Hawke Red dot for pistol? ( or any other weaver railed red dots? )

[TriggerJerk]

Hello!

So...  in 48 hours or less I should be not unapproved (or whatever silly verbiage MD uses for clearance...) and taking home a Browning Buckmark (Hunter) .22 pistol for my Pistolseed next month.

The only downside I have for this pistol so far is the standard rail is Weaver...  and it seems that most red dots are designed for picatinny (or some customized plates/mounting designs that I am still learning about...)

Hawke makes some red dots that are weaver mount.   Like this:   https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1025451784  or this:  https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1025451580

Any opinions on Hawke brand?   I don't see many reviews.

I'd prefer to stay in that sub 200$ price range if possible...  since going above that I'd probably just put out the money for a Buckmark picatinny rail & going with more well known red dot, thereby giving me something that will work on the other items I have which use pic rails.

Thoughts on the Hawke brand, and or any other weaver railed red dots?

Thanks!
-Triggerjerk

[Moylan]

I don't know the Hawke brand at all.  On a range 22 pistol, I don't think you need to go high dollar on a dot like you should on a carry pistol. 

My big question about this sight, from looking at your link, is whether it has a shake awake feature.  The sight evidently goes into standby mode after 5 minutes motionless.  So it seems like it has a sensor.  But I actually googled the instruction booklet from Hawke and it said nothing about a shake awake.  So that makes me wonder.  I wouldn't want a sight that automatically shuts itself down every 5 minutes if it didn't come back on when you next picked it up.  Another downer about this sight, for forgetful people like me, is that even in standby mode the instruction book says you're still draining the battery.  What's the battery life if I don't remember to shut it off?  (What's the battery life if you do remember to shut it off?)  It does sound like the battery compartment is on the side rather than underneath, so that's a big plus.

Maybe they've got cs people who could answer those questions before you pull the trigger.

[Catch-10-22]

I have a couple 22s that have that I have used to qualify Pistoleer with kind of rail set-up rather than a milled slide (S&W 22S and a Nelson Custom 1911 Conversion). I don't know the Hawks, but here are my observations of other lower cost pistol red dots for 22s.

The Nelson currently has a Holosun 407 with picatinny base. That might be a bit above your price range but it works great, has strong reviews even on centerfire pistols, and is often on sale. It may not come with the base anymore standard, but it used to.

A friend liked the Nelson so much he got one for himself - he uses a tube style Bushnell TRS-25 that also works great and is cheap ($80 on Amazon right now - https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00200E0HM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1). Lots of similar tube optics (Primary Arms, Holosun, etc.), but make sure they don't have a high base for ARs - you want them as low as possible.

Finally, on my S&W I went from the Bushnell to trying out a Sun Optics/Sousa RAID red dot that was $130 on sale (there are even lower prices on EBay now) and came with a rail mount. It has worked very well for the price and has qualified multiple times.

Vortex pistol red dots (Venom and Viper) are often on sale at Palmetto State Armory and one of them (if not both) come with a picatinny base. I think kniwolf, a MD instructor, has a one on his target "Redhead" 22/45. It has a shake awake feature - every once in a while it turns off during a break and you have to make sure it is good to go for the next string. Battery life for all these is getting good - and if this is a target pistol you turn off between matches/clinics probably last you years.

See you in the line soon! Worse case, you "run what you brung" but we will let you look at other optics options that weekend.

[Not Sure]

I cant speak to the mounting issues, but Hawke has been good to me at the brand level.  Unfortunately, I can't vouch for their red dots at all, but their rifle scopes have been decent for me on 22s and air rifles. 

I used a 2-7x32 Vantage on a Marlin 60 at my first Appleseed.  I gave that one to my dad when I returned his rilfe that I borrowed for the event.
I had a 3-12x40 Vantage on my daughter's 10/22 until it needed to be switched out for a smaller diameter scope to reduce the height over bore.  I sold that one to a friend for his iguana shooting efforts.
I have a 10-50x60 Sidewinder on a Benjamin Marauder field target air rifle.  It's not as clear and bright as my Sightron 10-50x60, but it was less than 1/2 the price.

In general Hawke makes a good value product in my experiences.  They have the lifetime warranty like Vortex on their scopes, but red dots come with 2 years.

-Not Sure

[TriggerJerk]

Catch10-22 & Not Sure - Super thanks for the info!

Moylan, I also appreciate the thoughts on the sleepy red dot.  That didn't really excite me that the sleep feature would then have the Hawke relegated  to never-critical duty. Good point!

I brought home the Buckmark this afternoon, and will dig into my bag of tricks tonight and see what/if anything fits.

The fellow at the store told me that the pic rail red dot tube (Bushnell TRS-25) I already have should fit...   

I was under the impression (aka: possible misunderstanding) that a pic-rail's cross screw would not seat low enough in weaver's shallower-than-picatinny slots to mount on a weaver rail... ? 

I'm hoping I'm wrong - then I can begin practicing tomorrow when I get to the range!

Thank you!
-TriggerJerk

[Catch-10-22]

I hear you on the potential issues with Weaver vs Picatinny. I found the TRS fit Weaver rails I have. So try that out for free first.

[TriggerJerk]

Catch-10-22 --- You're totally right!  The TRS25 fits the Buckmark's weaver rail...

Sweet!  Packing up now --  Thank you!