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A QUESTION FOR RO'S

BANG...ping

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Minuteman
Apr 15, 2017
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I am looking to purchase spotter binos. I have narrowed it down to Swarovski 15 x56 SLC's and Meopta 15x 56 Meostar's. Since RO' s are on glass all day, you are a great resource for first hand information. Has anyone used either of these models? I need them mostly to spot trace, mirage, and impacts at matches. What are your thoughts? I have read the Rokslide review.

Thanks,
Bang
 
I'm not an RO but if I had the budget and was making a purchase for that purpose, I would look real hard at these.
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Just because an 80mm objective ishard to beat.


J
 
I've spent a lot of time behind spotters and binos as an RO at matches, and I will take the Bushnell Forge 15s over anything else I have used - ESPECIALLY if I am the one paying for them. I had a set of prototypes for the Core (now Altus) Fall Classic last year, and they were fantastic. Every shooter that I let try them felt the same way, including some guys that shot for competing optics companies. I've got a set of the 10x models now for personal use, and I am itching to get the 15s as well.
 
You have piqued my interest. Can anyone else chime in on Bushnell Forge?
Bang
 
I am looking to purchase spotter binos. I have narrowed it down to Swarovski 15 x56 SLC's and Meopta 15x 56 Meostar's. Since RO' s are on glass all day, you are a great resource for first hand information. Has anyone used either of these models? I need them mostly to spot trace, mirage, and impacts at matches. What are your thoughts? I have read the Rokslide review.

Thanks,
Bang

Does it have to binos? Any objections to a good old spotting scope? You aren't going to want to hand-hold binoculars all day at a match if you are spotting. Tripod mounting can be cumbersome for some models also.
 
Does it have to binos? Any objections to a good old spotting scope? You aren't going to want to hand-hold binoculars all day at a match if you are spotting. Tripod mounting can be cumbersome for some models also.

The difference in eye strain of a spotter vs binos when you're ROing 8-10 hours a day at a match is HUGE. When I ran a spotter as an RO, I'd be fighting a migraine shortly after lunch. Binos? I'm as fresh at the last shooter as I am the first one. Not only does it make my day more enjoyable, it also keeps things fair for the shooters, as they don't have to deal with a cranky RO near the end of the day with a migraine and twitchy eyeballs from strain (even when swapping eyes regularly). I run my binos on a tripod without issues, but I have always used a Manfrotto or RRS where I could kick the rear legs way out and have the binos basically floating on the tripod directly in front of my face. The Bushnell Forge 15s also come with a quick-release tripod adapter that works well, and lets you pop them out quickly to let shooters find targets or something similar.
 
You have piqued my interest. Can anyone else chime in on Bushnell Forge?
Bang

I can attest to Hollywood. Although I haven’t spent near the time behind them as he has, they are damn nice. If I were in the market for a set of 15’s solely for spotting and from a tripod, this is what I’d buy. Although the glass is also nice in the meoptas and slc’s, I think the ergonomics are horrific. May be a little dramatic by horrific, but I felt the forges were much nicer to hold. The glass is very nice also.
 
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The difference in eye strain of a spotter vs binos when you're ROing 8-10 hours a day at a match is HUGE. When I ran a spotter as an RO, I'd be fighting a migraine shortly after lunch. Binos? I'm as fresh at the last shooter as I am the first one. Not only does it make my day more enjoyable, it also keeps things fair for the shooters, as they don't have to deal with a cranky RO near the end of the day with a migraine and twitchy eyeballs from strain (even when swapping eyes regularly). I run my binos on a tripod without issues, but I have always used a Manfrotto or RRS where I could kick the rear legs way out and have the binos basically floating on the tripod directly in front of my face. The Bushnell Forge 15s also come with a quick-release tripod adapter that works well, and lets you pop them out quickly to let shooters find targets or something similar.

Yeah I could see that. Could be my lack of owning binos with a reticle also which makes me personally gravitate towards my Hensoldt Spotter 45. I don't have any adverse effects from prolonged use, but I could very easily see where it could for some users.
 
I looked through Hollywoods at Altus in October, those 15x Bushnell Forge are sweet. Likely buying a pair soon myself. I bought the Bushnell Forge 10x and have used for several months. Highly recommend, great glass, smooth controls, and robust and well built.
 
