Spotting scope for long distance

target-guy

target-guy

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Hello all.
Looking for an option on a spotting scope to 100 - 300 yards.
Used my old spotter last weekend and could not clearly see .22 hole at 100 yards.
Planning on shooting .308 out to 300 yards.
What kind of objective and magnification should I be looking for?
Any ideas on a "budget" models for this range.
Thanks again.
 
Pelee Wings sells Kowa. They also have a modest sale on until today on Vortex and Swarovski. 5% off which adds up to a few bucks on a high end scope. They're primarily birders but are supportive of hunters as well which is a big plus in my book (not all birders want to be out friends).
 
target-guy said:
Hello all.
Looking for an option on a spotting scope to 100 - 300 yards.
Used my old spotter last weekend and could not clearly see .22 hole at 100 yards.
Planning on shooting .308 out to 300 yards.
What kind of objective and magnification should I be looking for?
Any ideas on a "budget" models for this range.
Thanks again.
Click to expand...

If you look at Mebiuspower's link at 6mmbr.... you will see at the bottom they also mention budget scopes and identify the Nikon "Sky and Earth" scopes ... I bought one used with a fixed 25x eyepiece about 10 years ago and it is pretty good. NOT swarovski, leitz, kowa good ... but pretty darn good for the price and well worth having a look at one. A Nikon Sky and Earth scope with a clean eyepiece will give you a better image than a $3k Swarovski with a grease covered (from eyelashes) and dusty eyepiece! .. Anyway -- it looks like they dont sell the Sky and Earth now but the equivalent would be the Prostaff series probably ... I'd have a look at the angled version if I were in the market for an economical quality spotter
 
I went through this a while ago. I wanted something under $800 to see 6mm at 300 yards. I ended up getting a 30 year old Bushnell Spacemaster scope on kijiji for $50 with a zoom up to 45x. It's an amazing scope and you can easily see what you are doing, I see absolutely no need to ever upgrade this unless I am trying to see something at extreme ranges like 500 yards or more where I would need 60x. Here is a review of that old scope .. http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/bushnell/spacemaster-ii.htm
 
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I've had a Bushnell Trophy XLT (45x)for a few years now that ran me about $250. Seeing .308 holes out to 300 yards is no problem. I can usually see .308 holes out to 400, 475 even when conditions are right. A nicer spotting scope is on the list for eventually but honestly, the Bushnell works quite well.
 
I've been pretty happy with the Konus Konuspot that I bought about 6 years ago, but if I was buying today I'd consider this system.
[youtube]U9zmLqm_gLA[/youtube]
 
Hey MikeinCalgary My Wife bought my Bushnell Spacemaster new 26 years ago and it still working great.Do not know if the scopes have the same quality for the same dollar as years ago.Good luck on your search Target-Guy.
 
target-guy said:
Hello all.
Looking for an option on a spotting scope to 100 - 300 yards.
Used my old spotter last weekend and could not clearly see .22 hole at 100 yards.
Planning on shooting .308 out to 300 yards.
What kind of objective and magnification should I be looking for?
Any ideas on a "budget" models for this range.
Thanks again.
Click to expand...

If all you want is to view a target, the best value today is with a wireless camera set up. I just got in the Caldwell system and it works as advertised. For the money, I can't build one as complete or as easy to use.

AND there is no new spotting scope remotely close to the performance and ease of viewing for the price today.

[youtube]Oiv6EIGxAmQ[/youtube]

If you do want a spotter for other purposes, then consider Kowa, Pentax for price vs performance. But it will cost a bunch.

OR, you can look at a quality high mag scope and view the target as well as aim precisely. I have no problem spotting my own hits with my Sightrons and 308 holes.

Jerry
 
I bought a Pentax 80ED (used) on ebay, and a Manfrotto/Bogen tripod and head (used) also on ebay a couple summers ago. Once the dust settled I had about $1000 CAD into the setup. The review at the link Mebiuspower provided is pretty accurate.
Kowas are a nicer scope but for the same size Kowa with a quality tripod and head to mount it on you may be hard pressed to find anything in new condition for under $1000.

Depending on your budget both these options may be a bit overkill to look at .308 holes at ranges less than 300yds.
 
