Hawke Crossbow Scopes

What Hawke makes for crossbow hunters

On this site, Hawke covers one product type: crossbow scopes. Hawke's own catalog is wider and includes binoculars, laser rangefinders and spotting scopes. None of those Hawke products are in the grid right now, so this page sticks to the crossbow scopes.

The grid above shows the Hawke crossbow scopes on Amazon right now. It changes as listings come and go, so I'll write about the lines and what separates them, not about how many are listed this week.

One note on the grid: Hawke's listings in it don't carry structured specs, so many cells show a dash. The values on this page come from Hawke's own product pages instead. Where Hawke doesn't state something, I leave it out.

How to read a Hawke crossbow scope name

Each name tells you three things, and Hawke's spec tables confirm them:

• The line: XB and XB1 sit on a 1-inch tube; every XB30 sits on a 30 mm tube
• The zoom: "1.5-5x" is the magnification range, "3x" is fixed
• The objective: the number after the x, in mm (32, 36 or 24)

So an XB30 Compact 1.5-6x36 is a 30 mm tube, zooming from 1.5x to 6x, with a 36 mm front lens. Quick kitchen version: the tube is the size of the rolling pin, and the rings are the hands that hold it. Rolling-pin size has to match the hands. (Rings are covered below.)

The "SR" at the end of most model names is the reticle line: XB SR, XB1 SR, XB30 SR and so on, per Hawke's reticle page. The Zoom FFP has its own reticle.

Hawke crossbow scope lineup notes

XB 3x32: one magnification, one speed

The XB is the plain one. Hawke lists:

• Magnification: 3x, fixed, with a 32 mm objective
• Speed: fixed calibration for 340 fps
• Tube: 1 inch
• Eye relief: 4 in (102 mm)
• Field of view: 33.3 ft at 100 yards
• Weight and length: 11 oz, 8.5 in

The fixed 340 fps is the whole story here. If your crossbow shoots near that, the reticle marks line up. If it doesn't, they won't, and there's no ring to fix it. Hawke describes the reticle as multi-line, with range finding.

XB1 1.5-5x32: the 1-inch zoom

The XB1 adds a zoom and a speed range. Per Hawke, it covers 250 to 425 fps on a 1-inch tube, with 3 in (76 mm) of eye relief, a field of view from 75 ft down to 22.5 ft at 100 yards, and 13 oz.

The grid also lists an XB1 1.5-5x32 IR bundle under item number 12221, which is the same number Hawke gives the XB1 1.5-5x32 SR. What else comes in the bundle is on its listing.

XB30 2-7x32: the 30 mm starting point

The XB30 2-7x32 moves to the 30 mm tube. Hawke lists:

• Speed: 280 to 440 fps, set with a locking speed adjuster
• Eye relief: 4 in (102 mm)
• Field of view: 53.8 ft down to 17.4 ft at 100 yards
• Weight and length: 14.4 oz, 9.4 in
• Turrets: capped, resettable, 1/2 MOA clicks

Hawke also lists an 11-layer lens coating and a high-torque zoom ring.

XB30 Compact 1.5-6x36: aim points to 100 yards

The Compact has the widest low end of the 30 mm models after the Pro. Hawke lists 250 to 450 fps, a 36 mm objective, 3 in of eye relief and 15.1 oz. Its reticle has aim points out to 100 yards with windage bars, per the maker.

The speed ring is the detail Hawke points to: a locking speed adjuster ring, which it calls patent pending, so the setting doesn't move once you've zeroed. Hawke also lists a 14-layer lens coating and 180 MOA of turret travel.

Hawke's site lists a Compact 2-8x36 too, at 250 to 475 fps. It isn't in the grid right now.

XB30 Pro 1-5x24: the widest speed range

The Pro covers 215 to 450 fps, the widest range in the lineup, per Hawke. It starts at 1x, with a field of view of 100 ft at 100 yards at that setting. The objective is smaller, at 24 mm.

The Pro is also the one with different illumination. Hawke lists red only, with a stepless dial, where the other models list five levels of red and green on a stepped dial. It's the heaviest and longest at 16.5 oz and 10.1 in. The grid lists it twice: as the XB30 Pro 1-5x24 and as the XB30 Pro SR under Hawke's item number 12230.

(Walt read "1x" on the box and asked what a scope that doesn't magnify is for. A 1x scope is a window with a reticle in it, Walt. He said his reading glasses do the same thing, and they don't need a battery.)