The eye strain thing is precisely why I am looking for binos. Looking through one eye causes fatigue. That is why I shoot with both eyes open.

Bang
 
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Does it have to binos? Any objections to a good old spotting scope? You aren't going to want to hand-hold binoculars all day at a match if you are spotting. Tripod mounting can be cumbersome for some models also.
I have had the opportunity to use both. I purchased the Meostars, wish I’d gotten the Swarovski 15’s. The meostars are great and for the money excellent that said the Swarovskis are amazing. Best set of bino’s, none better for seeing dings at 1,000 and beyond. Trace is obvious, clarity and color are nuts. Get the Swarovski 15’s you’re not going be sad. I wish I had and I hope the make them in a range finders next.
 
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Not to throw another option into the pot but I prefer the Canon IS 15x/18x to anything else in this range for tripod spotting binos. They are absolutely incredible.
 
What about the new Athlon Cronus 15's? I just know that anything I set up out at the range is going to be handled by everyone! I'd rather not 'risk' spending top dollar.
 
What about the new Athlon Cronus 15's? I just know that anything I set up out at the range is going to be handled by everyone! I'd rather not 'risk' spending top dollar.

I just got the Cronus 15x56s and took them out yesterday.

very impressive. I've looked through the 15x meostars one other time and they are pretty comparable.

unfortunately - i was not able to do a "side by side" comparison and i used the meostars 6 months ago. so i had to base it off memory.

i am keeping the Cronus's - i really like them. they are beefy - but i run them on a tripod so not a big deal.

they also come in a bad ass hard pelican-type case
 
I spotted at the NRL championship with the Swarovski SLC 15x56 and they are amazing. The glass is crystal clear with great contrast. I was able to see trace on every shot and could even see the bullets making holes on the strap for strap hits. I spotted the entire weekend and can say 100% that I didnt make one bad call, and not one shooter contested my calls. That is due to using great glass. I have since got my own pair and have used them with great success at several club matches.
 
I can attest to Hollywood. Although I haven’t spent near the time behind them as he has, they are damn nice. If I were in the market for a set of 15’s solely for spotting and from a tripod, this is what I’d buy. Although the glass is also nice in the meoptas and slc’s, I think the ergonomics are horrific. May be a little dramatic by horrific, but I felt the forges were much nicer to hold. The glass is very nice also.

The ergos are awesome on the Forge. If you get a chance, check out the QD tripod adapter the 15s come with. The adapter is very well thought out.

Not to throw another option into the pot but I prefer the Canon IS 15x/18x to anything else in this range for tripod spotting binos. They are absolutely incredible.

I've used the Canons as well. If I am having to hand-hold the binos (ex - solo ROing a shoot house stage where I have to move with the shooter), then they're amazing due to the IS function. From a tripod, though, I'd rather have the Bushnells.
 
I’ve RO’d a decent number of matches.....many of them 2-day matches.
If I had the choice, I’d always choose binos over a spotter, simply from the eye fatigue standpoint. Swarovski often brought optics for us ROs to use at Core (now Altus). Their binos were freaking awesome. I have no idea what model they were, but they were high dollar and were actually a pleasure to use. I’m sure there are a lot of great ones out there, but the Swaros really spoil you.

Binos are much better at the end of a long day, in my opinion. Someone said above about using binos on a tripod being a possible issue, but that was never my experience. I really liked to use binos when I was on a stage where I had to transition between targets. I often found spotters to have too much magnification. I liked binos because they usually started at a lower magnification. The more I shot and RO’d, the less of a magnification whore I became. I will use them from a bench if I am shooting from one, just hate using them on stages. The only spotter I ever used on a stage that I liked was some kind of tan Bushnell (non angled) spotter that was physically small. If I had a choice for ROing a stage, it would be binos first, straight spotter second and angled spotter a distant third. I’m sure it’s a personal preference thing, but that’s my opinion.
 
I JUST went through the same decision, and looked through a bunch of different binos... it ended up between the Meoptas and the Swaros.

The bottom line for me was that you get what you pay for. The Meoptas are great for the money and are very good, but the Swaro's had a slight edge, the wife approved, and I figured buy-one-cry-once and got the Swaros.... Very happy with the decision.
 
