Hawke scopes for deer stalking

[Superdrazy]

Right I have a cheap hawke scope that I'm wanting to use on my .308 for now until I can afford a better scope. Other than clarity and poor low light conditions is there anything else that makes this scope or any cheaper scope unusable for deer stalking ?

Everyone says that I should get the best scope I can afford. Wouldn't that be nice

 

[topscots1]

Depends on the scope, hawke are actually reasonably good now. For 90% of shooting

 

[Kjm041]

No. The only risk with cheap scopes is their ability to hold zero and the repeatability of mechanics. However I would be surprised if that was a problem with most modern scopes from reputable brands of which hawke would count amongst them. You may find you don’t need to go better.

In terms of buying scopes I’d recommend going 2nd hand as you save a bunch and as long as it hasn’t been abused would likely work just fine for many more years. The example people often mention is a Schmidt 8x56. you can pick those up for about £300

 

[deerwarden]

As above, I used one on my FAC 510 and on a 17HMR for some time, for the price they do the job o.k. deerwarden

 

[old keeper]

I've got Hawke scopes on the majority of my rifles up to 243, never had a problem with them.

 

[Koenig]

I’ve got a Hawke Vantage that cost about £100, that I bought on here. It’s on a 17 HMR so I can’t really gauge how it reacts to deer calibre rifle recoil, but I’ve been really impressed with it so far as far as low light performance and build quality are concerned.

 

[Shootgun]

I’ve got a Hawke Vantage that cost about £100, that I bought on here. It’s on a 17 HMR so I can’t really gauge how it reacts to deer calibre rifle recoil, but I’ve been really impressed with it so far as far as low light performance and build quality are concerned.

Got one on my .22 Hornet, can’t fault it

 

[Tf223]

I’ve used a Hawke nite-eye on the 223 and 6.5x55 for years. It works as it should, you may get another 5 minutes at last light from a scope costing 8x more but its capabilities have never stopped me. Hundreds of foxes and my handful of deer have never complained. No quality issues found either.

Too much is made of expensive glass in my opinion. Yes perhaps if you are a pro or have the money to burn, but for the recreational stalker I don’t see the point.... I’d rather spend the money on other things.

T

 

[Malxwal]

I have a fairly new Hawke Endurance WA side focus on my 22-250, and an older Hawke Panorama (I think) on my 22. Cracking scopes for the money, with the newest generation stuff feeling really well made.

 

[FISH BOY]

Have Hawke Sidewinders on my rimfires and think they are great for the job.

A keeper pal has been using a Sidewinder on his 243 for years to great effect and he shoots a lot of foxes.

 

[bogtrotter]

Nothing wrong with modern Hawke,don't be fooled into thinking you need to buy top end glass ,you don't!
Its nice to have but you don't need it.
There has been big improvement in cheaper end glass in recent years plenty of cheaper scopes will do the job
these days.
Crack on with what you have or can afford at present you can a!ways update later if you want to .

 

[Neil/carprover]

I have Hawke scopes on 17hmr and 243 cant fault them at all, for my eyes I couldn't really tell any difference between Hawke and s+b , also got Hawke binos and can see better at low light than with naked eye.

 

[devon deer stalker]

I’ve got a Hawke Vantage that cost about £100, that I bought on here. It’s on a 17 HMR so I can’t really gauge how it reacts to deer calibre rifle recoil, but I’ve been really impressed with it so far as far as low light performance and build quality are concerned.

I have recently bought the Vantage, the Pard007 works great with it, but the parallax knob is really stiff to turn, how do you find the parallax adjuster on yours?
Apart from that they have a lifelong guarantee and proofed to work with full bore rifles, at least that's what Hawke told me in an email
Cheers
Richard

 

[Chasey]

I own 2 Z6i swaros and they are absolutely fantastic. The image quality and sharpness in terms of definition colour etc is lovely. The field of vision is great the low light capability is amazing.

BUT they were about £2000 new

Yesterday I sold my Sako 75 with my old cheep as chips Loupold VRX III scope. Its been sat in my cupboard for years unused

OK the field of view is not as great (a bit more drainpipey than the Z6i) and I find the cross hairs a bit fine, but I was actualy surprised at the sharpness of the image and at the end of the day it did this at 100m so I am confident it would be just fine on deer.

Id sold it for £250.00

 

[TomDeer]

I've got Hawke scopes on my rimfires and they're fine. My .243 has a Nikko Stirling Diamond which, likewise, adequately meets my needs. Whilst neither Hawke nor Nikko Stirling are in the same league as the medium or top end scopes for build construction or glass quality, they are more than adequate for the shooting I do and more than robust enough. Yes, cheaper kit may have some limitations over more expensive kit. The differential, if it exists, is not however as large as some shooting magazines might have one believe though!

I suggest you check your Hawke holds zero and performs satisfactorily at the ranges you'll be stalking with some range work and then get out there stalking.

 

[Jack0106]

friend of mind has one on his .270 for deer and is constantly singing its praises. Not sure which Hawke it is though

 

[Superdrazy]

Thanks guys for you help. I'll play with mine and see if it holds zero then happy stalking.

 

[Tf223]

Ive liked this thread... should have been titled The Hawke appreciation group

 

[Superdrazy]

Ive liked this thread... should have been titled The Hawke appreciation group

 

[S&L7x57]

I have two Hawke Endurance, a Z6i and a Zeiss CDL. They all work okay, the Zeiss and Z6I give a few minutes as light fades and they are 'nicer' to adjust and use but seriously, they are an expensive indulgence. You can view my recent (very subjective) test report on this forum titled 'Quality versus quantity' or search under my forum name.