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Pros - Very inexpensive - Good blue illuminated reticle - Includes rings Cons - Not durable - Little to no information on the build quality - Unable to adjust for velocity on range compensation markers

Hi there, and welcome to this review of the Hammers 4×32 Illuminated Crossbow Scope. Hammers Optics is a smaller distributor of rifle and crossbow scopes, usually at rock-bottom prices. Do those low prices mean low quality, too? Let’s take a look at this particular scope and find out.

The Hammers 4×32 Crossbow Scope is an illuminated reticle scope with a 32mm objective lens. Strangely enough, the illumination is either red or blue instead of the usual red or green. I was interested to find out how well the blue illumination fared in different lighting conditions.

What Are the Dimensions of the Hammers Crossbow Scope?

The Hammers 4×32 Crossbow Scope is average size and weight, measuring 8 inches overall with approximately 1.26 inches in diameter. The scope weighs in at 11.5 ounces. It won’t add a lot of bulk to your crossbow, but you will know that it’s there. For a 4X scope, though, it’s about average in size.

The eye relief on this scope is an ample 3.5 inches, and the field of view is approximately 45 feet at 100 yards. Hammers doesn’t provide exact numbers for the field of view, so this is only an estimate.

How Powerful Is the Hammers Scope?

This scope is fixed at 4X magnification, which is more the sufficient for crossbow hunting. It is rated to be parallax free at 50 yards. I know some x-bow hunters will shoot further out than 50 yards for deer, but I’m not one of them, so the parallax-free point is just about perfect for my usage.

How is the Optics Quality on the Hammers 4×32 Crossbow Scope?

Hammers doesn’t disclose how the optics on this scope are coated, so I have to take a wild guess based on the performance in low light situations. The scope performs reasonably well in low light conditions, so I’d surmise the optics are at least multi-coated, but probably not fully multi-coated.

The Hammers scope provides reasonable image resolution, with crisp images that are relatively clear and well-focused. I was able to spot deer through the scope with ease, except when they were bedded down in tall grass. The scope did help me tag a couple of deer during the time I used it.

The reticle on the Hammers scope provides range compensation markers, but please note that these markers may not represent the same distances on all crossbows. The scope does not include any way to adjust the markers for different crossbow velocities, so the best case scenario is you can figure out the range for each marker using the trial and error method.

What’s the Light Gathering Capability Like on the Scope?

Light transmittance on this scope is fairly decent, but not terrific. I was able to spot deer in the early morning hours, but just barely. The red/blue illuminated reticles are almost too bright at the lowest light intensity, with blue working slightly better than red. This was surprising to me, because blue light is sometimes difficult to see in early morning hours when the sun hasn’t yet crossed the horizon.

How Wide is the Field of View?

As previously discussed, the field of view is not advertised by the manufacturer, so I had to estimate it using a fixed reference point and a barn that was about 40 feet wide. My guess is that this scope provides around 45 feet of linear field of view from 100 yards.

How Easy is the Scope to Mount?

Mounting the Hammers 4×32 crossbow scope is quick and easy, as the scope comes with a set of Weaver rings. If your crossbow uses a dovetail mount instead of Weaver/Picatinny, though, you’ll have to purchase a new set of rings. Check out our article on mounting a crossbow scope for help with this.

How Easy is the Scope to Sight In?

If you follow the right procedure to sight in the scope, it’s an easy thing to do. It only took me about five arrows to have the scope fully sighted in and ready to go. Once sighted in, it held zero through an entire season. Unfortunately, the scope became a bit useless after the first season of use, so I can’t say how long it would have held zero if the glass hadn’t failed on me.

How Durable is the Scope?

Hammers rates the 4×32 crossbow scope as being waterproof, fogproof, and shock resistant, but they don’t say anymore than that. For instance, they don’t really specify if they follow the procedures many manufacturers use to make optics waterproof or fogproof, so I can only guess. I will say that in extremely cold weather, the scope remained fog-free, and a heavy rain that I got caught in didn’t cause any water to leak inside the scope.

Unfortunately, my Hammers 4×32 scope took a fall from my tree stand. While other scopes have handle this abuse without any problems, this one didn’t like it one bit. The reticle turned sideways after the fall, and the scope was never useful again. It served as a paperweight until I finally threw it away. Personally, I think a crossbow scope should be designed to handle a 15 foot drop without any problems, so I’d call this one “not durable.”