Take your shot with confidence

By Neil Schultz

Hawke Optics have a long-standing reputation for producing premium-quality rifle scopes

most popular with serious air rifle enthusiasts in the UK and USA. Their scopes are not,

however, limited to the air-gunner market and include a comprehensive selection of top shelf

units designed for centrefire rifles. At the upper end of that selection is their Frontier range.

Tested for The Report was the Frontier 30 FFP 5-25×56 SF model.

As the model designation suggests, the 5-25 is built around a 30mm mono-tube chassis

tapering out to house a large 56mm diameter objective lens. The ocular lens is 38mm in

diameter and allows 100mm of eye relief, ideal for those heavy recoiling magnum rifles. Base

magnification of 5x gives a wide enough field of view for running shots at close quarters in the

bush. Zoomed out to 25x allows pinpoint aiming at both small targets and those way off in the

distance.

First Focal Plane scopes are popular and practical for hunting applications, as the reticle-to-

image ratio remains constant throughout the entire magnification range. This allows the

reticle to be used for range estimation as well as accurate hold-over for long shots. The

Frontier 30 FFP sports a Mil Pro reticle, with hash marks etched every 1/2 Mil, numbered every

2. Hash marks allow 10 Mil hold over via the reticle. The turrets allow for a maximum of 19 Mil

elevation to be dialled in. That is enough for even the least efficient long-range cartridge. Zero

stop turrets are prerequisite for long-range shooters, with those on the Frontier giving 1/4 Mil

adjustment per click. The clicks are audible and positive to the feel when dialling in either

elevation or windage on the fly. Illumination of the reticle is via a dial on the left of the scope,

with six brightness levels in red and an off position between each setting; a very user-friendly

set up.

Parallax adjustment is via a side wheel and functions perfectly, eliminating parallax error

completely while focusing the image crisply at distances from 14 metres to the horizon. Image

clarity is superb throughout the zoom range with no noticeable aberration around the edges.

That generous 56mm objective lens gathers every last lux of available light during the magical

dawn and dusk hunting hours, allowing hunters to shoot right up until last light. The lenses are

manufactured from low dispersion Crown glass and multi-coated with 21 layers to provide

that excellent light transmission and image clarity.

The 5-25 Frontier measures 365mm overall and adds just 698 grams to the weight of the rifle.

I carried my .26-06 Improved rifle around the New England ranges on a recent deer hunt and

found the 5-25 Frontier unobtrusive despite its large front lens and high magnification

capabilities. In practice the scope was easily zeroed. Measuring the point of impact with the

reticle and counting the clicks to adjust proved quite accurate. The large powder charge of the

.25-06AI pushes the rifle back somewhat but even after several dozen rounds downrange and,

in the mountains, the scope held zero perfectly. Selecting a cull buck from a group of fallow

deer ambling through the scrub was enabled due to the crisp, bright image of the Frontier 30

FFP. Knowledge that the point of impact was going to be spot on allowed the shot to be taken

with confidence. If you are a hunter looking for a scope that stands out from the herd, this is a

very worthy candidate. Long-range target shooting is the Frontier 30 FFP’s forte, a task at

which it excels.

Priced between $1,700 and $2,000.