Hawke Varmint SF 2.5-10 x 44 Scope

[JonP]

Hawke Varmint SF 2.5-10 x 44 Scope - Review UPDATE

I wanted a new scope so I decided to do the selection process ‘properly’.

My Needs

To have a scope for an air rifle (12 ft-lbs) which would give me the ability for general daytime pest control use (at ranges up to 40yds) and also allow me to use a GB Sights ASPro digital night vision add-on for close range vermin control ( 5yds to 25yds).

So I had a think about my criteria . . .

Cost no more than £150
Minimal magnification on smallest zoom (ASPro has a 1.7 multiplier)
Fine reticle (ideally Mil-Dot) (fine because of multiplier as above)
Has at least 10x magnification (so I can get to grips with the MilDot)
1” diameter tube (got loads of 1” rings in all shapes and sizes)
Largest Objective lens to fit low scope mounts (give 1.5” between centres)
Side Focus for parallax (tried an end one – obstructed IR lamp whilst fiddling!)

So not asking for too much then !

Having done the obligatory internet searching I was surprised to find that Hawke did a scope which fitted the bill exactly. The Hawke Varmint SF 2.5-10 x 44 (Their Code HK5132)

http://www.hawkeoptics.com/rifle-scopes/varmint-sf.html

I purchased one and was surprised by the apparent quality of the scope, having a long (over 13”) contoured seamless body, a dull matt finish and nicely made covers. Although relatively light, it certainly gives the impression of being well made. The zoom and side focus where very smooth. The scope also came with flip-up covers.

The optics are nice and bright, with the side focus adjustment being very precise. I put the thing on 10 magnification and checked the ranges with a laser range finder, and they were very close indeed, although the side focus knob is very small thus the increments between the distances would be too ‘flexible’ to bet your life on.

I mounted the scope onto a BSA Hornet PCP air rifle in .22 using low mounts. The scope extended well beyond the action, there was plenty of clearance (1/4”) between the maximum diameter of the 44mm objective lens and the barrel of the rifle.

It has an eye focus adjuster which is also smooth. Sometimes with these cheaper scopes you can get the feeling that you are ‘loosening up’ the grease and they take a bit of ‘breaking in’. With this scope, all the lens adjustments were nice and smooth straight out of the box.

I did mount it well forward, (NV remember) but this proved OK when mounting the rifle for day use (albeit having to lean forward a little) as the eye relief is some 3.2” The diameter of the eye piece lens is some 1.5” which gives a good bright image when correctly positioned.

The Mil-Dot reticle is very fine, probably a bit too fine if you were using it as Uncle Sam (it was a US military ‘invention’ after all) intended, but for my use it is spot on ! (NV multiplier remember) According to the specifications it is a half Mil-Dot reticle – I will have to read up on what that is.

I bore sighted the scope. The dust caps unscrewed cleanly and have a recessed ‘O’ ring to keep moisture out – according to the book, the scope is waterproof, although I am not sure of its true IP rating. The turrets are clearly marked and clicked nicely during adjustment. The dust caps would imply that this is more a general purpose scope than one which would be used for more serious purposes (aka silly ranges) where dynamic Mil-Dot adjustment would be required.

Having said that, with the accurate ‘range finding’ of the side focus, and a good understanding of what the Mil-Dot reticle is all about, ie. the number of fine dots ‘hold over’, then it would just be a matter of practice, as once set, the windage and elevation should not need to be reset.

Down on the range I quickly sighted in the rifle at my working distances. For interest, I zeroed at 27 yards which gives me a 1” diameter kill zone from 6 yards to 31 yards with the first cross over taking place at 10 yards.

I was initially concerned that the Side Focus adjustment would 'not go low enough', but the nearest distance setting makes the image clear at about 7 yards - and with the 2.5 minimum magnification, this presents no problems at all.

The zoom range was bang on, covering everything you may need in everyday hunting type scenarios. The zoom adjustment ring has a handy ‘thumb bump’ which allows easy movement as well as providing a locator when using it in the dark.

I mounted my ASPro digital NV and was slightly disappointed. My old Nikko Stirling 4-9x40 AO seemed brighter. However, by increasing the IR levels, the image on the Hawke became clear and sharp.

