HAWKE ENDURANCE RED DOT 1X30 DUAL HEIGHT QR

Hawke Optics now offers a great choice of sighting systems, and various red dot sights are in their line-up. On test here is the Hawke Endurance Red Dot 1x30 Dual Height QR, and at just 3.5” long and 8oz in weight, it’s a super versatile unit that won’t easily unbalance a rifle combo. In fact, the compact specification makes this the perfect partner for various AR-style guns and bullpup/tactical airguns, where space can be at a premium.

Unrestricted
Shooting with a red dot sight can feel quite liberating to the uninitiated, and part of the attraction is, unlike a conventional scope, eye relief is technically unlimited. In practice, I still prefer to have the unit just a few inches away from the eye, but unlike conventional glassware, the system doesn’t dictate exactly where.
Inside the protective box, you get linked rubber lens caps, two mount bases, some instructions, a coin-style battery, an Allen key, and a lens cleaning cloth. The dual mount system uses the Weaver/Picatinny configuration and offers both a low base and a high mount, the latter featuring a witness window that allows the target to be viewed through a hollow in the mount base. Clever stuff, bringing added versatility. Fit this to a gun with open sights, and they should still be usable as a dual system, which can sometimes be fun apart from anything else!

First impressions
Pick up this sight, and the high-quality aluminium construction immediately becomes obvious. The matte black finish is wholly practical and seems durable enough, and it all feels extremely robust. The internal specification boasts 25-layer multi-coated optics, which certainly sounds impressive, and with metal screw-cap turrets protecting the external adjusters, it all seems slick yet reassuringly familiar.

Quick-release
As mentioned, two mount bases are supplied, with the low one measuring 10mm in height and the high one 25mm. The latter comes fitted with a quick-release (QR) lever, and whilst I thought the lever would be transferable, depending on the base selected, it appears that it isn’t. Anyhow, the high mount bolted onto an EB Arms XV2-RS with relative ease. The QR lever did need to be slackened off a bit, and the pre-tension in the bolt is easily set by slackening off the screw from the left side with the supplied Allen key. Then, when it is slack enough, locate the sight into the gun’s Picatinny rail, lock off the lever, and then gently nip up the Allen bolt again. Thereafter, when the sight is removed, the tension should feel about right. To unlock the lever, incidentally, just press the small spring-loaded catch first. It’s a really neat system and means that the sight can be whipped on or off in a second and relocated onto another gun if necessary.

Into action
With the unlimited eye relief, we have plenty of flexibility as to where the sight is located, and for the record, the unit is parallax error-free from 10 yards. Unscrew the left turret cap and load up the disc battery, and we’re now ready for action. Switching on the device illumination shows the dot in red, which is apparently 3 MOA in size. The eight stages of digital brightness are controlled via the rubber-armoured +/- buttons on the top.
I found the dot appeared to get fractionally larger as the brightness was increased, and for my initial sighting in, I cranked it up to level four. Zeroing the sight proved easy and quick, with both windage and elevation turrets being finger-friendly. Click values are 1 MOA and very positive in use, and it’s worth noting at this stage that the sight will enter into standby mode if no movement is detected for five minutes. This still uses battery power, but the amount used is greatly reduced. To power off the sight, just hold the ‘+’ button down.
I shot in perfect daylight with a slightly overcast sky, and when I reduced the brightness to level two, the dot appeared perfectly within my 2” Jack Pyke sticky black target at 25 yards. At this illumination level, the dot was ultra-precise and free from glare. Obviously, brighter conditions may well need a different approach. I had a border of black around the dot, and this made it really easy to centralise and aim accurately. As for results, I printed several easy five-shot groups, coverable with a small 5p coin, which I reckon is pretty superb.

Verdict
This type of red dot sight never fails to surprise me with its remarkable accuracy, and the Endurance proved particularly impressive during testing. I reckon it’s a great alternative to a conventional scope for mid to close-range hunting work, or informal plinking sessions. Over 30 yards on test, it proved pretty deadly and instinctive, and whilst personal eyesight will dictate how much further that range can extend, as it stands, this is an ideal tool for pistols, ARs, and all manner of hunting rifles. Hawke products all come with the standard guarantees – shockproof, waterproof, etc., but don’t forget their conditional lifetime warranty and respectable after-sales service, which all stand for a lot these days.