Suggest a spotting scope to see targets at 500 yards.

Unless you are using shoot n see targets, you will be hard pressed to see 30 cal. holes in a paper target, with a black bullseye, at 300 yards with a 60 power scope. Barely possible with red bullseye. When it get hot and you have the mirage , forget about it !

Agreed, bullet holes at 500 yds. is a tall order for any spotting scope. It seems logical that more power is better, but a limiting factor is the exit pupil size which is objective diameter divided by power. A desirable range is 4 or 5, once you get below 3 or so you will be starved for light other than the brightest days. You are compounding that by wanting something portable which I interpret to mean 60 mm or smaller. You can do the math, only 20 power or less than will be useful. It better be great glass to even stand a chance.

I have an older Kowa TSN-821. 82 mm objective with a 24x LER eyepiece. On black bullseyes you can generally see .22 holes at 200. I don't even try at 300. I was able to see some 30 cal hits at 600 once, but not all. That's my experience. You might see bullet splatter on a painted gong at 500, but I've never tried it.

I also have a Bushnell 15-40 x 60. Not the best glass. Any power higher than 25 or so gets noticeably harder to see on cloudy days. Its OK at 200 yds., especially with shoot-n-see targets. That's as far as I've ever taken it.

I bought my Kowa used for $800. Seen some go for less. My suggestion is to buy better glass for less and shop the used market

My guess would be that to clearly see holes at that distance, you'll have to lay out more than 500 bucks for a spotting scope.

ojibweindian said:

My guess would be that to clearly see holes at that distance, you'll have to lay out more than 500 bucks for a spotting scope.

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As folks have said in this thread and others like it, the ability for optics to see holes in paper at ~500 yards requires the right atmospheric conditions and the right contrast on the target medium, the size of your checkbook notwithstanding.

You could spend $3k on a spotter and with with heavy mirage not be able to see squat

500 yards? I have a very nice Kowa. Excellent glass. Viable to 300 yards on a very good day. I don't think 500 yards is practical. You'd be best off with a remote camera to phone set up. Something like the Longshot (with which I have no experience so cannot endorse. There may be better/cheaper options)

https://www.longshotcameras.com/

NorthBorder said:

I realize now I was asking a lot to see holes. Never used a spotting scope before. But what about using one to see a round connect with a gong?

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Even at 500 yards you should hear it.

I have a Vortex Razor HD 27-60X85. Shooting painted steel plates at 1,000 yds, I can easily see the hits and I'm pretty sure I could see 30 caliber holes at 500. That said, it's a $1,600 scope. A $600 budget isn't going to get you there. One thing that will help seeing holes at distance is to hang a contrasting colored piece of cloth a foot or two behind the targets on a separate stand. It'll make seeing the holes much easier but it still requires a really good scope at that distance.

https://www.opticsplanet.com/vortex-razor-hd-spotting-scope.html

NorthBorder said:

I realize now I was asking a lot to see holes. Never used a spotting scope before. But what about using one to see a round connect with a gong?

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At 500 yards, you should be able to see your impact on a gong in your rifle scope. That’s kinda the point.

Have a Pentax PF-100ED, you can see 6mm holes in the black at 600 about 75% of the time...HUGE piece of glass...HUGE and $600 won't purchase the eye piece.

DocRock said:

Even at 500 yards you should hear it.

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I can hear my suppressed 223 hitting the gong at 500 yards when there's no firing line chatter.

Remote camera

Remote camera

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This is about the only way.

Will add. A lot of people shooting at those distances use steel targets painted white, or a bright color so hits show up easily.

I've got an old Greencat with the cranked eyepiece (the right one to choose, after having had one with the straight eyepiece). Bought it second-hand off someone who was giving up shooting (he died a few months later) 22x. - there is an eyepiece with a bigger magnification, but I never/seldom use it, as the light level is just duller (might be useful for 1000yds, but I can't recall using it for that - most of the time I forget there is a second eyepiece). Always put the endcaps back on afterwards. A good stand that works for you is just as important, not something that falls over every time you turn round. The one I've got has had almost every bit replaced over the years.
Can see the holes at 100yds, more than that is doubtful.

It won't be multi purpose like a spotting scope, but at that distance you might consider a target camera. There are a several with the range long enough for your purposes.

I have a sightron spotter that we use to watch steel targets in varmint at 600 yards. It's about that price range when I bought it used a few years ago. I have zero experience with spotters that you would want to carry any further than the car. A few of the guys at the match used telescopes and those were even less portable but might meet your power clarity requirements cheaper.

Bird watchers have the best optics. Check the used bird forums near you and see what is available.

I've got Swarovski and Kowa scopes in the 60X range, both were well over the $600 limit, and neither will reliably pick up bullet holes in paper at 500.

Splashes on steel are easy out to 800 or so depending on the mirage.

NorthBorder said:

I realize now I was asking a lot to see holes. Never used a spotting scope before. But what about using one to see a round connect with a gong?

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I have a friend with a Redfield spotter picked up at a garage sale, some days bullet holes are no problem some days not so much, personally I get a much better view on my rifle scope.

If your shooting from the bench the nightforce scopes are better than most spotters. The br I have was less than 1k new and you might pick one up used in your price range. If you use pictcany mounts you could take it off for field use easily