While sighting-in, when he needed to move arrow impact 1 inch at 20 yards, 10 clicks of the turret moved arrow impact 1 inch, exactly as stated in the owner’s manual. The author was impressed by the precise and predictable windage and elevation adjustments of the Hawke XB1 crossbow scope. I want to change the magnification setting based on each hunting scenario. For my use, these aiming points might as well be missing. I couldn’t care less about using the aiming points of 40 yards to 100 yards. I’m not interested in setting the magnification/speed ring to the speed of my 400 fps crossbow and then leaving it at that setting forever. I do not - let me repeat - I do not - use the magnification/speed ring in this manner. If a hunter used the XB1 as a fixed 1.5x scope and never changed the magnification/speed ring, those aiming points would be valid. This speed would correspond to 1.5x on the XB1’s magnification/speed ring, so all the other aiming points would work (after calibrating the scope at 30 yards, per Hawke recommendations) for 20 yards to 100 yards. For my bow’s speed of 400 fps, that magnification/speed setting would be nearly 5x.Īnother example: Let’s say my crossbow sent arrows downrange at only 250 fps. In other words, I’d have to use the XB1 as a fixed-power scope for that specific magnification/speed setting. Hawke refers to this process as “calibrating the scope.” Example: My crossbow shoots 400 fps, so if I set the magnification/speed ring to 400 fps, and sight-in my crossbow at 30 yards so it matches the 30-yard crosshair, then all of the other aiming points (20 yards to 100 yards) should be correct, provided I don’t change the magnification/speed ring setting. The XB1 SR reticle features aiming points from 20 yards to 100 yards, and these aiming points are valid after you set the magnification/speed ring to the corresponding speed of your crossbow, from 250 to 425 fps. Now this is an important point: The XB1’s magnification ring also serves as a “speed ring.” Let me explain. This ability to adjust the magnification based on my hunting scenario was the primary reason I chose the Hawke XB1. I liked the idea of adjusting the magnification ring to 1.5x for close-range scenarios (15 yards and less) and then turning up the magnification to 5x for 20- to 30-yard shots. What first caught my eye was the Hawke XB1’s variable power: 1.5-5x. In terms of price, this isn’t a cheap scope, but I don’t consider it expensive, either MSRP is $199 and street prices range from $160 to $190. I spent hours online researching the topic, and I finally decided to try the Hawke XB1 1.5-5x32 SR crossbow scope. Last winter I vowed to find a better crossbow scope system for my style of hunting prior to the 2022 deer season. For these scenarios, I always longed for a scope with little to no magnification. ![]() The entire reticle is filled with brown deer hair, which makes it difficult to find a precise aiming point. ![]() When a deer steps into my narrow shooting lane at 7 yards, and I’m looking at it with a 4x scope, I can’t even see the deer’s backline and bellyline. ![]() I often bowhunt public land with thick cover from natural ground blinds, and sometimes my shot distance to a deer trail is only 7-10 yards. One of my biggest complaints regarding fixed-power 4x scopes is they don’t provide enough field-of-view at ranges closer than 15 yards. Sure, a deer can jump the string at closer ranges, too, but I feel better about hitting an alert deer’s heart/lung area at 15 yards vs. Yes, almost all crossbows are tremendously accurate at longer ranges, but due to the loud noise of a fired crossbow, the chance of a big game animal jumping the string (crouching as it begins to run) is simply too great in my opinion to risk a shot beyond 30 yards. This magnification is fine for shots of 20 to 30 yards, which is the maximum distance in which I’ll shoot at a deer. The expensive crossbow scopes I’d used had complicated reticles and didn’t offer magnification adjustments.Īlmost all crossbow scopes regardless of price are fixed magnification, 4x as a rule. These scopes were included in crossbow packages. ![]() The least-expensive ones were designed for firearms not crossbows the owner’s manuals didn’t mention anything about crossbows when adjusting windage and elevation. I’ve hunted with a crossbow from Minnesota to Texas, and along the way I’ve used scopes ranging in price from well under $100 to well over $1,000.
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