Help me choose a spotting scope for the range

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BadRonald

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I need a spotting scope capable of seeing .22 holes at 200 yards. I'm finding it hard to sort through all the products and reviews out there. There is a lot of variablility in price. I have little experience with spotting scopes, so I don't really have a sense of what $500 buys me vs $2500 in terms of capability. I will pay for quality but I don't want to overdo it if I don't need to. I just need to see the holes at 200 yards in fair weather with good light, nothing more.

Can anyone recommend some brands/models that would satisfy my needs? Prefer to keep it under $1000 including the tripod. Similarly, I'm looking for recommendations on a tripod to go with my scope for range use.
 
Wellllllllll, if yer at the range and there are spotting scopes set up, offer to spot
to gain some idea what works fer yer eyes?

I've got a huemungguzz Burris I regret purchasing.
Like wearing bewts six sizes too big.
 
To see .22 holes at 200y requires a scope with excellent resolution. It also requires that light and atmospheric conditions cooperate, as well as a suitable target.
I am using a Kowa 663 with 25X LER eyepiece; like it very much. Its price with case and stand is mid-range, if your limits are $500 - $2500.
 
BadRonald said:
I need a spotting scope capable of seeing .22 holes at 200 yards. I'm finding it hard to sort through all the products and reviews out there. There is a lot of variablility in price. I have little experience with spotting scopes, so I don't really have a sense of what $500 buys me vs $2500 in terms of capability. I will pay for quality but I don't want to overdo it if I don't need to. I just need to see the holes at 200 yards in fair weather with good light, nothing more.

Can anyone recommend some brands/models that would satisfy my needs? Prefer to keep it under $1000 including the tripod. Similarly, I'm looking for recommendations on a tripod to go with my scope for range use.
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You may find this of some use: http://rifletalk.org/2015/05/19/review-of-pentax-80ed-spotting-scope/
 
Tomochan said:
You may find this of some use: http://rifletalk.org/2015/05/19/review-of-pentax-80ed-spotting-scope/
Click to expand...

Based largely upon Tomochan's review of the 80ED-A, (and also the reviews on B&H), I recently picked one up. Got a pretty great deal from binocularscanada.com. I had never heard of them before stumbling upon them via google. They don't keep them in stock, and quoted me 6-12 weeks for them to be supplied by Pentax, but in the end it arrived at my door after 3 weeks. I did however pass on the zoom eyepiece, instead opting for the XW series of primes. The XW10 equates to a 52x magnification factor, and is VERY nice. I splurged and got some of the other eyepieces, all XW primes, all the way down to XW3.5 (a ridiculous 148x magnification factor). Basically I see the XW10 and the XW7 (74x) as my primary range eyepieces. The more powerful ones will be allocated to a more lunar mission.

Thanks,
Cal.
 
I have looked at the Pentax 80ED. Looks like a great scope and is very well reviewed. But after you buy an eyepiece and tripod it is well over $1k. What I am trying to determine is: do I *need* to spend that much to be able to see my targets? The review linked above says holes at 300m were visible with the Pentax. I don't need to see that far, so this scope may be more than I need. Can anyone comment on what something in the $600-700 range will do for me? I'm looking at things like the Vortex Diamondback or Leupold Ventana.
 
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I have a Kowa that I picked up last year. Before that I had a Bushnell Elite HD that served me and my partner quite nicely, shooting long range precision matches. I'm about to list the Bushnell for sale, if you're interested, PM me. It's a 20-60x 80mm objective in like new condition.
 
BadRonald said:
I have looked at the Pentax 80ED. Looks like a great scope and is very well reviewed. But after you buy an eyepiece and tripod it is well over $1k. What I am trying to determine is: do I *need* to spend that much to be able to see my targets? The review linked above says holes at 300m were visible with the Pentax. I don't need to see that far, so this scope may be more than I need. Can anyone comment on what something in the $600-700 range will do for me? I'm looking at things like the Vortex Diamondback or Leupold Ventana.
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As the saying goes, "there is nothing more expensive than buying cheap". With respect to *needs*, my advice would be to look not just at what you need today, but what you will need tomorrow. Before I picked up a spotting scope I put the funds towards higher magnification scopes with the thought that I would use the scope as a spotter. It worked well, but was a pain to drag out a rifle simply to use as a spotter.

JMHO

Thanks,
Cal.
 
Since you are in Southern Ontario take a drive to Pelee Wings between Point Pelee and Leamington. They have a good selection of spotting scopes and eye pieces and will let you set a few up compare them side by side.

Also depending on what your main purpose of the scope is, range use, plinking, benchrest, prone, or 3 position or bird watching a spotting scope stand used for competitive shooting might be a better choice than a tripod.
 
Bushnell spotting scope

I am looking to buy a scope.
I might be interested in the Bushnell scope you said you might part with.
Could you reply with full Name/ Model number to look it up?
Thank you!

Cheers, Val
 
Have you compared it to the 77mm and 88mm Kowa spotters? I'm in the market for hunting/range scope. I've been able to find reviews for the 88mm (all positive with many people saying its the best spotter period). I really like my Kowa binos so I'm hoping the 663 is the same quality.

tiriaq said:
To see .22 holes at 200y requires a scope with excellent resolution. It also requires that light and atmospheric conditions cooperate, as well as a suitable target.
I am using a Kowa 663 with 25X LER eyepiece; like it very much. Its price with case and stand is mid-range, if your limits are $500 - $2500.
Click to expand...
 
something to keep in mind is that you can rarely go beyond 40x magnification during the day due to the disturbed atmosphere (ie. heat waves radiating off the ground) you're looking through. that's why most spotting scopes come with 20 - 60x zoom eyepieces. only on an exceptional or cool day will you be able to push the optics of your scope to the highest magnification.

so, that means you want to get a scope that has quality glass or lots of aperture to allow for good resolution at the lower magnifications you'll be able to use.

an excellent scope for that is the Celestron C90 Mak spotting scope. it has a larger than average 90mm lens and is what I use for the range. my friends are always fighting over who gets to use the scope when they're shooting out to 200 or 300 yards because it sees the targets so easily.

http://www.celestron.com/browse-shop/sport-optics/spotting-scopes/c90-mak-spotting-scope

a cool side feature/function is the C90 will let you look at the moon and planets, without much difficulty, which are the easiest things to see when you live in a city, because their reflections are so bright.

you have a couple of options to mount this scope as well. you can use a standard photo tripod, as on the bar (called, in telescope speak, a Vixen dovetail) on the bottom of the scope there is your standard 1/4" photo tripod screw hole, so you can secure your tripod head foot to it and snap it into place. An alternate option is to get something for tripods that uses the Vixen dovetail, like the AZ4 tripod mount from SkyWatcher. it even comes with a leg spreader that has holes to let you put your different eyepieces for various magnifications, for easy access.

http://ca.skywatcher.com/_english/02_mounts/02_detail.php?sid=50

now the scope doesn't come with a zoom eyepiece, but you can buy one for about $100 or so.

http://ca.skywatcher.com/_english/03_accessories/02_detail.php?sid=166

I know I've posted a lot of info, but I recommend this because a) I have personal experience and b) the Maksutov-Cassegrain lens system is extremely well regarded, especially in the astronomy community and is under appreciated for terrestrial viewing.
 
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