Re: Help me choose a spotting scope
Have you considered a pair of Canon Image Stabilized Binoculars? 15x50mm is a good range for what you are looking to do.
These binoculars have replaced my spotting scope in almost all cases. They allow you resolve bullet holes out to 300 yards with no problem. I can see impacts to 1000+ yards with no problem. They allow you to use both eyes which is more relaxing and gives your brain more ability to resolve things. That will give you 100mm of glass working for you. They can be used without a tripod as they are stabilized internally (but can be put on a tripod if you want to). They can be easily packed in a bag and are much smaller than a good quality spotting scope. I think the glass is phenomenal. They can be used for shooting, birding, sports, astronomy, etc. They also work extremely well in low light. They are also much faster for scanning terrain, following bullet traces, etc.
Don't underestimate the extra resolving power of being able to use both eyes at once. Your brain is made to use two eyes and this gives binoculars the edge in many ways over a spotting scope if you don't need extremely high power. With the image stabilization, I found that the binoculars compare with scopes that are 20X or even 30X in power in allowing my eyes to resolve details. In many cases, more power does not mean a better view. In fact, the zoom eyepieces usually wreck resolution at highest settings.