andyfr1968 772 Posted August 30, 2013 Report Share Posted August 30, 2013 They'd sell Hawkes. They say the hardest advice to take is your own and this is a classic case. I've seen these scopes fail many times over the years on springers, one friend of mine's had three go tits up in the last four years so I've always advised that they're not the best choice. Anyway, about a year ago I got myself a Map Pro ( I think the Pro is short for problems...) mainly because I really liked the SR6 ret. I didn't actually get around to using the thing until a couple of months ago but the thing quickly developed problems. To be fair, Deben promptly repaired it and sent it back FOC for it to last for just over one tin of pellets before it broke again. Utter shite. My kids have had better built toys from Kinder eggs. Springer rated my arse. 3 Quote Link to post
Skot Ruthless Teale 1,701 Posted August 30, 2013 Report Share Posted August 30, 2013 They'd sell Hawkes. They say the hardest advice to take is your own and this is a classic case. I've seen these scopes fail many times over the years on springers, one friend of mine's had three go tits up in the last four years so I've always advised that they're not the best choice. Anyway, about a year ago I got myself a Map Pro ( I think the Pro is short for problems...) mainly because I really liked the SR6 ret. I didn't actually get around to using the thing until a couple of months ago but the thing quickly developed problems. To be fair, Deben promptly repaired it and sent it back FOC for it to last for just over one tin of pellets before it broke again. Utter shite. My kids have had better built toys from Kinder eggs. Springer rated my arse. kinder egg bit made me lol guess you wont be buying another then! :laugh: 2 Quote Link to post
andyfr1968 772 Posted August 30, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 30, 2013 They'd sell Hawkes. They say the hardest advice to take is your own and this is a classic case. I've seen these scopes fail many times over the years on springers, one friend of mine's had three go tits up in the last four years so I've always advised that they're not the best choice. Anyway, about a year ago I got myself a Map Pro ( I think the Pro is short for problems...) mainly because I really liked the SR6 ret. I didn't actually get around to using the thing until a couple of months ago but the thing quickly developed problems. To be fair, Deben promptly repaired it and sent it back FOC for it to last for just over one tin of pellets before it broke again. Utter shite. My kids have had better built toys from Kinder eggs. Springer rated my arse. kinder egg bit made me lol guess you wont be buying another then! :laugh: Not a fookin' chance, Scot!! Quote Link to post
WoodsmanJim 160 Posted August 31, 2013 Report Share Posted August 31, 2013 I'm not the only one then?! I had to go through 3 before I got one that worked properly and even then I just couldn't get on with it. Everyone telling me Hawkes have the clearest glass/ great quality for the money etc.. just don't seem it to me. I've got an MTC Viper now and love it to bits! Would never go back. My mate has a Hawke on his 97 and I reckon its the blurriest scope I've ever looked down! Maybe just my eyes though as he loves it and can't miss with it. I'm an MTC convert for good now though. Jim 2 Quote Link to post
andyfr1968 772 Posted August 31, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 31, 2013 (edited) I'm not the only one then?! I had to go through 3 before I got one that worked properly and even then I just couldn't get on with it. Everyone telling me Hawkes have the clearest glass/ great quality for the money etc.. just don't seem it to me. I've got an MTC Viper now and love it to bits! Would never go back. My mate has a Hawke on his 97 and I reckon its the blurriest scope I've ever looked down! Maybe just my eyes though as he loves it and can't miss with it. I'm an MTC convert for good now though. Jim For the price, they do have very good opticts but they seem to be built with snot and wishful thinking. Mine was fitted to a very smooth HW90 that runs at around 10.5 in .20 and the turd couldn't handle that. Twice! They're long on features but sadly lacking on build. I'll contact them next week but it's the last time that I'll fit a Hawke to a springer. Edit to add... My old EB 6x44 now lives back on the 90. An utterly depeadable oldschool fine 30-30. My next purchase will either be a Nikon Prostaf or Niko Sterling Platinum. Edited August 31, 2013 by andyfr1968 2 Quote Link to post
