Opinions and options for a spotting scope.

[IHFarmer07]

Ok guys, I’m in the market for a budget spotting scope, if I can buy a quality used one that is in the realm of the new higher $$$ options I would like that. If I can I’d like to keep it under $300 but if I have to to get quality I’d go to $500.

I can find used optics fairly reasonable, so I searched around for some quality spotters and came up with a list......if it was you all what would you go for and in what order would you put said used optics for spotting out to a mile or so? I’m new to the spotting scope market and I’m not 100% sure what is good manufactures of quality spotters. So bare with me.

1-Kowa 601
2-Kowa 602
3-bushnell spacemaster
4-Nikon d=60P fieldscope
5-Nikon fieldscope 60
6-Nikon fieldscope ED78
7-Nikon fieldscope ED82
8-opticron Es80 edv3

Would consider new but like I said don’t have much of a budget, I know the more money into glass is best but it is what it is, and that’s all I have to work with. I kinda would like one sooner than later. For new spotters the Athlon ares looks and sounds like a good one according to Doug at camera land so.....and he had recommended me a Kowa that was on sale but the warranty isn’t much with those. I’ve looked on the bird watchers forum and the used ones above seem to be very well regarded.

Thanks, Eric

 

[Deleted member 113831]

Any on your list would perform very well.

I have a Kowa TSN-4 (25x LER eyepiece) with flourite glass that is fantastic. They occasionally come up on fleabay for under $400.

I have five Spacemasters. In fact I have one with me right now. I have the fixed 25x eyepieces for all of mine which makes a huge difference in clarity and field of view. Hands down my favorite mirage watching scopes.

I have had the TSN-4 and Spacemasters at classes with all manner of high dollar scopes. Let me tell you, the Spacemasters with that fixed eyepiece hurt a whole bunch of feelings. They can hang with any 60-65mm glass I've seen.

They are incredibly tough as well. I have seen them so rough they looked like they were drug, but they still functioned.

Problem is: there are many versions, and only the ones made in Japan up into the 80's have the good reputation.

 

[IHFarmer07]

Any on your list would perform very well.

I have a Kowa TSN-4 (25x LER eyepiece) with flourite glass that is fantastic. They occasionally come up on fleabay for under $400.

I have five Spacemasters. In fact I have one with me right now. I have the fixed 25x eyepieces for all of mine which makes a huge difference in clarity and field of view. Hands down my favorite mirage watching scopes.

I have had the TSN-4 and Spacemasters at classes with all manner of high dollar scopes. Let me tell you, the Spacemasters with that fixed eyepiece hurt a whole bunch of feelings. They can hang with any 60-65mm glass I've seen.

They are incredibly tough as well. I have seen them so rough they looked like they were drug, but they still functioned.

Problem is: there are many versions, and only the ones made in Japan up into the 80's have the good reputation.

Awesome experience and opinion!!

Ok so the spacemaster that would be made in Japan would be a definite buy in your opinion?

I’ll have to look up a TSN-4 to see what I can find.

 

[338LMAI]

I've had a few scopes that haven't lasted as long as this one here. The next spotter I get will have a reticle. I got this scope long before I was into ELR, but anyone into ELR--shooting alone or with a spotter--really needs a reticle. So while not being a proponent of cheap glass there are times when cheap glass can outperform much better glass. I bring this to you due that. If you watch the King of Two Mile videos you'll see several
Bushnell Legend T Series 781545ED 15-45X60 Fde Flp Mil Hash Reticle
in use by spotters and onlookers alike. They're a lot of scope for the money; they can be had for a little over $500. Used--good luck finding one--a little less in good condition.

 

[Hollywood 6mm]

I've had a few scopes that haven't lasted as long as this one here. The next spotter I get will have a reticle. I got this scope long before I was into ELR, but anyone into ELR--shooting alone or with a spotter--really needs a reticle. So while not being a proponent of cheap glass there are times when cheap glass can outperform much better glass. I bring this to you due that. If you watch the King of Two Mile videos you'll see several
Bushnell Legend T Series 781545ED 15-45X60 Fde Flp Mil Hash Reticle
in use by spotters and onlookers alike. They're a lot of scope for the money; they can be had for a little over $500. Used--good luck finding one--a little less in good condition.

