Hawke Sidewinder 30 8-32x - One Year On

[boff180]

Hi guys,

You may remember that around xmas 2008, I posted a review on the new Sidewinder 30 8-32x scope. Its not on here as it 'magically' got deleted .

Well one year on, I thought I'd provide an update.

The scope has now been used on my air rifle and is currently attached to my rimfire.

Air Rifle
Couldn't fault this scope, on my Air Rifle at 25metres it has won me medals including the gold! Does the job nicely, infact I would recommend it to air rifle shooters if they are not going to use the big wheel, if you are for HFT. Avoid, as the reason for this will come clear further down.

Rimfire
This is where my love affair with this scope has ended. Using the zoom capabilities of this scope, anything past say 18x gets softer and softer. This comes to a point at 32x where, even when you have the scope as sharp as you can get it; the image is white and the clarity is the equivelant of a photo with motion blur. Not good. Being as 90% of my rimfire shooting is on the 50m and 100m ranges at the club, this scope sadly is not up to the task and I am now questioning the quality of the supposedly ED Glass.

In addition, I am having extra difficulty changing the parallax between 50m and 100m as the sidefocus turret is too sensitive without the big wheel on. I can't effectively use the big wheel as below.

The Wheel
Firstly, if you want one of these scopes for HFT; try to get a third party wheel. Trying to range find with this wheel will cock you up big time. Why?
There is an inherent design flaw in the wheel which after a little wear means that the range markings have absolutely nothing to do with the range the focus is set at! The design of the wheel is a two-piece metal construction with a rubber ring installed in the middle which, has the shape of the notches on the focus turret moulded into it. Thus gripping the focus perfectly at a set position. Shame the same can't be said of the rubber ring gripping the rest of the wheel!

Once the wheel is in place on the scope, there are three grub screws that are tightened which are meant to prevent the wheel from being accidently knocked off the scope. However, these are all that are used to hold the rubber ring in place inside the wheel aswell!!! After a little use, these then slip resulting in the range markers being out of alignment. Which, is a pain but also it means everytime you touch the wheel, it moves more than the focus!

This strikes me as extremely poor design and a bit of cost cutting "that'll do" engineering. All it would of needed would have been a notch of metal left jutting out inside the wheel at the milling stage and a corresponding notch moulded into the rubber at the correct position. Then it could never move!

Conclusion
After a year of using this scope; it is going back on my air rifle where it has given good service and I have no choice but to purchase a new scope for the rimfire. However, considering its competition in this price bracket; I am surprised and disappointed at this scopes performance and would now not reccommend it. Especially to rimfire shooters.

Andy

[snock]

Hi guys,

You may remember that around xmas 2008, I posted a review on the new Sidewinder 30 8-32x scope. Its not on here as it 'magically' got deleted .

This one?
http://www.airgunbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=329825

It was never deleted, magically or otherwise.

[boff180]

Nope, I wrote a full review with photos that disappeared.

Andy