Hawke scope for S400 classic

[griffin]

I was thinking of buying a Hawke scope for an AA S400. My choice narrowed to the Airmax 5.5-16 x 44 AO mil dot, Airmax 6-18 x 44 AO mil dot and the Reflex 4-12 x 50 mil dot. I am mainly interested in HFT. Any tips?

[This message was edited by griffin on 13 December, 2003 at 15:12.]

[Numb Nut]

These scopes are okay when beginning FT, but you'll find that for better rangefinding targets up to 55 yards, you'll need to spend a fair bit more on the scope...

To illustrate this point, the amount of pellet drop between 50 yards and 55 yards is around 2 inches. The kill zones are 1.5 inches, so you can see that for top level FT shooting, you will probably want to rangefind with better accuracy. Add wind to the equation and rangefinding becomes even more critical.

If cash was an issue, I'd suggest to get a cheaper scope and try HFT. <img src="http://jsramsbottom.co.uk/bbs/e/icon_smile.gif" alt="Smile" width="15" height="15"><!--graemlin:-->

[fodderboy]

im in the same boat matey so this would help me out too. numb nut he said he's mainly interested in hft read his post <img src="http://jsramsbottom.co.uk/bbs/e/icon_redface.gif" alt="Red Face" width="15" height="15"><!--graemlin:-->

[phuttmutter]

Have the 6-18 on my 410, But I only shoot quarry.

[Numb Nut]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by fodderboy:
numb nut he said he's mainly interested in hft read his post <img src="http://jsramsbottom.co.uk/bbs/e/icon_redface.gif" alt="Red Face" width="15" height="15"><!--graemlin:-->[/quote]
He edited it after I posted... <img src="http://jsramsbottom.co.uk/bbs/e/icon_wink.gif" alt="Wink" width="15" height="15"><!--graemlin:--> The hawke scopes sound okay for HFT.

[romel]

The original post asked if the above mentioned scopes are suitable for FT and I would agree with what Numb Nut said that they would probably be out of place when compared to some of the equipment used in FT. What's the expression "horses for courses" I beleive.

phuttmutter what is your opinion of the Airmaster 6x18? Is it possible to range find with this scope?
Can anyone tell me if it would be possible to range find with say a 4-14 as in the Pro stalk range?
Would the extra money spent buying a 50mm objective as opposed to a 42mm be justified for general HFT use and some occasional lamping?
Any tips and comments appreciated

[Dai.L]

The 4-14x Pro Stalk is an excellent scope. It will range find to a limited degree. It will not be as accurate as a higher mag scope but will give you a fair idea. Excellent scope for HFT as can't range find just set parallax and I use 10x mag.
Cheers
Dai.
PS mil dot reticule very handy for HFT.

[Nightingale]

The bigger objective lenses are used for two main purposes; hunters use them for their better light gathering properties, and FT shooters use them for both light intensity at the high magnification and the shorter focal range which they operate in resulting in better rangefinding quality at any given magnification.

In HFT you are denied the rangefinding other than by bracketing the target in your scope picture or the mark one eyeball. The competitions are not normally shot either at dawn or dusk, so the benefits of the larger objective lenses are reduced and may indded even hinder clarity at the very short range targets.

Magnification beyond 10x is relatively impractical in HFT due to the shorter focal depth at higher magnifications; most people seem to opt for mags somewhere between 6x and 10x depending on preference.

I'm not specifically going to recommend any of your chosen options here as I haven't personally used any of them. Mildot is definitely useful if you take the time to learn to use it to your benefit.

Beyond that, I hope you find what's written here useful in making your own choice.

David