SwampFox WarHawk 2-10x44 RECCE Reticle - First Person Review

[@CDOES]

I can't remember the name of this thing for the life of me.

[@nycdrummer23]

Warhawk. 😆

[@joearledge1]

No worries bud, words are hard

[@CDOES]

@@joearledge1 F'in A they are.

[@shaolinwarriormark]

Lol i almost bought the 3-15 war hawk, but , after talking to alot of folks, one, he sold athalon 2-12, cried after 3 months, bought it aga8n and told me why, i bought 2-12 athalon. Thank you for scope of the year, 2023!

[@noway6633]

Is this a Warhorse or a Warhawk? And if it is a War Horse why does the title still say Warhawk and can you please correct it? I've been considering their highest magnification Warhawk and need all the info I can get. If this isn't that product then this video is useless

[@stevennewman4778]

Shanghai Changhong Optoelectric is the OEM in case anyone wondered. Swampfox is their house brand. SCO also makes stuff for Hawke, Riton, Vortex. Logistics is fun. Always a paper trail.

[@joearledge]

Any good way for us to research stuff like that?

[@amaricani]

Import yeti is my favorite​@@joearledge

[@joearledge]

@@amaricani Is that just a website I assume?

[@echofoxtrotwhiskey1595]

@@joearledgeCommenting because I’m also interested in

[@amaricani]

@@joearledge yeah it is (to my understanding) run by one dude who pulls publicly available import export information so you can see who is making and buying and OEMing what

[@joearledge]

My biggest problem with the Athlon Helos and most other comparable optics is the tree. The Helos only has 8 mils of drop, most go to 10, the Swampfox Recce reticle goes to 12 and technically 14. For wind, the Helos has 5 mils, most go to 4 or 5, the Recce reticle goes to 6. For an MPVO on a true SPR/DMR, you should rarely dial. It's faster and you're not running the risk of screwing up by misdialing. So to me, for this use case, the reticle is critical. 0.2 mil holds clutter it up too much for field use, great for targets, so the 0.5 of the Recce is perfect. In low light, you're not engaging as far, so the partial tree illum of the recce is great. I'd like partial or the whole tree illum. The Recce also has "hold-unders" not super critical, but you can zero on it, and buy more drop on the reticle if you want. Because of the heavy reliance on the reticle for this application, zero stops would be nice but I don't need them, I'd rather the company spend the money on the glass and reticle. The drop and drift on the recce reticle will take precision 5.56 to 1,000 yrds with a 15 mph cross wind without dialing. This means that it goes above and beyond all practical shots, but not to a ridiculous degree. Also, if you're thinking of using this for CQB stuff, I'd say strictly for emergencies only. SPRs/DMRs are not meant for that. I'd vote against a doughnut of death on this reticle, for that reason. Maybe on a different reticle for an LPVO, sure. It's not perfect, but for true SPR/DMR work in 5.56 or 7.62 or similar, for the price, it's hard to beat.

[@whatiwant8898]

I really hope Swampfox pays attention to your videos because you're the best optics reviewer on KZbin. They already have the optical clarity down, but they really need to keep that and make everything else better.

[@CDOES]

I completely agree. Some tweaks to this would make it a very serious force.

[@prototype3a]

People at Swampfox probably - " WarChicken ! Write that down ! "

[@CDOES]

I may use that for my own developments. I think a chicken in 13th century armor would have a cool look.

[@prototype3a]

@@CDOES Brave Sir Robin ?

[@Saboteur_91]

@@CDOESplease make this a patch or shirt kind sir

[@adamrodgers2377]

Thunder Chicken would be a Cool name for a Suppressor if there already isn't One called that already.

[@joearledge1]

Got a 3-15 War-Chicken under $400, absolute homerun for my DMR. Daylight bright, partial tree illum, crisp clicks(though I won't be dialing for anything), 12 x 12 mil on the tree takes me beyond 1K in 15 mph cross winds(more than I need practically speaking), 0.5 mil holds(not too course, not too fine), best glass quality I've ever seen under $500, massive exit pupil, one of the easiest to get behind, dead on tracking and reticle, + accessories.... it's not the best that money can buy, but it's absolutely a contender for #1 under $500.

