Hawke Sidewinder or Arken EPL4?

[Jay308]

I’m trying to decide between the Hawke Sidewinder 4-16x50 FFP or Arken EPL4 4-16x44 FFP?

I have a Athlon HERAS SPR 2-12×42 and it’s ok, has some CA and is not as bright or crisp as my Hawke Airmax 4-12x40 AO on my TX200, which was a surprise.

Any info/experience would be welcome and thanks.

 

[davecole]

I think a lot will depend on application.
I shoot FT and sometimes do a little hunting. I have owned several Sidewinders in Gen 1 and 2 both FFP & SFP. Reticles are clear and crisp. Narrow dept of field which is great for HFT. Clicks are positive and repeatable. Customer service is second to none.
I've briefly used but never owned a Arken. Great glass though. Also clear and crisp visuals. Not the definitive dept of field compared to the Hawke IMO. Customer service is an unknown as I've not had to consult with them.
Customer service is always a deal breaker for me on most items. Maybe someone can chime in on Arken's.

 

[jps2486]

I have limited experience with Arken's customer service. I've never had any issues with the scopes but asked them some technical questions which they answered to my satisfaction. I've had 7 Arken scopes, from the cheapest to the best, and find all of them great. My only reservation is that the ones that claim to focus down to 10 yards don't, therefore, the scopes aren't suitable for FT.

 

[rayroz]

Arken scopes will not let you down period !
Customer service A+++

 

[Gerry52]

I love my Hawke Sidewinder but really love the lifetime guarantee & their service. I bought mine used but when I had to send it in for service it only cost me shipping one way & they took care of everything else! Would like to try an Arken sometime.

 

[Jay308]

I have limited experience with Arken's customer service. I've never had any issues with the scopes but asked them some technical questions which they answered to my satisfaction. I've had 7 Arken scopes, from the cheapest to the best, and find all of them great. My only reservation is that the ones that claim to focus down to 10 yards don't, therefore, the scopes aren't suitable for FT.

This is what I was wondering also, the EPL4 is supposed to be 10 yards.

 

[88turbocoupe]

I’m trying to decide between the Hawke Sidewinder 4-16x50 FFP or Arken EPL4 4-16x44 FFP?

I have a Athlon HERAS SPR 2-12×42 and it’s ok, has some CA and is not as bright or crisp as my Hawke Airmax 4-12x40 AO on my TX200, which was a surprise.

Any info/experience would be welcome and thanks.

i have the exact Hawke you're looking at adjustments are silky smooth crystal clear
went from 70 deg home to 32 degrees shed no fog clear as a bell. little heavy but worth the features and customer service.
good luck which ever you choose

 

[Jay308]

i have the exact Hawke you're looking at adjustments are silky smooth crystal clear
went from 70 deg home to 32 degrees shed no fog clear as a bell. little heavy but worth the features and customer service.
good luck which ever you choose

Nice, I’m going to get the Sidewinder for sure now.

 

[Jay308]

I think a lot will depend on application.
I shoot FT and sometimes do a little hunting. I have owned several Sidewinders in Gen 1 and 2 both FFP & SFP. Reticles are clear and crisp. Narrow dept of field which is great for HFT. Clicks are positive and repeatable. Customer service is second to none.
I've briefly used but never owned a Arken. Great glass though. Also clear and crisp visuals. Not the definitive dept of field compared to the Hawke IMO. Customer service is an unknown as I've not had to consult with them.
Customer service is always a deal breaker for me on most items. Maybe someone can chime in on Arken's.

Very good info, I was surprised by my cheaper Airmax and how well it looked and functioned.

 

[cavedweller]

This is what I was wondering also, the EPL4 is supposed to be 10 yards.

Actually 10 meters

 

[cavedweller]

Nice, I’m going to get the Sidewinder for sure now.

Great choice

 

[MongooseV8]

I have owned one Hawke, and will never again. I own several Arkens and will buy more in the future. I have an EPL4 with the 4-16x and the image quality is great, even compared to our high end scopes. That being said I would not buy the 6-24x version of the SH4 or EPL4 due to the slightly worse image quality overall. I would also not buy their cheap line with the capped turrets as those have lower quality glass and turrets.

 

[blackdog899]

Actually 10 meters

I’m waiting on an elp4 4x16 . I had to confirm their site states 10 yards. That 30 inch’s ( approximately) matters to me.

 

[JEFFPPC]

If you like the Airmax you will love a Sidewinder.

