Hawke "Panorama- EV" 4-12x40

[Steve C.]

I got my Hawke Panorama today but unfortunately I going to return it as I just cannot see the mil dots or the half mildots and there was very little diference with the blue iluminating recticule on and the red was simply a jumble of lines.

So while there may be a fault with the iluminating recticle with my scope I still cannot see bug*er all with it switched off, shame that.

Martin

.er, not wanting to teach grandpa to suck eggs, but did you adjust the focus on the ret.?

Steve C.

[Martin(rockape)]

Oophs! no I didnt but the ret is very fine I suspect that I would have struggled anyway.

I've never had to adjust previous scopes that much and have seen very little difference when I did so.

I've since returned the scopes and got a replacement on its way a Hawke Endurance not half mil dot but half the price.
I've a an endurance that I bought last February costing £75 now they cost £49.01 plus postage.

Martin

[Steve C.]

Martin, I wear glasses for reading, but not for shooting, and I have to adjust the eye piece a long way to bring the ret. into focus for me (old eyes!) but having done so it is sharp on all the hawke scopes I've viewed.

Steve C.

[Amac]

My son always takes the p--s regarding how far out I now have to wind out the ocular adjustment to allow for my ageing eyesight. Once I have done all is clear as they say. If James looks through any scope I have adjusted to suit me he cant see a damned thing according to him. God he's cruel..
Andy

[Mrockrat]

Hi Was thinking of getting this scope as part of a package on a BSA R10. It's my first scope in about 25 years is it easy to get on with to zero etc. And do you think it's a good all round scope for general plinking, hunting.

Thanks

[Amac]

I would say that it was most definitely up there with all of the usual suspects from the likes of MTC and others. Its ideal all-round really and at a good price. Andy

[edagroup]

My mate had one of these. he loved it.

Ordered this scope on Saturday night directly from Deben as I dont believe they are in the shops yet. It arrived this morning so well done Deben on that front.

Having read the specifications regarding this new range from Hawke, it certainly looks like the range has been designed with Airgunners in mind. I have been looking for a reasonably light 25mm scope to sit atop my Rapid MFR primarily for field use, and this one sounded like it might fit the bill.

Anyway, on unpacking the scope, I was pleased to find a couple of rubber flip up lens protectors provided and decided to weigh the beast immediately. She came in at 1lb 3oz so will not overload the very pointable Rapid in any way. Slotting the optic into the standard 25mm Theoben mounts, I was pleased to note that despite the inclusion of an adjustable objective, there was a good clearance above the barrel shroud, even with the lens cover fitted.

Next job was to set the fast focus ring for my apparently failing eyesight in the fading afternoon light. Once that was sorted I was intrigued to see if the "Extended View" facility actually made any noticeable difference to the sight picture. Hawke claim an additional 20%, but to me, I couldn't honestly notice any apparent difference in field of view. What I did notice however was the amazingly sharp image and optical clarity of the lenses, with a genuinely bright pin sharp image from edge to edge and good colour saturation. Next it was the turn of the blue/red half mill dot illuminated reticle to be given the once over. I have always considered the Hawke half-mil reticle to be an excellent choice for both HFTers and hunters like myself, and I was not disappointed with the genuinely useful ability of the scopes "MAP 6A" reticle to change from the more day focussed blue( looks particularly good) to the red I would use for evening shooting/lamping sessions.

The low profile turret "finger tip"adjusters live safely under the cover of the usual screw caps, and it will be my intention to check upon any zero shift when adjusting the mag at my clubs indoor range tomorrow evening.

It will be my intention to add to this review when I have had a chance to give the scope a thorough thrashing in the field, at HFT and of course the indoor range.

My initial impressions are that the scope represents somewhat of a bargain for anybody looking for a scope suitable of doing most things, apart from range finding as our colleagues in FT do with their "torpedo-tube esqe" optics. To say I am impressed at this stage would be an understatement.

On my usual HFT rig lives a Bushnell 6500 and very nice it is too. Considering that it cost nearly three times what this Chinese produced Hawke has on offer reminds me of just how far the Chinese have come in the production of relatively low priced high quality optics. OK, its not a Zeiss or a S&B, but for the money it represents outstanding value for money in my opinion and is well worth checking out for yourselves.

I will of course add to this review as and when I discover the optics good and possibly bad points, although at this early stage I think I might be struggling to find any bad ones!

Highly recommended.

Andy

[Bonzo!]

I brought one of these yesterday, nice scope , had a little play with it and all seems well.
Mounted it on my Falcon , and it was fairly easy to set up.
My only comment with it, well not the scope more the instructions that come with it, they dont represent whats in the box and are more of a general guide.
I did go to the Hawke web site but they dont appear to have any instructions that just relate to this scope?
I am going to mail Hawke and ask the question.
simple things like, where's the battery? i know where it is but if you were new to scopes you might not know!

