Spotting scopes

Hitzy

Hitzy

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What's a decent, clear, good eye releif, easy to focus at high power, spotting scope for around $300? I've bought cheaper ones when that was all I could afford and now have moved up to the $300 range....... :cry:
The bushnell spacemaster 15-45x60 and trophy 20-60x60 have caught my eye but I'm open to anything.
 
I have done some guiding so have had the opportunity to look through alot of different spotting scopes and in my opinion the "best bang for your buck" out there is the "Wind River " and just for interest sakes the best binoculars i have ever used are "Minox" better than swarovski's and equal to Leica's there will be lots of people who paid $1200.00 to $2500.00 that will argue that point but hey thats my opinion :)
Also everyones eyes are different and what works for one may not be the best for another.....

Gary
PS, I use B&L bino's and Bushnell spotter :( one day i will have a Wind River and Minox but i keep buying guns and spending my Bino money :)
 
The Leupold Sequoia Windriver is a very good scope for the money, a bit more than you want to spend. I think it is better than the Spacemaster 15x45x60 that I have. I also have a high end Fujinon (Fuji) 20x60x80 which is a great deal considering it is equal to the last generation Kowa's etc.

There was a Windriver for sale on CGN not too long ago. Suggest that you try and find it.

KB
 
SandRoad said:
The Leupold Sequoia Windriver is a very good scope for the money, a bit more than you want to spend. I think it is better than the Spacemaster 15x45x60 that I have. I also have a high end Fujinon (Fuji) 20x60x80 which is a great deal considering it is equal to the last generation Kowa's etc.

There was a Windriver for sale on CGN not too long ago. Suggest that you try and find it.

KB
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Where is the spacemaster made? I find the Japan manufactured Bushnell stuff pretty decent quality.
 
Check out Ebay they have a couple nice Leupold scopes on there now, their 25x50mm and a 30x60mm, both very nice. I have a 30x60mm armour rubber coated and love it.
 
I'm using a Yukon 20-50, Russian scope, quite cheap, nice glass, clear and easy to read.
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I had 1 of those comparing it my Kowa it was likelooking thru the bottom of a pop bottle :shock: definatly inexpensive
 
BARGAIN BIN--Nikon 15-45x60mm Sky & Earth on Sale: MidSouth Shooters' Supply is discounting the Nikon 60mm Sky & Earth Spotting Scope this week. Sale price is $231.51 for item # 125-7351. This is a very compact unit with good glass for the money. It won't rival the new 80mm Nikon ED unit, but it is a workmanlike spotting scope that will serve a varminter or 300m shooter well. Street Price on this unit is about $259.00 (Adorama.com). Tripod is not included.

http://www.6mmbr.com/6BRBlog.html

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The Orion is quite a bargain at $279, including a 25mm eyepiece which delivers 52x power--enough to see 6mm bullet holes at 600 yards, in most conditions.

http://www.6mmbr.com/BlogJune2005.html
 
ssgp2 mentions the Nikon 15-45x60mm Sky & Earth. I have the previous version to this sold by Nikon - with a fixed 20 power the optical clarity and contrast are as good as my Swarovski bino's (maybe better) ... my spotter is a little heavy and long though. But impressive view for the money. Wish it was as 45deg. angled scope though. AP
 
I use the Nikon XL 15X45 spotting scope for hunting. Works very well, small, light, and very good optics. a bit more then your budget but they can be found on sale. I got a factory refurb and am very happy with it. Used and abused for 6 to 7 years and has never missed a beat.

If you want a very high mag spotting scope and don't care about size or weight, the Celestrons are dirt cheap. You can find them at London Drugs and are very good for the dollar.

If you just want to do general glassing, consider binos. Way easier to look through for long periods of time. I am using the new Nikon EX 12X50 porro prism binos for glassing and they are very good. Wide field of view, very clear image, great low light performance. The image quality to 1km is amazing. You will still need a spotting scope to really get up close but these binos will help you find them quicker. Won't bother telling you the price as you will not believe me.

Jerry
 
There is a newer brand to the Canadian market called Celestron, they make a 65mm scope that retails in the $175.00 range and an 80mm that goes for around $299.00
 
There is a newer brand to the Canadian market called Celestron
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actually Celestron has been available in Canada before... I found a pair of mint 6.5x, 44 Celestron "ED" bino's in a pawnshop about 10 years ago... they are outstanding bino's ... a little large and not waterproof or fogproof so not ideal for hunting but good glasses nonetheless... some of the Celestron line is targetted at the low end... some compares to anything on the market... they are good value and worth looking at carefully. AP
 
I was able to get a look through the Windriver and the Spacemaster before buying and went with the Bushnell. The Leupold was a bit harder to focus at 45x, and I found the Bushnell just a bit clearer throughout the power range. The bushnell was $50 cheaper as well. I've just finished playing with it and I can count blades of grass at 200 yards so it's quite clear. My eye isn't tired after 45 minutes of looking around so I think it's a pretty decent scope for the price.
One of those "Should have bought this model in the first place so I wouldn't have to suffer through buying and selling cheap ####ty scopes....." :oops: :oops:
 
smellofspentcasings said:
What model Bushnell did you get and price if its not wrong for asking.
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Spacemaster 15-45x60, not the kit just the scope and case, $330 from Higginsons. I have an Optex tabletop tripod that I think I paid $30 for. It's nice and solid and has 3 way pan head, works well.
 
Spotting Scope Fun

Hitzy:

I used to own a rubber coated Spacemaster 15-45X 60mm objective. Great glass for spotting bullet trace out to 1000 yards in Connaught. I was happy since it worked well for me. :D

Now I've picked up a Nikon Sky & Earth 20-45X 60mm for the same purpose of spotting the trace of bullets while I'm being a sniper spotter for my partner. Works very well too. Like you, I've bought a $ 30 Optex tripod, about 12" high and it works well in the prone position. The highest I have to raise the scope axis might be say.... shoulder height... high enough to match the bore of my sniper partner or maybe a little higher.

This summer my sniper partner and I agreed to use his Spacemaster 15X45X60mm to do all of our spotting. The net result ? He won the National Championship (Top Individual) this July 2005. I was happy to say that the Spacemaster worked well for us. ;) www.dcra.ca for the results. :cool:

Sure there are all kinds of more expensive glass out there, but with my 20/20 right eye, I could see the bullet's trace floating into the fig 11 or fig 11 targets. :)

This is one of the most demanding tasks a spotting scope can be called upon, resolving the bullet's flight en route to the target. :rolleyes:

Cheers,
Barney
 
I had no problem seeing .22 and .30 cal bullet holes at 200m in white bulls. I could easily see .30 cal holes in black bulls at 200m but the .22cal holes were a bit hard to pick up in the black.
I'm more than satisfied with the clarity of this scope.
 
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