Posted: 2/5/2010 11:09:39 AM EDT
| Would any here volunteer an opinion on spotting scopes in the below 500.00 range. The number available is mind numbing, figured folks here would have the necessary experience to offer help. Thanks |
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Would any here volunteer an opinion on spotting scopes in the below 500.00 range. The number available is mind numbing, figured folks here would have the necessary experience to offer help. Thanks Under $500, new? I bought a Nikon Fieldscope 13-30x50 HD spotter for my backpack for under $500, new, but then Cabela's was getting rid of these (didn't move), and this is small for what you are looking for. I can give you three or four examples of scopes that are in the $200-$400 range that are ok, but you REALLY need to go and look at some to find out what you like. Right off the bat, do not bother with the Lupy Sequoia or Nikon ProStaff. |
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This is an outstanding price on a spotting scope that will hold all of its value for a long time.
http://www.championshooters.com/store/product.php?productid=805&cat=286&page=1 The lower priced models just don't hold up very well. I have had a Konus that went to pot in a little over a year, a Burris that just plain sucked and a couple of others. If thats to much I would recommend trying one of the cheaper (>$200) dollar celestron's and a good stand first. Then when you decide to stick with highpower, you can pick up a Kowa or similar. Good Luck Dave |
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I couldn't afford a Kowa. I bought a Vortex Skyline that, so far, has been working good. I can easily see .22 bullet holes at 200 yards. Paid $449, I think, and it comes with an eyepiece. It was a Christmas gift, so haven't had a lot of opportunity to use it yet. So far, so good.
There's a thread with pics at: Vortex Opinions |
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Remember that you must have an angled eyepiece. Straight eyepieces don't allow you to look thru the scope without a serious effort, especially if you wear a hat and you're slung up in prone. Dang! I wish I'd known that before my Dad bought mine. And to think I've used it since 1982 with a straight eyepiece. 
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Remember that you must have an angled eyepiece. Straight eyepieces don't allow you to look thru the scope without a serious effort, especially if you wear a hat and you're slung up in prone. Dang! I wish I'd known that before my Dad bought mine. And to think I've used it since 1982 with a straight eyepiece. I'm worse off than you. I've been using a 15x45 Redfield Spotting Scope since 1972 with a straight eyepiece. I haven't missed a season yet and use it for 200/300/500/600/1,000 yard shooting. With the scope on my left and the rifle in my shoulder on my right, all I have to do is tilt my head slightly to scope or shoot. |
I bought the Konus 80mm spotting scope and the Jim Owens stand when I started out a several years ago. I didn't want to spend a lot of money on good equipment because I didn't know if I would enjoy/keep shooting. I've bought plenty of stuff over the years, only to use it a couple of times.
I haven't had any problems with the scope, maybe because I haven't dropped it yet. I decided to upgrade the stand first, which I felt was the weakest link. Went with a Ray-Vin stand this past summer. Really like it over my old stand. I don't plan on upgraded the scope yet. It does most of what I need to do (shooting M1's and M1A's). I'm not that good at reading mirages, so I'm not missing anything. Good luck on your quest for a scope. There are a lot of them out there. If you have the chance to compare different ones at matches, do it. I think all shooters would let you look at their scopes. |
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I second what danpass says. I bought a Barska 20-60x, and my buddy had one also. He upgraded to a Konus 15-45x this past summer while at Perry, and putting them side-by-side shows quite a difference. We went to a 200 yard walk-up match about a month ago, and at 200 yards, I couldn't see the holes in the black with mine. But with his, I could. Due to the lighting conditions (a bit overcast) some of the other guys were having trouble seeing them in the black also, but the Konus scope definitely was brighter.
