Rifle Scopes hawke scopes

mosin46

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anybody have any hands on or direct knowledge of these? they fit the budget and seem to have features that make them an option including made in japan with japanese glass. yes i have an ares that is waiting a rebarrel and an xtr2 on the way. just wondering since i might hunt up nother bargin rifle. use would be mostly informal target shooting like my other 2 similar use rifles. got the hunting thing covered with my T3. thanks for any info.
 
I do not think Hawke makes anything in Japan right now, but they used. All of their current products come from China and I have looked at a few of their higher end scopes and liked them. Frontier 1-6x24 was a particularly nice scope and a couple of red dots I am messing with now are holding up really well.

ILya
 
I’m also interested knowing more about these scopes from hands on experiences. As Im looking for new scope for my RPR 6.5 around the 1k or under mark. So tracking, glass clarity, HD or ED ( as I see only high Mag sidewinder specifically say ED)
And any other important info

This one caught my eye, like reticle not too overly cluttered
 
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I have owned I think three of them. One was a Sidewinder 8.5-25x42 with a half-mildot reticle that I paid $475 for if I remember correctly. It worked great in mild weather but at longer ranges on warm days the mirage on it was horrendous. I tried it at 1000 yards once @ Sacramento and sold it immediately afterwards. It was also a little milky at high magnification but for the price you were getting more than you were paying for. I definitely think the Athlons I have owned or looked thru were much better.

The second one I owned was an Endurance 30 1-4x24. I was trying it out for CMP/NRA Service rifle which limits you to 4.5x magnification. the reticle didn't work for that sport but it was a very nice scope. Turrets were capped but worked pretty well.

The third one I still own. A Vantage 4x32 AO. Also tried it out for a cheapie backup/ indoor practice scope for Service Rifle. Here again very good value for the money, but not top drawer by any means. Hard to complain at the price point.
 
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I don't like them.

Out of all the scopes in our FT air rifle club we've had the most problems with this brand. Also the margins are huge, you'd freak out if you knew what dealer cost is.

Know this guy that used to say they were like Nightforce but less money. Over a period of time his broke repeatedly, after the 3rd time he sold it and got a NF.

That's one brand I have always stayed away from.
 
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I don't like them.

Out of all the scopes in our FT air rifle club we've had the most problems with this brand. Also the margins are huge, you'd freak out if you knew what dealer cost is.

Know this guy that used to say they were like Nightforce but less money. Over a period of time his broke repeatedly, after the 3rd time he sold it and got a NF.

That's one brand I have always stayed away from.

People that say $300 scopes are the same quality as a $2000+ scope are trying to justify their own purchase.

I own an athlon argos on my rifle. It's got a few issues with optical clarity, but it's a sub $300 scope. You can't expect Nightforce quality on a keystone light budget
 
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I have a Hawke Frontier 1-6x24 on a .223 SBR and couldn't be happier with it. Compares very favorably to my Kahles 16i, especially given the huge price difference. I really like the reticle.
 
People that say $300 scopes are the same quality as a $2000+ scope are trying to justify their own purchase.

Well, the Frontier 1-6 is not exactly a $300 scope and of course it's not the "same" quality as a high end scope. I happen to own a couple of high-end LPVOs (Kahles 1-6 and Minox 1-8) I bought prior to the Hawke. I have to say that I'm pretty impressed with how the Hawke compares. If you're looking for a nicely-priced, solid quality LPVO that won't blow the bank, check it out.
 
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7054907
 
Had a hawke sidewinder 30 on an RWS 56 TH Magnum Springer air rifle many years ago, decided to try one at the recommendation of many guys on the air rifle forum saying they were good reasonably priced scopes.

I found the glass on the very milky side at higher mag and the turrets quite mushy, but I wasn't expecting much for a cheaper scope and it fell inline with my expectations at that price point.

However, hawkes claim of being air rifle and Springer rated was only a claim... That rifle killed the scope twice, POI started going all over the place and turrets would start skipping and not track at all and then suddenly jump and adjust way too much after a shot trying to chase a zero. Confirmed it was the scope by moving it to a PCP air rifle. A Springer air rifle is a rough ride for any scope, but hawke made a big point in their advertising to say they were rated for it.

I will say their warranty and service department was easy to deal with, but IMO they should have skipped the fancy aluminum case the scope shipped in and spent that fancy case money on better glass and internals.

Can't speak to any of their new stuff, this was probably 7 years ago.
 
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I am running a new frontier ffp 4-20 on a .308. Been running it for about a year and a half and have had zero issues. Very happy with this scope. Great tracking and return to zero.
 
I really think you're going to be disappointed in the 34mm Hawke Frontier especially since you are wanting to upgrade from your Athlon Ares BTR. I've already gotten a chance to check out their new top of the line 5-30x56 34mm Continental version and was sorely disappointed in the glass/image quality on high magnification especially for their selling price. The Ares BTR G2 has noticeably better glass with much nicer image quality.

The Hawke Frontier glass isn't even as good as the $599 Viridian Xactus 5-30x56 34mm (literally the same scope as the Vector Continental 34mm except for the different reticle).

I used to think Hawke Frontiers were better than average until I compared them to Athlon Midas Tac and Midas HD and Ares BTR G2 scopes.

Hawkes' image quality on their high magnification and their over excessive price points being made in China made me stop buying this brand. If you find them on sale for half price then they just might be worth buying.

What I do like about the Hawke Frontiers are they seem lighter weight than the competition and can sometimes be found selling for around half price but that's about it. I don't think these are worth paying even half price for though when you can get a Sightmark Presidio 3-18x50 currently on sale for $279.99 and free shipping.
 
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Problem with scopes you guys admire in the US is, that you often cannot get them here in Germany.

Maybe I will Upgrade to the Athlon ARES ETR 3-18*50 instead or spend some serious money later and get a Steiner M7Xi 2,9-20*50. That would be a killer for me, but at the moment Not reachable.😅

But thanks for your Input.
 
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Problem with scopes you guys admire in the US is, that you often cannot get them here in Germany.

Maybe I will Upgrade to the Athlon ARES ETR 3-18*50 instead or spend some serious money later and get a Steiner M7Xi 2,9-20*50. That would be a killer for me, but at the moment Not reachable.😅

But thanks for your Input.
Or just buy the Steiner on credit since an Ares ETR is going to take a huge chunk out of the Steiner money anyway. Besides, the Ares ETR are still made in CHINA. A Meopta Optika 6 would be a better choice for around the same cost and are not made in China.