New Spotting Scope - Recommendations

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Engineer

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Hi,

I'm in the research phase of perhaps getting a new spotting scope. As I get older, when I'm shooting prone I find it increasing harder to a twist myself and get my eye close enough to the eye piece to see my target clearly.

I currently have a few and would like 'one to rule them all'.

I have a couple of crap ones (Buahmaster and Tasco) and two I go to regularly. A Bushnell Sentry II 20x 50mm that has been my go to for 20m smallbore shooting for decades and a Baush&Lomb PremierHDR 15x-45x 60mm that I have started to use more as it has a 45deg eye piece (I can get closer to it). I also use it at 100m+ because of the additional magnification.

I'm looking for advice for a spoting scope with a long eye relief, 45deg eye piece, good from 20m out to 300m maybe 800m and I'd prefer to keep it under $500 but would go to $1000 for the right scope.

Advice? Recommendations? Warnings?
 
If your looking for a spotting scope to see bullet holes at 800 yards there would be nothing in my opinion in the price ranges your looking for. The B&L 15-35x60 you have is a good unit but you would probably have to get to the $1500 + range to improve significantly. If your budget is not expandable beyond $1000, look for a good used Zeiss or Swarovski. Phil.
 
P of PDent said:
If your looking for a spotting scope to see bullet holes at 800 yards there would be nothing in my opinion in the price ranges your looking for. The B&L 15-35x60 you have is a good unit but you would probably have to get to the $1500 + range to improve significantly. If your budget is not expandable beyond $1000, look for a good used Zeiss or Swarovski. Phil.
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Thanks Phil.

800m is purely a nice to have. My biggest issue with the B&L is the short eye relief.
 
i have a green ring leupold spotting scope which is surprisingly crappy. i have difficulty seeing holes in black 100 metre targets. my vx6 3x18 and vx3 6x24 both see holes better at half the power. my point being dont cheap out on your spotting scope like i did. i never got a chance to do a direct comparison but i looked through a leica and a nikon scope at 200 metres where my leupold would be hopeless and they were very good contrast was there to see the holes
 
porpoise said:
i have a green ring leupold spotting scope which is surprisingly crappy. i have difficulty seeing holes in black 100 metre targets. my vx6 3x18 and vx3 6x24 both see holes better at half the power. my point being dont cheap out on your spotting scope like i did. i never got a chance to do a direct comparison but i looked through a leica and a nikon scope at 200 metres where my leupold would be hopeless and they were very good contrast was there to see the holes
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That's a good point, if I'm using my Sightron SIII 8-32x56 set to around 24x I don't even use spoting scope to see my holes at 100m. But if I'm using something else I'm SOL.
 
I recently bought a vanguard endeavour hd 20-60x82 after doing loads of research. I'm happy with it. I've been doing lots of digiscoping with it and am starting to get used to and actually really like the angled eye piece. I bought it on Amazon for around $600.
 
savagelh said:
I recently bought a vanguard endeavour hd 20-60x82 after doing loads of research. I'm happy with it. I've been doing lots of digiscoping with it and am starting to get used to and actually really like the angled eye piece. I bought it on Amazon for around $600.
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I just checked out their website and it looks preety good but the eye relief is 19-20mm and I really want a long eye relief.
 
I would call Pelee Winds and ask if they have a long eye relief eye piece for your Baush&Lomb PremierHDR 15x-45x 60mm. If you are using the tripods that come with most spotting scope, buy yourself a spotting scope stand. Google "Freeland Spotting Scope Stands" as a bare minimum.
 
I landed on a vanguard endeavor hd after a lot of research on hunting/shooting and bird watching forums. Another one to consider is the Athlon ares.
 
maynard said:
I would call Pelee Winds and ask if they have a long eye relief eye piece for your Baush&Lomb PremierHDR 15x-45x 60mm. If you are using the tripods that come with most spotting scope, buy yourself a spotting scope stand. Google "Freeland Spotting Scope Stands" as a bare minimum.
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I love Freeland Stands so much each of the scopes I mentioned in my OP already have there own, LOL.
 
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