Looking for advice on budget binos/monocular

[jsimonh]

I currently carry a little bushnell legend 10x monocular with a mil reticle to scope out stages and spot misses for others. I usually have it mounted on a tripod and it's really easy to use and obviously very light. I'm wanting a little more power and have narrowed it down to either Vortex Vultures or a Vortex Recon R/T monocular. Both are 15x but the recon has a reticle which I really like. Just looking for opinions on both or either. Also your thoughts on a monocular for spotting in general. TIA

 

[Niles Coyote]

Love my little 8x recon for prs matchs. Wanting field of view and long eye relief were my reasons.

 

[drwood96]

I current have the Recon R/T 15x and love it. Used it at several match this year. Prefect for quick tripod use, hunting, etc. The only con I found was when spotting for a squad at a match and the eye strain of using the using a spotter/mono is real. Binos are just more forgiving on the eyes when you're behind glass most of the day.

I currently selling mine on the PX if you're interested. just shoot me a DM.

 

[Fig]

I think the Vortex Viper HDs are a best buy for quality binoculars. I think the comparable Nikons cost almost double what the Viper HDs cost.
I prefer my spotting scope for paper or 800yds+. Inside of that binos are much less straining on the eyes and perfectly adequate to spot impacts/misses with.

 

[Hollywood 6mm]

What's your actual budget?

 

[jsimonh]

I started this thread about a month and a half ago and since then I've bought the Vortex Recon. Great little spotter for what I use it for. Just shot a BW match a couple of weeks ago and it worked great for spotting misses/hits. I do think my eye gets tired between it and being on the gun, so a decent set of Binos are not out of the question yet. Budget would be in the 500ish range.

 

[Hollywood 6mm]

I started this thread about a month and a half ago and since then I've bought the Vortex Recon. Great little spotter for what I use it for. Just shot a BW match a couple of weeks ago and it worked great for spotting misses/hits. I do think my eye gets tired between it and being on the gun, so a decent set of Binos are not out of the question yet. Budget would be in the 500ish range.

When you upgrade to binos, take a serious look at the 10x Bushnell Forge binos. I have both the 10 and 15 models, and they're fantastic binos for the money. I've been able to consistently see impacts out to 1k with the 10s, and even at 1200 in good conditions. If it's crappy out, the 15s really shine at the longer distances, but they're out of your budget.

 

[jsimonh]

I have looked at them extensively on the net. Wish I could see a pair at a match sometime soon. I'm not sure what glass is used in the Recon but it is very crisp and clear. I used some swaros a couple of matches ago and they were amazing but for 2k I'm out. Maybe one of these days.

 

[Hollywood 6mm]

I have looked at them extensively on the net. Wish I could see a pair at a match sometime soon. I'm not sure what glass is used in the Recon but it is very crisp and clear. I used some swaros a couple of matches ago and they were amazing but for 2k I'm out. Maybe one of these days.

What matches are you going to? I'll be at Alabama, the Grind, the Altus fall match, and the finale this year, and possibly the MPA match next month if you want to check them out for yourself.

I've spent a good bit of time behind Swaros and now the Bushnells, and I honestly can't see a way to justify the price increase for the Swaros, especially for match use.

 

[jsimonh]

Getting my feet wet shooting NRL Border Wars this year. I'm in the South Central Region. I'm sure someone will have a pair at a match I can check out eventually. Thanks for the feedback on the forges.

 

[Hollywood 6mm]

Getting my feet wet shooting NRL Border Wars this year. I'm in the South Central Region. I'm sure someone will have a pair at a match I can check out eventually. Thanks for the feedback on the forges.

If you run into any of the GA Precision team shooters, almost all of them have sets of the 15s you could check out. Even outside of the GAP and Bushnell people, I am starting to see them showing up more and more at matches, so it's only a matter of time before you run into someone with them.

 

[FN-Whitney]

I want to try the forge bino’s but have yet to see anybody with a pair. I sent an email asking about a mil discount but I have yet to hear back, any idea if they offer one?

 

[Hollywood 6mm]

I want to try the forge bino’s but have yet to see anybody with a pair. I sent an email asking about a mil discount but I have yet to hear back, any idea if they offer one?

You can go through ExpertVoice, or through the MPS (I think that's the name) program. ExpertVoice you can just sign up with your mil email, and MPS you need the point of contact email. I have the email address buried somewhere, I'd have to find it. Prices and availability vary between the two at times, so it's not a bad idea to have both, honestly. Right now only the 10x Forge binos are on EV, and last I looked they're out of stock there.

If you're going to any of the matches mentioned a few replies up, you're welcome to check mine out. I almost always have my 10s and 15s with me, and I always have my 15s.

 

[FN-Whitney]

I appreciate the offer but I’m going to frontline next weekend instead of Alabama. Maybe next time.

 

[Hollywood 6mm]

I appreciate the offer but I’m going to frontline next weekend instead of Alabama. Maybe next time.

If you're going to Frontline, keep an eye out for Joe Burdick and Dan Hall, I believe they both have Forge binos.

 

[TheGerman]

Unless you need to use them to spot shots, find a pair of the Northrop Grumman M24 binoculars. They can be found for ~100, are decent glass and hold up to being heavily abused.

 

[Hollywood 6mm]

Unless you need to use them to spot shots, find a pair of the Northrop Grumman M24 binoculars. They can be found for ~100, are decent glass and hold up to being heavily abused.

The ones I am seeing on EBay are more like $350-400 right now. Edit: Unless you're referring to the Fuji versions, those are under $100.

 

[TheGerman]

Look in the ARF EE. I got a pair for 125$ a few months back.

 

[sako17]

Vortex 8x32 at Cabela's... They were on sale. Not the most powerful but easy to carry. Excellent warranty and for me powerful enough hunting... I hunt elk and deer in southern Oregon. I don't take impressive long distance shots so maybe for others they would not be strong enough. I don't get a headache using them for extended periods of time, which is why I wanted more than an economy pair.

 

[FN-Whitney]

I just got off the phone with Doug from camera land and he hooked me up With a pair of Meopta 10x42. He is on the hide so look him up. Extremely knowledgeable, took his time to answer my questions, really helped me make an informed purchased.

 

[JMcBurn]

I currently carry a little bushnell legend 10x monocular with a mil reticle to scope out stages and spot misses for others. I usually have it mounted on a tripod and it's really easy to use and obviously very light. I'm wanting a little more power and have narrowed it down to either Vortex Vultures or a Vortex Recon R/T monocular. Both are 15x but the recon has a reticle which I really like. Just looking for opinions on both or either. Also your thoughts on a monocular for spotting in general. TIA

Do you have an extra phone? I have the same spotter and while binos are nice for relieving eye strain, what I have done is added a phone scoping device. I use a spare iPhone 7 plus and what I do is I just either use the digital zoom or the 2x optical zoom camera. It works really well for what it is and I have found it makes it really convenient not having to be in the glass the whole time (can just stand back and watch the screen without the eye strain).

Another thing I will do is setup before the stage and record my shots downrange. It has really helped quite a bit confirm what I was seeing in the scope (even better for when I can confirm I missed a call for how much I was off using the mil reticle in the small spotter).

All that being said, I think buying binos/spotter is a worthwhile purchase. But it might not be worth the high cost of entry until you can shoot the difference in a set of really nice glass for scoping a stage and looking for more info about the wind etc. Also I find that quite often there is someone on the squad with a really good set of glass that would have no problem helping do some spotting/wind reading or letting you look through their glass.