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Hawke 3-9x50 rimfire scope

Hawke 3-9x50 rimfire scope

Bullet drop compensating (BDC) scopes are nothing new but those dedicated to a single calibre or even ammunition specification are less common. In terms of what they offer they tend to go two ways; 1 - a dialable top turret marked for specific distances and 2 – a dedicated, range-specific ladder reticule.

HAWKE RIMFIRE

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As most of you will know Hawke has had a total re-think on their product line and branding, and the new stuff coming out is most impressive and covers most needs too. On test here is their Vantage IR 3-9x50 Rimfire 22 LR Sub-sonic model. It uses their BDC reticule as opposed to a turret, which for that sort of hunting I find a bit quicker and certainly more practical. Saying that the scope is good to go on any rifle regardless of calibre and the aim points can be used accordingly as long as you know your drops.

The build shows a one-piece, 1” body tube with capped, ¼ MOA turrets and a dual colour (red/green) rheostat drum on the left of the saddle. At the rear are a high torque magnification ring and a fast focus eyepiece. The reticule is glass-etched and in the 2nd Focal Plane (SFP) and the lens system uses 11-layer fully multi-coated glass, which gives good performance.

A spec 3-9x50 is well suited to the sort of distances a 22 rimmy would be shot at. The magnification range is versatile and that 50mm glass up front lets in a good amount of light. Typically it’s water/shockproof and nitrogen-purged. It’s 13.5” long and weighs 17.6 oz so a handy package all round.

CLICK, CLICK

Click values are ¼ MOA @ 100 yards with 60-clicks per turn (15 MOA) and seven full rotations (105 MOA), turrets show positive and audible clicks. This is a ‘zero & forget’ scope as all correction is on the reticule. It uses a 4a-type with skeleton outer arms at 3, 6 & 9 o’clock. Instead of an un-broken vertical line at 6 o’clock there is a series of small crosses out to 175 yards in 25 yard increments: 50 (centre), 75, 100, 125, 150 and 175. The tip of the outer post is marked 200, which is a bit ambitious for a 22! Illumination is only on the six ranging crosses and is selectable in red or green with five levels in each colour. For the testing I used the new Winchester 42-grain sub-sonic running at an average of 1062 fps and mounted it on my Ruger M77/22. I zero at 50-yards as standard and soon had ½-3/4” groups at that distance. At 100-yards the Hawke was pretty much on the money, equally so at 75 too. I don’t usually push the 22 much past 100, but stepping out to 150 showed the reticule was on but and at those distances even 5 yards out either way produce massive drop changes! Equally so with even a light wind! Yes I know that people have pulled off some good shots well past what I consider maximum range for a 22 sub, but I’d say that was more luck than judgement; just be sensible! To be honest and though 22 subs are very standard in terms of spec; ballistics can and will differ, brand to brand and gun to gun given barrel length etc. As with any BDC system you need to see what your ammo is actually doing and learn the position of the aim points on targets at all your shooting distances. But overall and at the money the Vantage IR Rimfire offers a workable solution to this little cartridge with a big trajectory and should improve your game no end! PRICE: Top of Form £109.99 CONTACT: Hawke Optics, 01394 387762
  • Hawke 3-9x50 rimfire scope - image {image:count}

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  • Hawke 3-9x50 rimfire scope - image {image:count}

    click on image to enlarge

  • Hawke 3-9x50 rimfire scope - image {image:count}

    click on image to enlarge

  • Hawke 3-9x50 rimfire scope - image {image:count}

    click on image to enlarge

gun
features

  • Name: Hawke Vantage IR 3-9x50 Rimfire Subsonic #14 231
  • Body tube : 1”
  • Click values : ¼ MOA @ 100-yards
  • Clicks per turn : 60
  • Full rotations: 7
  • Illumination : Y red/green
  • Reticule: 22 sub-sonic dedicated, multi aim point
  • Parallax : 100-yards (fixed)
  • Field of View @100yds : 33.6 – 11 ft
  • Eye relief : 3.5″
  • Length : 13.5″
  • Weight : 17.6oz
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