Need Spotting Scope Advice

cavetech

cavetech

Joined
Nov 25, 2005
Messages
760
I figured this diverse group might have the answer.

I need a spotting scope for benchrest and prone shooting at a distance of 100 yards. I belive I will need at lease 20X, maybe more power. It should mount on a short adjustable tripod. I'd like to keep the price under $200.00.

I haven't used a spotting scope since I was a young man in competitions so I am out of touch with what is available. I don't know quality, brand differences or where to buy the right one.

The Bushnell Trophy 20-60x seems to fit my requirements, but I've never seen or used one.

May I have advice and places to buy one?
 
Steve, that's pretty undemanding use, and you certainly don't have to spend bank for one of the "superscopes." The Bushnell scope design has been around for many many years with updates. For under $200, I wouldn't hesitate to get it.

BTW, all scopes are tapped for standard tripod mount. Your choice of a little tripod that's stable and not wobbly is probably more critical. The best scope in the world won't work with a wobbly tripod or tripod head. Try the combo out before you buy.
 
I have a cheap Yukon 20 - 50 x some unknown number that I got a few years before I started accelerating lead particles. It works ok for 100 but at 200 it gets a little fuzzy and you can't see fine details unless the contrast in color is great.

I'd save up some more $ and get a better one next time. I recall it being about a hundred bux but I got it on sale.
 
I am pretty sure the one we use at the range is made by BSA...didnt cost much and works ok..

I would prolly go with the bushnell though!:D
 
Hit the store if you can. Try a few different brands/models out. See what each cost bracket provides and decide which will suffice. You'll likely be able to find something adequate for less than half of your target price.
 
The catch is there are no stores in or around my city that sell spotting scopes. No serious gun stores either.

Since I will have to go e-mail I hoped someone had a nmake, model number and supplier name.
 
You can certainly buy a Bushnell or similar for under $200, but for just a bit more you can get a Burris which is in a whole other realm of quality. Cheap optics are sort of a pet peeve of mine because while they may work OK for a while, after a few short years you're left with a useless pile of plastic and glass, while a quality piece of gear will last years and years with care. My Dad has used the same Leupold riflescope for over 25 years! Try that with a Bushnell. Dave has the right idea, try to find store with a selection and see what's available. You may stumble onto a deal in the price range you're looking for. Good luck. :)

P.S. Just read your last post. Try looking here
 
Roadrunner said:
You can certainly buy a Bushnell or similar for under $200, but for just a bit more you can get a Burris which is in a whole other realm of quality. Cheap optics are sort of a pet peeve of mine because while they may work OK for a while, after a few short years you're left with a useless pile of plastic and glass, while a quality piece of gear will last years and years with care. My Dad has used the same Leupold riflescope for over 25 years! Try that with a Bushnell. Dave has the right idea, try to find store with a selection and see what's available. You may stumble onto a deal in the price range you're looking for. Good luck. :)

P.S. Just read your last post. Try looking here
Click to expand...

Well, maybe you're right now, and I agree Burris and Leupold are excellent, but I bought a pair of Bushnell Banner Broadfield 8X40 glasses for $100 28 years ago and they are still going strong. Really excellent quality, although they are very heavy. Bird watching glasses, and not the best for hunting.

I wanted to get a decent spotting scope 10 years ago, and for $200 got a Bausch & Lomb Discoverer 15-60X60. I didn't have a big telescope at the time, so it doubled for moon watching as well.

It is not the handiest configuration, being a bit long at 17.5" (same length as the 20-60 X 80 Burris) with a straight eyepiece, but the quality is very good and it works for me. The max I have used it for spotting is 200 yards and it's very clear. Came with a camera adapter which I don't use and a tripod mount and an integral sunshade. I bought a small case for it and tripod. Bausch & Lomb no longer has it listed. It's under the Bushnell name now, and I have no idea if the quality has changed. Appears the same, and I guess one is a subsidiary of the other.

The other day I was at the local sporting goods store and saw a no-name 15-45 spotting scope that looked nice for $149 I think. Made in China like everything else these days.

My dream spotting scope is a Swarovski, but I would have to shoot one hell of a lot more to justify $2K for a spotting scope. If I was getting one today I would almost certainly just spend $100 more and get an angled Leupold 15-45X. Spottingscopes.com has them for $299.

Norm

P.S. Just looked at RR's link and that Burris is nice with the free tripod and case! Cabela's has great deals. And only $39 more than I paid! Believe me, with the 12.7" vs. 17.5" length difference you're better off with the 15-45 which is plenty of power.

I just bought mine at a brick and mortar camera store. By the time I bought the tripod and case I had paid more than $239 for something that is not as compact and arguably maybe not as good quality. Still prefer the angled eyepiece though. YMMV. I didn't think it was an issue when I bought the B&L, but being tall having an angled eyepiece really helps. Shooting prone it isn't a big deal at all, but at the bench it helps a lot.
 
I have an old Bauch and Lomb spotting scope, but decided to get a better one a couple of years ago. I got a Nikon 20-45X60 and love it.
It is a few bucks more than the Bushnell - but worth it.
You may be able to get a better deal on some optics from online camera stores - like B & H photo. I know that places like Adorama sell some of the same stuff for less than the gun and camping shops. Also, if Swift makes something - it is sure to be good and the price is right. I have a couple of Swift binoculars, and they are excellent. The optics are fine, and they are priced much less than Nikons.

If I had to choose between Burris and Bushnell, it would be Burris every time. The optics are much better in the models I have seen. Nikon and Swift are still fine products, but Bushnell has dropped the quality of some of its products over the years. Some are still good, but it is really best to actually look through the scope.

Some Nikon binoculars are not as good as others. The companies make different quality levels. You may or may not like a particular product, since in part - judging optics is subjective. I like a pair of Nikon binoculars I own, but not some small ones I looked at in a store. I didn't like a Minox binocular because eye placement was critical and the field of
view was not wide enough. I love the Swifts that cost half the price of the Minox. If you can actually look through the optics you want to buy - that is best.
 
This guy is a legend. And his website sells things to serious shooters. Check out what he will sell you for little money.

http://www.jarheadtop.com/KONUS.htm

He used to sell it for $200 but he's had to raise his price to $225. For that amount of money, I don't think you can do much better!

Gregg
 
Some great advice here, but just remember, Steve -- if all you really want is a scope to use for spotting hits at 100 yards, you don't have to spend very much money. That application doesn't demand an expensive scope. The advice I posted above would change petty radically if you were packing it around a lot more and watching wildlife. For that sort of stuff, you need a much taller and stable tripod for one thing. Some very adequate Bogen tripods can be had for around $100 or so, and you may want to spend probably $400 or so on a decent scope. You should check the birding site reviews for scopes. "Birders" live with their scopes and take 'em very seriously. Enthusiasm for birding and wildlife watching in general is what's been driving the scope and bino market. If you get a decent scope, you may even want to try your hand at "digiscoping" -- taking photos with a digital camera through your scope. Lots of info on this on the web.

You may be able to get a better deal on some optics from online camera stores - like B & H photo. I know that places like Adorama sell some of the same stuff for less than the gun and camping shops.
Click to expand...

I agree completely, except that you are almost certainly going to get a better deal on items they stock. B&H in particular is huge and has a very good rep. with optics pros and has been around for many many years.
 
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