Description
Rifle Scope Product Details
Hawke Sport Optics Frontier FFP 5-25×56 FFP Mil Ext IR Riflescope, Black, 18330
Hawke Frontier FFP 5-25×56 SF MIL EXT Illuminated Reticle
Rifle Scope Product Features
Great product
About the Hawke Brand
Hawke is a premium manufacturer for long gun scopes, optics, mounting solutions, and other add-ons used for guns like rifles and long guns. They design and manufacture their mounts and related products making the most of elements which are durable and long lasting. This includes the Hawke Sport Optics Frontier FFP 5-25×56 FFP Mil Ext IR Riflescope, Black, 18330 by Hawke. For more shooting products, visit their site.
Rifle Glass Information
Rifle scopes allow you to precisely align a rifle at different targets by aligning your eye with the target over a distance. They accomplish this through magnifying the target by making use of a series of lenses inside the scope. The scope’s positioning can be adjusted to take into account many natural aspects like wind speed and elevation increases to make up for bullet drop.
The scope’s function is to help shooters understand exactly where the bullet will land based on the sight picture you are seeing with the optic as you line up the scope’s crosshair or reticle with the target. Many modern rifle scopes have about 11 parts which are found internally and outside of the optic. These scope parts include the rifle scope’s body, lenses, modification dials, focus rings, and other parts. See all eleven parts of a rifle scope.
Rifle Scope Varieties
Rifle scopes can be either “first focal plane” or “second focal plane” type of scopes. Deciding on the best type of rifle scope is based on what type of shooting you plan to do.
Info on First Focal Plane Optics
Focal plane scopes (FFP) include the reticle in front of the zoom lens. These styles of scopes are helpful for:
- Quick acquisition, far away types of shooting
- Shooting circumstances where calculations are marginal
- Experienced shooters who recognize their target “hold over” and “lead” relationships for their firearm
- Shooters who don’t mind the reticle is bigger and occupies more visual eyesight area than a SFP reticle
Info About Second Focal Plane Scopes
Second focal plane optics (SFP) come with the reticle to the rear of the magnification lens. In the FFP example with the SFP scope, the 5x “zoom” 100 yard tick would be 1/5th of the non “zoom” tick.
- Long distance styles of shooting where shooters have more time to make ballistic estimations
- Shooting where most of the shots occur within shorter proximities and ranges
- Shooters who select a clearer optic sight picture with less area used up by the larger size FFP reticle
Scope Zoom
The quantity of magnification a scope offers is determined by the diameter, thickness, and curvatures of the lenses inside of the rifle scope. The zoom of the scope is the “power” of the scope.
Fixed Power Lens Optic Details
A single power rifle optic uses a zoom number designator like 4×32. This indicates the magnification power of the scope is 4x power and the objective lens is 32mm. The zoom of this kind of scope can not adjust since it is a fixed power optic.
Variable Power Lens Scopes
Variable power rifle scopes can be changed between magnification levels. These types of scopes will list the zoom degree in a format like 2-10×32. These numbers suggest the magnification of the scope could be changed in between 2x and 10x power. This always involves the power levels in-between 2 and 10. The power shift is accomplished by operating the power ring component of the scope near the back of the scope by the eye bell piece.
The Power and Range of Glass
Here are some recommended scope powers and the ranges where they may be successfully used. High power optics will not be as beneficial as lower magnification scopes due to the fact that too much magnification can be a negative aspect depending on your shooting distance. The same idea goes for longer distances where the shooter needs adequate power to see where to properly aim the rifle.
Rifle Glass Lens Coating
All contemporary rifle optic and scope lenses are layered. Lens finish can be a crucial aspect of a rifle system when looking into high end rifle optics and scope systems.
HD Versus ED Rifle Glass Lens Coatings
Some optic suppliers additionally use “HD” or high-def lense finishings that employ various processes, chemicals, polarizations, and elements to enhance numerous colors and viewable target definition through lenses. This high-definition coating is typically used with more costly, high density lens glass which decreases light’s capability to refract through the lens glass. Some scope makers use “HD” to refer to “ED” implying extra-low dispersion glass. ED deals with how certain colors are presented on the chroma spectrum and the chromatic aberration which is similarly called color distortion or fringing. Chromatic aberration can be noticeable around items with well defined shapes as light hits the object from particular angles.