Mystic Precision said:
If all you want is to view a target, the best value today is with a wireless camera set up. I just got in the Caldwell system and it works as advertised. For the money, I can't build one as complete or as easy to use.

AND there is no new spotting scope remotely close to the performance and ease of viewing for the price today.

[youtube]Oiv6EIGxAmQ[/youtube]

If you do want a spotter for other purposes, then consider Kowa, Pentax for price vs performance. But it will cost a bunch.

OR, you can look at a quality high mag scope and view the target as well as aim precisely. I have no problem spotting my own hits with my Sightrons and 308 holes.

Jerry
Click to expand...

Good point Jerry, high variable power scope and spotter all in one.
Does the Caldwell camera system have the software that shows the hits flashing among the groups and allows different shooters to shoot and see their groups on the same target?

How much do you sell The Caldwell system for?
To get out to a mile with the Bullseye system is $650 US so Around $840 Cdn
 
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Mystic Precision said:
If all you want is to view a target, the best value today is with a wireless camera set up. I just got in the Caldwell system and it works as advertised. For the money, I can't build one as complete or as easy to use.

AND there is no new spotting scope remotely close to the performance and ease of viewing for the price today.


[youtube]Oiv6EIGxAmQ[/youtube]

If you do want a spotter for other purposes, then consider Kowa, Pentax for price vs performance. But it will cost a bunch.

OR, you can look at a quality high mag scope and view the target as well as aim precisely. I have no problem spotting my own hits with my Sightrons and 308 holes.

Jerry
Click to expand...


How much $$$$
 
The compact nature of the bullseye system is also appealing.
This guy does a pretty good review of the features of their software.
[youtube]zcJA8Rdy_2I[/youtube]
 
Can-down said:
Good point Jerry, high variable power scope and spotter all in one.
Does the Caldwell camera system have the software that shows the hits flashing among the groups and allows different shooters to shoot and see their groups on the same target?

How much do you sell The Caldwell system for?
To get out to a mile with the Bullseye system is $650 US so Around $840 Cdn
Click to expand...

Send me a PM or email to discuss pricing as I am not allowed to on an open forum. It will be quite a bit cheaper then the Bullseye. We had this system, didn't like it and software was a pain to use.

Caldwell is very straightforward and simple... see their site for full production description.

I only care about video streaming as that is really what works when you are shooting and viewing. if you can't remember, just plot your impacts on paper and you can shoot to your hearts delight.

There are extra bells and whistles in the software... don't use so never investigated.

Jerry
 
Mystic Precision said:
Send me a PM or email to discuss pricing as I am not allowed to on an open forum. It will be quite a bit cheaper then the Bullseye. We had this system, didn't like it and software was a pain to use.

Caldwell is very straightforward and simple... see their site for full production description.

I only care about video streaming as that is really what works when you are shooting and viewing. if you can't remember, just plot your impacts on paper and you can shoot to your hearts delight.

There are extra bells and whistles in the software... don't use so never investigated.

Jerry
Click to expand...

I can see that it's simpler with the caldwell as just a camera but as long as the software works ( I don't mind learning how to use it) it seems pretty nice to be able to see shot patterns and each shot in review. Can multiple users together use the caldwell system on their own devices, to shoot and view individual targets?

As far as I can see ,from the limited reviews of the caldwell,.....one of the bells is a software group measurement feature that seems a bit gimmicky.
 
Each Tx and RX pair works as a closed system... you can log on as many wifi devices as you want to view the same image stream.

I can only assume that if you happend to shoot with 2 systems, each system could be viewed independently... don't know for sure.

so let's say you have 1 system and 2 targets with 2 shooters, each shooter could view the same image and thus, their target and the one close by.

The field of view PER person is quite large but if you wanted to have multiple targets and shooters on the same backstop, targets would have to be close and that can cause problems with cross fires.

Jerry

PS, the simplicity and ease of use is why the system will be used more often the others. It gives the user exactly what they need - a clear image of the target in real time. There isn't alot of gimicky stuff to get in the way of the info needed... location of the shot. You don't need nor want all sorts of stuff to slow down the image refresh ..... pull the trigger, look beside you and there is your shot... that is all you want and need.
 
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