Hawke Frontier 34 FFP 3-18x50 Scope Review

No single scope is good for all scenarios, yet this latest 34mm First Focal Plane (FFP) optic from Hawke is one of the most versatile specifications available. The 50mm objective lens enables decent light entry to the main tube, which itself, at 34mm diameter, enables greater mechanical adjustment for longer-range shots. The scope is available in MRAD (seen here) or Minutes of Angle (MOA) and correspondingly offers 46 MRAD or 158 MOA of elevation range for reaching out.

What is the Build Quality and What Accessories are Included?

Hawke supplies flip-up lens covers for the smoothly finished, hard-anodised aluminium main tube as well as a 100mm screw-in sunshade that will help with unwanted light distractions.

Hawke’s website contains extensive details on the scope, reticle, and physical dimensions. To summarise, there is 45mm and 65mm of free tube space in front of and behind the central saddle, allowing you to position your rings correctly for proper eye relief. The scope should be set 102mm (4”) from your eye, is rated for all calibres in terms of recoil, and comes with a lifetime warranty to support its durability claims.

How Do the MRAD Turrets and Zero-Stop Function?

The right-side windage turret lifts to turn and offers a very logical 5 MRAD (50 clicks) of adjustment left and right from centre, with clear markings on the easily reset outer dial.

The elevation turret provides 10 MRAD per rotation, divided into one hundred 1cm@100m clicks, each firmly detented to deliver a positive tactile feel when adjusting, without risk of overrun. The clicks can also be delicately heard without creating too much disturbance.

A detailed instruction manual is supplied but, in simple terms, three circumferential grub screws unlock the outer engraved dials to reset their position once your rifle is zeroed. If desired, you can also remove the elevation dial entirely to access the simple, yet perfectly functional, zero-stop collar underneath, which allows setup for negative travel as well. In my opinion, this is a straightforward and effective solution that avoids unnecessary complexity and excessive cost.

What Reticle Does the Scope Use and How is Parallax Adjusted?

The left side parallax dial adjusts down to 14m from infinity, making the scope suitable for airguns, rimfires and centrefires. It’s backlash-free and there is no physical perception of the mechanics moving within as the dial smoothly rotates. External to the dial is the illumination control, which offers 11 intensity settings for the red reticle within, and power comes from the CR2032 battery housed under the screw cap.

The FFP Mil Pro Ext reticle is complex, with a multitude of 0.1, 0.2, 0.5 and full mil markings, as well as lateral aim-off dots extending into the lower quadrants too, all of which are illuminated.

Overall, I found the reticle excellent for engaging the steel targets typically encountered in PRS-type environments. At the lowest magnification, the reticle is barely visible, which is desirable, as when illuminated, it presents a simpler aiming mark in the centre of the now extremely broad field of view, allowing for fast target acquisition in hunting scenarios. This provides the best of both worlds.

How is the Magnification Controlled and What is the Optical Clarity Like?

The magnification collar is knurled for grip, and a removable throw lever is supplied for fast operation. Hawke also supplies Allen keys for setup, and it’s nice to see spare grub screws included should you ever lose one when altering turrets.

The 46mm diameter ocular body is parallel and will accept clamped-on accessories like night vision or scope cameras. The rear fast-focus eyepiece has a locking collar to ensure that it stays in position, even if the flip-up aluminium lens cap gets nudged, and it offers crisp reticle focus with minimal eye strain. The field of view is flat from edge to edge, with no annoying diminishing colour bands or vignettes from the easily accessible eyepiece.

Offering mid-range magnification up to 18x, rather than the 30x available on the other Frontier 34 FFP model, makes the exit pupil more forgiving. This is especially noticeable when shooting from challenging positions, where your natural alignment behind any optic is tested. The eye relief remains relatively static throughout the zoom range, and the multi-coatings appear to deliver a balanced image with good colour contrast and brightness, complementing the precision-ground lenses that provide strong optical resolution.

How Does the Scope Perform for Tracking and On-Range Use?

This optic is well-made and finished. The tracking of the internal mechanics when dialling for varied distances appeared to be accurate, and, being in MRAD, it allowed me to use my own rifle across multiple distances and shooting formats, using detailed and previously confirmed data on previous engagements (DOPE). The ability to swap to this scope and immediately find it accurate and easy to use, with no real problems or concerns arising, made for a long afternoon of enjoyable shooting without getting caught out or feeling that I was being held back when using a rimfire out to 350m.

Is the Hawke Frontier a Good Choice for Tactical and Precision Shooters?

Hawke seems to make a scope for every user, and this new H7 specification FFP scope for tactical and precision shooters is highly impressive. FFP scopes, where the reticle appears to grow as the magnification increases, maintain a perfect correlation between the reticle’s subtensions and the turrets, so you can dial off or aim off worry-free at any magnification. Similarly, with lock-to-turn turrets and a zero stop, this is an ideal optic for a multi-distance competition where you can make immediate changes to compensate for your bullet’s trajectory.

Although a larger 5-30x56 optic is available, the 3-18x benefits from smaller dimensions, lighter weight, and perhaps most importantly, it offers a greater field of view for fast target acquisition. The versatile specification and medium build dimensions also don’t rule it out as a daylight hunting scope capable of taking on technically demanding shots.