 

[Ezana4CE]

I’ve gotten into my 4-16x50 Sidewinder 30 FFP and I really like this scope. The reticle is good for hunting. Not perfects, but really good. The illuminated reticle is bright enough for daytime use. I like the glass clarity as well and it doesn’t feel too heavy. This is an airgun scope to me or what one should be. I’m not a turret dialer, but zeroing for various projectiles the turrets felt good to me. I really like the incorporated throw lever (knob). It comes with a side wheel too. I have yet to use an Arken. Most of their scope are heavier than I’d like on my woods walkers.

 

[cmatera]

I have a 3-12 Hawke Airmax, a 4-16 Airmax and a 6-24 Sidewinder. They are my current go-to brand of scope. I like the reticles, the turrets adjust nicely (even though I'm usually a holdover shooter), and I like a no BS warranty. If I break it, I will pay to fix it, but if things fail, I appreciate a company that stands behind their product. Fortunately, I have not needed any repairs.

 

[Jay308]

Now I’m not sure about the FFP and might go the SF route on the Hawke. I have FFP for my PB but they are shot past 600 yards, seems for 50 yards and under SF might be better, just have to make dope cards for different mag settings.

Looks like I found a thread just for this:

https://www.airgunnation.com/threads/ffp-scopes-and-all-the-hype.1324364/

 

[NAProf]

Has anyone with a Hawke Sidewinder noticed a big change in scope performance as the air temp gets beow freezing? I have a new Sidewinder 30 SF 8-32x56 that I am setting up for FT (Hunter - so 16x).. I started a couple of days ago and got out to 22 yds before darkness forced me to stop. The air temp was in the high 50's. I didn't get back to it until today after three days of sub- freezing air temps. It was sunny and 32 degress this afternoon when I went back to it. Started at 20 yds to make sure it was repeating and found it ranged at my old about 1/2 way between my old 20 yds and 22 yds. Did 19, 18, and 17 yards and all were ranging about 1 yard over.

I have used a Falcon X50 for the last three years and have shot in sub freezing and crazy heat (Ohio Grand Prix this year) and never had a drift in range. So is temp sensitivity just a fact of life with the Hawke Sidewinders?

Thanks.

Cheers,
Greg

 

[Jay308]

Has anyone with a Hawke Sidewinder noticed a big change in scope performance as the air temp gets beow freezing? I have a new Sidewinder 30 SF 8-32x56 that I am setting up for FT (Hunter - so 16x).. I started a couple of days ago and got out to 22 yds before darkness forced me to stop. The air temp was in the high 50's. I didn't get back to it until today after three days of sub- freezing air temps. It was sunny and 32 degress this afternoon when I went back to it. Started at 20 yds to make sure it was repeating and found it ranged at my old about 1/2 way between my old 20 yds and 22 yds. Did 19, 18, and 17 yards and all were ranging about 1 yard over.

I have used a Falcon X50 for the last three years and have shot in sub freezing and crazy heat (Ohio Grand Prix this year) and never had a drift in range. So is temp sensitivity just a fact of life with the Hawke Sidewinders?

Thanks.

Cheers,
Greg

I hope you get more answers but I’ve found most scopes do this in extreme heat or cold to some degree.

 

[JungleShooter]

Here's a couple of things to consider — depending very much on your shooting scenarios:


Hawke Sidewinder 4-16x50 FFP

➊ The reticle does not have thick outside posts.
➠ This, in my mind, is critical for shooting at low magnification with an FFP scope:
As the crosshairs become really small and harder to see, these thick outside posts usually serve to guide the eyes toward where the crosshairs intersect.
You could overcome this somewhat by turning on the illumination — if it is daylight bright, which I don't know if it is.

➋ It has a larger objective lens.
➠ It might provide a brighter image then the Arken — but that's only important if you (a) want to scope cam, or (b) shoot in dark building or dark FT lanes or squirrels in dark woods.

➌ The field of view is slightly wider — 32-8ft (compared to 30-7ft).

➍ It has a gridded reticle.
➠ That either clutters your view — or allows you to make better shots using holdoffs — depending on your preference to compensate for range and wind.




Arken EPL4 4-16x44 FFP
➊ It has a smaller objective lens.
➠ It likely has a longer SPR = Sharpness and Parallax Range — or what photographers call "depth of field."
The benefit is that the scope is less finnicky and demanding for your to adjust the parallax — it will be sharp and parallax free within a larger range. (This is the opposite of what field target shooters want when they use the parallax wheel to estimate the range for their shot.)

➋ It has a clean reticle.
➠ Clutterfree: Just crosshairs with subtensions, not Christmas tree or Santa Clause.

➌ It has a 0-stop.
➠ If you dial, this can be very helpful. Even moreso if you shoot farther where your elevation adjustment goes beyond the 8mil of a single turret revolution.


Matthias