[Bonzo!]

Just got this reply from Debden.

I have just spoken to the gentleman that deals with the manufacturing and design of the riflescope range. He has assured me that the instructions are in the process of being re-worked with more information to help the end user. He has not been able to give me a date of when these will be available, but once they are, they will be in a PDF format to download.

[Amac]

Thanks Bonz.

[kevin47]

Hi Andy
As a new member and new to the sport I found your review concise and informative.
As a left hander I have found it difficult to buy a quality rifle, however with the help of Ian from MAD I have secured a S400 .177 seconded hand. I am now looking to buy the Panorama, should I go for the EV or the AO EV and in what configuration?Any ideas on a second hand one? I will want it mainly for hunting.

Thanks in anticipation of your help.

Regards

Kevin

[Amac]

Hi Kevin. Thanks for your kind words. As a fellow lefty, I know that finding a decent left handed gun isnt easy so well done on that front!

Scope wise, I would personally recommend the 4-14x40 EV with the adjustable objective lens. If you can get clearance above the magazine on the 410, go for medium mounts as you really want the scope mounted as low as possible. Best way is to take the gun into a gunshop stocking the Panorama scopes and to try with medium mounts.

When using the scope, try to maintain a consistent head position on the stock as this will reduce the liklehood of parallax error. If needs be, use a "pigs ear" scope extension. You will then have yourself a setup that is more than capable in the field. I would also recommend 8-9 mag and setting the objective to 30 yards.

The none AO Panorama would require you adjusting the objective lens yourself, voiding your warranty.

Enjoy your shooting!

Andy

[RockHopper.]

I have the 4-12x50 AO Map 6a version, used for hunting.

I picked mine up from BAR and compared with non AO version before buying.
Non AO fine on low magnification regards depth of field, on high magnification near objects blurred a little. I don't do HFT; fixed might be good for that?

The scope has a bright image, good enough to do a barn clearance in sodium light.
Has a wider field of view than average by a good bit as claimed.
The fine cross hair doesn't obscure your target & Blue IR useful.
The eye relief range is excellent on low magnification; as magnification increased, you have less leeway where your eye has to be.

I have tested whether Point Of Impact changed with magnification, and didn't appear to (25 yards zero).

The scopes are relatively compact/short and keep weight back on rifle.

For the distances you shoot with a 12ftlb air rifle I'd say perfect; a no brainer at the price - excellent Value For Money, especially in the current climate.

[Hellequin]

I bought one of these scopes (4-12x40AO) 2nd hand on here recently.

It has replaced a Hawke 3-9x50AO Pro-Stalk on my FAC'd HW80K and I have to say I've been impressed by the image quality; especially considering the Jap optics of the Pro-Stalk weren't half bad either. It is very clear and does seem to have a very good FOV considering the obj size. The reticle is also very useful, especially when used with the Hawke ballistic software and the blue/red IR is very good indeed.

I have to say that this scope is not what I envisaged for my custom HW80K, which I consider to be a bit special. I would like to see a 3-9x40 Nikon or a Bushnell Elite on there but, to be honest, I can't justify replacing this little Hawke Panorama EV with something more expensive. Not right now anyway.

An absolutely superb scope for the money and thanks to the OP for starting this thread.

ATB
Paul

[Kingplinker]

Hi all

I recently bought a Hawke Panorama EV 4-12x40 IR with half mil dot ret which I intended to use on my s400 . Firstly the scope sits really low to the barrel with low mounts which is great as you don't have to strain your neck to get a clear image when prone . I have also scooped out the cheek-piece and I have to say it is the best set up I have ever used for comfort and eye relief .

As it sat so low I thought I would give it a test on my prosport and with low mounts it sits a ' films width ' ( 35mm not betamax ) from the action. It's also lighter than scopes I am used to which is a boon when shooting a springer especially if you are a weakling like me .

The scope was parallaxed at 23 yards on 9 mag and seemed to be spot on with 45 yards being blurred , 8 yards wasn't too bad at all which is handy . I tested the scope at 25 yards and with this set up the mil dots were true at 9 mag using the pre printed mil dot targets.

I have never liked red illuminated rets and always found that on high settings they would blur and obscure a small kill zone where as the lowest settings were fairly useless but the Hawke has a blue ret which works surprisingly well . The half mil dot it a real gem and I didn't lose the ret at all , the optics were also right up there easily equal to my bushnells and better than a lot of scope I have owned or tried over the years .

I am not saying these scopes will be for everyone but of all the people who tried in only one said he wouldn't buy one as he favoured a 30/30 ret ( the weirdo . lol )

All in all I am extremely impressed , well done Hawke its a corker !

atvb

Dave

UPDATE : Also took this out and tested it between 8 and 50 yards in low light using the blue IR , simply superb IMO . Optically very impressive !