Featured Product – Endurance LER Slug Gun Scope by Hawke Optics
When I was looking for a great piece of glass to put on my son’s new Savage 20 gauge bolt action slug gun, I once again turned to my friends at Hawke Optics. I have their scopes on several of my other slug guns and they’ve been nothing short of exceptional when it comes to performance. So they sent an Endurance 3-9 x 40 Long Eye Relief (LER) scope designed specifically for heavy recoiling slug shotguns and muzzleloaders. The slug gun reticle features illuminated BDC (bullet drop compensation) aim points at 50-yard intervals from 100 to 200 yards (calibrated with slug speeds of 1300-1800 fps). I had enough time to zero the gun in at 100 yards with Lightfield sabot slugs before deer season. We didn’t have time to shoot at ranges of 150 or 200 yards, but with this setup, I plan to dial in the second and third reticles after the season so he can extend his lethal range two fold.
The Hawke Endurance has all the great features of Hawke scopes— rubber-coated fast focus zoom ring, black matte anodized tube that’s water and fog proof, and the best feature of all – the lighted reticles. With a simple quick turn of the knob on the side of the tube, the aim point reticles glow red. And by turning the knob, the shooter can control the brightness level. The folks at Hawke specifically designed this scope for the shotgun deer hunter. If you want to take your slug gun to the next level and increase your accuracy and killing distance, check out the line of Hawke scopes as well as all of their other quality optics at HawkeOptics.com.
PUT TO THE TEST
During our late season antlerless shotgun deer season in Western Illinois, we had one last chance to put some more deer in the
freezer, so the pressure was on. Hunting in cold, windy conditions, my son Kyle was ready with his new Savage 220 Bolt Action 20 gauge slug gun fitted with the Endurance LER Scope. He had put close to 20 rounds through the gun and was extremely confident with the gun and scope. As we neared Kyle’s tree stand, we spotted two big does about 100 yards up the hill in the high grass on a knoll. Kyle quickly stepped up to a tree to get a good rest, and anchored his sights. The first doe trotted off, an the second deer started to turn when a shot from his Savage shattered the silence, launching a Lightfield Sabot slug toward it’s target. As we walked up to the knoll, Kyle spotted blood splattered all over the crusted snow and started to follow the blood. We took about five steps along the blood trail when Kyle said “There she is!” The doe only stumbled about 15 yards before piling up. He made a perfect 70 yard shot, drilling the doe right in the chest. “I put the top reticle dead on her chest and squeezed off the shot, but I didn’t see the deer take off,” explained Kyle. With overcast skies and high grass, he had a tough target. And with only seconds before the doe bolted, the lighted reticle enable Kyle to get on target quickly. Number 4 was soon to be in the cooler.
We’ve got four of our shotguns outfitted with Hawke Scopes and I couldn’t be happier with their performance. Their dependability, lighted reticles and high-definition glass have enabled us to put close to 18 deer in the freezer over the past few seasons.
Read the story of our hunt CLICK HERE!
