Hawke Sidewinder 30 SF 8-32×56 ½ Mil Dot 20X On Cricket?
I have been considering upping from my normal Hawke Sidewinder Tactical 6.5-20×42 ( I have 4 of them with one borrowed on the Cricket now) to a little more mag for the Cricket. Anyone have one of these on their Cricket or Edgun. Interested in optics quality at high magnification. I run my Tacticals at 20x most of the time and they are bright and clear enough. Are they fairly clear at 32x? Any info appreciated. I found them for US $449.
Thanks in advance.
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I eat right, high protien diet, exercise to the point of OCD, have a body fat measurement in the low teens and would be carring my intestines in my scrotum if I shot my Haley offhand. The new Rapid is not much better.
RC
I still own more Leupolds than anything else (by only one now). Off hand – whats that? ❓ I am not steady enough at an elderly 55 for offhand except for my .22 LR pistol competitions with my buddies. Even when I shoot out the front and back door I NEED a rest or at least the side of the door. It’s hell to get old and less steady. I have two bench rests under a covered roof extension on the second floor deck off of my master bedroom that I use daily or I couldn’t hit as much. Luckily, my backyard is pest heaven. 😎
Leupolds are FANTASTIC scopes!!!!
If I said or inferred otherwise please forgive me! 😯
Here is their highest power scope, 45x.
I can only imagine how sweet it is and it’s actually priced quite competitively for the power… 😯 If it was a 30x-45x i’d buy it over the Sightron, simply because it is Leupold glass. 45x is too high a mag for offhand shooting in FT (usually at 35 yards max). The fact they would put a different set of turrets on it is top notch. The lockable eyepiece is pretty slick too.
32x is plenty powerful on a Cricket. Shit i’ve shot as well with a 32x as a 50x at a FT match, one (32x) was a $300 scope and the other (50x) a $1100 scope. Sure it’s only to 55 yards and the 32x cheapo looked like crap at 32x and 55 yards, but it clicked to distance just fine… Scored a 47/48. With the 50x scope I zoom out to 30x for the forced offhand shots.
Some good points.
I have not tried the new Sidewinder, just the older ones.
My Haley is not shot off hand, but if used as a hunter, the scope that is on it is perfect for its flat for a airgun trajectory because of the Hollands reticle.
And altho it may not shoot as well as a jacketed bullet PB could at those ranges, in 40 years of casting bullets, I have never owned a cast bullet rifle that shot as well for distance, and that includes my Krieger barreld Sharps Borschardt.
And shooting long range with cast bullets is something I have done for years now. And that Haley shoots better with cast bullets than a large percentage of jacketed bulleted guns I have owned.
However, I still am at a loss of why a 32 power scope that big and heavy should be put on such a handy little rifle like a Cricket, but I supppose that it is up to the owner, a matter of because you can, just not something I would do.
And yes, I will continue my Jingoistic support of Leupold and American made products. (a ancient term from the 60’s that dates me) A lifetime of hunting in very harsh enviroments have made me a loyal fan of Leupold.
When I bought that Leupold with the Hollands reticle, I sent it back to Leupold to have the target turrents put on it, how many scope companies would or could do that? I don’t mean to be confrontive with that question, you folks seem to know a lot about scope companies, how many can do that for a customer. I know that would not happen with my Busnell and I doubt that Burris would, altho they did say they could reparallax my little 2×7.
RC
Here is a review by a well known SWFA scope expert I use frequently who reviewed the first redesigned Sidewinder Tacticals and compared them to equivalent Leupold, Sightron, Burris, Nikon, etc models. I guess its amazing how well The Sidewinder Tactical did. He also reviewed the earlier models and was pretty critical back then.
You know this discussion reminds of the discussion on how anyone could shoot a looooooooong gun. Some are 45, 47, or even 50″ long. No wonder they seem heavy. 40″ max for me at most and 30″ max is better the 27″ std bullpups is best. Long guns were great back in the flintlock days but techology like bullpup designs in airguns is helping make these things a comfortable length. Downsizing is definitely a good thing in this case. 😛
I’m sure those light weight scopes on your 257 help when you off hand it at 250 yards… 🙄
Those scopes I listed are not big on the gimmicks, they have quality glass for high magnification (and the Sightron has the only illuminated reticle i’d ever want to use, a tiny red dot). The fact you just dismiss them offhand mentioning lighted reticles and suggesting they have crappy glass proves you are being pigheaded, the March scope glass puts your Leupold to shame. If you want to stay with your nationalistic rhetoric and go made in the USA (there is in fact a sucker born every minute), Leupold makes some high power scopes, buy one of them. Wait, didn’t you post about shopping in WalMart recently? 😕
I bet you would improve your groups with more magnification, of course you would have to get a canted rail for the distance (one could argue that, this would be the proper way to shoot long distance with precision to really understand what kind of accuracy that rifle has). Oh thats right, you shoot groups off your car hood… 😆
Calculate out the moa size of your reticle at your longest shooting distance, I bet it is close the size of your groups.
Like you said in your long distance post, your group size changes when you aim for an item instead of centering the white circle.
Ah, who needs better groups, it’s not like it will ever come close to what a PB can do at that range anyways. 😈
Btw, Josh is a TOTAL MORON when it comes to scopes. He claimed MANY times on the Yellow his sub $200 scopes are as good if not better then the Leupolds or other high end “$1000” scopes. He dismisses your made in the USA Leupold scope in a similar manner you dismissed my hi-mag quality scope recommendations.