About Single Coating Versus Multi-Coating
Different scope lenses can also have different coverings applied to them. All lenses generally have at least some kind of treatment or finishing applied to them prior to being used in a rifle scope or optic assembly. Because the lens isn’t just a raw piece of glass, they require performance enhancing coatings. It is part of the finely tuned optic. It needs to have a finishing placed on it so that it will be optimally usable in lots of kinds of environments, degrees of light (full VS shade), and other shooting conditions.
Single coated lenses have a treatment applied to them which is usually a protective and improving multi-purpose treatment. This lens treatment can protect the lens from scratches while reducing glare and other less beneficial things experienced in the shooting environment while sighting in with the optic. The quality of a single layered lens depends upon the scope maker and the amount you spent for it. Both the make and cost are indicators of the lens quality.
Some scope makers also make it a point to specify if their optic lenses are covered or “multi” covered. This implies the lens has numerous treatments applied to the surfaces of the glass. If a lens gets several treatments, it can establish that a maker is taking multiple steps to fight various environmental aspects like an anti-glare coating, a scratch resistant anti-abrasion covering, followed by a hydrophilic finish. This also does not necessarily imply the multi-coated lens will perform better than a single layered lens. Being “better” depends upon the maker’s lens treatment technology and the quality of glass used in building the rifle scope.
Rifle Scope Lens Hydrophobic Coating
Water on a lens does not assist with maintaining a clear sight picture through a scope at all. Numerous top of the line and high-end scope companies will coat their lenses with a hydrophobic or hydrophilic finish.
Scope Mounting Choices
Mounting options for scopes can be found in a couple of options. There are the standard scope rings which are individually installed to the scope and one-piece mounts which cradle the scope. These various types of mounts also generally come in quick release variations which use manual levers which allow rifle shooters to rapidly mount and dismount the scopes.
Rifle Glass Mounting Solutions with Hex Key Rings
Basic, clamp-on design mounting optic rings use hex head screws to install to the flattop style Picatinny scope mount rails on rifles. These types of scope mounts use double independent rings to support the optic, and are usually constructed from 7075 T6 billet aluminum or similar materials which are manufactured for far away accuracy shooting. This kind of scope mount is good for rifle systems which are in need of a long lasting, hard use mount which will not change regardless of how much the scope is moved or abuse the rifle takes. These are the style of mounts you should have for a faithful optics system on a reach out and touch someone scouting or tournament rifle which will almost never need to be altered or recalibrated. Blue 242 Loctite threadlocker can additionally be used on the screws to keep the hex screws from wiggling out after they are mounted securely in place. An example of these rings are the 30mm style from Vortex Optics. The set usually costs around $200 USD
Quick-Release Cantilever Rifle Glass Ring Mounts
These types of quick-release rifle scope mounts can be used to rapidly connect and remove a scope from a rifle. If they all use a comparable style mount, a number of scopes can often be switched on the range. The quick detach design is CNC crafted from anodized 6061 T6 aluminum and the mounting levers attach tightly to a flat top type Picatinny rail. This enables the scope to be sighted in while on the rifle, taken off of the rifle, and remounted while maintaining the original sighting settings. These types of mounts are useful and convenient for rifles which are transported a lot, to take off the scope from the rifle for protection, or for optics which are employed in between several rifles. An example of this mount style is the 30mm mount from Vortex Optics. It usually costs around $250 USD
Rifle Optic Tube Sealing and Gas Purging
Wetness inside your rifle scope can wreck a day on the range and your pricey optic by inducing fogging and developing residue inside of the scope tube. The majority of scopes prevent moisture from going into the scope tube with a series of sealing O-rings which are water resistant. Typically, these water-resistant scopes can be immersed beneath 20 or 30 feet of water before the water pressure can force moisture past the O-rings. This should be more than enough moisture content avoidance for standard use rifles for hunting and sporting purposes, unless you plan on taking your rifle boating and are worried about the optic still working if it falls overboard and you can still salvage the rifle.
Info Around Scope Tube Gas Purging
Another component of preventing the buildup of wetness inside of the rifle scope tube is filling the tube with a gas like nitrogen. Because this area is currently occupied by the gas, the glass is less altered by temperature level shifts and pressure distinctions from the outside environment which could possibly permit water vapor to leak in around the seals to fill the vacuum which would otherwise be there. These are good qualities of a good rifle scope to seek out.




