What are some of the better spotting scopes available?
Not too pricey, but good for 100 yds.
What say ye?
Not too pricey, but good for 100 yds.
What say ye?
Looking for a Decent Spotting Scope.
- Thread starter Brazos John
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I have a BUSHMASTER 20-60. Got it at a gun show. Does the job. Get a good tripod or stand while you are at it; nothing more useless than a high mag scope that wiggles. I have used Bushnell scopes a lot in the past; also good for the $$ involved.
I always buy Leupold, Nikon Vortex. Their warranties are great. BUT for just a hundred yards those would be overkill. I know this probably isn;t helpful. I just never scrimp when it comes to scopes. Clarity clarity clarity.
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John,
You are not going to quit shooting tomorrow, so a decent spotting scope is a must! This is what I use and am very please with it. Shows 100 yard hits very well. What ever you decide get a variable power with at least a 60mm lens. The smaller lenses do not gather enough light for a good clean view.
Let us know what you decide.
Nikon Sky & Earth 7351 15 - 45x60mm
Larry
agree with Larry
When I was shopping for a spotting scope, I had the luxury of being able to walk around the SHOT show and try out everything that was on the market and many that weren't yet. I was specifically looking for something to spot silhouette matches. What I ended up buying is a Celestron 80mm. There was just nothing out there anywhere close to the performance for the money. I don't know if they are still being made or not, but I still have it and it is still a good scope. As another big step up was the Pentax 100mm, a fantastic scope for a decent price. I am not sure what is currently available but I would encourage you to try the actual scope you are thinking about buying if you possibly can. I have seen huge variances in identical models to the point where one was superb and the one next to it was almost useless. Right now in the midprice range which is about $1K, I'd be looking at Vortex and some of the lower priced Kowas. Finding a used one from a retired shooter can often bring a good deal as well.
Old Hawkeye
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I spent more for my tripod than the spotting scope. Without a good solid quality tripod seeing anything can be troublesome. Got my tripod at a camera store & stand up behind it to view. Heavy duty, solid, & wind resistant. If your spotting scope comes with one of those cheap little tripods, throw it away. Anything above 45X isn't necessary. I can see bullet holes at 20X quite easily at 100 yards. Higher powers increase mirage & are harder to use, especially in wind or low light. 60mm objective lens diameter is preferred. $250-$300 will get you a good spotting scope. Paying more is just for the name on it.
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I just hit my 10 year anniversary at work and so got some points at the “company store”. I picked up a cheap o Celestron 12-36 x 60 Landscout. Works fine to 100 yards. Comes with a table tripod. You can get them on Amazon for $90. I don't typically shoot beyond 100 yards and this is allowing me to see .50 bullets with ease at 100.
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Athlon Talos. Excellent glass for the price point. Waterproof, fog proof, rubberised body. I can clearly see .223 holes at 200 meters.
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I have a Kowa and a Konus, Kowa is the better of the two, have a 27 power long eye relief and a 20 X 60 zoom eye piece for it.
It is my go-to scope for the 500 yard rams.
I bought a Johnson surveyors tripod from Menards and mounted an adapter on it to hold the scope after struggling with the shaking in the wind with a conventional tripod. If you ever tried to shoot at Whittington Center in the wind you understand.
It is my go-to scope for the 500 yard rams.
I bought a Johnson surveyors tripod from Menards and mounted an adapter on it to hold the scope after struggling with the shaking in the wind with a conventional tripod. If you ever tried to shoot at Whittington Center in the wind you understand.
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You don't need to spend a lot of money if all you need is 100 yds capability. I have a Huicocy 20-60x60 that Amazon has now for $53 which is fine at that distance. But will you want longer distance capability in the future?
When I started shooting my modern rifles at the club 300 yd range that cheap spotting scope was useless. My son got me a better one (Gosky Eagle View) on father's day. It works great at that distance but it was also $600+
When I started shooting my modern rifles at the club 300 yd range that cheap spotting scope was useless. My son got me a better one (Gosky Eagle View) on father's day. It works great at that distance but it was also $600+
morehops52
50 Cal.
I tried spotting scopes and gave up on them. Too much bother to set up, tripod etc. I ended up with Nikon Acculon (?) 10-22X binocs . If you're shooting ML's at 100 yds, no problem. Smaller calibers at longer distances could be a problem seeing. Easy to use and you have high powered binocs that can be more useful than a spotting scope IMHO. Price? Abpout $145.
I also have a Kowa and recommend that brand. You will not be disappointed.
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I bought my 80mm Kowa fluorite-lens, magnesium-bodied scope in 2002. It came with a 20-60 Zoom lens and a x30 WA lens, which it what is mostly on it unless I'm doing long-range birding. I have an ex-military Kill-Flash fitted to it - our range is one of maybe two in the country that is South-facing, and the winter months with low sun-angles are a PITA.
I can see .58cal holes at 600 yards....
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Disagree. a .45 cal. hole can be hard to see, need high power scope. And, if your scope is to do double duty with no-no calibers, a .22 or .30 hole can be very difficult to see.
appalichian hunter
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Vortex, Leupold are my suggestions various models in both you should be able to find one in your price range. Also as I am a big pawn shop haunter have found some good deals on shooting related items there also. Ever try shoot and see targets at 100 yards the bullet strike shows up really well.
I have a Redfield 15X60 scope. Love it. Other shooters at a range during matches frequently come over to use it for their targets. Great scope.
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If you care to read an internet quote after asking what is needed to observe 22 bullet holes at 100 yards
"Out to 100 yards, you don't need a target shooting spotting scope with a large objective, a lot of magnification or premium grade optics to get the job done. 18-36x or so will be plenty of magnification to see bullet holes at 100 yards and even a good 50mm objective will have enough resolution to see 22 bullet holes."
I respectfully agree with Old Hawkeye!
Larry
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