Hawke XB30 scope

Dnk · 05-30-2010, 01:49 PM

Got the Hawke XB30. Here's initial impressions.
It is the heaviest of the 3 30mm scopes I own. A good comparison would be my 30 mm Elite 4200 illuminated 1.25X4X24 which weights 2oz less, no big deal but both are heavy to be sure. My favourite scope is my 1.75x6X32 VariXIII (one inch tube) at 10.8 oz. The Leupold has the wides field of view, next comes the Elite and last the Hawke.
Optical quality is excellent! Rear lens gives no real reflection like the rear lens of my MAP and edge to edge image is very good. Still optical quality is noticeably not as good as the Elite or Leupold.
All lines and crosshairs are way too thin for me for hunting. The Elite uses out right bold bars that lead to a fine crosshair and uses a very tiny illuminated dot. The Leupold uses a heavy bars that lead to moderately thick crosshairs. Yes I realize that the XB30 has illuminated aiming points but I prefer as little illumination as possible or none at all and I really like thick posts. Much thicker and longer posts would have made a big difference to me.
Oh, re:the mount that it comes with. It is really heavy!!!!!! Six ounces!
I know that the Leupold will still be on my main hunting bow. All in all a great scope and far cheaper than any scope that I mentioned above but the when it comes to scopes I do not cheap out too much but Zeiss and Swarovski are beyond what I will pay.

Huntr2 · 05-31-2010, 03:51 PM

First kinda negative revgiew of that scope. Are the other 2 scopes bow scopes or rifle scopes?

coyote170 · 05-31-2010, 06:47 PM

Dnk · 05-31-2010, 08:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Huntr2

First kinda negative revgiew of that scope. Are the other 2 scopes bow scopes or rifle scopes?

Sorry but I did not mean it as a negative. Of all the crossbow specific scopes I've own and used it is the best. I do not find The XB30 good enough to replace what I use on my crossbows. In my opinion Hawke has offered the best crossbow scope yet but there is room for improvement. The equipment we use is still evolving....and catching up. Yes the other two scopes are rifle scopes and I will continue to use them for hunting until the a crossbow scope equals them.

Huntr2 · 06-01-2010, 03:43 PM

In most cases rifle scopes out do bow scopes in every way, but thats why the price is generally alot higher. Scopes are getting much better for the crossbow overall.

Cossack · 06-02-2010, 04:58 AM

Thanks for a thorough and objective review, Dnk. It's apparent you tell it like it is, not as the manufacturer would like to hear it.
While I own and regularly use some two dozen rifle and pistol scopes (mostly Lupold and Burris) I'm using the Excal scopes on my Excals because of their ability to accommodate the different trajectories of my recurve bows while using the same aimpoint. That way I don't have to consider which bow is in hand and can use the same aimpoint when making the shot. I also find the Hawke MAP a perfect fit of size and function for my Cyclone as it's reticule spacing matches its' trajectory whith the the other bows precisely. Given the distances involved in crossbow hunting (up to 40 yards for me) I'm seeing no need for "high end" bow scopes or rifle scopes for my application.

Tenpoint TL-9 · 06-02-2010, 10:44 AM

The best scope for me is a Tasco 2.5x10x50mm Mil-Dot rifle scope. It's perfect on my Tenpoint Titan TL-7 165# crossbow using a 450gr. arrow shooting about 265fps. The dots are 15 , 20 , 25 , 30 , 35 and 40 yards. I like the 5 yards apart dots so I can be very accurate on the shots. The scope was under $80.00