Hey!

I was just wondering if anyone could suggest what spotting scope would be good up to 200 yards that would give good clarity without breaking my bank?

Thanks so much for your help.  

Sorry Backstrap that no one has responded and offered advice.  For the $250 range, Leupold has a nice spotting scope for 100-200 yards.  Its not so much on the magnification that you should be concerned about, but on the quality of the lenses and clarity that you get.  Say, aren't you that cute chick at the San Joaquin Rifle and Pistol range?

Konus

Got one of the Bushnell first focal plane, mildot spotters a few weeks back, very nice, very useful, has had many good reviews and didn't break the bank.  midway had them in stock at the time.

Hey Hi deadon57!!!!!  Yes, that was me at the range.  You're the guy with the awesome rifles and the black widow spider bites right?  Ouch!  We had a lot of fun that day, let's do it again soon, okay?

Thanks for the suggestions guys.  

I got a used Konus Konospot 80mm 20x60 about a year ago on e-bay for just under $200. Very clear, good field of view, and able to clearly see 30 cal holes at 200yd. The only minus is the eye relief at 60 power. You have to remove any glasses to get the eyeball close enought to the eyepiece to see.

Good to know, thank you.  I'll have to check that out.

This is what I would recommend as well. The Mil-Dot "reticle" is very convenient, and its FFP to boot. Midway still has some in stock, Here  My buddy has one of these that he brings to our local F-Class matches, and it's performed very well out to 600 yards.

The Bushnell is a great deal at $349 to $369 depending on where you buy it. I bought it to spot with when my friend and I are shooting long range. We use mil-dot scopes and wanted a mil-dot spotter to use as well. The only thing I didn't like is the tripod that came with it. We built our own that is rock solid so we can utulize the max power and still have it stabilized.

any chance you could post some pics and/or a description of what you used?

 

We took a 10"x10"x1/2" aluminum plate and drilled a hole in the center and tapped it to 1/2-24. Took a piece of aluminum rod 3/4"x9 and threaded one end for the plate and drilled and tapped the other for 1/4-20. We took an old window mount for a spotting scope that I had laying around (no name on it) and unscrewed it from the channel that fit onto the window. It's light enough to pack around but heavy enough to be stable. The only other thing I am considering doing to it is drilling a hole in each corner of the plate and adding some leveling feet. We used it on the table prairie dog shooting the other day and it was great. We had used it in the field where we were shooting prone and on uneven terrain and it wasn't bad after I moved some rocks and scraped the ground a bit. I am thinking of building another plate for it that is 6"x12" with the scope mounted at one end giving you someplace to rest an arm for added stability if needed. I will try to find time to post some pics of it this week or weekend. Before anyone asks how much....I have no idea as we scavenged the materials!

http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=3&f=18&t=509517

Thank you all  so much for giving me some feedback on the scopes you recommend/use.  
Gregory_K, thanks for the link to the other thread too.  

I have found the Burris and Leopolds to be extremely rugged, weather resistant and excellent viewing over the years. Price can be an issue for the cash strapped though.
I can say you will get what you pay for. My 1st was a bushnell that took a 3 foot drop from a shooting bench. After that it was toast. You could hear the inner lens bouncing around.
My Leopold on the other hand has been to Africa 2 times, Alaska 3 times and out west more times than I can count. It is 10 years old and more reliable than my wife. That says a lot.
They also make a model or 2 w/ mil-dot reticles which is my next purchase to compliment my 2 SPR's me and my son tag team.

http://www.6mmbr.com/targetcam.html

I'll throw another vote in for Konus, best bang for your buck by far.

Haven't used this personally, but I have been eyeballing one myself.  While not the best money can buy, it should get the job done at the range.


Only $220 for the package from Cabelas:  Redfield Rampage