Spotting scope recommondations for bench rest shooting

TheCircle

TheCircle

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Hello fellow gun nutz!

I am in the market for a spotting scope and would like to know what other people experiences are and what they think of the set up they run.
What I am looking for is a spotting scope of good quality to cost ratio. I would like to target shoot out to 100-200 yards (maybe more when I become a more experienced shooter).
I don't have plans to become a hunter so this optic would be used on a bench.

I would preferably be buying in the $300 range but I am open to suggestions.
Any comments or thoughts would be much appreciated!

Thank you
 
You get what you pay for when it comes optics. Some eye pieces for spotting scope will run close to $300. If you want quality look at the Kowa or Pentax lines but these are a buy once, cry once piece of equipment.
 
maynard said:
You get what you pay for when it comes optics. Some eye pieces for spotting scope will run close to $300. If you want quality look at the Kowa or Pentax lines but these are a buy once, cry once piece of equipment.
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Hey, thanks for the reply! Kowa and Pentax are just a little bit out of my budget. I was looking at the Celestron for $230 but I know its not going to be that great of quality.
 
Save your pennies or I guess I should say nickels now. There is a good chance that the scope on your rifle will be better than a $230 spotting scope. Who knows you might get lucky and get the good one. Or you will be $230 in the hole towards saving for a better scope.
 
Maynard is right.... and you may get lucky if you contact some of the stores that cater to bird watchers and that also sell better scopes .... some of these guys and gals that are avid birders are very fussy about optics and will periodically 'upgrade' by trading in a perfectly good scope (for spotting) in order to acquire the 'latest and greatest' thing available. There is nothing wrong with that and in puts some pretty good optics in reach of a tight budget.

Some other factors to consider: fixed power oculars are less expensive than variables AND are often able to provide a better image; you should definitely consider a 45 deg. scope for shooting; make sure you get a good tripod as an 'average' spotting scope on a sturdy tripod will give you more satisfaction than a superb spotting scope on a shxtty tripod; a sunshade is a must -and it will provde huge advantages in reducing flare and improving image contrast - and a sliding built in sunshade is the best while a screw on shade is a PITA....sunshades/lens hoods also protect the objective from the elements and clumsy shooters.

Now for a word of warning ... more than one $thousand dollar +++ spotting scope has been accidentally elbowed of a shooting bench and taken a hard fall on the concrete pad below. Be careful.
 
I was in the same boat last month, looking for a new spotting scope. Mine met a sad demise, when a strong wind gust caught it and blew it off the bench, snapped in two. ��

As for a recommendation, I went with Vortex, 20x60-80. I spent more than I wanted, but it is very clear. Paid a little over $600, on amazon.com.

https://www.amazon.ca/Vortex-DBK-80A1-Diamondback-Angled-Spotting/dp/B00BIKFJ6Q/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1499662500&sr=8-3&keywords=vortex%2Brazor%2Bhd%2Bspotting%2Bscope&th=1&psc=1

I have no regrets, I can see a .223 hole at 300m.

Hope this helps.
 
I was in the same boat last month, looking for a new spotting scope. Mine met a sad demise, when a strong wind gust caught it and blew it off the bench, snapped in two.
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Awe man, that is brutal! I guess the most sturdy way to go would be a mount that clamps right onto the shooting bench?

contact some of the stores that cater to bird watchers and that also sell better scopes

Some other factors to consider: fixed power oculars are less expensive than variables AND are often able to provide a better image; you should definitely consider a 45 deg. scope for shooting; make sure you get a good tripod as an 'average' spotting scope on a sturdy tripod will give you more satisfaction than a superb spotting scope on a shxtty tripod; a sunshade is a must -and it will proved huge advantages in reducing flare and improving image contrast - and a sliding built in sunshade is the best while a screw on shade is a PITA....sunshades/lens hoods also protect the objective from the elements and clumsy shooters.
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Wow, Thank you very much for the words of wisdom. Much appreciated.
 
