Hawke Prism 4x24 Sight BDC Dot

Hawke’s latest product line-up includes several red dot and prism sights, and on test here is the Prism 4x24 Sight BDC Dot, which is designed primarily for more instinctive shooting, where fast target acquisition and easy quick aiming is the name of the game.

Rugged build
Supplied in a neat protective box, inside we find the unit itself and a host of other goodies alongside. Elasticated lens caps, a coin-style CR2032 lithium battery, a screw-fit honeycomb sunshade, two Weaver mount bases (low and high), a lens cloth, instructions, and a Torx tool.
Pick up the sight and the quality and precision are immediately apparent. There’s an all-aluminium construction, and instead of raised turrets, we get subtly recessed adjustment points, with a similarly recessed rheostat control on top. It all feels very robust, so favourable first impressions for sure.

Mounting and setup
This mount, as mentioned, comes supplied with two Weaver mount bases, and I think it’s fair to say at this stage that Hawke intends this Prism Sight to be used on AR-style firearms, hence the 5.56 calibre reference in the reticle blurb. That said, and now having spent time evaluating one, I can categorically say that this optic is perfectly at home on an airgun. As for the Weaver-only bases, many airguns come with Weaver/Picatinny rails as standard these days, and if the Prism Sight is to be fitted to dovetails, it’s a simple matter of sourcing appropriate conversion mounts/blocks. 
For my test period, I had the use of one of the latest Weihrauch HW77s, and this seemed like an ideal candidate, especially once I had found my Hawke adaptor mount rail (dovetail to Weaver/Picatinny). The sight comes with the high mount base in place, so for my configuration, I first had to switch mount bases, to get the sightline lower. To remove the base, there are four small screws on the underside. I fiddled around for a while with a ‘star’ socket set, and completed the task after much awkward twiddling, switching over the bases to the low profile. It could have been rather less awkward if I had only realised that the super-neat Torx device inside the box was the perfect tool, intended for the job. Oh dear. Anyhow, with the base switched, it could now bolt straight onto the rail.

Zeroing
Unlike some red dot sights that have zero eye relief, this Prism sight does require careful location, and the eye relief is roughly 2”. With the sight securely bolted into position, it was time to adjust for a zero. As with any scope, initial adjustment of the ocular dioptre makes sense, and that option is here. With that checked, I then moved super-close to check the impact point. Both elevation and windage adjusters require a screwdriver to make the necessary changes, and clicks are positive and audible – just as we like it. Again, that magic Torx key tool supplied has a screwdriver end, so it’s something to keep handy in the pocket.
As it turned out, the zero didn’t look too far adrift, so I moved back to 30 yards to make final adjustments. 4x magnification is useful, certainly against many red dot systems that offer no adjustment. For the record, the lenses are treated to a 15-layer multi-coating at the production stage, which all sounds encouraging, and there’s no doubt the image is crisp.

Illumination
If illumination is required, load the coin-style CR2032 lithium battery by unscrewing the turret cap on the right side, to gain access to the battery compartment. The rheostat control sits on the top and is operated via the rubber-protected ‘+’ and ‘-’ pressure buttons. There are 10 levels of brightness – eight for daytime, and two for night. Whilst I was initially bemoaning the omission of an ‘off’ button, the system is designed so that it will power off if either the plus or minus button is held down for three seconds. It is also designed to go into standby mode if no movement is detected for two minutes, but this still uses some power. It will also shut down completely if no movement is detected for four hours.
The BDC style reticle is glass etched and this features a central dot, upper horseshoe, and three lower subtensions, with the first 5.5 MOA below the central dot. It’s a very precise sight picture, and the proportions are highly usable for airgun trajectories. The central dot and horseshoe illuminate and it’s highly effective for fast target acquisition. On test, the 1 MOA dot proved pretty precise over 30 yards, and whilst the specification admittedly refers to the sight being “parallax free at 100 yards”, I was achieving easy 5p-sized groups over 30 yards, which is highly usable in the real world.

Verdict
There is undoubtedly an array of bolt-on super-compact sights of similar size available, and whilst some cost considerably less, they are often built down to a price and aimed at the bargain sector of the market. By comparison, this Prism sight from Hawke just feels classy. It offers that highly useful 4x magnification, and a huge field of view. Factor in the super-precise BDC reticle and overall build quality, and the RRP seems reasonable.
Overall, then, Hawke’s Prism Sight comes highly recommended. All the usual assurances are here too – nitrogen purged, waterproof, shockproof, fogproof, ‘all-calibre rated’, plus Hawke’s two-year warranty.