XB30 Zoom FFP 2-8x36: speed bands instead of a speed ring

The Zoom FFP works differently. Hawke says a conventional crossbow scope is set to match your crossbow's speed, which ties its marks to one setting. The Zoom FFP puts the reticle in the first focal plane, so its distance marks stay accurate across the whole zoom range. Low zoom for close shots, high zoom for long ones.

The catch is speed. Instead of one wide range, Hawke sells the Zoom FFP in three bands: 385 to 420, 425 to 465 and 470 to 510 fps. You buy the band that fits your crossbow. Hawke lists 2.8 in (70 mm) of eye relief, 16 oz, a 21-layer lens coating and a removable zoom throw lever.

First focal plane vs second focal plane

Every Hawke crossbow scope except the Zoom FFP is second focal plane, per Hawke's pages. Here's what actually changes.

Kitchen version: in a second focal plane scope, the reticle is a ruler taped to the oven window. Zoom in on the cookies and they get bigger, but the ruler doesn't. The marks only measure correctly at the setting they were made for. In a first focal plane scope, the ruler is drawn on the cookies. Zoom in, and the ruler grows with them.

That's why the SFP zoom models get a speed setting (on the XB30 2-7x32, Hawke lists the locking speed adjuster as the power selector), and why the FFP model comes in fixed speed bands. More on reticles across brands is on the crossbow scope page.

How to choose within the Hawke lineup

Start with your crossbow's speed

My one opinion on this page: find your crossbow's speed with the bolts you'll actually hunt with before you look at a single Hawke model. Here's why. The ranges in the lineup are wide on the SFP scopes, from 215 to 450 on the Pro, but the Zoom FFP bands are only 35 to 45 fps wide. A speed near the edge of a band is a real decision, not a rounding error.

Your crossbow maker lists a rated speed in its manual. Write that number and the bolt weight it goes with on the case. Bolt options are on the crossbow bolts page.

Then the low end of the zoom

Most crossbow shots in the woods are short. The low end of the zoom decides how wide your view is when a deer walks in at 20 yards. Per Hawke, the Pro starts at 1x, the XB1 and Compact at 1.5x, the XB30 and Zoom FFP at 2x, and the XB is fixed at 3x.

Then tube size and rings

The XB and XB1 need 1-inch rings. Every XB30 needs 30 mm rings. Hawke's in-the-box lists for these scopes don't include mounts. Your crossbow's manual says which mount fits its rail.

Then eye relief, weight and illumination

Eye relief runs from 2.8 in on the Zoom FFP to 4 in on the XB and XB30 2-7x32, per Hawke. More eye relief gives your face more room behind the scope. Weight runs from 11 oz on the XB to 16.5 oz on the Pro. All six light up; the Pro in red only, the rest in red and green. A dim setting at first light keeps the reticle from washing out the deer.

Setting up a Hawke crossbow scope

The steps are the same across the SFP models, per Hawke's pages:

1. Mount it on rings that match the tube.
2. Set the speed to your crossbow's speed.
3. Lock the speed adjuster where the model has one.
4. Sight in at a known distance with the bolts you hunt with.

Parallax is fixed at 50 yards (46 m) on the models above, per Hawke's spec tables. Each box includes a CR2032 battery for the illumination, per the in-the-box lists. Keep a spare in the case.

Crossbow safety, plainly: Wisconsin DNR advises checking that the crossbow is on safe right after cocking, keeping fingers, hands and arms out of the string path, and carrying or raising a crossbow to a stand only when it's un-cocked. Use the bolts your crossbow maker recommends. Never dry-fire. Crossbow seasons vary by state, so check your state wildlife agency.

Hawke warranty and who's behind it

Hawke's warranty page describes a No-Fault Lifetime Warranty:

• Who: the original owner only
• Which products: bought after January 1, 2018, from authorized retailers
• What: damage or defects, regardless of cause
• Not covered: loss, theft, deliberate damage, and cosmetic damage that doesn't affect performance
• Proof: keep the receipt, or register the purchase with Hawke

Products bought before 2018 fall under the warranty in their instruction booklet, the page says.

Hawke Optics Limited is registered in England and Wales. Its About page says the company began in the founder's garage over 40 years ago and is still family run. The UK head office is in Melton, Woodbridge, and the US headquarters, Hawke Sport Optics, is in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The page says Hawke expanded into the US in 2007. (Walt's garage, for the record, has produced one canoe and forty years of opinions.) I didn't find where the scopes are made on Hawke's pages, so that's left out.

Speed, tube, low-end zoom. Write all three on a strip of tape on the crossbow case, and the scope you order will be the scope that fits.