What power spotter for paper targets to 600 yards?

[Gun5tuff]

I'm in the market for a scope that will easily let me see 30 cal holes in paper at 600 yards. What power is required? I'm looking at a Celestron 80 with a 20 to 60 power eyepiece. It's fine at 20 power but at 40 to 60 it gets foggy. It's probably the eyepiece. Would a fixed 60 power eyepiece improve the view at the upper end? Has anyone used the Celestron C80ED?

Peter

 

[Chavez]

The scope will need to be refocused slightly when you change power. I'm not sure why. I've never looked through a Celestron spotting scope, but I find their binos to be way overpriced for what they are.
To figure out the kind of power you'll want, take the size of the object you're looking at (.308 bullet holes, I'll assume) and multiply it by the power of the scope (Let's say 60x). .308x60=~18.5. Can you see an 18.5 inch object with your naked eye at 600 yards? Or if you prefer, you can divide the distance by the magnification: 600/60=10. Could you see a .308 bullet hole with your naked eye at 10 yards?
That being said, magnification isn't everything. Resolution is important too. The ability to pick up small details (like bullet holes) will be greater in a higher end spotting scope.

Good Luck.

 

[Gun5tuff]

Thanks, Chavez. I'll do the naked eye test at 10 yards tomorrow and at longer distances: 600/40 and 600/20. I know that the expense in a scope is for increased resolution.

One also has to consider the distortion (Schlieren Lines) caused when air is heated by the sun. Sixty power may only be usable at first light when the ground and air have the same temperature.

Peter

 

[RifleDude]

The scope will need to be refocused slightly when you change power. I'm not sure why. I've never looked through a Celestron spotting scope, but I find their binos to be way overpriced for what they are.
To figure out the kind of power you'll want, take the size of the object you're looking at (.308 bullet holes, I'll assume) and multiply it by the power of the scope (Let's say 60x). .308x60=~18.5. Can you see an 18.5 inch object with your naked eye at 600 yards? Or if you prefer, you can divide the distance by the magnification: 600/60=10. Could you see a .308 bullet hole with your naked eye at 10 yards?
That being said, magnification isn't everything. Resolution is important too. The ability to pick up small details (like bullet holes) will be greater in a higher end spotting scope.

Good Luck.

Don't forget mirage and wind. At a high magnification, i.e 60X, the wind at the firing point can actually move the spotting scope enough to blur the target When you get into spotting bullet placement in LR shooting we use fluorescent orange spotting disks that the markers place into the bullet holes. 2" disks for ranges up to about 300y, 4" disks for ranges up about 600y and 6" disks for up to 1000".

 

[Hitzy]

Glass quality is far more important that magnification. Cheap crap high power spotters won't let you see anything at the higher powers becasue the glass is crap. Just becasue it is a 60x, doesn't mean it will be useable at 60x. I went through a couple of cheap 15-45x50 and a 20-60x60 scopes and I couldn't see .30 cal holes at 200m. I just recently bought a Spacemaster 15-45x60 and can count blades of grass at 200m, and it's clear the whole way through the power range. I can easily see .22cal bullet holes at 200m now.
It was $330, which is even low end as far as spotting scope prices go, but it's made in Japan and has nice glass.