Superdrazy
Well-Known Member
Nice I'll have a look now
Hawke scopes for deer stalking
- Thread starter Superdrazy
- Start date
Really useful write up by the way in that review.
As a fair weather stalker, I don't really want to shoot something at 1 minute to legal if it means I'm having to scrabble around the woods in the dark with a torch trying to locate a shot deer lying on the ground. It can sometimes be tricky enough to find them in broad daylight when you're within a few yards of them. About the only positive of the dark is that the blood trail (if one has been left) does sometime seem to show up better under torch light.
It would be just my luck, even with an expensive scope, that a 1 minute to legal deer with a perfect shot would be a runner - just to tee me off.
At least that's my excuse for not blowing a pile of bunce on scopes
I have hawke on everything from my air rifle to my 243 and find them more than adequate. The good thing is that you can pick up a decent 30 mm model such as the sidewinder/endurance for between £150 and £200 in good condition. The other good thing is that they will do a good enough job in the day and be good with Nv addd ons at night.
Genuinely Hawke don't market their products for the higher calibres we use for stalking, the ones they do rate for higher calibres are for bench rest shooting and not "in the field" like what stalking is the. Hawkes tubes as well as their glass is not designed to be rugged enough to be put through heavy recoil mixes with the back slapping it needs to go through when stalking. In saying that they are very popular in the rimfire market, again, the low recoil does not eefect the scope at all but even with good Hawke scopes you will find yourself wanting to check zero more often.
I have a couple and they work good on the rimfires I have tried them on the .243 because one has a nice reticle but over time I did see a zero drift after around 100 shots.
Use what you can afford, the thing about stalking is that you wont be shooting even 20 or 30 rounds at a deer so it will will cope for a few stalks and get you by,
Good stalking scopes genuinely are made with heavier material and more refined mechanisms so bare in mind although a good stop gap and will work you might wanna look at a secondhand Meopta Artemis or even a fixed 6x42 or 8x56 as a better alternative and you can pick those up for less than £200
I have a couple and they work good on the rimfires I have tried them on the .243 because one has a nice reticle but over time I did see a zero drift after around 100 shots.
Use what you can afford, the thing about stalking is that you wont be shooting even 20 or 30 rounds at a deer so it will will cope for a few stalks and get you by,
Good stalking scopes genuinely are made with heavier material and more refined mechanisms so bare in mind although a good stop gap and will work you might wanna look at a secondhand Meopta Artemis or even a fixed 6x42 or 8x56 as a better alternative and you can pick those up for less than £200
CarlW
Well-Known Member
Really useful write up by the way in that review.
As a fair weather stalker, I don't really want to shoot something at 1 minute to legal if it means I'm having to scrabble around the woods in the dark with a torch trying to locate a shot deer lying on the ground. It can sometimes be tricky enough to find them in broad daylight when you're within a few yards of them. About the only positive of the dark is that the blood trail (if one has been left) does sometime seem to show up better under torch light.
It would be just my luck, even with an expensive scope, that a 1 minute to legal deer with a perfect shot would be a runner - just to tee me off.
At least that's my excuse for not blowing a pile of bunce on scopes
Time to get a dog, Tom!
Woodsy
Well-Known Member
I recently bought a Hawke Vantage 3-12x44 SF with side parallax on recommendation by a very knowledgeable chap. I wanted something good with the Pard 007 add on, something inexpensive and good for dawn/dusk deerstalking and compatible with my 7mm 08. It cost me £179.95 new on eBay, and so far has been absolutely fine at the range, on deer and with the add on at night. It’s noticeably lighter than the Nikko sterling scope I had previously, so stalking with the rifle on my shoulder is more comfortable.
The sales blurb states ‘The Vantage range is all calibre rated and supported by Hawkes Worldwide Warranty’
And ‘All calibre rated - airgun, rimfire LR .22 and all major centerfire and shotgun types’.
I have no doubt that it’s not made as well as the top end scopes but I’m really happy with it, so another one for the Hawke appreciation society.
The sales blurb states ‘The Vantage range is all calibre rated and supported by Hawkes Worldwide Warranty’
And ‘All calibre rated - airgun, rimfire LR .22 and all major centerfire and shotgun types’.
I have no doubt that it’s not made as well as the top end scopes but I’m really happy with it, so another one for the Hawke appreciation society.
Interesting that you say that Carl. My eldest son informed me last night that his childhood was being impoverished by the absence of a hound in his life. The pressure is therefore on to find something that would make both a good family and tracker dog!Time to get a dog, Tom!
CarlW
Well-Known Member
i use a hawke sidewinder ed 10x50 that i use for target and deer stalking
im looking at selling it, not becuase its not up to the job just because i fancy a change.
never had an issue with it.
im looking at selling it, not becuase its not up to the job just because i fancy a change.
never had an issue with it.
Highlandsjohn
Well-Known Member
Real world experience is littered throughout this thread, Hawke scopes seem to do ok in the stalking world..Twenty years ago most of us were using four power Nikko Stirling scopes which were clamped on to second hand .270 Parker Hale,BSA,Brno,et all. A White Tail or Bushnell was 'theirs posh for you' nuff said 
,.
levigsp
Well-Known Member
Really! I don't know where you get this from?
My Brother has the Endurance with FFP 308 ret, sure built to be used on a 308? He tried it out last year on targets from 50-600 yard and fired 100s of shot and it never once lost zero and reset bang on everytime.
This winter its been out a lot in all conditions on the west coast, its got wet, cold, knocked about and still works bang on.
A good friend has an Endurance on his 270 and its never missed a beat whilst stalking daily, not one or two shots but a lot of shots.
I find your remarks no to dissimilar to what I read and heard in the 70/80s about tasco! I fitted one in 85 to a 243, ze3roed it and its never ever shifted zero, even though it bounced about in the land rover etc whilst night shooting for 10 years or so.
Yes I do have Meopta Zeiss etc on some of my rifles, but they are an expense that is NOT needed.
I also know a few people that use Hawke scopes on their stalking rifles, not me I might add I would never go to that expense
and as far as I can ascertain they have been trouble free.
and as far as I can ascertain they have been trouble free.
Agreed, I've a Hawke Vantage 3-12x50 on my .22 rimfire and it has done very well. Lots of rabbits down through it. could never understand people spending 1000 plus on vortex/swaros etc for a rimfire. Hawk scopes are more than adequate for the job and they're quite aesthetically pleasing too
purdeydog
Well-Known Member
That’s just not correct. A very quick look on there website will disprove that. Trouble with hunting/shooting marketing and especially print and video media is that a lot of it is paid for by the big brands and they drown out the small brands with there marketing bs.
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Highlandsjohn
Well-Known Member
It is not unusual for 'facts' to be presented with some authority on forums and believed. Then these 'facts'are repeated by someone with no knowledge,who is needing something to contribute, Chinese whispers..
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