The Legend T is on sale on the Bushnell website right now. It's $499 but includes an Advance red dot (I've run the same RDS on the side of my spotter, and it's quite handy there) and a case kit for that price.

I've been running the Legend T for a couple years now, and it's been a damn good spotter for the money. I have used mine out to a mile with 6.5 Creedmoor and 6.5 SAUM, and worked a few PRS matches with it, as well.

 

[IHFarmer07]

What’s Bushnell’s warranty and costumer service like on something new like the T-series?
That’s why I had used ones picked also. With the spacemaster I can buy 2....lol. But yeah that another option, never really thought about a reticle equipped spotter. Thanks

 

[Deleted member 113831]

Ok so the spacemaster that would be made in Japan would be a definite buy in your opinion?

Yes.

These:


The SpacemasterII's are also very good. These have the same shape and are covered in rubber armor. They have a black label rather than red, and say "Made in Japan" on the label.

I have put my Spacemasters side by side with the Bushnell Legend T series in different conditions. My shooting partner bought one because of the reviews. The Spacemasters I have were decidedly better in edge to edge clarity and resolution.

You don't need to worry about a warranty, because you can by 3 or 4 Spacemasters for the price of any new mid level scope.

 

[IHFarmer07]

I've had a few scopes that haven't lasted as long as this one here. The next spotter I get will have a reticle. I got this scope long before I was into ELR, but anyone into ELR--shooting alone or with a spotter--really needs a reticle. So while not being a proponent of cheap glass there are times when cheap glass can outperform much better glass. I bring this to you due that. If you watch the King of Two Mile videos you'll see several
Bushnell Legend T Series 781545ED 15-45X60 Fde Flp Mil Hash Reticle
in use by spotters and onlookers alike. They're a lot of scope for the money; they can be had for a little over $500. Used--good luck finding one--a little less in good condition.

In your picture.....that’s a spacemaster according to the tag.....do you like that more than a T-series? The reason I ask is because I’m not really a elr person......yet, but I would love to shoot elr. So far the farthest I have shot to date it just under 1100....1083 to be exact. I can really see where a reticle would be handy, as long as the spotter knows what he/she is doing lol!

 

[IHFarmer07]

Yes.

These:
View attachment 7282639View attachment 7282652

The SpacemasterII's are also very good. These have the same shape and are covered in rubber armor. They have a black label rather than red, and say "Made in Japan" on the label.

I have put my Spacemasters side by side with the Bushnell Legend T series in different conditions. My shooting partner bought one because of the reviews. The Spacemasters I have were decidedly better in edge to edge clarity and resolution.

You don't need to worry about a warranty, because you can by 3 or 4 Spacemasters for the price of any new mid level scope.

Awesome!

Haha ya I was more or less talking about warranty on the newer ones because yes, the new ones are twice as much with little benefits compared to SOME of the older ones.

 

[338LMAI]

Yes.

These:
View attachment 7282639View attachment 7282652

The SpacemasterII's are also very good. These have the same shape and are covered in rubber armor. They have a black label rather than red, and say "Made in Japan" on the label.

I have put my Spacemasters side by side with the Bushnell Legend T series in different conditions. My shooting partner bought one because of the reviews. The Spacemasters I have were decidedly better in edge to edge clarity and resolution.

You don't need to worry about a warranty, because you can by 3 or 4 Spacemasters for the price of any new mid level scope.

I have never had the opportunity to handle or look through the Legend; my statements are the result of owners reports, both formal and informal reviews, and as pointed out seeing them used at the King of Two Mile. Comments here reinforce those secondary views. Otherwise, you're toast; anyone shooting more than 1K is hooked. You'll be stretching the range if it's possible I'm sure. In any event the comments I've seen here are spot on and good luck on your quest.