Having done a little research, this is not a fault of the scope – quite the reverse ! It would appear that the multi-coating used is probably of a higher quality than the Nikko and it is doing its job by ‘filtering’ well.

Not that I am complaining as now I have every excuse to purchase a new laser IR designator ;-)

I would certainly think of using it on a small calibre centre fire rifle – the books says it is ‘all calibre firearm rated’. I may put one on my BSA Hunter in .22 K-Hornet – we shall have to see . . .


UPDATE May 2013

After nearly 18 months of daily use (Professional Pest Control) the side focus developed a minor and irritating fault in that sometimes it would jam and / or not focus.

I contacted Deben directly (as my local RFD has gone out of business - now a PoundStretcher supermarket !) and their service department was very quick to respond.

I sent the old scope to them, and got a message to say that it was going to be replaced under warranty.

Two days later and I have a brand new scope.

Well done Deben on some excellent Customer Service. You wouldn't have got that buying some cheap tat on Fleebay !



Regards

JonP

[angrybear]

Very interesting to hear you refer to the reticle as "a bit too fine" etc.

I was looking for a 4-16 sf scope and wanted the varmint but before ordering from the bay I wanted to try one, the only model I could find was the same one you have, but when I tried it the reticle was a thick clumsy thing that looked like it was drawn on with a marker pen!

[Pod]

I bought one and found the ret to be too thick for my tastes too. In all other respects it seemed a good scope for the money.

[THE REEPER]

I have had a few Hawke scope and couldn't fault any of them , currently using the Hawke30 Eclipse 3-12x56ir on my CF and like i say just can't fault it

[Tadpole]

I have been using a couple of Hawke Varmint II for a few years & like you I was looking to up-date with a side-wheel.
The review scope was on my list however, I had a chance look through a Mamba Lite & compared to the varmint the recital it’s a nat’s.
I have one now & looking for another.

Thanks for taking the time to review. ...

[laity]

Got one of these today and i love it, Works well for HFT and hunting. I have not tried it on a rimmie or a CF but will in no time. Happy as you like with it . Proper scope for the money for sure!!!

LAity

[Airtight]

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I bought one last week and for the money I'm quite pleased with it. I prefer the build quality to that of the mamba lite, ( everything seems smoother) but I prefer the mambas eye relief. I find, certainly on the hawke varmint that I own that my eye has to be in a perfect position in order to get a full sight picture. can honestly say that I've never owned a scope where eye - scope line up is so crucial. That said, for the money I find it to be a good scope.

[R. P. McMurphy]

I've had a couple of the Varmita 2.5-1Ox42's in the past and rally liked them, good value scopes. I was thinking of giving one of these new versions a look meself as I liked the sound of the spec and it's ret.

[reddenning]

I have 4 Hawke scopes ranging from the Sidewinder 30 3-12x50 to the HD 3-9x50 and including the 4-16x50 Varmint SF so you could say I'm a Hawke fan that's for 3 of the models I have but sadly the Varmint SF is the odd one out. Like the poster of this thread I selected this scope with great care for a NV application, I wanted a side focus for a Challenger monocular NV scope and similar narrowed it down to the Mamba Lite or the Varmint SF. The eye piece tube needs to be straight to take the NV mount and that rules out many scopes with illuminated grats. The Varmint met the spec at a price I was prepared to pay so I bought the 4-16x44 and paid £135 from Uttings which for the spec. was a good bargain I thought. I've never got on with it however I'm afraid firstly like someone else has found on this thread the eye relief and alignment is highly critical on this scope, a fraction off and the image whites out, not at all what you want on a hunting scope. I couldn't understand this effect as the exit pupil shouldn't be any more critical than many other scopes. Even at lowest zoom when the exit pupil should be at its highest this scope is still very critical. I did some investigation and discovered that the off axis stray light exiting the eyepiece is quite high hence if your eye is off axis then the image gets flooded and loses contrast resulting it whiting out unless you are dead on axis. I suspect that in order to get a side focus mechanism in a 1 inch tube the light baffling has been sacrificed and there’s consequently a lot of scattered light getting through. I think Hawke in trying to keep the cost low with a one inch tube have seriously compromised the design. Far from the high contrast image promised in the product promotion the contrast is poor (the HD range is far better). In bright daylight it's just about acceptable but in low light forget it. The critical alignment issue makes its use on the NV monocular very fiddly to get a good image. The 4 times zoom is also a bit too much I feel for the quality of the optics especially at the x16 on this model. Image sharpness also suffers at the edges but would be acceptable on a budget scope if this were the only problem. I'm also not convinced that the mill dot is true at X10, I don't measure it at the standard moas. The half mildot graticule is quite thick as some have noted though I don't find that an issue. However the turrets are the poorest I've used, the clicks being non existent at the extremes of the travel giving no feel at all. I'm also not entirely convinced it maintains its zero as I've found I often have to adjust it during a session. I've used this scope on a HW100 and a ProSport with similar results.

