Hey, I have a really cheap spotting scope that I use for my rim fire competition and is perfect for 25-50 yards. I even use it to shoot 100 yards but I can just make out the group. Needless to say I need a better spotting scope. I am a newbie so my experience with them is not there. I have a 20x60x60 now and most of the other scopes I see are the same dimensions. (maybe a 80mm instead of 60) I don't have a lot to spend, maybe $250-$300 MAX so what would you recommend as a value?
- Thread starter nikdanja
- Start date
To be honest I use my Barska 20-80 x60mm out to 700yds without a problem in shooting the shots. Only issue I have is high magnification when there is low light things get a little dark
Bushnell 15-45x60mm Legend Ultra HD Spotting Scope with ED Prime Glass FREE S&H 785460ED. Bushnell Legend Spotting Scopes, Bushnell Spotting Scopes. may your best bet. I'd go to the Leupold SX-1 if you could save another hundred bucks or so.
I had the leupold Ventura that went up to 60x and could make out bullet holes at 150-175 but the scope had no eye relief. I got behind a Gold Ring at a match with huge eye relief and much brighter glass so I sold the Ventura the next day and bought Gold Ring HD from a fellow snipershide and couldn't be happier. I can see bullet holes in paper at 250 yards better and on lower power than the Ventura at 150 years on 60x. I know my GR is no where comparable to the swavorski or high end scopes but for the most part the more you spend on glass the better you're going to like it. You can find some really good buys on spotters used if you look around and if you buy a good used spotter then want to move up in a few years to more quality then chances are you won't lose much on resale. You buy a cheap scope and it may not be working in a few years. Just my opinion.
I got a leupold gold ring compact 15-30x 50 and am very happy with it. It is a little more than you were wanting to spend at about 450 but I like it because of the quality and the compact size
I wouldn't knock your GR. I have one that is 20 years old(non-HD glass). I was really trying to talk myself into jumping up to a more expensive, newer scope earlier this year. I borrowed a Swarovski ATS and a Vortex Razor from friends who let me keep both for several weeks. I set up all three scopes side by side under various lighting conditions. Yes, the Swarovski was clearer, but by a dang small margin. I didn't really see much difference at all between the Vortex and the Leupold, which makes sense since they are comparably priced. What I did notice is that the eye relief on the Leupold at 30mm is really nice compared to the 20 on the others. Having a full field of view makes more difference to me than minor differences in lens quality. I decided to keep what I had rather than spend big bucks for an incremental improvement.
For that kind of money you are not going to find decent glass in a "new" scope (you are looking at $1600-$4000 for a "good" new spotting scope). You should probably watch ebay and be patient (also watch Craigslist and do a national search - some people will ship if you contact them) depending on how urgent your need is. I watched a used Kowa 60mm go for $330 and kicked myself for not bidding. I then watched for a few months and scored a "old model" Celestron Ultima100ED scope (Now Regal series of scope) in like new condition for $280. It has a 22-66x zoom eyepiece and the 100mm objective gives a good field of view, but it is pretty big and bulky (a little bigger than the Konus 100mm). Way better glass than the <$350 Barska/Konus/Bushnell scopes I have looked through. I can just see .308 groups on paper at 300m with it. Calling shots on steel out to 900 yards is not a problem. The only problem I have had with my Ultima100ED scope is that it is so big/heavy you need a decent tripod for it. My $60 tripod would not hold it steady (especially with wind blowing) and I had to spend another $120 for one on sale from Calumet Photography to get one that works, but I would still like better. Been looking for a "good" one on Craigslist that is not $500-$700 so I can also put my Pig saddle on it and learn to shoot from a tripod. (needs to be able to hold 17-20 lbs which is for a video or big view camera)
Saw a guy at the range last month that had a Celestron C90 MAK scope (was one of my former options) that was not too bad either. I only got to look through it for a minute or two. They are compact, even if a big diameter. They are on ebay for $160 and less and you can still get a decent tripod for your budget. Buy used so if you don't like it you can probably resell for what you paid.
Maybe look for an old military one? I used a M49 spotting scope for matches when I was shooting M14 competitions in the service. They are only 20x but the glass was surprisingly good and worked fine for our 600m matches. These go for about $300-$350 on ebay maybe you can get one for less if you are patient.
You may want to check the "birding" websites to see if you can get something used which should give you more bang for your buck.
Saw a guy at the range last month that had a Celestron C90 MAK scope (was one of my former options) that was not too bad either. I only got to look through it for a minute or two. They are compact, even if a big diameter. They are on ebay for $160 and less and you can still get a decent tripod for your budget. Buy used so if you don't like it you can probably resell for what you paid.
Maybe look for an old military one? I used a M49 spotting scope for matches when I was shooting M14 competitions in the service. They are only 20x but the glass was surprisingly good and worked fine for our 600m matches. These go for about $300-$350 on ebay maybe you can get one for less if you are patient.
You may want to check the "birding" websites to see if you can get something used which should give you more bang for your buck.
It's not a Kowa, but it's damn good for the $$ and should meet your budget and needs. I've had mine for 3 years and use it regularly to spot 6.5mm holes in paper at 315yds.
Amazon.com : Konus 7120 20x-60x80mm Spotting Scope with Tripod And Case : Laser Rangefinders : Sports & Outdoors
Amazon.com : Konus 7120 20x-60x80mm Spotting Scope with Tripod And Case : Laser Rangefinders : Sports & Outdoors
