The HIKMICRO ALPEX 4K Lite – a compact and versatile sighting solution for airgun hunting by day or night

The HIKMICRO Alpex 4K Lite is a compact digital day and night scope that is perfect for airgun shooting – not just at sub-12 power levels but also out to FAC ranges. But how does it compare with other optics on the market?

Let’s start by comparing the 4K Lite with the standard Alpex 4K. I would describe the 4K Lite as the model that’s built for agility. At around 29cm long (without its rubber eyecup) and weighing less than 500g, it is compact and lightweight. Those proportions make it a great choice for the airgun shooter covering large areas on foot – maybe stalking rabbits or roving in woodland. This little scope is also a very good match with the sort of carbine or bullpup airguns you might choose for shooting in the confines of a hide or around farm buildings.

The standard Alpex 4K is more of a long-range tool and better suited to rifle shooting over longer distances. Its ultra-high resolution, backed up by a 50mm lens, really lends it to tackling distant targets over open ground – especially at dawn and dusk. I know several professional fox shooters and deer stalkers who use the standard Alpex 4K and wouldn’t be without it because it offers clear identification and very precise, humane shot placement even at extreme range. Nonetheless, it is a brilliant allrounder for day, twilight and night hunting at any distance – you can still utilise its precision and performance at closer ranges

Both versions of the HIKMICRO Alpex are excellent digital day and night scopes – it is simply a matter of choosing the one that is best suited to the type of hunting you do, the quarry you are targeting and the ground you shoot over.

Even with all its technology and excellent image quality, the Alpex 4K Lite is still very simple to operate. All its main controls are located on the top turret and are easy to locate and identify, making for confident, intuitive operation – even in total darkness.

Although more compact than many traditional scopes, the Alpex 4K Lite wins hands down on features. Its built-in laser rangefinder means you don’t need to pay extra for, and be weighed down by, a handheld rangefinder, and the ballistic calculator provides a precise aimpoint at any range, taking away the guesswork and ensuring absolute accuracy. It also gives you the ability to save different zeros and different ballistic profiles for different guns and ammo, plus a huge array of reticle designs and colour options, as well as push-button recording to its onboard memory.

The Alpex 4K Lite is a round-the-clock hunting optic, and its full colour daylight image quality actually rivals a lot of traditional glass optics. HIKMICRO’s compact offering really dominates in low light, when it boosts the full colour image to make it look brighter than the ambient conditions around you. This feature gives you vital extra minutes during the prime time around twilight – something I have used to my benefit when targeting rabbits and grey squirrels at dusk and rats in gloomy barns.

As you would expect, the Alpex 4K Lite leaves traditional scopes standing at night. Yes, you can use a telescopic sight with a lamp and achieve an acceptable sight picture, but the glow from the light is almost certain to spook wary rabbits and rats. HIKMICRO’s digital option gives you a pin-sharp monochrome IR image, combining precision shot placement with lamp-free stealth.

The HIKMICRO Alpex 4K Lite also compares very favourably against similar digital optics at the same price point. Its full-colour daytime and twilight performance place it right at the front of the pack. After-dark image quality and detection range will be influenced by your choice of IR illuminator but, paired with a fairly basic illuminator, the 4K Lite’s nighttime sight picture holds its own against anything else at the same price point.

The Alpex 4K Lite also leads the way in terms of simple, intuitive operation and boasts a generous runtime that is extended by switching it into standby mode with a short press of the power button – another quick press of the power button kicks it back into action in lightning speed. It is also worth pointing out that while the Alpex 4K Lite as an onboard rechargeable battery, it also has a removable one. This gives you the option to extend the runtime indefinitely by swapping out batteries.

I also like the fact that the 4K Lite is built around a 30mm tube. Apart from making for quick and easy attachment with normal mounts, it also means its proportions and placement feel familiar from the very start.

While rifle shooters are likely to lean towards the high-resolution long-range performance of the standard Alpex 4K – which is also loaded with features – the Alpex 4K Lite offers a compact dedicated solution for airgun shooters. My months of testing have covered everything from pigeon shooting, corvid culling and grey squirrel control in woodland to open ground rabbit shooting and eradicating rats around farm buildings under the cover of darkness. The Alpex 4K Lite has performed brilliantly in all these airgun shooting scenarios – have a look through one and see for yourself if you get the chance.

*Before purchasing any thermal or digital day & night vision device, please make sure you adhere to the local ledislation and only use it when it is allowed. Our ambassadors come from various countries and travel a lot, which allows them to test different devices. We do not encourage or support the illegal use of our devices in any events.