Can Hawke Scopes hold up to springer recoil?

[dmiller]

I recently purchased a Hatsan Torpedo 155 and would like to eventually put a scope on it. I looking at getting a Hawke Vantage AO scope; however, can these scopes hold up to the recoil of a gun with close to 30 fpe? Is it smart to even consider a Hawke scope for this gun? Any advise would be appreciated! Thanks...

[SteveP-52]

For a few dollars more, take a look at the Airmax line of scopes. Designed for and built to be used on air rifles. They don't have the kind of recoil the 155 is going to, but I have Airmax 3-9x40 AO scopes on both a Weihrauch HW95 .22 and a Webley Tomahawk .177 and haven't had a problem with either of them.

[dmiller]

Thanks for the advice, Mr. Steve. Got a quick question- Would a Leupold, Zeiss, Nikon, or Vortex hold up on a 155? Being that Vortex has a Lifetime warranty, is it worth considering? Would a red dot sight hold up any better than a scope? Thanks

[lefteyeshot]

I think you're going to find a 155 has a lot more recoil than a 95 or Tommy.

[Roadworthy]

Hawke does indeed have a lifetime warranty.  I've never had a problem with any of mine.

I've also git a couple of Sun scopes, which have a lifetime warranty.  One is a Air A TAC, which is made for airguns.  My Diana 48 wears a Sun TAC IV which I prefer.  I've never had reason to put the warranty to the test - no failures.

Leapers UTG also has a line of airgun rated scopes.  I think my 4-16 X 44 Accushot was a good value, too.

As far as the ones you're asking about - I'd check with their respective manufacturers.

[trackerbuddy]

Yes Nikon makes a scope rated for airguns. Not all Nikon scopes will survive. Take the time to research the scope you're interested in including contacting the manufacturer. As I just found out with Airgun Depot even though their  description said "rated for airguns " doesn't mean it's made for use on a springer.

[dmiller]

Thanks for the advice. Got another question, say you purchase a new Hawke scope on eBay, and it fails. Is it still covered by warranty even though it was purchased on eBay? Thanks

[jus Tom]

In my experiences Hawke scope internals seem to be a "get what you pay for deal" along with many other brands. Hawke glass is nice, but that customarily isn't the part of the scope that goes bad from recoil. With a model name Airmax you would think it should hold up to an air rifle, the EV edition did not in my case, (others have had good results). I finally received an AMX edition through warranty but it sits unused as I don't care for the AMX reticle compared to the older MAP6.

The Nikon EFR, which I've touted here and other sites since trying my first one has been my go to scope for some of my air guns as well as some of my .22 caliber firearms. The EFR target dot reticle will likely never gain acceptance like a mil-dot for obvious reason, but for my style of shooting it works fine. I've had one EFR of five in use that developed an internal adjustment problem and Nikon replaced it with a new scope.

There are many scopes made that claim air rifle use but do not hold up, some pricier than others. BSA Essential models have been good for me also.
Just my 2 cents, hope it helps.

[dmiller]

Thanks. I will look into the Nikon. If I did end up ordering a new Nikon EFR from eBay and it failed, would it still be covered by warranty?

[jusanothajoe]

Thanks. I will look into the Nikon. If I did end up ordering a new Nikon EFR from eBay and it failed, would it still be covered by warranty?

If you buy it new off Ebay it is the same as buying from a store.

[dmiller]

Thanks- that answers my question. Also, how would a red dot sight hold up compared to a scope? Thanks

[dmiller]

How would a red dot sight hold up compared to a scope? Thanks

[Crooked Penguin]

In general red dots are fairly large and cover a lot of small targets over 15 yards or so, unless you get one with a small dot which becomes expensive quick. A scope is generally much easier to be accurate with.

But as I said before just get a dampa mount and you'll be fine with a Hawke Vantage AO model. The guys at my local gun store put 'm on the 125 and 135 Carnivore all the time and non has came back broken so far.

The warranty for the Vantage range is ten years by the way, no lifetime warranty on those.

[oenomaker]

I had a UTG rated for springers and my Hatsan 135 destroyed the glass in the front.  I mean it exploded!  Firearm rated scopes like Leupold won't hold up. Get something with a good warranty that says it's for airguns so you can get a new one as needed.

[dmiller]

Thanks! I will probably end up going with the Vantage. I appreciate your comments!

[Hoosier Daddy]

I will chime in with a big props to Hawke warranty... Top notch customer service.

[SteveP-52]

I have yet to need Hawke's warranty for any of mine. The only 4 rifles in my sig that don't wear Hawke scopes are the Crosman, the Retay and the 2 Webley Valuemaxes (those 2 just because I haven't bought them yet..lol). The beast of the bunch, the Walther Talon Magnum .22 springer (think Hatsan 125, same gun) wears a Hawke Vantage 4-12x40 AO.
I admit I've been very fortunate, I read enough here to know they can have problems like any other brand, but I have yet to have one fail and in large part, it's why I keep buying them and just as soon as Dvor has another sale, I'll be buying a few more Airmaxes... 2 for the Webleys and because I'm one of those weird people that buys a scope before I buy the rifle it ends up on...lol

[uglymike]

If you want to put it in the same hole at distance use crosshairs as opposed to a Red Dot IMHO.

[dmiller]

Thanks for the advice. Mr Steve, I don't know if you know, but approximately how much are the Hawke Airmax's when on sale at Dvor? Thanks (:

[jusanothajoe]

If you want to put it in the same hole at distance use crosshairs as opposed to a Red Dot IMHO.

Yes, a 3 moa dot on a red dot is very small, but it covers 3 inches at 100 yards.