Hawke Vantage IR Mag

I test a lot of scopes and if I like them I buy them; over the years, I have noticed that seemingly more cheaper models are adorning my rifles. Why? Because, prices are dropping, and quality is improving! Better still, reliability has improved too, which is the key to an accurate shot, is becoming more consistent, especially on the cost-effective models. A Hawke Vantage I bought from F A Andersons now sits on by Sako custom rimfire and that usurped a Leupold!

Hawke have a superb range of telescopic sights and other optics now on offer and they have a very wide choice to suit all shooting disciplines and needs. I like their quirky models, like the slug gun scope on a fully rifled 12 bore shotgun and a Crossbow model on my 300 Blackout Schultz & Larsen rifle. The Vantage scope range combine performance and features to a price point without compromising performance with a superb range of models to suit airguns, rimfire or centrefire alike.

Spec

Vantage scopes all are available in either 1” or 30mm (wide angle models) mono tube construction. These IR (illuminated reticle) versions had a 3-9x and 4-12x mag power range and 40mm and 50mm objectives accordingly both on 1” tube made of aluminium but no parallax adjustment. If you need more or even less magnification or side focus etc, there are Hawke Vantage models available.

Each Vantage has five multi coated lenses, 11-layers in total throughout the whole optical system, which translates into enhanced contrast and light transmission throughout. Magnification adjustment has a high torque setting according to the booklet and this allows a smooth, fast mag shift, yet stays put and does not move under heavy recoil. It was smooth to operate, and I have shot a Vantage on a .35 Whelen Ackley Improved rifle and 250-grain bullets with no ill effects.

The eye relief is 3.5” for both models and exit pupil ranges from 13.3 -4.4mm (3-9x) or 12.5-4.2mm (4-12x) dependent on the magnification setting. The adjustment range is the typical one click for ¼” point of impact movement at 100 yards. Turrets are under protective caps and of the low-profiled, finger touch adjustment types for elevation and windage adjustment. Click adjustments are good and audible and precise with no slop or backlash and in both planes, each has a whopping 100 MOA adjustment for the smaller mag Hawke and 80 MOA total for the 4-12x model.

Illumination

Some models come with parallax adjustments, but I choose the IR versions that had an illuminated reticle and fixed parallax at 100 yards. I guess on a rimfire, a 50 yard parallax would be better, but I had no issues. The rheostat has a dual red and green illumination with five brightness settings to allow reticle recognition in daylight or dusk, against foliage or open fields. Sited on the left side of the scope on the saddle, it not only looks good but is also smooth to use with defined settings using the CR 2032 battery supplied.

Reticle

This is where Hawke has a good reputation for offering reticle designs specifically spaced to suit a variety of ballistic options. Ranging from airguns, rimfires to centrefire, they offer a very user-friendly aiming point backed up with their free, downloadable X-Act ballistic program. I choose their dedicated system for the .22 Long Rifle sub-sonic ammunition, which is calibrated specifically for a 40-grain .22 rimfire bullet having a BC of 0.1730 travelling at 1057 fps with a 50 yard zero and a scope height of 1.75” above the bore line. I usually sight at 30 yards but I have now changed to a 50 yard zero, as this not only suits the Vantage reticle but allows less hold over or under at the ranges I typically encounter vermin.

Thus, shooting a bullet with those characteristics allows the Vantage’s reticle to accurately place a shot at range with its spaced stadia along the six O’clock, vertical stadia. There are six aiming points, consisting of floating crosses that illuminate when necessary and one additional aim point at the point of the 6 O’clock vertical post.

These represent the central 50 yard zero point and then increasing range of 75, 100, 125, 150, 175 and 200 yards. These are only accurate at the optimal max power setting, in this case 9x power for the 3-9 x40mm scope or 12x power for the larger version, as this is a second focal plane (SFP) system, other mag settings will change the relationship between stadia and bullet impact remember. It is fun to mess around with settings and inputting data into the ballistic program. Hawke also have specific reticle stadia for 17 HMR, 22 high velocity, 17 Mach 2, 22 WMR, Mil dot, L4A-DOT, 30-30 Duplex, to name a few.

But please bear in mind that rimfire calibres can and are be badly wind-affected, certainly as the range increase past what might be considered ethical killing distances. So, be aware of your own and your rifle’s capabilities when hunting live quarry.

Out in the field

I set up the Vantages on several rifles and have also used them as the basis for some NV and thermal front end mounted kit too. They weigh very little and are compact enough not to add too much weight to any sporting rimfire, which is good, and the satin black finish is scratch-resistant too. The illumination has a very bright setting for day use and this had minimal bleed at the edges of the cross aiming points. Five settings reduce or increase the brightness, so that on the lowest, you can see the aiming mark, but it does not glare and destroy your aiming point.

The lenses too will surprise you and are all you need for rimfire use or centrefire for that matter if you are not too precious about ‘must have’ the last light advantage. Edge to edge sharpness with no vignetting or chromatic aberrations at all, on a good, flat image, which does look a little cool. Top optics are great, but you pay for them and, on a .22 rimfire rifle, a £109 or £119 Vantage is more like it!

Fitted up

I fitted the smaller 3-9x40mm Vantage to a Steyr Zephyr rifle with some excellent results on squirrels and even at dusk and dawn when I went out and tested it, I felt at no real disadvantage over a more expensive scope. In fact, it was nice not to worry about scratching a two grand scope on test! Best of all, is that reticle. Yes, it needs to be set at the highest mag setting to correlate accurately at range but that’s no problem; play around with it and learn to use at several mag settings and work out the drop or stadia point necessary for that range and write in on a sticker on the stock.

With the 4-12x, zeroed at 50 yards, with Eley Subs, I was achieving 1051 fps; so, close enough, although the Eley’s BC is closer to 0.13 than 0.17. Zeroed at 50 yards the 100 yard aim point was only 0.5” out and at 150 I was within the inch mark. Beyond that, and even at 150, live quarry is a no no with any 22 rimfire. I did shoot at steel silhouettes with the 200 yard setting and I was using just below the tip of the aiming point to connect. Winchester’s 42-grain Max sub-sonics were lower but CCI segmented subs put me more on target at each range, as did the new Eley Contact. But, saying that, their subs were more accurate for group size, so I still used them.

Conclusions

I really like these Hawke Vantage scopes, I have bought a few and use them regularly with no problems at all. The image quality is good for something in this price range and beats most of the competition. I don’t personally use illuminated reticles too much, but it’s nice to have that option and I really like the reticle choice. Being a bit of a ballistics geek, you can fine-tune and play around with the reticle settings at differing magnifications, or just shoot as is, for an accurate shot at the scope’s indicated range.