"Budget" spotting scopes?

[borrowedtime69]

Vortex, great products and in various price ranges.

Example-

https://www.scheels.com/p/vortex-di...CR8R31BGHqguPfccNmymuVYaAkw3EALw_wcB&start=10

 

[mmb617]

The thread about having four spotting scopes got me thinking about my one crappy spotting scope.

Sure there are very high quality ones in the multi 1,000's but that's more than I could justify to myself or my wife.
So, in the $500 max range, what all is out there that is worth buying?

I can identify with your problem. I don't know what ranges you shoot at or what type of targets you use but I'll tell you my experiences.

My eyes aren't great so I've always used the glowshot type targets and that helps a lot. When shooting out to 100 yds my riflescope was adequate to see .223 holes in those targets. When I started trying some longer ranges I couldn't see the hits at 200 yds so I bought a spotting scope thinking the higher magnification would do the trick. It was an under $100 Huicocy that I bought from Amazon, advertised as 20-60x, but at the high end of magnification the image wasn't clear enough. On a good air day I could just make out the holes at 200 yds but no hope of seeing them at 300 yds.

So I moved up to a Gosky Eagleview that was in the $600 range and it was much better. Although it was also advertised as 20-60x the clarity was good at the higher magnifications.On any decent air days I can see the .223 holes at 300 yds with it. But there are still days with a lot of mirage, like hot summer afternoons when it's not good enough either.

I don't have the budget to go any higher on the price scale and my club ranges only go out to 300 yds so I'll stick with what I have. I've also switched to a .308 for the longer range and those holes are easier to see.

My conclusion would be that how much you spend is directly related to how clear you'll see. It's not the magnification that is most important it's the clarity.

 

[J-Bar]

Midway USA has a couple of Leupolds on sale. I like the old 20-60 Leupold I bought 20 years ago, but have not looked through these recent models. Good luck!!


https://www.midwayusa.com/s?promoti...l-banner-one&utm_campaign=leupold-vx3-sx4-bx4

 

[Mk VII]

I bought one of the Opticron/Greenkat Japanese ones many years ago. The 22x eyepiece is the only one I ever use on it (there is a 40x [I think] one in my camp stool but it doesn't offer any advantage for this purpose).
The only change I made was to buy one of the cranked eyepiece versions (secondhand) instead, and sell the straight eyepiece one.

 

[SwampWolf]

People forget that a good sturdy tripod is crucial and expensive as well.

Very true. I've used more than a couple shooting stands/tripods over the past fifty years or so and the one that has been my favorite for the last decade is made by First-Strike. Well-made and super stable.

 

[ms6852]

In many categories I sneer at snobs. People who buy name brands, and ignore the law of diminishing returns. Most people will never even come close to using the difference between "good enough" and "the very best money can buy."

However, I recently dusted off the Bushnell box with my dad's 'bare minimum' spotting scope he bought just to have one, and took it to a municipal range to do some accuracy tweaking. No. So much no. I ended up using the rifle scope on max power to spot hits.

I am going to take the advice here and look into buying used.

In the end, a scope that maintains its focus and clarity and the distance you want through all the magnification factors it offers is all you need. Depending on atmospheric conditions a scope in the $500 range can be more than adequate. Good luck on your purchase and please keep us posted on what you decided.

About 35 years ago when I finally bought my "Good" scope it was based on a test I did and had read about. I put a one dollar bill at 100 yards and asked my friends to see through their scopes. Of seven that I looked through, 3 of them provided the most details one could distinctly see. All 8 of us picked the same scopes, one was a Celestron, a Bushnell and the best one was the Bausch and Lombe but not by much.

I looked through my archives and found this article I had saved. Keep in mind that the article is old and many of the scopes are probably obsolete but the information is good and will provide you with an understanding of what you may need to spend depending on your needs. Good Luck!
https://www.opticsplanet.com/howto/how-to-choose-a-spotting-scope-for-target-shooting.html

 

[JeeperCreeper]

I really like my Athlon if you wanna go ultra budget

 

[trekker73]

I used to collect them. How I find it works is you have these levels

1. Complete chinese garbage

2. Decent entry level chinese stuff

3. Higher level chinese stuff and sometimes sold as the cheaper models in known names like Leupold, Athlon, Vortex, even Kowa has a chinese made model these days at the low end. Some scopes at this level and level two will actually be sold to different manufacturers under their badge but are the same scope. These will suit most casual target shooters and game spotters in my opinion.

