Scope as a Spotting scope?

[Don H]

I'm tired of walking back and forth to see if I'm on target while shooting iron so I know I need a spotting scope. Right now I'm interested in under 200 yards but later I'd like to go long(er) range when shooting with optics. So, could a good rifle scope serve as a spotting scope?Or, should I bite the bullet and buy a dedicated spotting scope? Ideally it would be compact and would be a 'buy once, cry once' that can serve me from here on out.. So, what say you?

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[oremike]

A good spotting scope will go to 20-50 x,,way too much magnification for a rifle scope especially if you want to hunt with it.

 

[bellarum]

I was where you are now until I got a deal on a spotting scope a couple weeks ago. Haven't been out with it yet but, side by side off my rest, I'm sure it will help. It was either buy a spotting scope or a quad

 

[Don H]

A good spotting scope will go to 20-50 x,,way too much magnification for a rifle scope especially if you want to hunt with it.

Duh.. never thought of that. What would you recommend for ranges in the .223/.308 range (with optics)? I don't want to go through the churn of buying one after another but get something that I can grow into. Thanks!

 

[Don H]

I was where you are now until I got a deal on a spotting scope a couple weeks ago. Haven't been out with it yet but, side by side off my rest, I'm sure it will help. It was either buy a spotting scope or a quad

What scope did you get and please update us once you get'r out.

 

[Velzey]

Yep Nightforce! And a couple other high end scopes..But beyond 200 its best to have a dedicated spotting scope. I bit the bullet a few years ago and bought a Kowa TSN-82 and its amazing...but they have gone up in price like everything else..

 

[bellarum]

What scope did you get and please update us once you get'r out.

It's a Simmons "Blazer" 20x60x60. I've needed one and really couldn't afford a really nice one. The one I got is around $120. I scored mine new for around $39. One time deal: didn't pass it up. If it doesn't do what I need it to do for the price I paid I'd be surprised. I looked at the moon with it the other night and there are some serious craters on there! The two things I don't care for on this one are:
1 the focus dial is way to sensitive.
2 the angled eye piece is awkward.

 

[Otter]

You ask if a good rifle scope can be used as a spotting scope and the answer is yes, provided it has enough power. If you are already going to have a rifle at the range with a high power scope while you shoot iron sights on another rifle, then you bet. I have a nice Sightron spotting scope but I never take it to the range when I shoot 100-300 yards. The reason why is I almost always have one of my target rifles with 8-32x scopes on them. I can see bullet holes on white paper out to 300 yards with it no problem. At 200 yards I can see bullet holes with my Nikon 5-20x scopes on my varmint rifles. Anything less than 20x though you might struggle to see the bullet holes at 200 yards. I doubt the best of 3-9x scopes would do you a lot of good as a spotter though, at any distance beyond 100 yards.

For hunting I would never even consider using a rifle scope mounted on a rifle or otherwise for a spotter. I have Nikon window mount for my spotting scope and that is a nice setup. I can glass a hillside from the comfort of my truck. Spotters have a hole on the bottom of them so you can mount them to a tri-pod, so when I hike in and want to spot, that is the solution.

 

[RVTECH]

Harbor Freight has a 'adequate' spotting scope for around $49.00. Get a good tripod and it will 'suffice' for a 'poor mans' target spotting scope. And that's all I have ta' say about that.

 

[Silver Hand]

bcdon- Buy the best you can afford and wile you are seeing ragged holes on paper at any range or counting antlers at a distance the average hunter cannot conceive, you will have spent the best money a shooter, hunter can invest; after his firearm, scope and binoculars.
Silver Hand

 

[oremike]

Duh.. never thought of that. What would you recommend for ranges in the .223/.308 range (with optics)? I don't want to go through the churn of buying one after another but get something that I can grow into. Thanks!

I looked around at a gun show and found an older Minolta 20-50x spotting scope for 60 bucks, Ziese(sp) makes the Minolta glass. I don't think you can go wrong with a major brand name good enough to have a life time warranty like Nikon, Weaver ect..

 

[Don H]

Thanks a lot for everyone's suggestions... it is greatly appreciated!