmin.

Value app interface? Try both and see which you prefer.

In the end, it’s a true coin flip - and whichever side you land on will be the right choice.