[@PaulOtlewski]

Me Standing looking at the earth: So the Athlon 2-12x is the move. C_Does behind me with a gun: Always has been

[@CDOES]

😅

[@ericsrussell]

I always appreciate your insight. Thanks for making videos.

[@CDOES]

Thank you for watching.

[@rootjr.3658]

I had been contemplating the Warhawk and the Athlon for a while now, and was bummed there were no good reviews on the Warhawk. I just bought the Athlon yesterday when I found it for under $400! After watching this I probably made the right choice for my uses. The Athlon has a zero stop, is approximately 4-5 ounces lighter, and I got it for about $90 cheaper than the Warhawk. Those facts and your previous review of the Athlon made it a pretty easy choice at the time, but had your video come out one day earlier, I don't know what I would have done.

[@CDOES]

Its simple. You would of followed your heart... Where ever the f#ck that would go.

[@rootjr.3658]

@@CDOES You mean over-analyze and over-think the decision then end up going with a third option, only to realize later it is worse than either of the original choices. But, that's just how I roll, lol! Keep up the good work!

[@shaolinwarriormark]

@@rootjr.3658 trust me, i got my athalon 2 months ago, and man, the nagic, the glass, its insane value Stock up on batteries though! Honestly, i didnt use the illumination much, but i left parallax at 400/450 And 0 to 300 yards was absolute clear! (Southbay rod n gun outdoors goes to 300)

[@rondobrondo]

@@rootjr.3658 damn you just described my whole life and also specifically the issue I have with firearms lol, especially handguns

[@markn4526]

rootjr, Which reticle did you get?

[@hidesinlonggrass3229]

I ❤ my Tomahawk 1-4x Guerilla BDC. Daylight bright and fast acquisition.

[@johnathangamble5419]

The review I’ve been waiting for. Thanks

[@bghiggy]

Man when is nightforce gonna drop a 2-12 with the fc-dmx Reticle. I'd pay any amount of money for it

[@josephcrook9921]

I emailed Nightforce saying they should make an NX6 type of line. A 1-6 SFP, 2-12 FFP, and 3-18 FFP with their FC-DMX reticle as an option would probably crush it.

[@guyinthewrinkledwrangler]

That is a good looking optic. Of course, I love the one you compared it to, the 2-12, but I think the reticle is more usable in this one. God bless you and yours.

[@CDOES]

Different strokes mate. Thats why I love to make the comparisons segment so prominent.

[@guyinthewrinkledwrangler]

@@CDOES yes sir. You do a hell of a job. I wish they offered different reticles for the athlon instead of just the bdc so that I can mill, or moa ranging any sized target, or compensate for any caliber. I suppose I don't need a full Christmas tree reticle, but some kind of moa, and mill would be great options.

[@nycdrummer23]

Great job as always. 👍

[@CDOES]

@@nycdrummer23 much obliged

[@Dogsoldier12B]

The reveiw I've been waiting for!

[@taylormartin4346]

I've been hovering over the "buy now" button on the 4-20 verison for weeks now. Didn't pay attention at all to the "zero-resettable" line on the website and that is a dealbreaker for me. Thank you for the review.

[@SH-mp1fx]

All scope manufacturers should watch your channel. Also warchicken or mk4hd in the 2ish-10?

[@CDOES]

That would be something, wouldn't it... There's more to it than one vs the other. On a low budget? Clear answer. Want something nice? Mk4hd. Want something American made? Clear answer. I think the SF will satisfy a lot of people. The mk4hd tho I feel like I can trust a lot more.

[@Quality_Guru]

There’s no doubt in my mind that Swampfox can implement your recommendations/suggestions. The question is how long will it take? I do recall when rapid time to market was a concept within design and manufacturing circles. An example that they used was that the Japanese could turn around a new vehicle design within 18 to 24 months, whereas American manufactures took roughly 4 years. That was 30 years ago. It goes to show how outdated the firearms industry is as a whole, but we are seeing some breakthroughs in the turnaround times between initial design and production. With that said it will be around 3 years before we will see any changes from Swampfox. Hopefully they will prove me wrong.

