By Robert A. Sadowski<\/a><\/p>\n In this article, Robert Sadowski reviews the Hawke Vantage IR 3-9\u00d740 scope designed for rimfire rifles. The scope provides a good deal of magnification for a .22 LR rifle at an affordable price. How does it perform? That\u2019s something the author discovers on the range. Hawke Sport Optics provided a loaner scope for this review.<\/em><\/p>\n R<\/span>imfire rifles are a staple in most gun safes, whether you are a weekend plinker or a small game hunter. The ability of a bolt-action rifle to transition from plugging aluminum soda cans to taking care of varmints is a characteristic I appreciate in a rimfire rifle. Some shots are at close range, while others might need to reach out farther. Precision and repeatability is mandatory.<\/p>\n Pairing the right scope with the right rifle shouldn\u2019t be complicated, nor should you necessarily need to pay as much for the scope as you did the rifle. I recently set out to do just that with my Model 2020 Rimfire Target rifle from Springfield Armory, and what I decided upon was the Hawke Vantage IR 3-9x40mm scope. It offers a lot of performance at an affordable price, especially with the Rimfire .22 LR HV reticle that makes taking shots from 50 yards to 200 yards a slam dunk.<\/p>\n The Hawke brand might not be as well-known as the usual suspects here in the U.S., but I think it should be. Hawke is headquartered in UK and sells rifle scopes in about 60 countries. The Vantage series is made in China, and the line is designed for specific calibers and shooting scenarios.<\/p>\n I can honestly say that the quality of the Hawke scope is neither cheap or inferior. It\u2019s quite the opposite. The Vantage\u2019s reticle choices range from ones designed for rimfire calibers and shotgun slugs to AR platform calibers and centerfire bolt actions. The Vantage IR is a subset of the series with scopes equipped with illuminated reticles, hence the IR suffix.<\/p>\n The 3-9\u00d740 scope wears a matte black finish, and the controls are solid. The turrets are capped and adjustment indicators are basic \u2014 but simple and easy to use. The direction is indicated and the clicks are precise. Each click is .25 MOA, and there is 100 MOA range of movement in both windage and elevation. The parallax adjustment shares space with the reticle illumination knob.<\/p>\n The reticle has five brightness settings and two color choices \u2014 red and green. I did note that the parallax knob takes some effort to turn, while the illumination levels and colors are easily adjusted. The eyepiece has a rubber edge that makes focusing the reticle easy. The power ring is ribbed and offers adequate texture when zooming in and out, and it does take effort to rotate, but I was able to adjust the power range without disrupting my sight picture while in the prone position or sitting at a bench.<\/p>\n While the optical quality of scopes can be very subjective as each shooters\u2019 eyes are different, what I look for is clarity when reviewing an optic. The Vantage IR offers a sharp image all the way to the edge of the lens. Color is quite good, too. The glass in the scope seems to be very good quality for the price.<\/p>\n The Rimfire .22 LR HV reticle features Bullet Drop Compensating (BDC) points calibrated for .22 LR high-velocity ammo. Any .22 LR ammunition with a bullet weight between 36 and 40 grains and a muzzle velocity between 1,235 and 1,260 fps works well with the reticle.<\/p>\n You can also calibrate the scope to shoot standard-velocity subsonic ammo. The 36-grain to 40-grain range means there are tub loads of value-packed .22 LR ammunition options that are compatible with the Hawke Vantage IR. I had on hand a bunch of 40-grain ammo, made up of CCI Blazer, Federal Auto Match, and Remington Thunderbolt loads. According to the factory data, all three loads are in the guidelines, but we all know actual muzzle velocity varies. In my experience, BDC reticles also need to be verified.<\/p>\n Live The Armory Life.<\/strong> The latest content straight to your inbox plus an automatic entry to each of our monthly gun\u00a0giveaways!<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n With the scope zeroed for 50 yards and the power ring cranked up to 9x, the reticle aiming points compensate for bullet drop out to 200 yards. Distances are etched into the reticle field of view and increase in 25-yard increments starting at 50 yards up to 200 yards.<\/p>\n The Springfield Armory 2020 Rimfire rifle has a 1\u201d accuracy guarantee for a three-shot group at 50 yards. The caveats are that you must use match-grade ammo and be a skilled shooter. Regardless, from what I have experienced with the 2020 Rimfire that type of accuracy is effortless. Easy, peasy. My 2020 Rimfire has the sage green polymer stock, heavy profile barrel and adjustable Model 700-style trigger.<\/p>\n I mounted the Vantage IR scope to the 2020 Rimfire using Vortex 1\u201d rings. The Picatinny rail on the 2020 Rimfire made mounting the scope simple and straightforward. I didn\u2019t bother to boresight the scope since .22 LR ammo is inexpensive, and I start out at 25 to get on paper and zero at the desired distance.<\/p>\n [Be sure to read Jeremy Tremp\u2019s Springfield Model 2020 Rimfire review<\/a>.]<\/em><\/p>\n I started out at 25 yards and within two, three-shot groups, I had the 2020 Rimfire shooting to point of aim. The scope needs to be zeroed at 50 yards to use the BDC reticle, so I moved the target out to 50 yards and zeroed the scope. Yep, no need to call Springfield on that guarantee. Even with standard ammo, some three-shot groups were one ragged hole. The muzzle velocity was on the low side of factory data, but very close.<\/p>\n With 50 yards under my belt, I moved to a 75-yard target and used the 75-yard aiming point in the reticle. It was on the money, but my groups did start to open up to over one inch, which is to be expected. The wind was gusting 15 mph, so I knew at 100 yards the wind would be flicking the small .22-caliber bullet like a peanut. Pulling into the wind to compensate, the 2020 and Vantage were in synch.<\/p>\n I did not expect to drive tacks at 100 yards in blustery winds, but I did drop rounds with pleasing consistency and slightly larger groups. There are no compensation aiming point on horizontal strata of the reticle, so you need to guess and use Kentucky windage. Too many aiming points can clutter up a reticle in some shooter\u2019s options. I don\u2019t think they are missed in this scope, since it is more for hunting and plinking and not long-range precision shooting.<\/p>\n I like the clean, simple reticle on the Hawke Vantage IR and, from what I experienced with 40-gr. ammo, the hold-over marks are on the money. The Hawke Vantage IR delivers a good shooting experience out to 50, 75 and 100 yards at a reasonable price. I felt I had enough scope with the Hawke Vantage IR mounted to the 2020 Rimfire. If you are looking for an affordable .22 LR scope that will get you out to 200 yards, I don\u2019t think you can beat the Hawke Vantage IR scope on performance and cost.<\/p>\n Editor\u2019s Note: Please be sure to check out The Armory Life Forum, where you can comment about our daily articles, as well as just talk guns and gear. Click the \u201cGo To Forum Thread\u201d link below to jump in!<\/em><\/p>\n Go to forum thread<\/a><\/p>\n
Hawke Vantage IR Scopes<\/h2>\n
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\n<\/picture>The Details<\/h2>\n
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\n<\/picture>Specifications<\/h2>\n
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Hawke Rimfire .22 LR HV Reticle<\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\nRifle and Scope<\/h2>\n
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\n<\/picture>At the Range<\/h2>\n
Going Long<\/h2>\n
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\n<\/picture>Final Thoughts<\/h2>\n
Join the Discussion<\/span><\/h5>\n
Featured in this article<\/span><\/h5>\n
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<\/p>\nHawke Vantage IR 3-9×40, Rimfire .22 HV Reticle<\/span><\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\nModel 2020 Rimfire Target Rifle<\/span><\/h3>\n
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