pianoman 3,587 Posted August 31, 2013 Report Share Posted August 31, 2013 No woodsman Jim you are not sir. I must confess, I'm Andy's mate that had three Hawke's go west with using them on spring rifles. I had a Hawke Eclipse which was destroyed by my FAC HW80 in a morning on its first zeroing session. . A Hawke 6-18x42 AIRMAX SR12 went kaput within 18 months of using it on my HW77 which is also tuned and has very little felt recoil. It would not zero no matter how I tried to repair and correct. The 3rd and last was a Hawke Endurance (there's a contradiction in terms!) 3-9x42 IR 30 costing over £230 which, on my TX200HC .177 came apart, with the complete windage turret unit unscrewing itself entirely from the saddle. After going back and forth to Deben for repair, I effected the most permanent and successful repair of all by fixing the windage control unit threads tightly into the saddle with Arraldite! It hasn't unwound since and the scope is now, I have to say, working superbly! Currently I have a Hawke Panorama 4-12x50 IR EV AO which, I must say is a terrific scope on my HW97K....so far. How long it lasts time will tell. It's a tuned rifle with low recoil report so, I'm hopeful it will last longer the last three. Compare and contrast with my other scopes. 2x15 year old Simmons WTC scopes, a 10-year old Simmons Pro Air 6-18x40, a 14-year old Bushnell 4-14x50 Scopechief and a 2nd-hand recently aquired Bushnell Banner 3-9X50 and all of them as good as the day they were brand new after thousands of rounds of shooting from FAC and sub 12 spring rifles. Hawke make some very attractively priced scopes with some useful features but, on spring powered rifles, they seem to come unstuck within an average life of 2 years or less. PCP users will no doubt come to their defence, but then remember, PCP rifles are not imparting any percussive recoil stresses that might cause the type of damage we spring rifle shooters are experiencing. I will not be buying Hawke scopes in the future. There are much better scopes for spring rifles, for similar prices, that do not go tits up under a bit of managed recoil. 2 Quote Link to post
slave 33 Posted August 31, 2013 Report Share Posted August 31, 2013 I hope i have better luck first time i've owned a hawke scope the selling point for me was the 10 year warranty not fitted it yet still waiting for the shop to get me the 10x 1/2 mildot ret as i got the map 6a by mistake. the guy in the shop where i brought shoots springers in hft and owns 6 of the same model 4-12 x 40 ao ir panoramas he highly rates them . Well i'm glad it has a 10 year warranty gives me some piece of mind. I've owned many jap scopes in years gone by and never had one break i've had 2 chinese built tascos break they are rubbish nothing like the jap tasco ag series. 2 Quote Link to post
WoodsmanJim 160 Posted August 31, 2013 Report Share Posted August 31, 2013 That's the one and only thing I'll miss Slave, the 10x half mil ret. It's a real cracker of a ret! I hope you get a good 'un bud. Jim 2 Quote Link to post
nighteye 2 Posted August 31, 2013 Report Share Posted August 31, 2013 Not to seem like a DEBEN employee , but I must admit that the hawke digi-niteye I own is superb. It has been dropped, nearly drowned and stood on by my dogs numerous times(all accidental) , perhaps I should count my blessings but the scope has functioned flawlessly since I purchased it well over 2 years ago and the optical clarity from my albeit untrained eye is exceptional and I have had the fortune to look through the lenses of most top end glass. Just my ten pence worth , ps sorry to hear about your misfortunes guys been there before . 2 Quote Link to post
andyfr1968 772 Posted September 1, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 1, 2013 Not to seem like a DEBEN employee , but I must admit that the hawke digi-niteye I own is superb. It has been dropped, nearly drowned and stood on by my dogs numerous times(all accidental) , perhaps I should count my blessings but the scope has functioned flawlessly since I purchased it well over 2 years ago and the optical clarity from my albeit untrained eye is exceptional and I have had the fortune to look through the lenses of most top end glass. Just my ten pence worth , ps sorry to hear about your misfortunes guys been there before . I know they're not all dogs but just out of interest, what gun has it been fitted on? Quote Link to post