Interesting… 😮
I own about thirty something scopes including a 6-24 Bushnell Elite, several leupold tacticals, and a Nightforce NSF 8-32×56 and now 6 very recent model SW Hawkes (they were redesigned and the lens changed so dont trade for one more than a few years old for the tacticals and over a year old for the sr 30s). I shot comp bench rest for about ten years a long time ago – light varmint and hunter class so I am picky on scope performance. I cant imagine why anyone shooting long range target would ever use less than 20x and much more is better. Basically, you cant be competitive with less. I was using fixed 36x back then. Now there is some truth to what you are saying if scope ranging is required like ft. I use a leupold tbr 1000 instead Of relying on scope ranging too much. My LTs and NF weigh as much as the Hawkes. The Bushnell is lighter but that is another story. I had a problem with my Elite and am done with Bushnell customer service for a few years. They stink compared with Hawke’s. My leupolds and Bushnell s also have a higher failure rate than Hawkes but to be fair my Hawkes are newer. Basically the very latest Hawke SWs are hugging the Elites in performance and a comparable Bushnell Elite Tactical is crazy expensive. I would switch scopes if I lugged this thing around the woods more. I also dont think I can go back to a wired reticle. The Hawke glass etched reticles rival my NF. There is a reason guys like Ted in Madison are using Hawkes. I have only convinced the old guys at the range when they spent some time comparing the scopes side by side. Most just dont like them because they are assembled in China. They also bash the Chairgun Pro software as not being 100% correct from Hawke. It cracks me up.
Speaking of scopes and good deals and stealing the thread somewhat.
I met Josh Graham down at the local Cabela’s store this weekend. He had driven over from Bend to buy a scope.
Josh’s brother in law works for Cabela’s and he gives Josh heads up on good deals.
Well it turns out that Cabelas is rebranding Burris Black Diamond scopes. Burris had discontinued the model and had lots of spare parts laying around, so Cabelas had them assembled and they put their Outfitter brand on them.
The Black Diamond used to retail I understand to close to a grand, Josh bought a 4×14 for 249 bucks. It is a 30 MM and has the Burris reticle for hold hover, SF and target turrents, it was clear, short and light and one hell of a scope for 249 bucks.
To me this deal beats a Heavy Hawke scope for the vision impaired, 😛 7 ways to sunday, I have had two of the 30 MM 6×20 sidewainder Hawkes, I bought them on rifles I bought, and the first one I shot for a while then sold, the second one I ditched as soon as I got it. They were heavy and not clear or bright on the top power.
I don’t see a overwelming satisfaction on the Yellow with Hawkes, and as one poster pointd out, perhaps it was Knifmaker, they do get posts about their stellar warrantee program, due to so many being returned by the factory for R&R.
No I don’t think I will be getting under an inch at 260 yards anytime soon, and I willl stick to scopes that put their money into things like better lenses instead of lighted reticles, I am down to four scopes now for my three air rifles, a Bushnell 3200 5×15 Tactical on the Rapid, a Leupold 3×9 VX11 on the Ranger 45, a Leupold VX111 LR 30 MM Holland on the Haley and a 2×7 Burris in the closet. They are all light, clear and precise, and for the most part American made with the exception of the Busnell.
I will probably give the little Burris 2×7 away for Christmas to my kid for his 450 Marlin.
But again I repeat, why the big heavy scope with 32 power on a svelte carbine, eye trouble, or just want to be a Jr sniper? 😛
RC
Depends on your phsical build, face shape, etc as to low med high. I am using Utg, Weaver , and Hawke 30mm mounts. Crickets are picanny (wide) mounts.
High, Med, Low
Brand? Cost? etc.
I see a lot of posts on the scopes people use but the rings are not always mentioned. I am also a firm believer that crappy rings can ruin a good scope, or at least you confidence in it. I have been bad in the past and bought a nice scope and crappy rings/mounts and tor my hair out trouble shooting a problem I created
Live and learn
😉
RC,
Have you ever considered you might cut your group size down with a nice hi-mag scope?
Such as a Sightron 50x or March 80x? Both have excellent optics.
You might get sub 1″ groups…
Fact is you will not know until you try. 😀
Good Grief!
I just don’t understand the logic of putting a huge heavy scope with poor definition on high power on a short fast handling bullpup.
30 MM scopes do not need to be big heavy grind stones around your necks boys. My 30 MM 4.5×14 weighs a pound, is a foot long and at 14 power I shoot sub moa at 260 yards with it.
I use Burris Signature insert rings.
Regards,
Roachcreek
What are people using for 30mm rings on the bullpups?
High, Med, Low
Brand? Cost? etc.
I see a lot of posts on the scopes people use but the rings are not always mentioned. I am also a firm believer that crappy rings can ruin a good scope, or at least you confidence in it. I have been bad in the past and bought a nice scope and crappy rings/mounts and tor my hair out trouble shooting a problem I created
Live and learn
😉
I bought it here,
http://www.ebay.com/itm/400402059702?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649
The case is nice.
Beautiful reticle and images. Thats very good for 70 yards. I will probably stick with 20 or 24x most of the time but 32 isn’t bad. Thx.
Where did you get the Pelican gun case from?
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😮 I am typing this in Dennys…..