Spotting Scopes

[Mike Fontaine]

I'm interested in purchasing a real good spotting scope that will be with me for a long time and will be used primarily for viewing targets up to 600 yards (and maybe 1000 yards someday). Kowa seems to be a big name but it gets confusing when you're looking at different eyepieces, etc. If anyone has a recommendation that would be great. Please include as much detail as you can, specs and so on. Even if you know the cheapest place to purchase that would be great. I'd rather not spend too much over 1,200.00.
Thanks, Mike

 

[Asa Yam]

Mike,

Rule #1 - Forget about seeing bullet holes at longer distances (beyond 300 yards). Mirage can be so bad that seeing holes even at 300 yards is sometimes problematic. If you're shooting highpower, targets are pulled and marked after each shot, and the spotter is 3" in diameter out to 600 yards, or 5" beyond that.

Rule #2 - With optics, you usually get what you pay for. Kowas are popular, because they represent a good balance of performance for the money. There are other choices, but they are usually either more expensive, or offer fewer features (such as long eye relief eyepieces, or rotation collars).

For the amount you're limited to, I'd say buy a Kowa 661, with a long eye relief lens (25x). This scope offers the following features:

• It is smaller and lighter than an 820 series scope;
• It delivers most of the performance of an 820 series. Image quality is pretty good;
• It is waterproof (most scopes in this price range are);
• It has a rotation collar, making it easier to mount and adjust for optimum viewing;
• It has an eyepiece mounted at 45 degrees to that of the objective - easier to use when shooting prone;
• It is about $100 less than an 820.