Please Recommend A Spotting Scope

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SC_Dave

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Not using it for hunting. My uses would be observing target hits out to 300-400 yards. As far as budget lets say 200-500 . I can't justify a 1500.00 scope.

Thanks, David
 
I will quickly chime in with my $.02 worth.......

I also use a spotting scope for range use. When I set it up, everyone wants to use it (which is fine by me), but my scope has a straight through eyepiece. The tripod height gets adjusted for every individual. I suggest an angled eyepiece. Then you can get by with a smaller tabletop tripod.
Get the best scope you can afford.

That's what I would suggest, anyway.
I have a cheap Barska 60x scope. It came with a nice case and tabletop tripod. It works just fine.
 
Don't get caught up in expecting high power to be able to see everything. Depending on the size of the objective higher powers can appear dark on all but the brightest days. Remember that the objective diameter in mm divided by the power should be between 3 and 5 to give the human eye a chance in low light conditions. Its no accident that 82 mm Kowa's fixed power ocular option is 25x.

So I'd recommend at least an 80 mm objective for that reason. You never said if the target is paper or steel. 3-400 yards is a long poke to see holes in paper, no matter what the quality of the glass is, especially with a dark target.
 
Don't get caught up in expecting high power to be able to see everything. Depending on the size of the objective higher powers can appear dark on all but the brightest days. Remember that the objective diameter in mm divided by the power should be between 3 and 5 to give the human eye a chance in low light conditions. Its no accident that 82 mm Kowa's fixed power ocular option is 25x.

So I'd recommend at least an 80 mm objective for that reason. You never said if the target is paper or steel. 3-400 yards is a long poke to see holes in paper, no matter what the quality of the glass is, especially with a dark target.
VERY true. Increasing magnification makes the image larger but it does not increase the amount of light coming into the scope. As the image gets larger, it gets paler/dimmer because the light gets spread out.
 
I've got a Swarovski and a Kowa, both work great on standard bullet holes in paper out to 300...stretch it further and conditions would have to be ideal. Increased magnification just makes the mirage worse.

I'll second or 3rd the angled eyepiece and not going cheap on the tripod(s). I've got a Bogden Tripod that works well sitting/standing, a Sinclair bench mount that's rock solid, and a Ray-Vin prone stand. None were exactly cheap, but all are solid. Spend time spotting in the wind and you'll appreciate a solid stand.
 
Believe it or not, Konus with angled eyepiece of the 20-60x80 actually work well for their price range.

I'm starting to see more and more Konus' on highpower lines. The owners seem content so they must be OK. I think of them as a poor man's Kowa.;)

I think that is the best combination of eyepiece powers and objective size.
 
I know nothing about spotting scopes. But Jim Owens (competitive ex-Marine high power shooter who has written several books on the subject) in his book "Reading the Wind and Coaching Techniques" calls the Konus 20-60x80 a good scope that is capable of reading mirage at 600 yards.
 
I have a Kowa TSN-82V LER with a Champion Choice 3/4 Rod, worth well over $1000. bought years ago, pretty stable.
The Konus were not available.
If I had to do it over again, and on a budget I would buy the Konus 80mm and a Good stand like I have, it will not tip over and damage the scope.
I have compared my Kowa against the Konus, and shooting 600 yds in Matches, the Konus is a close 2nd.

Old High Power saying
Buy once, Cry Once !!

Barman54
Out
 
In my experience, Konus makes the most affordable quality spotting scopes on the market. I have seen tons of them on the firing lines in use at NRA high power matches as well as CMP matches.
 
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