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Rifles, Reloading, Optics, Equipment
Long Range Scopes and Other Optics
New Scope
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<blockquote data-quote="bruce_ventura" data-source="post: 650618" data-attributes="member: 34084"><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Calibri'">Hawke optical designs have evolved a lot during the last three years. Some of their initial rifle scope products were not great. Hawke now offers quite good optical performance in the Sidewinder and Endurance models. Their Frontier ED binos are outstanding. </span></span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-family: 'Calibri'"><span style="font-size: 12px">I attend the SHOT Show every year for my work and get to spend time with most of the rifle scope products in the mid to high price range. I'm interested in discovering good value at an affordable price, and I report what I see with my own eyes. I don't parrot what other people say about optics products. I only speak about models that I have spent some time with under lighting conditions that let me do a decent evaluation. I also don't own either Hawke or Vortex products, so I don't have a bias between the two.</span></span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Calibri'">My recommendation to consider Hawke is based on my own observations with the product at the last three SHOT Shows. I've developed a method of evaluating chromatic aberration and glare performance using the bright overhead lights in the big hall at that show. I've found that the latest versions of Hawke Sidewinder 30 and Sidewinder TAC 30 scopes have above average optical performance for their price point. Vortex Vipers are average or slightly below average in glare performance, depending on the model. Average glare performance is not a problem for range or target shooting, but definitely something to consider for a hunting scope, if you have other options. </span></span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Calibri'">Lightwind quoted a review of an early Sidewinder 30 model by Ilya Koshkin. If you read all of the reviews on Hawke products by him you will find that he believes their optics have improved during the last three years, and he recommends the Sidewinder TAC 30 and Endurance 30 models that he reviewed. </span></span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Calibri'">My main complaint with Chinese made products has been quality control and the resulting high product return rates. That's a stigma that may fade away with time, just as it did for being made in Japan in the early sixties. Chinese made products are improving, but it's a big country with lots of factories. A few US and UK companies have found Chinese factories that produce high quality sport optics and maintain good quality control. Hawke and Zen-Ray Optics are examples. Their products have good value at their price-point (<$500 MAP). </span></span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Calibri'">I generally agree with lighwind that the "better scopes come out of the US, Japan or Germany" (Vortex Vipers are made in Philippines). </span></span></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="bruce_ventura, post: 650618, member: 34084"] [SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]Hawke optical designs have evolved a lot during the last three years. Some of their initial rifle scope products were not great. Hawke now offers quite good optical performance in the Sidewinder and Endurance models. Their Frontier ED binos are outstanding. [/FONT][/SIZE] [FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3]I attend the SHOT Show every year for my work and get to spend time with most of the rifle scope products in the mid to high price range. I’m interested in discovering good value at an affordable price, and I report what I see with my own eyes. I don’t parrot what other people say about optics products. I only speak about models that I have spent some time with under lighting conditions that let me do a decent evaluation. I also don’t own either Hawke or Vortex products, so I don’t have a bias between the two.[/SIZE][/FONT] [SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]My recommendation to consider Hawke is based on my own observations with the product at the last three SHOT Shows. I’ve developed a method of evaluating chromatic aberration and glare performance using the bright overhead lights in the big hall at that show. I’ve found that the latest versions of Hawke Sidewinder 30 and Sidewinder TAC 30 scopes have above average optical performance for their price point. Vortex Vipers are average or slightly below average in glare performance, depending on the model. Average glare performance is not a problem for range or target shooting, but definitely something to consider for a hunting scope, if you have other options. [/FONT][/SIZE] [SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]Lightwind quoted a review of an early Sidewinder 30 model by Ilya Koshkin. If you read all of the reviews on Hawke products by him you will find that he believes their optics have improved during the last three years, and he recommends the Sidewinder TAC 30 and Endurance 30 models that he reviewed. [/FONT][/SIZE] [SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]My main complaint with Chinese made products has been quality control and the resulting high product return rates. That’s a stigma that may fade away with time, just as it did for being made in Japan in the early sixties. Chinese made products are improving, but it’s a big country with lots of factories. A few US and UK companies have found Chinese factories that produce high quality sport optics and maintain good quality control. Hawke and Zen-Ray Optics are examples. Their products have good value at their price-point (<$500 MAP). [/FONT][/SIZE] [SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]I generally agree with lighwind that the "better scopes come out of the US, Japan or Germany” (Vortex Vipers are made in Philippines). [/FONT][/SIZE] [/QUOTE]
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