Kowa TSN-883/884 around Calgary? Owners opinions?

marcoman

marcoman

CGN frequent flyer
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I've been considering buying a new spotting scope and was pretty much set upon getting the new Swarovski STR 80 with MRAD reticle. My interests lie heavily in LR shooting and after using a buddy's Hensoldt Spotter 60 I thought I wanted a spotter with a reticle.
A friend pointed out in jest that it would be silly to spend that much money to upgrade simply for a reticle. Particulary when it will benefit the guy behind the gun more than myself behind the spotting scope.
This comment kind of stuck with me and I have to say that it has made me re-think this purchase somewhat.
I have decided that if I upgrade spotting scopes it should be based on the optical qualities the scope has to offer rather than the novelty of a reticle. Enter the Kowa TSN-883/884.

I am currently using a Zeiss Diascope 85 T* FL. I would love the opportunity to compare my current setup directly to the Kowa and see first hand what advantages in resolving, contrast, brightness etc. Kowa's flagship optic offers over my Zeiss.

Does anyone know of a stocking dealer in Calgary? Do any CGN'ers in Calgary own this optic and would be willing to meet to compare? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thx!
 
johnl said:
What is the max distance you can still see 30 calibre bullet holes? Be honest:p
Click to expand...
Wouldn't base a decision solely on claims of seeing bullet holes at a long range. Holes in the white "can" often be seen better than those in the black. A crappy scope used under optimal light conditions can offer images that appear better than a great scope under crappy conditions (eg low sun induced flare) clean optics better than those with eyepieces greasy from eyelashes. ALL optical systems are a balance of factors that influence design. Long eye relief (needed if you wear mandatory shooting glasses) compromises FOV (important if you like to observe mirage on your target and over a larger FOV)...some manufacturers can produce extremely high resolution optical systems...but low contrast which makes it difficult for the eye to discern the available detail etc etc. Some build a great scope but too heavy for the marginal gains achieved over a lesser scope that is more portable. And then there is cost....used to be Fluorite lenses were the cats pajama's but at a high cost and fragile construction newer glass and construction techniques have reduced the advantage.....and so forth. I think some companies have optimised their scopes for birders (a huge market)..i think Leitz, swarovski, Zeiss, Nikon etc fall more in this category and some (well one) has scopes optimised for shooters eg Kowa.
Many experienced long range shooters gravitate to Kowa. Not to say that it's the only choice. But it is a VERY good choice for many reasons one of whic is that you are unlikely to find better for target shooting.
 
I don't have a Kowa but I have a couple of anecdotes: make of them what you will.

I was at an F-class match with my Pentax PF-80 (quite common in F-class and arguably the best bang for the buck) and had an opportunity to do a side by side comparison against a Kowa 883 at 500m. A bright sunny day, and with both scopes it was easy to see bullet holes in the white part of the target board. However, the Kowa was noticeably brighter.

At another competition at 600m, on a rainy flat light day, I was unable to see hits or trace with my Pentax, whereas the fellow beside me was calling the hits for his shooter. Kowa, of course.

So, in my opinion, if you want what works the very best my vote would be Kowa.
 
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