The net result is I've added an eyepiece extension to help with eye alignment and contrast (off axis light is also improved with a sun shade tube) and relegated this scope to daylight target shooting use and bought the Sidewinder for my original application, an all round improvement albeit at more than twice the price. If you must have a side focus and will be using it in good light at the lowest 3-12 Zoom range I suppose the Varmint SF might be worth considering at a bargain price otherwise spend a bit more and get a better scope.

Terry

[JonP]

It does sound like the 4-16 is a different animal to it's 2.5-10 little brother . . . . .

I use this on my ratting rig (BSA Hornet MS) with the Challenger NV, and once you have played with all the focusing on the scope and NV it works really well - so much so that I have not felt it necessary to experiment with other scopes like the MTC.

I agree that some of the mechanics are not 'top draw' but for the price, they ain't bad.

And, once the NV is in place, the eye relief / alignment is not an issue (although I didn't find it too off putting as it was - perhaps down to my shooting position / style ? )


Regards

JonP

[gasman1]

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I bought one last week and for the money I'm quite pleased with it. I prefer the build quality to that of the mamba lite, ( everything seems smoother) but I prefer the mambas eye relief. I find, certainly on the hawke varmint that I own that my eye has to be in a perfect position in order to get a full sight picture. can honestly say that I've never owned a scope where eye - scope line up is so crucial. That said, for the money I find it to be a good scope.

it helps to reduce parallax error because it helps you to keep your head in a consistent position. my tac30 is the same. after a while i would get my head in the right position straight away. i see it as an advantage cos it helps you to be a bit more accurate.

[tugg]

sounds like a perfect hft scope then

[big louie]

Got one on my rapid mk1
Ok for the money nice and clear up to x7 a bit foggy at x10,which is what I shoot on.
Holds zero well nice smooth zoom and focus.range finding on side wheel a mile out,but I use a range finder anyway so solely for focus so ok for me.build quality ok.would I buy another,no.only reason not as clear as I would of liked on x10 mag been the only reason.

[reddenning]

it helps to reduce parallax error because it helps you to keep your head in a consistent position. my tac30 is the same. after a while i would get my head in the right position straight away. i see it as an advantage cos it helps you to be a bit more accurate.

There should be no parallax error on an image focusing scope that's one of the main reasons for having the ability to focus the objective. Parallax occurs when the graticule and the target image are not coincident. The eyepiece (ocular) focuses on the graticule and the (side focus or objective focus) focal length is adjusted so it is in focus viewed with the ocular. When this is done the target image and the graticule are then in the same plane.

Parallax can be observed by holding a finger on the left and right hand aligned at differing distances from your eye, by moving your eye to the right or left the fingers become unaligned. Moving the head to the right will make the finger furthest from your eye appear to move to the left and vice versa. If the fingers were exactly coincident this effect would not occur.

On a fixed focus scope there is generally some parallax error except in the case where the target is at the exact distance where its image is exactly focused in the same plane as the graticule. Here it would be an advantage to ensure you are exactly on the optical axis.

Terry

[reddenning]

It does sound like the 4-16 is a different animal to it's 2.5-10 little brother . . . . .

I use this on my ratting rig (BSA Hornet MS) with the Challenger NV, and once you have played with all the focusing on the scope and NV it works really well - so much so that I have not felt it necessary to experiment with other scopes like the MTC.

I agree that some of the mechanics are not 'top draw' but for the price, they ain't bad.

And, once the NV is in place, the eye relief / alignment is not an issue (although I didn't find it too off putting as it was - perhaps down to my shooting position / style ? )


Regards

JonP

2.5X10 and 3X12 are so similar it seems odd Hawke should do both I wonder why. Terry