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Fantastic *Compromise* Long Range Varminting & NV Scope.


22cf

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I’ve been long range varminting about 12 years, in that time I’ve use Nightforce, Schmidt and Bender PM II , Zeiss Victory, and Sightron SIII. I’ve always considered Hawke scopes to be garbage.

 

 I wanted one rifle for Long Range varminting and foxing so I bought an 8twist Tikka T3x Super Varmint in .223rem which is perfect for the jobs required with either 53gn VMax or 77gn Tipped matchkings.

The problem was the scope.

Good quality scopes don’t tend to work well with nightvision.

As I do far more foxing than long range varminting I decided to change the Sightron to a scope more suitable for nightvision so went for the Hawke 6-24x56 Sidewinder. I was very sceptical it would be any good for long range varminting.

How wrong I was, I was out last week and took crows and pigeons out to 375yds with only a few misses, I was dialling up and down the turrets all day. In total I took 25 shots and missed 3 which for me was outstanding. At the end of the day I re-zeroed the turrets and I put 3 straight through the centre of a 1/2” ring at 100yds.

Obviously the Hawke glass isn’t Zeiss quality but it’s more than adequate for 500yd varminting in decent daylight and the turrets track very well.

Hawke sidewinders are a great compromise scope for both NV foxing and Long Range varminting. 

They also work fantastically well with the Solaris laser torch, I am easily able to identify foxes out to 400yds

Im no longer a Glass Snob !!!

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Hawk S/W are are great scopes ., I have had a couple over the years funnily enough on fox rifles too , not tried them with NV but they are amazing under the lamp 👍👍.

i only gave them a swerve because I have all Mrad scopes . 

Hmmm nowt there’s a thought an mrad sidewinder 🤔👍

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Nearly all of the mid ranged Hawk scopes I have looked through would hammer glass costing twice . 

Very underrated in my opinion 

if I remember rightly the sidewinder I had on my 220 swift coupled with 50 grn Noslers at 4000 FPS was a death sentence to anything that landed within a 500 m radius . 

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Got a Hawke Frontier in the post just now. 

If that doesn't measure up to my needs (might not focus down enough for the distance I tend to shoot at) I'll be ordering another 6-24 sidewinder. 

Only reason I don't have my sidewinder anymore is that my dad tried it and decided it was his, as you do. 

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Following................ do it all scope......long range varminting, good in low light but also will work  say an add on Pard. I was looking at the Delta 3-24 x 56 ED? Does anyone have experience of this scope? the mag range and some general good feed back re Delta optics is catching my interest.

2 watch-outs pointed out to me were, if an add on could fit on with the ocular illumination? Is the tall dialing turret option going to block the ir of a Pard? 

 

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  • 4 weeks later...
On 9/29/2019 at 12:52 PM, sam39 said:

Following................ do it all scope......long range varminting, good in low light but also will work  say an add on Pard. I was looking at the Delta 3-24 x 56 ED? Does anyone have experience of this scope? the mag range and some general good feed back re Delta optics is catching my interest.

2 watch-outs pointed out to me were, if an add on could fit on with the ocular illumination? Is the tall dialing turret option going to block the ir of a Pard? 

 

Hi.

I too  am currently thinking of getting that scope and have exactly the same questions.

Hoping someone will come back with answers?

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  • 1 month later...

I've had a few Hawke scopes.  Some have been ok...most have not.  Glass has been generally poor.  I wouldn't touch another one with a barge-pole but each to their own.  What put me right off them was owning, for a short time, one of their premium range a few years ago (4 or 5 years ago) and finding that the turrets had been shimmed with offcuts of the thin aluminium index marking washers used under the covers.  This was on a brand new scope!  It wouldn't dial consistently, nor would other ones I've had, so I personally would look elsewhere.  You can only speak as you find, and if you've found a later model to be ok...fair enough.

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  • 1 month later...
On 9/28/2019 at 7:43 PM, 22cf said:

I wanted one rifle for Long Range varminting and foxing so I bought an 8twist Tikka T3x Super Varmint in .223rem which is perfect for the jobs required with either 53gn VMax or 77gn Tipped matchkings.

sorry to change course a bit, how are you finding the 77gr TMK's ? ive started to load .223 with the 69gr, and out of my ruger predator (also 8 twist) i am getting just under MOA at 100 meters, so fine for hunting, but was wondering if the 77gr might be better ?

 

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