Hawke Optics 2019 Optics Range

Shooting is an evolving sport and the requirements of its participants are constantly changing. Specifically, people are pushing the distances they shoot at, subsequently, there has been huge increase in demand for optics more suitable for long-range use. To tackle this demand, Hawke have added scopes to their line-up, that are available with reticles in the first focal plane (FFP) and laser range finders (LRFs) capable of measuring greater distances. That’s not all though, as there is a new compact optic for Bullpup airguns and some new red dot sights too! I got the opportunity to look at some of them at this year’s British Shooting Show.

Upgrade time

First up is the Frontier range, which represents Hawke’s flagship selection of scopes that includes 15 models. They are all aimed at giving the user maximum flexibility in their application, whether that is target shooting or hunting. The upgrade for 2019 sees the additional option of some new zero-stop exposed locking turrets. They are push-pull locking and resettable, giving plenty of adjustment with 1⁄10 MRAD or 1⁄4 MOA click values depending on the model. The majority are available in second focal plane (SFP). However, there are now three available in FFP. This setup ensures that the reticle’s measurements stay true, no matter what magnification is being used and can easily be translated into turret adjustments.

The three models consist of the 3-15x50 (£749), 4-20x50 (£799) the 5-25x56 (£849) and offer 26, 23 and 19 Mils of internal adjustment retrospectively. All have a 30mm tube and come with high quality, 21-layer, fully multi-coated lenses. The glass-etched, FFP Mil Pro reticle was specifically developed for these first focal scopes. The subtensions include 1, 0.5 and 0.25 Mil markings, which are regularly numbered to ensure quick reference and even extend out to 10 Mils of holdover. The reticle can be illuminated using the 6-position rheostat with off positions in between the brightness levels. Each model has a 5x optical zoom range, a locking fast focus ring and 4” of eye relief, making it suitable for magnum calibre rifles. They come supplied with a detachable zoom lever, sunshade, CR 2032 battery, lens cloth and pro flip-up lens covers. Of course, they also carry a Hawke worldwide warranty for extra piece of mind.

Ad-vantage

In addition to the scopes, there are also the latest Vantage red dot sights which are ideal for driven hunting and fast-paced Practical rifle and pistol shooting, because they are parallax error free from 9m onwards. They can also be used with both eyes open. All are available with either a Weaver/Picatinny or 9-11mm dovetail integrated mount. The models include; 1x20 (£69), 1x25 (£75) and 1x30 (£79), the main difference in design being their objective diameter. They all feature 1x magnification, 25-layer multicoated optics and a 3 MOA red dot which can be adjusted to 11 different brightness settings via a side-mounted rheostat. The units are constructed from aluminium and only weigh between 120 -240gms depending on the model. For durability, they are nitrogen-purged, water, shock and fog proof. They come supplied with a CR2032 battery, lens cloth, installation tool, honeycomb sunshade and a lens cover which adds up to make them a great choice when on a budget.

Sidewinder

The Sidewinder range of scopes have been around for a while now and have always been great value, coming with a wide array of accessories including; lens cloth, sunshade, metal flip up lens covers, hex/torque keys, 4” sidewheel and pointer! New this year is the addition of two new 30mm tubed FFP models, the 4-16x50 (£469) and 6-24x56 (£489) which offer 25 and 18 Mils of internal adjustment retrospectively. They are aimed towards affordable long range shooting and come with exposed locking turrets with 1/10 MRAD clicks values. Both utilise a redilluminated, glass-etched FFP Mil reticle with 0.5 Mil subtensions out beyond 5 Mils on the horizontal and vertical axis, as well as a series of crosses in the lower section, designed to provide additional windage reference points. Illumination is controlled via a rheostat with five brightness levels. The lenses are 18-layer and multi-coated and the scope comes with a locking fast focus ring and side focus with an adjustment range of 9m to ∞. A feature-rich bargain!

Lasers

To make long-range shooting even easier, the capabilities of the LRFs have also been improved. The new Endurance range now have red coloured OLED displays to improve the brightness and quality of the readouts. This new selection is available in 700 (£219), 1000 (£229) and 1500m (£249) versions, all with the ability to measure distances to target with an accuracy of +/-1m, given the usual criteria of target size, shape, colour, reflectivity and background. Features include; distance, horizontal distance, angle, rain and hunt modes, as well as an auto shut off feature to preserve battery life. All three have 6x magnification with dioptre adjustment, fully coated lenses, BK-7 prisms and are nitrogen-purged, water and fog proof. They come with a CR2 battery, lens cloth, carry case and a wrist strap. An essential addition to any range bag.

Airmax

Not wanting to leave the airgun shooters out, there have been three new additions to the Airmax range of optics, which now consists of 11 models. They are available with either 1” or 30mm tubes and all of them use the MRAD AMX reticle, which is based on the spacing of a 10x Mil Dot. There are subtensions covering 1 - 4.5 Mils in 0.5 increments on the vertical and horizontal axis making it ideal for airgun trajectories. The latest additions to this range are three Airmax 30 SF Compacts all in SFP; the 3-12x40 (£259), 4-16x44 (£279) and the 6-24x50 (£299) which measure 10.9, 11.7 and 13” in length retrospectively. They offer a wide field of view and come with 16-layer, fully multicoated lenses and side focus parallax adjustment from 9m to ∞The side-mounted rheostat controls the six red brightness levels of the glass-etched reticle. The turrets are capped, resettable target-types, which come with 1/10 MRAD click values. The lightweight compact design with short eye relief makes them ideal for use on Bullpup and forward loading airguns.

Success!

Overall, it is great to see that Hawke have kept their finger firmly on the pulse of the worldwide shooting community and have done well to release a selection of great value products that will be released throughout 2019. I am looking forward to getting my hands on some of them for a full test, watch this space!

Contact:

uk.hawkeoptics.com