4. Japanese regular stuff. Either Japanese brands like Nikon or Pentax( probably my pick for economical but great scopes) or where a Japanese factory makes a higher tier model for well known brand. Eg Athlon, vortex , Opticron and Leupold have both chinese made and Japanese made scopes in their line-up. At 'Jap' level you can get as good durability and quality as any scope in the world and almost as clear optics as the top names for a fraction the price.

5. The big scope names, Kowa, Ziess, Lieca etc. This level is the top of the food chain but in my opinion is only slightly better than tlevel 4, a couple times more expensive and in my opinion unless you are a high level photographer or bird watcher not really necessary for the money.

What I own is a Pentax 65ED and 80ED in the level 4 aka Japanese made. World famous scopes amongst spotters and bird watchers and have been around forever and only a few hundred bucks. The 80ED is a bit big for packing on a hunt but the Pentax 65ED is ultra compact and fights out of its weight division. They also have the advantage of non fixed eyepieces. aka being able to use astronomical eyepieces so you can swap out a vast range of options to them.

I also have Leupold Ventana older style which sits around level 2 and 3. Its one of Luepolds china-scopes, optics fairly ok, durability good, fine for spotting targets and cheap.

In summary, if you want decent without breaking the bank, look to level 3 for a few hundred bucks.

If you want something a bit nicer generally with Jap quality, $500+ should get you some options in Level 4

 

[Tinker-S]

I have 7 scopes: 4 astromonical; 2 reflectors, two refractors, and 3 refactor spotting scopes. I've never shot 600-1000 yds, but if I had, I would take one of my astro scopes; the target would look the size of a saucer, hopefully with holes in ot.

Nice post!
What are the dimensions of the smallest astro scope that you own?
I was thinking about it, because I want to see my target (and possible bullet holes) at 600 yards when shooting my 223 rifle. My inexpensive scope and the mirage are making it very difficult. I know I should invest on a camera setup, but I rather have an astro scope, but if the size does not translate to travel, I would go the camera option.

 

[ms6852]

Nice post!
What are the dimensions of the smallest astro scope that you own?
I was thinking about it, because I want to see my target (and possible bullet holes) at 600 yards when shooting my 223 rifle. My inexpensive scope and the mirage are making it very difficult. I know I should invest on a camera setup, but I rather have an astro scope, but if the size does not translate to travel, I would go the camera option.

I'm afraid that you will not be able to see bullet holes at that distance. The scope will be useful in determining atmospheric conditions and possibly the vapor trails of the bullet. You should consider a camera system for the distance you are shooting.
https://www.midwayusa.com/s?searchTerm=target camera

 

[74man]

My brother In Law (bil) bought two of the best and had to return them because he wears tri-focal glasses and can't see through the spotting scopes at the target, at least that is what he says. He usually wants me to look at his target and see where he is shooting. I usually site his firearm in and that way I know where it is hitting. I have a cheap Barska and Tasco, both work for me but I don't hunt anymore so I shoot at a 50 yd. target or closer.

 

[Shanghai McCoy]

After looking over everyone's advice,and doing some due diligence on my own, I've got a Leupold ordered. Will give a "report" after it arrives.
Thanks to All for the input here.

 

[Shanghai McCoy]

My Leupold SX-4 20x60 arrived yesterday. It's a big scope and heavy so a better tripod may be in order.
I mounted it on my best camera tripod and was counting the thorns on a locust tree in a pasture 600+ yards off at sunset.
When the weather gets better I'll check it out some more.
It's looking good so far...

 

[JDeere]

I bought one of the Celestrons that goes to 60. It was useless getting up into the higher powers. The focus had to be exactly in the right spot and close did not count. I should have known better and paid for better. I learned long ago that cheap scopes just don't cut it for clarity and brightness. The same goes for spotting scopes. I don't shoot past 200 at the range so back to the higher power on my scopes for spotting...