Hawke Sidewinder 4-16x50 scope

As the scope market becomes increasingly competitive, so manufacturers seem to be offering more and more with their products; and the latest Sidewinder 30 range from Hawke optics is a case in point.

Of course much of the spec is customer driven, and with today’s shooters ever more knowledgeable and demanding, manufacturers can’t afford to take their eye off the ball.

The Sidewinder 30 range comes not only extremely well appointed- but beautifully presented too. A foam-lined, aluminium trimmed hard case, just about guarantees these scopes reach their final destination in A1 condition, and the slick package includes everything bar the mounts. A four inch side wheel, range indicator, spare battery, cleaning cloth and four inch sunshade, all come with the scope, making this Sidewinder appear quite a deal on the face of it.

Spec List

In fact the spec list overall really is quite impressive with these Sidewinders, so let’s just highlight the on-board features too. Over-sized chunky target turrets come as standard, and these are of the latest design. Pull upwards to release the mechanism and the turret can be easily turned to the desired point (1/4inch clicks here); then once zero is achieved, just push firmly down and the turret is locked.

Side focus comes courtesy of the chunky turret on the left side of the scope. Fit the extended side wheel by simply pushing it over the turret and tightening the three allen screws, and the action can start. The magnification adjustment collar at the rear incidentally, is very smooth in operation through its 4-16x range .

With the scope on the highest 16x mag, I found the ranges actually came in very close to the main indicators of 10, 15, 25 and 50yds, but as usual with this type of scope, most shooters will add their own ultra precise range stickers after exhaustive testing. Differences in eye alone will often mean small inconsistencies in results, so personal tests are always advisable where these wheels are concerned. Given the spec of this scope though, and the fact that serious FT style range-finding is best undertaken on ultra high mags (30x and upwards) the wheel is really just an add-on, as the real strengths of this Sidewinder lie elsewhere.

Upgrade

Hawke Optics have recently upgraded many of their models, and these Sidewinders now come fitted with the Tactical style ‘Half Mil Dot’ reticle. This is a major improvement because with finer reference points i.e. smaller gaps between the markings on the reticle, more accurate range-finding can be achieved via the bracketing method.

The reticle itself is a fully floating design and is actually etched onto the glass. Four equidistant stadia lines each contain Mil dots, with what Hawke term ‘ties’ appearing in between the dots - creating half Mil dot spacing. Hollow posts with further aim points, include sections 0.2 of a Mil dot apart at the inner points, and the overall visuals are impressively precise.

‘IR’ in the name stands for illuminated reticle, and with 5 brightness levels controllable via the rheostat (also built into the left turret) the whole reticle can be lit in either green or red as desired. A spare battery is included, which is handy, if like me, remembering to switch off the illumination is an issue.

Range View

Zeroing this scope proved a simple affair, and with the fast focus ring (rubber protected) adjusted for fine reticle and image clarity at the start, I set about turret adjustment. Tracking shots around a square, proved the integrity of the adjustments, whilst clarity and overall image quality, was notably good.

As for the reticle, with the magnification set on 9x (an ideal setting for Hunter Field Target incidentally), I found that a 15mm kill zone would fit exactly between the centre and the first ‘tie’, when the target was viewed at 30yds say. With time and practise, other chosen targets could be bracketed and their range effectively determined in this manner. A minimum focus of 10yds is really handy too, yet experimentation with a focal midpoint is probably best, if the scope is to be left untouched in the case of HFT for example.

I have personally, rarely bothered to use a sunshade, but many swear by them, and with the four inch version supplied, fitted in place, in addition to the side wheel, there’s definitely plenty of posing to be done if nothing else!

Usual Fare

Metal threaded screw-on lens caps are included to protect the glassware when not in use, along with a lens cloth to keep everything clean and sharp. With the usual claims of waterproof, shockproof and fog-proof, plus a 10 year Limited Lifetime Warranty, I reckon these scopes have much to offer the enthusiast who wants performance and technical features, in a value for money package. The reticle alone gives these new Sidewinders an edge, and having seen some club mates dramatically improve on the HFT circuit using the same reticle, I can certainly vouch for their effectiveness in the right hands.

A comprehensive, technically well appointed package then, with a versatile specification that would be of real use to the discerning hunter or HFT enthusiast. GM