Target Shooter 1

HAWKE SIDEWINDER30 AND ECLIPSE30
IRSW
By Tim Finley
very pleasantly surprised with its features
The 3 to 12 Sidewinder 30 and performance. The scope I had heard of
was the Sidewinder from Hawke. From the
outset it was designed to have all the features
expected of a modern telescopic sight as
well as a few new ones. The model sent for
testing was the lowest magnification
specification in the range. They make a
3-12, 4-16, 6-24 and 8-32. The first two
have 50mm diameter objective lenses
and the last two 56mm. All have Hawke’s
new adjustment turret system, this is a
very well designed affair were the turrets
are kept in a locked down position and
cannot be rotated, either accidentally or
otherwise until the top of the dial has been
lifted up. They have this on both the elevation
and windage turrets.
To reset the turret to a zero position an
Allen key on the top has to be undone and the
indexing top section lifted clear of the
internal spindle. When set to your required
Sidewinder 30
position, normally “0” after you have zeroed your
I am more used to testing Hawke scopes with one
rifle for windage and at your chosen range, the top
of their specialized reticles, be it the MAP (Multi
section can be pushed back down to engage the
Aim Point, versions 6 or 8) or SR (Specialized
spindle and the Allen screw tightened back up. It
Reticles, versions 6 or 12) in fact the past five
has ¼ minute of angle click values at 100yards.
reviews I have done on Hawke scopes have all had
Another quality feature of the Sidewinder is the fact
one or the other. So it is nice to cover two Hawke
it has a coil spring behind the erector tube rather
scopes that have fairly standard reticles. One of the
than the normal leaf type. All the Sidewinder scopes
scopes I had heard of and was keen to test and the
have reticles in the second focal plane, meaning
other one I had no real idea of it’s existence but was
with a Mildot reticle fitted, as in the test scope, it
Target Shooter 21