Hawke sidewinder turrets.

Yes. I have a Hawke sidewinder tactical 30 8.5-25×42 and the turret adjustments are very precise and always return to zero. I shoot targets and plinking on my property at 50, 65, 75, 100 and 125 yards. Im zeroed at 50 and don't always use holdover. I dial number of clicks needed at whatever distances, which are always the same for those distances and always repeatable. And when zeroed back at 50 its always dead on.

I have operated the turrets of literally dozens of Sidewinder scopes and never come across a single one that would ALWAYS return to zero after turning both vertical and horizontal turrets; the design of the turrets and manufacturing standards simply aren't up to it. Even Schmidt & Bender scopes costing thousands don’t always come back to zero. Hawkes Sidewinders are (like many brands) good budget airgun scopes, though I think that model type is overpriced. If you are determined to buy a Hawke then take a look at their scopes with slightly fewer “features” for less money; especially as last year’s models are being sold off cheap. All their scope models lenses will be good for airgun distances in any reasonable daylight.

Regarding the Sidewinder:

• The “Tactical” turrets have no means of tracking which turn you’re on, a basic feature on most scopes.
• For your longer ranges, you should consider whether you want such a scope that uses different angular systems for reticle and turrets.
• They are Second Focal Plane, which isn’t necessarily the best for whatever you want.

I suggest that you learn about scopes, about which this forum has a bunch of threads and links. There are more brands/manufacturers and type of scopes than those produced by Hawke.

Hawke sidewinder tactical scopes are the best bang for your buck. Mine ALWAYS returns to zero. No issues, crystal clear at any magnification, turrets work great. Moa/Mildot scopes are more precise than mil/ mil scopes and its not rocket science to do math. Simple calculations. The tactical turrets are numbered and very simple to use. The best part is the 20×half mildot reticle which is the best reticle for holdover shooting and range estimation.

What helped to ensure Im not over adjusting the elevation or windage and possibly damaging the Hawkes is using a scope mount such as the FX NO Limit. I've been using the turrets more lately with my Sidewinder Tacs along with the new Frontier and all returned to zero. Spot on! Customer service with Hawke has been stellar in my experience. If LONG range is your goal for your airgun, I highly recommend using mounts such as FX No Limit. 

Agreed. I also have the fx no limit mounts and once I center my scope, get the reticle centered, I adjust the mounts to zero it at 50 without even touching the vertical turret, leaving the reticle centered with alot of room for adjustment in any direction. Hawke customer service is awesome as well.

“— FastEddie
Hawke sidewinder tactical scopes are the best bang for your buck. Mine ALWAYS returns to zero. No issues, crystal clear at any magnification, turrets work great. Moa/Mildot scopes are more precise than mil/ mil scopes and its not rocket science to do math. Simple calculations. The tactical turrets are numbered and very simple to use. The best part is the 20×half mildot reticle which is the best reticle for holdover shooting and range estimation.”

Rather than respond to all your claims, I will simply point out that if your claims were replicated by others then Schmidt & Bender, Nightforce, US Optics, Kahles, Vortex, Steiner, Swarovski, Zeiss etc etc etc would have all been heading for insolvency….long ago…..because professional shooters, military and police would all be buying Hawkes. They are not.

Cookie. Get over yourself. Your opinion is yours and means nothing to me. My experience with Hawke scopes are exactly what I said. Just because your a Hawke hater doesn't change the facts as I stated. That's why the two top guys in the airgun industry are using Hawke sidewinder tactical scopes. Ted and Matt Dubber. If there was a better option I'm sure they would know. But theres not. Like I said , best bang for your buck. Your probably a FX hater too.

“FastEddie
Cookie. Get over yourself. Your opinion is yours and means nothing to me. My experience with Hawke scopes are exactly what I said. Just because your a Hawke hater doesn’t change the facts as I stated. That’s why the two top guys in the airgun industry are using Hawke sidewinder tactical scopes. Ted and Matt Dubber. If there was a better option I’m sure they would know. But theres not. Like I said , best bang for your buck. Your probably a FX hater too.” 

If my opinion doesn’t mean anything to you then why such anger. (Rhetorical, please don’t answer)

I don’t know why you have chosen to invent the ideas that “…your a Hawke hater…”, or that “Your probably a FX hater too.”.

I do not hate. I did not mention FX’s though in respect of Hawke scopes I actually gave a balanced opinion which included the comments that Hawkes are “…good budget airgun scopes….” and that “All their scope models lenses will be good for airgun distances in any reasonable daylight.”

I like some Hawke scopes, just as I like some FX rifles, but in all product ranges there are different issues and different opinions of value.

Some people buy Hawke Sidewinders because they mistakenly think they are the best scopes, being totally unaware and quite ignorant of certain issues with them; or that other brands/models may do a better job for their application. I gave my opinion, which I hope that anyone thinking of such a scope will at least consider.

