Spotting scope, straight or angled?

Davy Crockett

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Just wondering what style you prefer. This will be used in all shooting positions including prone. It'll see range use as well as some hunting and general viewing.
 
Get an angled, we have a straight and it can be a pain in the neck. (but it is a GREAT scope, and the price was way too good to pass up)

If on a tripod, you can mount an angled much lower and look down into it. Likewise prone, you don't have to crank your head up as much.
 
Angled for sure if you are using it for target shooting. It gives you a lot more flexibility in positioning.

A straight eyepiece is fine for glassing for game etc. but when using a spotting scope from a shooting position to look at your target, angled is the way to go.
 
My Bushnell has an eyepiece can be moved along a 90 degree arc. Angled up it's very convenient for pistol shooting. Set straight it's convenient for bench rifle. The optics are just so-so, but it's good enough for most purposes.
 
Straight. I live on the coast...we get lotsa drizzle and rain - try to keep that out of the eyepiece of an angled. If it hurts your neck you're using the wrong tripod. My $0.02
 
hmmm........so two straight, two angled and one says both :D


I'm not getting too far here :)

Maybe I'm not getting something but in cases where I would be at about the same height as I'd need my scope like shooting from prone in service rifle or shooting off the bench wouldn't it be harder to see into the angled scope since the eyepiece is higher? Wouldn't the scope and tripod be higher than the line of sight of my rifle scope with the mag resting on the ground?
 
I would go straight for sure. It also depends what you you are using it for. On a range an angled is fine but if you need to aquire a target quickly or scan to another target like say in a operational enviroment an angled sucks.
 
I would go straight for sure. It also depends what you you are using it for. On a range an angled is fine but if you need to aquire a target quickly or scan to another target like say in a operational enviroment an angled sucks.


I am leaning towards straight, mostly because I'd like to use it for hunting also and I think your comment about quick target acquisition comes into play there.

I think I may have to end up buying one of each.
 
I have a straight one, use it almost exclusively for target practice and totally wish I had an angle.
 
I would go straight for sure. It also depends what you you are using it for. On a range an angled is fine but if you need to aquire a target quickly or scan to another target like say in a operational enviroment an angled sucks.

I agree absolutely about a straight for field use.

My comments about angled were directed at target shooting rather than field use. We don't often take our straight scope into the field, it is an 80mm and just way to big.
 
Maybe I'm not getting something but in cases where I would be at about the same height as I'd need my scope like shooting from prone in service rifle or shooting off the bench wouldn't it be harder to see into the angled scope since the eyepiece is higher? Wouldn't the scope and tripod be higher than the line of sight of my rifle scope with the mag resting on the ground?

For that purpose straight would be better. For pistol, or offhand rifle shooting, the angled type saves you a lot of awkward bending (unless you have a really high tripod - which is not always convenient.)

If you can find one you like with an moveable eyepiece it serves both purposes.
 
Off the bench? Angled. On a tall tripod for pistol shooting, or spotting for someone else, straight. In the field, scanning for game, straight. FWIW - dan

Yup! Angled are a total PITA for hunting situations. If it needs to serve dual purpose, then straight no question.
 
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