Go to spotter scope

[Racing 88]

What is everyone's go to spotter scope.

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[oremike]

I have an old Minolta 60x that I've had for probably 40 years that still works just fine.

 

[gmerkt]

I bought this years ago at the club swap meet my range put on. It cost $25 from another member. It's big and clunky but it works. In case you are wondering, yes those are automotive radiator hose clamps securing the barrel to the tripod.

 

[RVTECH]

My cheepee $39.95 one from Harbor Freight.

Ok to about 200 yards in good light but thats about it.

 

[RVTECH]

yes those are automotive radiator hose clamps securing the barrel to the tripod.

Hey, Hose clamps are the 'steel' version of duct tape - not only just for pipe/hoses!

 

[thorborg]

I have a Leupold I like Works well at a reasonable price. Best advice is you get what you pay for. Also Spotters are not all about the lenses (which are critical) but how you access the ocular, focus and power adjustments can make or break a spotter.
Not to mention having a firm, stable, easily adjustable base (usually a tripod) This also, you get what you pay for.

 

[RVTECH]

Haven't seen one in a while but you used to be able to get a clamp to mount a rifle scope on a standard tri pod.

I have one.

 

[gmerkt]

Hey, Hose clamps are the 'steel' version of duct tape - not only just for pipe/hoses!

Don't you know it. I've got a bucket full of them of all sizes. And, if you don't have one long enough, you can link multiple short ones together to get a custom length.

Haven't seen one in a while but you used to be able to get a clamp to mount a rifle scope on a standard tri pod.

Why didn't I think of that.

 

[RVTECH]

Don't you know it.

Here's a real 'redneck' use of a hose clamp!

Its securing the pole for my 2 meter HAM J-Pole antenna to an old Satellite dish on the back of my shop!

This is only 'temporary' and will be secured 'properly' this summer!

 

[ilikegunspdx]

Simmons 20-60 X is fantastic on 20x, pretty good on 40x, pretty crappy on 60x. Can easily see Jupiter moons and Saturn rings. They used to be like $45-$50 on sale at cabelas. WAY better than the $350 vortex scope I bought (and returned). Like 2-3 times better. Much brighter and much sharper. If you need 20-30x this will do fine imo. If you need 40x+ for extreme long range I would get something else cuz at 60x gonna be dim and no eye relief. 30-40x is max for this scope imo. Mine is older version of this:

 

[ferret427]

I have a Kowa 880 prominar with I think, a 25-60x eyepiece. It is a big boy, but, man the glass is something you have to see to believe. It is the best glass I have ever viewed through. Only downside (besides size, which isn't a big deal for me as I only use it at the range) is Kowa does not make an eyepiece with a reticle.

 

[msgriff]

For LR/ELR target shooting with cell coverage, iPhones. Don't get cocky (not my phone).

 

[Tlock]

Spotting scope? You don't need no dam spotting score!

 

[Jim Horn]

My favorite is my Celestron C90 on a high end Slik tripod. Considering that the C90 was $45 and the tripod $20 at the Trout Lake rummage sale and Goodwill, respectively, they work well together. I added a $30 1 1/4 inch eyepiece adapter and use my astronomical telescope (10" f/6.5) eyepieces and erecting prism for a wide range of magnifications. A 30mm Plossl eyepiece gives 30x; with a 2x Barlow gives 60x, all with wide field of view, sharp edge to edge, no color fringes, and comfortable eye relief.

The astro scope, a ten inch Dobsonian built under John Dobson's personal tutelage, is too bulky for the job...

 

[Redtail]

Been using the Vortex Razor HD 27-60x85 Angled. Paired up with the heavy Vortex tripod. I like it.

 

[TTSX]

My Leupold something I don't remember model that cost about $1000 let's me see clean hits on steel at 1400, so it's my go to.

 

[Greg S]

Started with a cheap Cabela's 20-60 x 60 scope which is clear enough for 100-150. This was in 86 or so... We all seen the range spotter on the firing line that was so hazy, you could barely make out the targets at 100 let alone the bullet holes.

88 I picked up a set of East German Ziess 10x50 binos in East Berlin for cheap. Amazing glass but being 10 x 50s a little bulky.

The day that really flipped my switch on glass we were shooting 50m pistol targets and spotting the hits. Some guys could call the shots and some couldn't.

Everyone, 18 guys set their binos up on the 25 m target frames looking down to the 600m line. It was an early fall morning, cool, and a little hazy sun had been up about an hour, hour and a half. It was surprising. There was everything there from tasco to high end. The one that surprised me was an old pair of Bausch & Lombard 8 x 30 or 40s. Almost as clear as my Ziess.

If you do alot of glassing, you will learn that clear glass keeps the eye strain away. Past 15 years, my go to is a Swarovski 80mm I picked up used for 9 bills.

Four or five years ago I stumbled on a pair of Swarovski 8.5x42s binos for again, 9 bills.

The best thing I can say about buying glass is to know what you want.

Ask to try any glass you come across. Using glass in the field compared to looking through it in you favorite box store is two different things.

Look into the brush and the shadows.

To find the best buys, local listings, closeouts, demos and auction sites, i.e. GunBroker and eBay. Don't be afraid to make an offer on something you want. Haggle. Glass is not a high use item so don't worry about buying used.

My .02