Spotting Scopes?

[Slinger]

Sighting in my NEW rifle with my OLD eyes made me realize that I need a spotting scope. A few recomendations on economical scopes (below $100) would be appreciated.

[LHB1]

Slinger,
Good optics can be very pricey. Especially in the lower price ranges, it is best to shop where you can actually look through the scope across the store or even better on an outside range. Be sure the scope is on a sturdy stand or tripod when testing it and buy the stand/tripod too. IMO, trying to evaluate or use a scope, 20X or more, while holding it in your hands is a waste of time.

Good shooting and be safe.
LB

[Omnivore]

I made the mistake of buying a 100 dollar spotting scope for the same purpose. It looked great trying it out in the store, but if you want to see bullet holes at 100 and 200 yards, forget it. You'll only waste 100 dollars and waste time too-- time being frustrated. I can see more detail through my high-end rifle scope at 14x than through my cheapo spotting scope at 30x. It's a 100 dollar paper weight.

What you want will cost several hundred at the very least.

Check out what the top competition shooters are using and choose from that. You will not find a single piece worth considering in your average sporting goods store, nor a single stand-- they're all tripods and a tripod will only get in your way and stay there.

The other issue is eye relief. I do not understand why anyone would make a spotting scope and try selling it to shooters, when it hasn't enough eye relief to use while wearing glasses, but they ALL do it. All of them. What is going through their minds I can not fathom. You can sense my frustration, can't you? I'm trying to spare you the same.

So you'll want to save your dollars and go high-end, where you will find good resolution and more eye relief (resolution is the key-- not just magnification, and resolution comes only from precision optics). You also want eye relief because you have to be able to look through the scope without touching it-- otherwise you can't see the detail because it's jiggling all over the place.

There is no way to cut corners on high-power optics.