 

[NY700]

Best bang for buck it’s on the high side of your range is the Celestron M2 regal scope in 65mm. The glass is fantastic for the price. I also have the bushnell 15-45 Tac model and the clarity on the celestron is far far superior. Also the celesteon utilizes standard eyepieces used in telescopes which opens up a huge pool of top tier eyepieces if you wanted to upgrade. I swapped my variable for a long eye relief 20x eyepiece and have no issues spotting to 1200yd (max of my range). I can not endorse higher especially for the money. I would have liked to have gotten one of the larger objective models to see the difference but for the added cost and weight I can’t imagine I would have benefited

 

[IHFarmer07]

Best bang for buck it’s on the high side of your range is the Celestron M2 regal scope in 65mm. The glass is fantastic for the price. I also have the bushnell 15-45 Tac model and the clarity on the celestron is far far superior. Also the celesteon utilizes standard eyepieces used in telescopes which opens up a huge pool of top tier eyepieces if you wanted to upgrade. I swapped my variable for a long eye relief 20x eyepiece and have no issues spotting to 1200yd (max of my range). I can not endorse higher especially for the money. I would have liked to have gotten one of the larger objective models to see the difference but for the added cost and weight I can’t imagine I would have benefited

Oh jeez, another aspect lol......ya that would be handy, but I'd say it wouldn't possible to have everything for the budget I have...

 

[NY700]

Yea it’s about $550 but I have seen them used for around $400 and occasionally go on sale

 

[Steel head]

I have a bushy legend t, it’s pretty decent and the reticle is nice.

I’ve heard great thingabout the TSN-4.

 

[IHFarmer07]

Ok, so I bought a Bushnell T series last night on amazon used for $390 and a tripod for $65, after all the discounts and such I ended up getting the tripod for nothing and the bushnell for $365. If I don’t like how this used one is I can always return and get another or a non used one but it’s supposed to have minor blemishes here and there, we shall see.

For those talking about the spacemaster’s, I found some with Japan on the label and some without......are the ones without any good or are the nick offs? Some are black and red label without Japan and I found one black label with Japan. So what is what here on those?

 

[338LMAI]

You're a real super-saver, great job!

 

[IHFarmer07]

You're a real super-saver, great job!

Haha I try when I can.....??

Since I saved some I’m going to try and get my hands on a spacemaster yet!! Just need to know which is what I need to look for as I found a few but some say Japan some don’t.

 

[Deleted member 113831]

The red labeled Spacemasters don't say Japan, but they are. The very first Spacemasters had a different shape, and were made by Kowa. Look up the Kowa TS-2's to see that body shape.


The black labels come in 2 flavors, some say Japan and some don't. The ones that don't are Korean.

The korean made ones don't stand up to the japanese ones, but aren't bad. I keep a rubber armored korean model to bang around with me in my truck everyday. It's held up for a few years now, and is still much more than good enough to spot impacts and see trace out past 1k yards in any reasonable condition.

In other words, if you can't see well enough to spot it, then you can't see well enough to shoot it either.

 

[IHFarmer07]

The red labeled Spacemasters don't say Japan, but they are. The very first Spacemasters had a different shape, and were made by Kowa. Look up the Kowa TS-2's to see that body shape.
View attachment 7283181

The black labels come in 2 flavors, some say Japan and some don't. The ones that don't are Korean.

The korean made ones don't stand up to the japanese ones, but aren't bad. I keep a rubber armored korean model to bang around with me in my truck everyday. It's held up for a few years now, and is still much more than good enough to spot impacts and see trace out past 1k yards in any reasonable condition.

In other words, if you can't see well enough to spot it, then you can't see well enough to shoot it either.

Awesome, Skookum, thanks a bunch, that really clarified what I need to look for and what to look for.

Thanks everyone!!

Eric

 

[moosemeat]

Is the d18385 a good spacemaster? It has the red tag. I have been eyeballing one.

 

[Deleted member 113831]

@IHFarmer07

I was wondering if you compared your Bushnell T series and your Spacemaster yet. I would be interested in your assessment.

 

[IHFarmer07]

@IHFarmer07

I was wondering if you compared your Bushnell T series and your Spacemaster yet. I would be interested in your assessment.

I haven’t honestly......but, I sure will for you and my curiosity. I didn’t think about putting them SxS. I’ll test the one with the aftermarket eye piece, the original eye piece and the T-Series when I get a chance.

 

[Deleted member 113831]

Just bought another one of these:

Opticron Eyepiece | eBay

In excellent shape.

www.ebay.com

My shooting partner and I were looking through my spacemaster on a drizzly shitty day, and were still able to pick out individual screw heads on a metal roof at 1160 yards. I really don't know that a shooter needs better than that.