j j m 6,540 Posted September 1, 2013 Report Share Posted September 1, 2013 well hate to burst the bubble but i had one on my hw80 for years with no problems maybe i got a good one and the glass was good i took lots of quarry with it Quote Link to post
fry 209 Posted September 1, 2013 Report Share Posted September 1, 2013 had a hd sport on me pro for a year and been happy with it. but have only shot about 1500 pellets through it. fingers crossed lol Quote Link to post
Wil12G 2 Posted September 1, 2013 Report Share Posted September 1, 2013 I currently have a Hawke Sidewinder and I'm quite happy with it for the money. No issues with this one or the 8 year old hawke on the old springer. Maybe I'm just lucky. I have to say I prefer the Sidewinder to the Night eater I have on the other gun. I'm saying all this but after shooting my mates air ranger with a Bushnell scope and could have happily thrown the Hawke out for the Bushnell. I know what I'll be buying next! Sorry to hear about all the problems you guys have had with the Hawkes, hope you get sorted. Quote Link to post
pianoman 3,587 Posted September 1, 2013 Report Share Posted September 1, 2013 What Hawke model scope are you using on your HW80 JJM? It's not fair or true to say they are all duff scopes for spring rifles . These Sidewinder scopes sound terrific. Not yet used one so, I cannot hold opinion on them. But I do have three Hawke scopes that are no trouble at all, so far. I have a little Hawke Sport HD 3-9x40 (3015 model serial.) which I use on my HW77 and it's proving to be a fantastic little scope. The Hawke Panorama 4-12x50 IR AO EV I use on my HW97K competition rifle is just brilliant. But these, I have to admit are my newest scopes and less than a year old. I'll see when a good few thousand rounds have gone through them both. My Hawke Endurance 3-9x42 IR 30 is much older but performing superbly well (albeit with a touch of Arraldite in the windage turret saddle!). So I really have no complaints at all with these three. For now at least, but, as I've said, we'll see how they last after some lengthy service time. However. The 4-16x50 MAP-6 AIRMAX scope Andy bought was brand new, not a shot fired through it. A few rounds from his HW90 GasRam and it went tits up. Off to Deben who said they could find nothing wrong with it. Andy insisted there was and they should check again. A faulty leaf spring was apparently found and replaced. It performed superbly last week since it returned from Deben. Andy nailed a couple of rabbits with it that evening. However....One week later and about 50 shots from the same rifle the other day and I saw it start to spread the group from an accurate zero to left and right randomly. He even gave it to me to test shoot a tight group so he could be sure it wasn't him. It wasn't me either! So, the scope is now awaiting its fate as Andy decides what to do with it. Return it and ask for a replacement model? Repair it again? Or, as nearly happened in his anger, bin it! Meantime it's been replaced on Andy's HW90 by his favourite scope of all - a 25-year old Edgar Brothers scope with a broken reticle (imagine the right crosshair has split slightly from the centre verticle so you now have a tiny gap in the cross) that still puts pellet on pellet at 35 metres. Don't ask me how mind but, he loves it and shoots bloody well with it, and that's what counts! The experience with this Hawke MAP-6 AIRMAX scope has put him right off the brand, that's for sure Quote Link to post
ChrisJones 7,975 Posted September 1, 2013 Report Share Posted September 1, 2013 I've got a Hawke Nite Eye 3-9 x 50IR I've had it around 10 years, I can't remember when exactly. It's been mounted on every springer I've owned and currently sits on my 10/22... The IR doesn't work anymore but the optics are clear and it's been a reliable, trustworthy, scope from the day I took it out of the box. Maybe the newer stuff is having QC issues? Quote Link to post
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