Posted: 1/20/2016 12:42:37 PM EDT
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Hello,
I guess this is a good a place as any to put this but I am in the market for a spotting scope. I only shoot out to 500 yards and have always used cheap hand me down spotting scopes but now I would like to get a decent one. What spotting scope would you recommend around $500 or below? |
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This should work well: http://www.celestron.com/browse-shop/sport-optics/spotting-scopes/trailseeker-80-45-degree-spotting-scope About the same as the Regal I use, but less expensive. Just be gentle with the eye piece. What position is most of your shooting? Prone, bench, other? This is the stand I use: http://www.championshooters.com/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&view=productdetails&virtuemart_product_id=852&virtuemart_category_id=33&Itemid=111 Heavy SOB, but stable. There are other tripod types that are lighter and can be compacted easier. Such as: http://www.jarheadtop.com/Stand_Pictures.htm |
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Basic math without all the unnecessary decimal points of precision::
1 inch at 100 yards is 1 Minute of Arc There are 60 seconds of arc in 1 Minute of arc A 6" (150 mm objective) telescope can resolve 1 second of arc, 500 yards is 5X farther away than 100 yards, To actually see a hole it need to cover 1.7 units of resolution (Raleigh criterion) It takes three (3) 308 bullets to subtend 1"; it takes five (5) 223 bullets to subtend 1" (hand waving accuracy) So, a 308 bullet at 100 yards subtends 20 arc seconds, and a 223 bullet subtends 12 arc seconds. At 500 yards, the 308 bullet subtends 4 arc seconds, while the 223 bullet subtends 2.4 arc seconds. The 223 bullet hole is dangerously close to the Raleigh criterion for being resolved in a 6" telescope. You would have no chance of resolving it with anything smaller than 100mm objective (Sparrows criterion); it would be darned hard to resolve it with a 150mm objective (the 6" telescope) with any atmospherics going on. The 308 bullet hole is resolved in a 100mm objective but it will take very good optics to resolve it, no chance in a 65mm objective, barely a chance in an 80mm objective with essentially perfect optical execution. |
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Quoted: The Trailseeker looks pretty sweet, is the eyepiece on it fragile or prone to failure? Really more of a general rule for spotting scopes, in my experience. My club has a few Ultimas (didn't suggest because it doesn't have the rotating collar) of which one or maybe two had the eye piece stripped off - either beaten up during transit to a match, or just couldn't hack several kids and adults cranking on the eyepiece to move the scope instead of grabbing the body or using the damn adjustable head. Some have been busted when the scope stand falls over to the ground. Some have been busted when accidentally kicked (Ready Line at Camp Perry). |