[@rondobrondo]

yeh finally there are people who understand computers and engineering and math who are either getting more into this industry, or it's probably more likely that the machines and programs made for people who don't know anything have gotten so good and easy to use, and information to program them is so readily available, that even people who can't think about design and engineering in a scientific way will be able to just skip all that stuff through computer simulations and automated milling and printing

[@markn4526]

Great review and relevant comparisons as always! It looks like the Athlon Helos will be at the top of the heap for some time when it comes to low-mid priced MPVO's. The Arrowhead is still an enigma. I wonder if Swampfox corrected the issue with its turret indexing.

[@olgertshomics9088]

First, thank you for what you doing ! Your videos are really helping. The best buy for the money Delta Stryker HD 1-6 because of your review. If its possible please check Delta Stryker 3.5-21x44, it have the size of Leupold MK5 3.6-18, or Primary Arms GLx 3-18x44. Here in Europe price for both are +\- the same - around 1k €, when local shops have DELTAs on Sale. Keep making amazing content for us. One more time thank you.

[@CDOES]

I was supposed to get one in from Annex Defense. But I havent heard from them in awhile. The one thing that boggles my mind is that they didnt run a lock on the elvation turret. Similar to the 4.5-30

[@joshkrebs1999]

I'll patiently wait for the Mark 4 hd review. It's the ONLY Leupold product I'm interested in currently.

[@kellym3531]

Thank You!

[@MechanicMitch]

C_DOES would love to see you check out some of those Vector Continental optics

[@CDOES]

Theyve been on my short list mate. I need to finish reviews on some personal items so I can sell them off to fund newer stuff.

[@shaolinwarriormark]

Damn good review. War hawk is missing a "lineup" saver. Glx 2.5-10 has those left and right of donought, athalon 2-12 has that cheat range finder at bottom of 6 o clock. Swampfox is workung on "battlehawk" 2-16 34mm

[@vernonarmstrong3738]

This is an absolute internet rumor started by me based on the impressions i have gotten from dealing with the Chinese: The reticles dont change until a major military orders them either for production or testing. Thats why sometimes they are great, and other times a head scratcher. (Someone else is footing the R&D bill)

[@filippocorti6760]

@CDOES : Your videos are really good.

[@rondobrondo]

What do you think of that Chinese company Vector Optics? Looks like they are originally a manufacturer for optics designed in the west and then outsourced to China. They make a whole bunch of different types of optics, but I was really fascinated by their Paragon series of prism scopes that are meant to compete with (and I think might actually be a modified clone of) the Spitfire HD Gen II, along with other small prism optics. I'm pretty sure they still make larger prism setups too, but I haven't really looked into them

[@linkchen8245]

I agree with you that about every scope should have a zero stop now by 2024. I see a lot of cost saving designs(or misunderstanding about the scope trends?) in the swampfox scopes on this one. And I hope the market responds according to thes lackings . Swampfox is coming out with some good ideas such as the new 1-4 fiber LPVO. But their long-range or even MPVO has been all misses for me so far. Overall Athlon Helos 2-12 >> This Warhawk 2-10x44 for me.

[@5jjt]

An included killflash is a huge deal. Good ones aren't cheap and aren't always available for every scope.

[@PaulOtlewski]

Lets keep the name confusion going with a Swampfox WARPONY (warhorse) 1-6x lpvo next

[@CDOES]

War Horse at least gives me a visual that I can understand lol

[@PaulOtlewski]

@CDOES well they have the WARHAWK and the WARHORSE. The real question is when ar they going to come out with the WARWOLF and WARELEPHANT?

[@oklikeuknow4827]

The thickness of dark ring between the viewing window through the glass and the view outside the scope is very important to me. Theres no reason to have blind spots like this in scopes anymore. Sigs are some of the worst at this.

[@jammbbs1688]

I love my justice

[@DMS1791]

I like piggyback red dots. Are those turrets too tall for an RMR or DPP? It’s a common problem for MPVOs, but those turrets look shorter than most.