I JUST went through the same decision, and looked through a bunch of different binos... it ended up between the Meoptas and the Swaros.

The bottom line for me was that you get what you pay for. The Meoptas are great for the money and are very good, but the Swaro's had a slight edge, the wife approved, and I figured buy-one-cry-once and got the Swaros.... Very happy with the decision.
If I had to make the decision, I think this is ultimately where I'd end up. The odds of you regretting the Swaro purchase are much, much lower than the odds of you regretting something else.
 
Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to write a response. All the information here is extremely valuable.

Bang
 
I’ve RO’d a decent number of matches.....many of them 2-day matches.
If I had the choice, I’d always choose binos over a spotter, simply from the eye fatigue standpoint. Swarovski often brought optics for us ROs to use at Core (now Altus). Their binos were freaking awesome. I have no idea what model they were, but they were high dollar and were actually a pleasure to use. I’m sure there are a lot of great ones out there, but the Swaros really spoil you.

Binos are much better at the end of a long day, in my opinion. Someone said above about using binos on a tripod being a possible issue, but that was never my experience. I really liked to use binos when I was on a stage where I had to transition between targets. I often found spotters to have too much magnification. I liked binos because they usually started at a lower magnification. The more I shot and RO’d, the less of a magnification whore I became. I will use them from a bench if I am shooting from one, just hate using them on stages. The only spotter I ever used on a stage that I liked was some kind of tan Bushnell (non angled) spotter that was physically small. If I had a choice for ROing a stage, it would be binos first, straight spotter second and angled spotter a distant third. I’m sure it’s a personal preference thing, but that’s my opinion.

The Swaros were SLCs, I think. The Bushnell was an LMSS.
 
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Spend the $$ for the Swaro's, your eyes will thank you. Looking through cheap glass all weekend will give you a headache, not to mention the hit in resolution with the lower end stuff makes it harder to spot.
 
Whenever I RO at places like K&M, that has a large pool of available optics to choose from, I always grab the Swarovski binos! Ho-lee-shee-iiitte! They are amazing!
Best binoculars I've ever looked through, hands down. Comfort, clarity and color pop all day. Wish I could afford my own set!
 
I have the Meoptas and are half the cost of the SLCs (at least in Canada) and 99% of the performance. Apparently the high end leupys are also pretty close.

Binos over spotters for sure IMO. Lots of cheap mounts out there but I got the one from outdoorsman.
 
I have the Meoptas and are half the cost of the SLCs (at least in Canada) and 99% of the performance. Apparently the high end leupys are also pretty close.

Binos over spotters for sure IMO. Lots of cheap mounts out there but I got the one from outdoorsman.
I think the Outdoorsman mount is far superior to the Swaro Mount. I like how the quick release locks.
 
I wish I had a dollar for every thread I have seen about optics when Swaro is mentioned...

It always comes down to "if you have the money, buy the Swarovski". At least with Binos and Spotters. I have lusted after the Swaro spotters and Binos for years, but I always go with some type of model that is "almost as good as Swaro".
 
I wish I had a dollar for every thread I have seen about optics when Swaro is mentioned...

It always comes down to "if you have the money, buy the Swarovski". At least with Binos and Spotters. I have lusted after the Swaro spotters and Binos for years, but I always go with some type of model that is "almost as good as Swaro".
Any decent binos do the job just fine. Swaros really begin to shine when your really looking at the fine details, in substandard conditions, or glassing for extended period of time. I was shopping for Binos and settled on the Leupold BX-5s 15x56 and ended up winning a pair of SLC 15x56 in a raffle. I would've had a hard time paying full retail for the Swaros.
 
Any decent binos do the job just fine. Swaros really begin to shine when your really looking at the fine details, in substandard conditions, or glassing for extended period of time. I was shopping for Binos and settled on the Leupold BX-5s 15x56 and ended up winning a pair of SLC 15x56 in a raffle. I would've had a hard time paying full retail for the Swaros.

How did the two compare?
 
I’ve RO’d once with a spotter and found it is taxing at the end of the day. So wanted to invest in Bino’s when I plan to really get into being a dedicated RO. When on a trip to Kenya used a set of Swaro 10x42, I think, and fell in love with clarity and details so far out. The “goal” is to find a pair of the Swaro 15’s, buy them, and cry once.