Spotting scope

[FNWhelen]

I would like to pick up a new spotting scope for using at the range not in the field if that matters.
Looking for recommendations in the $1000 and under range.

 

[jimbires]

what's your use , spotting bullet holes ? and at what distance ?

have you considered a target camera , and a tablet ?

 

[Firebird24]

There are some YouTube videos where they compare spotting scopes. I use a midrange vortex and it does the job-there are better scopes on the market but this one does work for what I need

 

[FNWhelen]

I will use it to spot bullet holes at 1-200 yards and hits on steel at up to 1000 yards. Due to our range and weather setting up a camera will not work very well for me but I can see where it would be the ticket.

 

[jimbires]

seeing bullet holes out to 200 yards in paper targets will not be too hard . use a nice light colored paper with a light color target circle . any target with black is not good . the black blends the holes in . steel at 1000 , again keep the plates painted white . if you want a bullseye on the plate , yellow should work well one winter I painted a couple plates yellow , so I could find them in the snow . . it's all about contrast with the dark bullet hole or bullet splat . bigger caliber bullets make bigger holes and splats , which makes them easier to find .

I have a swarovski spotting scope 20-60x80 ATS . without using the light colored target , sometimes it's hard to find the bullet holes .
we had a guy bring a vortex spotter out to the range , it did ok too . I think it wasn't quite as clear as my swaro . we had a couple of guys bring out $100 or $200 spotters , they were packaged in little suit case type of carrying case , it didn't take long for those to get put away . I'm not sure at what distance , they were acceptable . the vortex , and my swaro were able to spot hits on steel out to 2300 yards , or splashes in the dirt . we used them both at the same time , to try and see all bullets impacts and still didn't get them all . there were days that trying to spot was tough , even at the 1000 yard distance . I have a 20-60x70 Bushnell elite . I don't think I ever took it to see how it compared with the other spotters . I bought it to carry in my backpack . it's a straight design , that makes pulling it out of the backpack easier .


air quality has a lot to do with this too . a really humid day has a lot of moisture in the air , making seeing small holes difficult . also the sun position will hinder you . if you are shooting into the sun it makes spotting a lot harder , on steel . on paper targets the sun will shine through the holes helping them show up , unless the backer is full of holes .

sorry I couldn't recommend something that would fit your needs . spotting target hits has a lot of variables .

 

[salmonchaser]

I’ve owned a couple of compact spotters, my opinion they were a waste of money. I’ve tried to step up since then, havent made it to Swaro but do have the top end Leupold. It is better than the vortex I had ten years ago but it’s not a Swaro.

 

[Firebird24]

Remember the price range is $1000-otherwise I would have said swaro or even better, Leica. My father in law has a Leica spotter and it is awesome, but well out of my price range.

 

[FNWhelen]

I don't get to shoot enough any more to justify a true high end scope for the range. Thus the price limit. One great piece of advise I got here is to use some light colored paper. I will try to find a roll of butcher paper to use for target backing. I guess I just need to spend some time looking at different scopes.

 

[Firebird24]

I use poster board. Comes in many colors but I do use white most often and it’s got
Some stiffness to it. Butcher paper might be cheaper. . . ?

 

[Slimfinn]

think i'm about to get myself in trouble with a new spotter in the coming weeks

 

[wvbuckbuster]

I bought a Leupold few years ago 20x60. Clear, can see bullets out to 200 yds easy and 300-400 if 277 or above diameter if light colored target material. Was disappointed made in China and the short table tripod isn't too stable, shakes alot on the bench. Use and old Tasco tripod that works better. Most of my target shooting is out to 300 yds so it fits my needs.

 

[Blkram]

I bought a Leupold few years ago 20x60. Clear, can see bullets out to 200 yds easy and 300-400 if 277 or above diameter if light colored target material. Was disappointed made in China and the short table tripod isn't too stable, shakes alot on the bench. Use and old Tasco tripod that works better. Most of my target shooting is out to 300 yds so it fits my needs.

Was it their SX 2?
Have heard good thing about the SX 4. The 65mm scope should be in your price range.
The 85mm scope will be more, and will provide larger fields of view, but come with additional weight. (Not a concern if you are only using at the range)

I have used an older Leupold 30x60 for years for the range and for hunting.
Finally broke down and bought the Swarovski STS 20-60x65HD this year on a great sale at Cabelas. Been wanting on for almost 20 years and had the means to do so. Hard to pass when the sale is $1500 off!

 

[jimbires]

I don't get to shoot enough any more to justify a true high end scope for the range. Thus the price limit. One great piece of advise I got here is to use some light colored paper. I will try to find a roll of butcher paper to use for target backing. I guess I just need to spend some time looking at different scopes.

from my past experience , you'll have a hard time telling much about the spotters ability inside the store , or out in the parking lot . it's too bad a guy can't get 2 or 3 of these spotters for a weekend . try them out in the field , the way you're wanting to use them . it would really be informative . when I bought my Swaro , from euro optics , the store was in a back alley in the middle of a town . I took it out in the alley and the only thing I could find at distance was the whistle , or siren , on top of a fire station . I focused on it . I could determine the whistle was held on with many screws . some phillips , some straight , and some hex heads . like the ole saying goes ; " you send your money , and you take your chances ."

I forgot to mention in my first post , my Swaro is the "HD" glass . the main point I was trying to make is , even it has problems seeing target hits at distance , under certain conditions .

I had a friend that was a cater . he would save me his almost used up rolls of the paper table cloth . I would cover my brown cardboard backers with the white paper , and staple a circle of light colored paper for the target . pale yellow worked well . I used up a lot of my old file folders, for this circle. depending on your rifle scope , you might be able to spot your target holes out to a couple hundred yards just using it , with a proper target color .

 

[truck driver]

At Camp Perry to shoot in the CMP National Championship matches, a vendor, Champions Choice would set up an outdoor display with their brand and Kowa spotting scopes so you could see what they looked like in natural lighting. I was looking to replace my Tasco spotting scope I used on my range box since it was getting old and tired with .22lr holes getting harder to see at 50yds. When the Tasco was bought it was fairly good glass for spotting scopes at the time and the Euro glass hadn't hit the USA market yet.
The spotters I use are small about a foot long for my range box so they can be mounted and stored in the box.
I looked threw the spotters on display off and on at different times of the day for 3 days before I made my choice and even bought one o f the venders and looked threw it at targets shot at 50yds which I returned the same day since it didn't compare to the one on display in actual use.
I ended up spending the money for the Kowa and haven't looked back. .22lr holes are extremely hard to see on flat black target centers at 50yds and you usually have to look for the ragged edges of the holes to see them.
Camp Perry is one of the hardest ranges to deal with for light conditions since you are dealing with the haze from shooting towards Lake Erie and the UV rays are another thing that effects what you see threw a spotter which makes for a good case to by good HD glass spotting scopes. JMO

 

[JD338]

I’ve got a Leupold Golden Ring 12-40x60mm spotting scope and am able to see 308 and 338 cal holes at 800 yds with good light.
It’s a great spotting scope but it’s above your suggested price point.
We also have a phone scope adapter that allows us to use our phones with the spotting scope and have gotten some nice close up pics.

JD338