[@BIGDEZUL]

I’d like to see the Riton 2-12x44. It’s not illuminated (which sucks) and it’s SFP

[@Three60Crusader]

It’s funny cause they have a FfP lpvo called warhorse. I have it and it’s a great budget option.

[@stripes9908]

The turret height on the Helos still kills me for top mounted red dots

[@siruname6122]

It really frustrats me when product designers make all these over sight. The Kentucky long zero issue. Not having long lines for .5 mill on the turret. The strange selection of what parts of the retical illuminate. My athlon btr 4-14 has awesome glass for the money but the windage turrent only counts in 1 direction not left and right.

[@CDOES]

@@siruname6122 completely agree. Idk how some companies are so inept with doing their jobs. It doesn't seem that hard!

[@dnaka2001]

Many share your disappointment with Leupold reticles. Especially on the higher end models. There is also the story/history of Leupold screwing over Premier Reticles after Premier help them win a military contract with reticle improvements.

[@BIGDEZUL]

The MOA version doesn’t have the floating reficle, at least not the Kentucky long doesn’t

[@Saboteur_91]

Swampfox War Chicken! 🤣

[@MechanicMitch]

I don’t understand choosing this and taking that additional weight penalty vs something like a PA 2.5-10 or a gen1 pst 2-10 or even the more beefy gen2 pst 2-10

[@CDOES]

weight isnt everything.

[@joquin4618]

I mean, it’s nice ….. but I just prefer my PA 2.5-10x ACSS griffin on my “DMR” 18” 😊

[@siruname6122]

I expected this to be less than the athlon 2-12. When their both 500 im not sure why you'd pick this one. if this was 350 i'd buy it

[@whatiwant8898]

For those that get the LE/Military discount they're great deals, but I agree that at MSRP there are better options. Unless glass clarity is your only stipulation that is, then Swampfox is phenomenal at any price range

[@CDOES]

@@whatiwant8898 agreed

[@CDOES]

as stated above

[@joearledge]

Recce reticle is slightly better for DMR/SPR work, that's about it. If you shop around you can find these a little better than MSRP.

[@5jjt]

C_DOES, what mount is on the Athlon?

[@Alexander-pj4to]

Hey man you pls Test the MAKpro 5-25x56i HD thx

[@p47rr]

I think they should call it the red Chinese chicken hawk. 😅

[@CDOES]

FLAMING DRAGON

[@echofoxtrotwhiskey1595]

*RABID FLAMINGO*

[@alexhutton155]

Bought one swampfox product. Their green dot kraken. Mounted it to a g20 and it didnt last 3 mags. Durable my ass. Never again.

[@chipsterb4946]

Any chance you can review the Vortex Viper HD 2-10x42? It looks like a nearly perfect hunting scope unless you’re somewhere you actually need more than 10x. This scope looks like a perfect example of too many features - adjustable parallax, illuminated reticle, 5-times magnification - for the price point. The only way to do that is sacrifice glass and mechanical quality. Selling the sizzle instead of the steak.

[@aquadonkey.]

I dont care if it needed to be a 56mm obj lense with a 35mm tube and 4-5 lbs. Just give me an lpvo thats 1-12 with a GOOD eye box and eye relief and a ffp reticle that has a usable reticle at 1x. Give me a reason to shave weigh off my rifle

[@RandomNPC88]

Had one. Great optic but weighs wayyy too much.

[@LDR1100RS]

Swampfox lost me at 29 ounces.

[@Cz9mmp10]

Other youtubers really needs to learn from Cdoes how reciews are done. Most dont know shit what they are talking about , doesnt even show the tracking or glass and call it a review

[@CDOES]

🥰

[@MJA5]

Chy-nah

[@Three60Crusader]

At least it’s not a Holosun which is connected to the PLA/CCP.

[@invertedpolarity6890]

Sorry but I cannot take serious any company who's name is Swampfox.

[@joearledge]

Why

[@Three60Crusader]

Apparently you never heard of Francis Marion which is where the name comes from. 🤦‍♂️

[@joearledge1]

​@@Three60Crusaderlol they're probably someone looking for a sub $100 CV-Life scope for their BB gun anyway... that or a European