I don’t know why Matt Dubber or Ted Bier originally bought a Sidewinder, but if you care to listen carefully to the latter’s last few videos he does give hints that the Sidewinder isn’t necessarily the best for him and that he is apparently using one for filming purposes; perhaps taking advantage of most Sidewinders standard/clarity of lenses.

Your claim that Ted and Matt Dubber are “…the two top guys in the airgun industry..” is quite bold; but I disagree, and I think they would too. They are both great ambassadors for the sport of shooting, airgunning especially, but there are other people I would classify (no disrespect to anybody) as “top” of the industry.

Just because someone has different experiences and opinions as you , you get very negative , confrontational and self righteous. I'm all set with your drama. Have a nice day.

 Hakwe is a good lower end scope if you can pick the right model, and, depending on your shooting discipline/style. I have a Hawke HD duplex 3-9 that has really outstanding glass. Had the first SR12 44mm that Nick Jenkins helped design just for airguns - along with the SR6 having a mil-dot/slash every 5 yards at airgun ranges-. Recommended a 3-12x50 mil-dot to a friend for an RWS54 ( after tuning ) and it has held up well for thousands of shots. When my SR-12 dies after 100 shots Hawke was very fast to warranty it and I then sold it NIB and the warranty transferred - not sure about warranty now but they do replace stuff fast.
I know some very good BR folks that will use a Hawke scope ( pick the correct model and the class is good ) .
Field Target, now there is a clicking discipline ! Easy to need to adjust more than 200 clicks per ;ane in a match, include anywhere near enough practice and FT folks click more than ANY one else. I have heard a $1,000+ scope rep say "the reason you guys ever wear one out is you click SO much more than any other shooters".
Hunter class with no clicking ( naturally except to zero ) , maybe, you would see a Hawke scope, open WFTF clicking, really no one using anything made by Hawke. And keep in mind FT is all elevation clicks not shooting box's or such which likely would show even more failure to return to "zero" or repeat clicks.
Looking for a clicking scope these days, Aeon in the $300/under range then you are going to have to jump to over $700 for repeatable clicks.

Never really checked any Hawke for MAX focus range as I didn't used to shoot past 110 yards but a while back did finally clue into the fact many of our "airgun" scope hit infinity at a fairly short range, some as close as 70 yards some further, or you just cant tell, the Aeon ( 40 x anyway) WILL focus at 230+ yards at least enough for my tired eyes to be able distinctly focus before, after and at 230 yards.


If you want to zero it and leave it some of the Hawke's are very clear.

All that said, how far is it to the closest match to you?
Nearest airgunner?
THAT would really give you some solid information. Failing that, many of the better PB shops do stock some Hawke and many other airgun usable scopes, take a look which will only tell you class but maybe you'll get lucky and run into a shop owner/employee who knows there stuff but isn't too sales hungry.

John 

I have one sidewinder scope that I use for hunter field target. I love it, but if we could click like the open class I'd dump it in a heartbeat. The clicks are mushy and when you push down to lock in place you have to turn a half class cr one way or the other to get it to lock down. For my purpose, it's not a problem, but again, I wouldn't count on precise numbers of clicks on mine.

In my experience from using Hawke Sidewinder and Leapers scopes, I have never had any issues on their reticle never returning according to their previous click setting. In my opinion, the "only" way to check if a scope is unable to track correctly is to do so by utilizing the mirror-method of optically centering a scope because it eliminates the errors from human and environmental/shooting conditions. Here are a couple of links on how to optically center a scope using this method:

http://www.network54.com/Forum/419052/message/1211754299/Optically+centered+scope+by+J+Bruse+Aurand). 

You may need to optically center your reticle first so that you have a point-of-reference; the reticle being centered would be the point-of-reference. Optically center the reticle then set the respective turrets to their "0" value and lock it there (Hawke and Leapers Sidewinder scopes allow you to do this). Then click in any direction you wish on both turrets then bring them back to the "0" setting. If the reticle becomes centered the problem is not the scope...something or someone else is.

One are that needs to be checked before using a scope is to make sure each turret is tightly screwed in. Many scopes' turrets are simply screw-in knobs that screw into the scope tube. A majority of tracking issues come from constant turret adjustment/locking with the entire unit turning as well (even as little as a quarter of a millimeter of the entire turret turning will result in POI shifts, especially at long distances), thus the scope never provides true click values, or it fails to return to zero. A lot of scopes, Hawke and Leapers included, come from the factory with half-tightened knobs. Especially when shooting a springer that has a Hawke or Leapers scope mounted on it, you need to frequently make sure that the turrets are kept tightened. This is in addition to frequently checking for tightness of your mounts and rings.

Cheers!