RiverRider
Handloader
- Dec 9, 2008
- 1,436
- 71
For a couple of years I had a Burris 25-75x spotter, the one with the Cassegrain mirror. I used it at the range and it was better than nothing, but seeing bullet holes at 200 to 300 yards was probably about as good as it was going to get. The image was hazy and the thing was difficult to focus. So, I decided to upgrade and sold the Burris and gave the buyer a very decent price.
I had been reading and was shopping around. I was thinking of one of the Leupold Green Ring spotters, 20-60x I think. I was also looking at some Minox spotters that had very good reviews. I was going to spend up to $400, maybe a little more. I found a couple of decent deals here and there but kept shopping around, and decided to see what I could find on Gunbroker one evening. Lo and behold, there was a Leupold Golden Ring 12-40x in excellent condition (the things rubber armored for cryin' out loud) for $525 Buy it Now. That was a little more than I had planned on spending, but that's a screamin' deal on a $1000 spotter with a lifetime no-questions-asked warranty. I had always gazed upon these as something I'd love to have but figured there would never be one in the cards for me. I thought about it for about 30 seconds and pulled the trigger on it. I had it in my hands about ten days later.
When I took the thing outside and set it up on a tripod, I was flabbergasted. I had no freekin' idea optics could be that good. I know you can spend more money and get even better glass, but I don't believe it can really get a whole lot better! I do believe I could see bullet holes at 600 yards or further without so much as a squint.
I have always loved Leupold rifle scopes and they are the only scopes I own, except for a cheap Simmons 4-12x that came to me on a rifle I bought last fall and that I am using for load development in my AR-15. Now I have seen what it is like to have a nice spotting scope and I don't know how I put up with cheap ones as long as I did. That was the best $525 I ever spent.
I had been reading and was shopping around. I was thinking of one of the Leupold Green Ring spotters, 20-60x I think. I was also looking at some Minox spotters that had very good reviews. I was going to spend up to $400, maybe a little more. I found a couple of decent deals here and there but kept shopping around, and decided to see what I could find on Gunbroker one evening. Lo and behold, there was a Leupold Golden Ring 12-40x in excellent condition (the things rubber armored for cryin' out loud) for $525 Buy it Now. That was a little more than I had planned on spending, but that's a screamin' deal on a $1000 spotter with a lifetime no-questions-asked warranty. I had always gazed upon these as something I'd love to have but figured there would never be one in the cards for me. I thought about it for about 30 seconds and pulled the trigger on it. I had it in my hands about ten days later.
When I took the thing outside and set it up on a tripod, I was flabbergasted. I had no freekin' idea optics could be that good. I know you can spend more money and get even better glass, but I don't believe it can really get a whole lot better! I do believe I could see bullet holes at 600 yards or further without so much as a squint.
I have always loved Leupold rifle scopes and they are the only scopes I own, except for a cheap Simmons 4-12x that came to me on a rifle I bought last fall and that I am using for load development in my AR-15. Now I have seen what it is like to have a nice spotting scope and I don't know how I put up with cheap ones as long as I did. That was the best $525 I ever spent.
