Review: Hawke Airmax 30SF 4-16×50 AMX IR

Dave Barham takes a close look at this amazing new scope from Hawke for under £330!

From the moment I opened the box I knew this scope was going to be something a little bit special. It’s extremely well packaged, and there are loads of accessories.

For as long as I can recall I’ve always wanted to own a sidewheel-parallax-adjusting scope. I can remember, as a kid, seeing all the pictures in the mags of the field target lads with their ‘monster’ creations, and from that moment, owning one has always been on my wish list.

This Airmax 30 SF 4-16X50 is something I’ve really been looking forward to testing. A quick call to Matt at Sportsmatch to supply the correct high mounts and I was ready for action.

Easy adjustments

I really like the over-sized target turrets – I’m guessing they’re larger than the norm to add to the visual appeal of the scope. What I also like is the twist and lock system for adjusting windage and elevation – there are no fiddly metal caps to take off and put back on again, you simply undo the locking mechanism, make your adjustments, then tighten it all up again – simples!

Crystal clear

AMX Reticle

I’m really impressed with the AMX IR airgun mil-dot reticle too, and being glass-etched it floats in the centre of the image for unhindered clarity. It has full mil dots and half mil spacing, along with segmented outer hollow posts, giving an abundance of aim points that allow you to gauge the distance of certain targets. Half mil-dot spacing on the lower post provides increased aim points for long shots. The horizontal bars are calculated at 0.5, 1.5, 2.5, 3.5 and 4.5 mil spacing.

The red illuminated reticule is operated by a continuous rheostat dial, which is offset on the ocular bell. It’s easy to find and use whilst remaining in your shooting position, so there’s no need to pull away from your target if you need to go red in a hurry.

Rangefinding sidewheel

On to the focusing aspects; I instantly fell in love with the fast-focus ring on the ocular lens. I definitely need to go to Specsavers at some point in the near future, but this little unit allowed me to get crystal clear, crisp imagery in nanoseconds with effortless simplicity. This clarity is made possible thanks to the amazing multi-coated, high-quality lenses – 16 layers, no less, providing excellent light transmission.

Although super-quick side parallax adjustment is available by just using the left-hand parallax knob fitted, I was keen to use the 100mm sidewheel provided.

This is supposed to be used for more accurate ranging, but I just love the way it looks and feels while out hunting. It’s really easy to attach too, by using the special tool provided inside the box – simply unscrew the central cap/screw, push the wheel into place then screw the cap/screw back on again.

The fit is tight with only one permutation of the wheel slotting into place, and with ‘10 yards to infinity’ adjustment at your fingertips, there are no excuses for not hitting your mark!

Metal flip-up lens covers are threaded into each end of the scope, and there are two small metal tools to adjust/remove these also included in the box (it’s like a little treasure trove of goodies).

The ed’s verdict

As you can probably gather by now, I have totally fallen in love with this scope. As far as value for money goes, I was always once told to spend twice as much on my optics as I did on my rifle, but oh how times have changed!

This scope offers excellent quality and functionality and is one of the best mid-range-priced scopes I’ve ever had the pleasure of using.

I can’t wait to get out into the field and take it hunting for a full on session, it’s going to add a whole new dimension to my shooting ability.

Features:

• 16 layer fully multi-coated optics for exceptional clarity

• Side focus control for parallax adjustment to infinity

• 30mm mono-tube chassis for superior strength

• Glass-etched recticle with red illumination

• Stepless rheostat offers total brightness control

• ¼ MOA exposed, locking and resettable turrets

• Fast-focus eyeball and high torque zoom ring

• Waterproof, shockproof, nitrogen purged

Specification

Chassis: 30mm Mono-tube

Optical system: 4-16x

Objective: 50mm

Reticle: AMX IR

Illumination: Red – Stepless

Focus/Parallax: Side Focus 9m/10yds to infinity

Field of view: 7.7-2.2m @100m/23 – 6.5ft @100yds

Eye relief: 102mm/4in

Length: 358mm/14.1in

Weight: 780g/27.5oz

RRP: £329.00

For more details, visit hawkeoptics.com.