Put an ad in the EE. When I go to gun shows I often see older Burris/Redfield etc spotting scopes with fixed power or adjustable up to 30x in the price range you list. If you're looking for a new one, check out some of the Made in China offerings from Lever Arms or Canada Ammo. If as you say you're just going to use it for spotting target hits you just need clarity out to the distance you prefer to shoot.

If you're going to shoot much past 300m you need to get something with HD lenses. That's when it gets expensive.

When you're trying to peer through mirage or fog, it doesn't matter how expensive or sharp the scope is.

As for using your scope????????????????????? I watched a fellow doing that a few months ago. He was shooting at 100m and when he wanted to look at his target he would crank up the magnification on his scope to 26X then crank it back down to 6x. Couldn't figure out why his POIs kept changing.
 
Spend the $ on a good scope. Using targets that aren't black will increase how far you'll be able to see the holes. Further than that you might as well get a target cam or such set up.

I have a celestron 25-75x(canadian tire special 3yrs ago), I only use it to see the score and shot spotter(TR), binoculars would do too..., but honestly its pretty crappy otherwise.
 
Two things come to mind: 1. only rich people can afford to buy cheap glass and 2. if only shooting at 200 or so, invest in a good scope and you will see your holes w/o the need for a spotter.
 
TheCircle said:
Hello fellow gun nutz!

I am in the market for a spotting scope and would like to know what other people experiences are and what they think of the set up they run.
What I am looking for is a spotting scope of good quality to cost ratio. I would like to target shoot out to 100-200 yards (maybe more when I become a more experienced shooter).
I don't have plans to become a hunter so this optic would be used on a bench.

I would preferably be buying in the $300 range but I am open to suggestions.
Any comments or thoughts would be much appreciated!

Thank you
Click to expand...
A good quality scope for around $300. is like, trying to make a silk purse from sows ear. For $300 I would only recommend an older/used Bushnell spotting scope, the ones that had/have the grey body.
 
lwing said:
Took me a while to learn buy once cry once, if only I had all the money back from cheap glass
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^This optical eye strain headaches for a long summer's day of long distance spotting/ shooting will change anyones opinion regarding what they are willing to pay to avoid this considerable discomfort.

I side with maynard myself; kowa/pentax will get you there just fine. And you will not ever have to upgrade, really.
 
SND said:
Spend the $ on a good scope. Using targets that aren't black will increase how far you'll be able to see the holes. Further than that you might as well get a target cam or such set up.

I have a celestron 25-75x(canadian tire special 3yrs ago), I only use it to see the score and shot spotter(TR), binoculars would do too..., but honestly its pretty crappy otherwise.
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I have the same model and it's quite disappointing. It'll do that job up to 100m, that's about it. The picture is actually blurry and hard to focus at 75x. I'm definitely in the market to get a better scope this summer also.
 
If you want a $300 scope, just go buy the first one you come across...they're not very good and you will eventually look through top-notch glass and realize what you're missing. You're talking about trying to see pencil-eraser sized holes in a sheet of paper at the far end of a couple of football fields...that isn't where cheap glass excels. Cheap glass is for leering pervertedly at chicks on the beach under the guise of birdwatching.
 
Do you have a store within reasonable driving distance where you can go and have a look through a few scopes from different price ranges? That's the best way to convince yourself that cheap scopes aren't worth the money.
 
I bought a Celestron 45x with a bench tripod for around a hundred bucks on Amazon. Comes with a soft case and a hard case. Small, portable, and I've had it for a few years without issue. Nothing fancy, I know, but it's great at the range.

Cannon
 
Cranberry said:
Do you have a store within reasonable driving distance where you can go and have a look through a few scopes from different price ranges? That's the best way to convince yourself that cheap scopes aren't worth the money.
Click to expand...

Most stores won't stock high end scopes let alone spotting scope...
 
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