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Would any here volunteer an opinion on spotting scopes in the below 500.00 range. The number available is mind numbing, figured folks here would have the necessary experience to offer help. Thanks Sir, let me begin by mentioning that I've been a competitive HP shooter for a long time and use the best gear I can afford. There are two purposes for having a spotting scope, one is to see shot holes on a target some distance down range, and the other to enable the shooter to see changing conditions down range that will effect the impact of the bullet on target. My suggestion if your purpose is to see shot holes on paper is to confine your shooting to distances less than 200yds, and your search for a scope to below the price range you mention. Bushnell, Konus, etc. are all adequate for the purpose. I recommend you shop online, Champion Shooters supply, Champions Choice, and others all have a range of scopes available to suit just about any budget. Jim Owens usually has a selection of scopes, I think his web site is www.jarheadtop.com. Keep in mind that as the distance to the target increases your ability to see your shot holes will decrease regardless the magnification you may select. Distortion of the optical image will occur given normal air density and movement also known as mirage. The quality of the scope's objective lens will affect resolution as distance increases but to state it simply, at distances of 200yds and greater even scopes with a magnification greater than 25X will be difficult to resolve shot holes in the aiming black given all but the best conditions. Back lighting becomes crucial. You will not need to see shot holes most of the time in full distance HP matches, the targets are scored in the pits with spotters which you can see with the naked eye most of the time. A spotting scope is helpful when you're scoring especially to read the chalk boards in rapid fire as well as to see the spotters at 600yd. Most of the time beyond 200yd you will not be able to see shot holes. Some times at 200yd I'm able to see my first two rapid fire shots and it's nice to be able to make a sight change if I need to but I don't depend on it. Even at 200yd it pays to have the wind reading skills to make a sight correction based on your wind call before you break your two and eight. CMP matches don't have spotters and even in NRA matches the conditions can change after you fire your spotters. The true value of a good scope such as the Kowas that are so popular among the High power shooters is the ability to see the changing conditions as an aid to making sight corrections before you break the shot. A good scope is an invaluable aid for doing this and enables the shooter to adjust his shot before he breaks it rather than losing points and chasing the spotter. The only way to get better at reading the wind is to practice it and without a good scope the shooter attempting to read the wind is severely handicapped. Not that you asked but simply because it has already been mentioned, a scope with an angled eyepiece is a nice feature but not a necessity. I used a straight Unertl 24X63 spotting scope for quite a few years before I bought my Kowa. Adjusting it on the scope stand to enable use from the prone position is just a matter of knowing how. FWIW I use a Ray Vin scope stand now but I used a Freeland bipod for many years. Just my humble opinion, 7zero1, |
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Konus Konuspot 20-60x80mm (3.1") Spotting Scope 7120 w/ FREE UPS $ 299.00 This is an unbelievable price. Is this the range you've seen them in? I bought one a year ago for just under $200 delivered. Do a search on the internet and you should find several sources and prices. You will have to come up with a base, poles, and cradle. The "stand" that comes with it is a joke. The scope is surprisingly light in weight. The eye relief is VERY short. I had to take off my shooting glasses to see. The lens covers are continually falling off when you move the scope to and from the firing line. For 50 yd pistol and indoor smallbore, it's fantastic. For over the full highpower course, it's pretty good. Don't knock it around excessively since it seems somewhat fragile. For the price, it's a great buy. |
| I purchased a Konus scope from Top Owen's a couple of years ago and have been satisfied with its performance. It has its down falls: short eye relief and some optic distortion, but for the starting shooter on a budjet it was all I could afford.I have used it at local reduced course shoots and at Camp Butner and have had no problem reading the board for rapid strings. I also purchased the stand he markets and have found it less than sutable for me anyway and will upgrade as soon as possible. It is stable but a finger pincher and that really sucks in cold weather. |
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I used a Konus over the several years as the price was right. I always take good care of my gear but coming back from the pits last year at Perry (P-100) I found the weak link in the scopes and then found out it is a COMMON problem. One of my team members either dropped it from standing to sitting or they kicked it. They never did fess up. I sent it back in and got a new one but that didn't help when I needed it the next day. This year I'm leaving my personal scope home and going to use an issued Kowa with a Creedmore Big Blue stand.
If it wasn't for the cheap material in the ring I'd buy Konus all day long. A guy/company could get rich making a decent replacement ring for it. |
| When I was at the state SR match last year, a shooter's scope stand fell over while it was set up for the off-hand position. Broke the mounting ring on the Konus Scope. He used a couple zip ties to secure it back on the stand. He only used it for scoring and was able to use another shooter's scope when on the line. I saw another Konus Scope that had a broken ring. The shooter used duck tape to secure it. It looked like it was on pretty good. I do keep duct tape in the car when I go out shooting, just in case my scope falls and breaks. I don't plan on replacing mine until it breaks or I come across a good deal. |
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If it wasn't for the cheap material in the ring I'd buy Konus all day long. A guy/company could get rich making a decent replacement ring for it. What ring would that be? Vulnerable minds would like to know. The band/ring that wraps around the body of the scope that attaches your scope the scope stand. It also houses the adjustments you use to set the angle of the eye piece. I could not belive how many I seen broke right after mine broke, it's like the clouds just parted or I bought a silver car and noticed how many silver cars were now on the road. I used a pipe clamp and duct tape the following days. (Of course the spares I wanted brought with us were left in the office back in New London doing no good) The freeland universal wouldn't work on it the way I wanted to or I would have picked one up from vendor row. |
| This is exactly how mine broke. I pushed the scope up a bit in prone one day to try and get it on target, POP. Ring was broken. Konus did replace it but they asked me about 20 times if I had dropped it. Seemed like they wouldn't have fixed it if I had dropped it. Other than the thin little collar/ring, I would buy another one. As it stands, my next scope will be a Kowa. |