What Is a Hawkeye Borescope?

A hawkeye borescope is a precision tool that will help you diagnose problems in rifle barrels, chambers and other metal parts quickly. You can tell whether a cleaning regime is effective, or see the inside of bolt locking recesses on a typical hunting rifle to check for throat erosion, scoring and other machining defects. You can also have a look at reloading dies to see if they are scratched or damaged and get a feel for the condition of a muzzle crown – one of the most important parts on a barrel.

Borescopes have a very long focal length and narrow angle of view (DOF), which allows them to magnify objects that are much closer to the lens than they would be with a standard microscope objective. They can be used to inspect areas that may otherwise be impossible to access with physical means, such as the insides of pipes.

Most borescopes have a straight (straight-ahead) or 90deg view, with some rigid models sliding a 45deg mirror tube over the scope’s axis to give a wide, flat 90deg angle of view. These mirror tubes are a useful accessory for plumbers to enable them to locate blockages in drain pipes without having to physically access the drain pipe’s internal workings.

These mirror tubes also make it possible to change the angle of a borescope’s eyepiece to focus on an object at a different distance. They are available in a variety of sizes to fit most small borescopes.

Optical zoom is another feature of some borescopes, which enables physicians to observe magnified images for further examination while maintaining high image quality. This contrast between magnified and normal images is a key advantage for doctors and is useful in identifying abnormalities in tissues and other objects that may require biopsy, according to medical reports.

The patented endoGrins gradient index lens technology is said to provide clear, crisp, accurate images. It has been engineered to reduce crosstalk and increase contrast for whiter, blacker images in wide-angle and extreme-angle viewing, the company says. It’s also designed to reduce glare and increase clarity in bright, dim or poorly illuminated conditions.

It’s the same kind of optical technology that is used by doctors to perform endoscopies, which involve inserting a tube into a patient’s body to examine their digestive tract. A high-magnification optical zoom endoscope is also used to examine lungs, the kidneys and other organs for damage or disease.

They can also be adapted for video imaging, with a CCD or CMOS camera attached at the tip. The images are then relayed to a monitor or computer screen for display.

The image quality and resolution of these images is a major consideration for some doctors when purchasing a high-magnification optical zoom borescope. In some cases, this is sufficient to detect tumors or other anomalies that can be treated by surgery or deferred biopsy.

These images are stored on a computer and can be transferred to an LCD monitor for easy viewing. They can also be printed or e-mailed for reference and documentation purposes.