 

[IHFarmer07]

Just bought another one of these:

Opticron Eyepiece | eBay

In excellent shape.

www.ebay.com

My shooting partner and I were looking through my spacemaster on a drizzly shitty day, and were still able to pick out individual screw heads on a metal roof at 1160 yards. I really don't know that a shooter needs better than that.

Damn thats great!! Do you think $56 is a good price? Might buy now with this one. Thanks for letting me know.

 

[Deleted member 113831]

Damn thats great!! Do you think $56 is a good price? Might buy now with this one. Thanks for letting me know.

The last one I bought came from the UK and cost me $65 for the eyepiece and $50 for shipping.

Just by being in the US this one is half price. These are $200 new from Opticron USA.

I bought the other one of these from this same guy. I haven't received it yet. Wait till mine shows up and I'll tell if it works. Or if risking $50 isn't a big deal, then snap it up.

 

[Penguins]

Celestron M2 80mm, about $570.

 

[IHFarmer07]

The last one I bought came from the UK and cost me $65 for the eyepiece and $50 for shipping.

Just by being in the US this one is half price. These are $200 new from Opticron USA.

I bought the other one of these from this same guy. I haven't received it yet. Wait till mine shows up and I'll tell if it works. Or if risking $50 isn't a big deal, then snap it up.

Got it ordered.

 

[Greg Langelius *]

I like Vortex, my best one is a Vortex Nomad. No longer available; it's a lightweight version made for Birders. It's comparable to the Vortex Diamondback; which I'd recommend based on that similarity.

I've tried the WallyWorld Simmons, not worth even that cheap price. I have a Bushnell for my Granddaughter. It's not up to the Vortex, but it's usable and reasonably respectable.

In general, the 80mm is only desirable if low light condition capability is a large part of the challenge. Otherwise it's added bulk and weight, and overly capable for mid-daytime conditions

Straight vs bent eyepiece is a personal choice. I find the bent one is not ideal for my use off a bench top, or for shooting prone; and may be best used for astronomical or birding applications.

Greg

 

[IHFarmer07]

Ok, today I had some time and great cool, low humidity weather to look through the spotters I have. I have a Bushnell T-series, one camo rubber coated spacemaster with the 15-45x eye piece, a spacemaster II with an after market eBay special 20x EP and a very original spacemaster II with a factory 25x EP that also came with a 15x and a camera adapter.

Now, I’m no expert with glass in optics, just giving my opinion.

At my house at this time I have a kind of range to around 500 yrds with a hay field being there, we just put up the hay there and that is where, what I was looking towards/at. I placed all the scopes on an amazon special tripod one at a time and out of all of the different EP’s and scopes I think my favorite of all of them was my very original spacemaster with the 25x EP and then I tested it with my new EP that I purchased from above that @Skookum kindly let me know about and it was great too, the other spacemaster with the aftermarket EP was pretty good also.

In my opinion I don’t think the T-series is a bad scope but I don’t think it is better than the spacemasters, really the spacemasters kicked ass on that T-series, even the rubberized spacemaster with the 15-45 EP was better to my eyes. How I was able to determine this is as I was looking into the field/trees I noticed that with the spacemasters I could determine individual blades of grass and leaves of clover and other plant leaves at 500 yrds......impressive to say the least. Now the T-series is not bad but the grass blades tended to blur together to the point of not much contrast can be seen to see each individual grass blade/leaves. That new EP that @Skookum let me know about, that thing was nice, it seemed to be looking as though I was looking at things with the naked eye but magnified, the realization of the colors and contrast was pretty awesome.

In the end I think the T-series may go back or sold in the near future. Mr. Skookum was correct with the Spacemasters, they’re very affordable yet hold their own. I wish I had money to try others that were recommended but.....oh well.
Thanks all, aim small, miss small and be safe out there, there’s A LOT of crazies out there!!
Thanks again @Skookum!!

 

[Steel head]

The glass on the T is certainly nothing special but I didn’t feel like spending a lot till I can scratch up the dough for something special.
That said my bushy T has been serving me quite well.