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I am looking for a recommendation on a compact (to fit easily in my range bag) pair of binoculars for spotting targets out to about 100 yards. I know it can vary based on each person's eyes, but I have never shopped for or owned any "real" binoculars, so I just don't have any idea of what magnification I would need for that range. If possible I would like to keep them under $500.

I already have a 1/2 decent spotting scope, but it is just a pain in the butt to take it and a tripod with me every, so something compact that can just go into the range bag would be great.

Recommendations? Thanks.
 
Check out some of the bird watching groups. Last couple of pairs I've bought came highly recommended by the
birders, and I wasn't disappointed.

What do you mean "spotting targets"? Bullet holes on paper or critters?
 
Check out some of the bird watching groups. Last couple of pairs I've bought came highly recommended by the
birders, and I wasn't disappointed.

What do you mean "spotting targets"? Bullet holes on paper or critters?

Yes, mostly holes in paper out to about 100 yards. Tri-county looks down on shooting the local critters and I have not taken up hunting.....yet.

What did you buy that you liked?
 
.22 holes in black paper at 100 yards takes some pretty good binos. With that said, I've got a pair of old Winchester 12x that do just that.. amazingly sharp for some cheap hand-me-downs.
 
mostly holes in paper out to about 100 yards.
I had some decent binos that 'were great' at 100 yards on 45 sized holes, but 22 holes were virtually invisible.
Check out some of the basic terms such as 'resolution' and 'clarity' among a list of other variables, which will all affect the market price of your binos. As a novice shooter I had a series of necessary upgrades in binos spec (as well as cost) that could have been avoided by more research. At the time I was more driven by 'best price'. It cost me considerably more upgrading repeatedly than just getting decent glass the first time around.

Today generally the $500 range Vortex & Monarch among others, will serve nicely.
 
Yes, mostly holes in paper out to about 100 yards. Tri-county looks down on shooting the local critters and I have not taken up hunting.....yet.

What did you buy that you liked?
A pair of Pentax. I don't remember the whole model number, but it has HD II in it. 10x. Then my current set of Nikon
Monarch 8x42's. Neither were high dollar, but both (especially the Pentax) worked well for critter spotting and general use.
I even figured out how to take pics with my cellphone through one side.

As others have said--bullet holes at 100 can be tricky. I can see 30 cal with my rifle scope cranked to 14x, 22 cal in the black takes a spotting scope with a bit more magnification.
 
I missed out on a set of Fujinon(?) Japanese Naval binos, a giant set used on WW2 & later ships. Something like 60x120, absolutely too big for normal field use but you could almost see the Other Side of the Earth....a buddy had a set years ago that he just wouldn't sell. Later his widow passed them to someone in her side of the family.
 
The Best Binoculars for Birds, Nature, and the Outdoors
The guy who wrote the article is knowledgeable.

If you goto 10x then you may want that tri-pod again.
If you like to shoot in low light, then bigger is much better for the objective lens diameter.
And, get weather sealed.



I bought Celestron's for trips we took a couple of years back. They were on sale, which tipped the scale.
Celestron 71404 TrailSeeker 8x42 Binoculars (Army Green)

I had ordered these, but returned them due to weight, 2.5 pounds
Celestron 71334 Nature DX 8x56 Binocular (Green)



I also have compact Nikons which I really like for carrying around.

I have used my FIL SWAROVSKI's, but I can't tell the difference between those $1k ones and the ~$200 ones.


I have an inexpensive mono-scope for when I am at the range. My 60x spotting scope has broken (due to its weight) 2 tripods and I don't want to pull out the big (SLR) tripod for range trips, either.


 
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Thanks all for the input. I have decided on a pair of Leupold BX-4 Pro Guide HD 10x42mm. They are really well reviewed on the hunting and birding forums I saw, so hopefully they will be a good choice. I have always had good luck with Leupold and like supporting a portland company too. I'll update the thread once I have an opportunity to get them out.
 
Thanks all for the input. I have decided on a pair of Leupold BX-4 Pro Guide HD 10x42mm. They are really well reviewed on the hunting and birding forums I saw, so hopefully they will be a good choice. I have always had good luck with Leupold and like supporting a portland company too. I'll update the thread once I have an opportunity to get them out.
You'll probably like them. I have a pair of Leupold BX-1 Yosemite 8x30 and they are very clear and very comfortable to hold. Didn't mention them here because I haven't tried them at 100 yards with .22 yet.
 
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You'll probably like them. I have a pair of Leupold YBX1 Yosemite 8x30 and they are very clear and very comfortable to hold. Didn't mention them here because I haven't tried them at 100 yards with .22 yet.

They should be more than enough at 50 yards, and I'll probably have to switch to shoot n see targets at 100, but I could just make out .22lr shots at 100 yards with a 9x Nikon scope, so hopefully the 10x will be enough too.
 
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