HAWKE FRONTIER 34 FFP 5-30X56

It’s fair to say that Hawke used to be the top name in airgun optics. However, over the last five years, it has become clear that they have elevated their range with a more consistent design style, and by offering superb Frontier 30 optics. They have also introduced up-to-date first focal plane options that are suitable for various precision shooting disciplines.
This top-of-the-range 5-30x56 shows a smoothly finished aluminium main tube and similarly well-finished turrets. There are aluminium flip-up lens caps for the objective and ocular lenses, both of which can be rotated and locked in the desired position. There is 57mm of free tube space in front of the saddle and 63mm to the rear for the rings to be set up, allowing perfect eye relief. Any optical specification like this will breed a larger optic and the overall length here is 392mm. Plus, there’s the option of an extra 100mm sunshade. The weight has been well controlled though at just 830g, which isn’t excessive for a target or varmint-oriented precision rifle scope. The eye relief is long at 102mm, so you will need to bear this in mind when deciding if the scope is suited to your rifle.

The turrets set the tone
Hawke initially jumped ahead of competitors with some superb turret designs; these are no exception. All show a perfectly smooth hard anodised finish that won’t rub the skin dust from your fingers, yet they retain grippy knurling for immediate tactile control either bare-handed or with gloves on. The left-side parallax dial runs from 14m to infinity, and its external dial controls internal reticle illumination through 11 intensity settings, with intervening off detents, making sure you are just a flick away from your preferred settings.

Personal choice
I was supplied with an MOA version of the scope, although it is also available in MRAD. This version showed 25 MOA per rotation of the turret, with clear markings for both the first and second rotations, allowing accurate dialling without getting lost. There is also a zero stop, which is perfectly specified with detailed instructions, making it simple to use and set up. Essentially, three grub screws allow the external dial cap to be removed, positioned as desired, and tensioned back in place. With the cap off, three similar grub screws allow you to set up the zero-stop collar, which can be left completely disengaged if preferred. It also allows negative travel below the zero point if you need it. This is a simple, perfect solution to the zero-stop capability. Although more expensive scopes often combine the zero-stop with the external dial, I think it’s more complicated, less versatile, and less easily adjusted than Hawke’s solution.

Windage
Windage also runs MOA, and you can easily dial to the left or right of the marked centre position once the rifle is zeroed and the marker reset. The windage adjustment range is 54 MOA, while the max mechanical elevation travel is 99 MOA, enabling extended long-range potential. Both turrets lift to unlock and turn, and the ¼ MOA clicks are well-spaced on the 40mm turret, meaning they are less likely to overrun. They are also reassuringly tactile and audible, allowing for vision-free adjustment if and when required.

6x erector tube
The magnification from 5-30x is controlled with a knurled collar at the front of the ocular body, and it rotates smoothly between solid stops, without any perception of internal mechanical motion. The collar is easily gripped, and an additional throw lever is supplied, along with appropriate Allen keys and spare grub screws.
The ocular body is parallel and 46mm in diameter, meaning it can carry accessories. The scope features a fast-focus eyepiece with a lock ring, which is particularly useful. The lock ring ensures that the focal position is maintained, especially when using a folding aluminium lens cover that could easily knock your scope out of adjustment. The reticle comes into sharp focus and remains so, regardless of the magnification setting. The eye relief also remains forgiving, without excessive drift through the zoom range. The exit pupil is relatively forgiving through rifle motion and allows a relaxed head position from different physical shooting positions.

Rimfire workout
I mounted the scope to a precision rimfire rifle, and while this may sound puny, recoil-wise, it fundamentally encourages a lot of tracking adjustment back and forth to get an idea of the scope’s mechanical range and accuracy. I converted my known rimfire DOPE from MRAD to MOA and shot alternating distances to ascertain the accuracy with which the Hawke would adjust my point of impact. I can confirm all adjustments were accurate, and the scope was a pleasure to use. The reticle is in the first focal plane (FFP), so it varies in size corresponding to the magnification, ensuring that your dialled or aimed-off corrections agree perfectly regardless of the magnification setting. Also, when I wound the scope back to the zero stop, it returned exactly to its 50m zero distance.

Red or dead
The reticle illumination ensures visibility at all sizes, and there are multiple hash marks to measure or aim off. The lower reticle quadrants carry multiple aim-off dots too, and it’s good to see the reticle illumination maintains a crisp picture without any dazzling colour bleed at high intensity. The image resolution in bright conditions was acceptably crisp, and I could pick out the splashes of rimfire bullet impacts on fresh, white-painted steel at 200m, even when the rain interrupted and diminished visibility. This will never be a last-light hunting scope, but transmission seemed decent, with a bright image that diminished linearly without specific steps or milkiness through the magnification range.

Conclusion
The scope meets its advertised specs with precision and offers precise light transmission, colour balance and resolution, as expected from a scope of this optical specification. Definitely a daytime precision optic and not a hunter, but that’s clearly what it has been designed for.