Good Spotting Scope for 500-600 Yards
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Jim Watson
Member
I have not seen a spotting scope that would pick out a bullet hole at that long range. A couple of us worked all one summer with different colors, and under ideal conditions could see most but not all .45-70 holes in a shocking pink background. Nothing you could depend on and not at all effective with smaller calibers.
It takes a pretty good scope to see the splash mark on a freshly painted steel plate at 600 yards.
For regulation target shooting, a 3" marking disk will be placed in the hole by the pit crew. That is easily seen with a 20-30X spotting scope of decent quality.
It takes a pretty good scope to see the splash mark on a freshly painted steel plate at 600 yards.
For regulation target shooting, a 3" marking disk will be placed in the hole by the pit crew. That is easily seen with a 20-30X spotting scope of decent quality.
PotatoJudge
Member
Anybody know of a way to set up a wireless webcam that a laptop can pick up from that distance? I would imagine 600 yards of USB cable would be cost prohibitive.
Jim Watson
Member
I have been checking out the idea of a target camera.
A transmitter with 600 - 1000 yard range (actual, not just advertised) is not common or cheap.
The other problem is I don't know enough about video to buy stuff from a catalog description and be confident it would match up and do the job.
A transmitter with 600 - 1000 yard range (actual, not just advertised) is not common or cheap.
The other problem is I don't know enough about video to buy stuff from a catalog description and be confident it would match up and do the job.
Jim,
That's what I was afraid of. Thanks.
win71 - Leica would be a great one - I bet a 60x Leica would have a high price tag...
What are some of the better brands of spotting scopes in general? I suppose Leica would be one of the tops, but what about Leupold, Swarovski?
Thanks again.
That's what I was afraid of. Thanks.
win71 - Leica would be a great one - I bet a 60x Leica would have a high price tag...
What are some of the better brands of spotting scopes in general? I suppose Leica would be one of the tops, but what about Leupold, Swarovski?
Thanks again.
Jim Watson
Member
Spotting scopes I have seen at NRA Long Range and BPCR Silhouette matches amount to Kowa and The Others. The Others covers everything from High Priced European down to Bushnell. But we are looking only for a spotter on the target or a bullet splash on steel and watching the mirage to estimate windage. There is no requirement to see a bullet hole as you would like for solitary practice.
A smallbore shooter said he went to one range that set pieces of that white corrugated plastic used for campaign signs at a 45 deg angle behind the targets. The bright white showing through the bullet holes made it possible to spot 22s in the black.
A smallbore shooter said he went to one range that set pieces of that white corrugated plastic used for campaign signs at a 45 deg angle behind the targets. The bright white showing through the bullet holes made it possible to spot 22s in the black.
I need a general spotting scope, anyway. I'll just adjust my expectations downward on the distances. Will something like a 20-60x80 Leupold work for 50-300 yards?
I was just looking on the SWFA site at the Leupold spotting scopes. I saw angled body and non-angled scopes. Is one more preferable than the other?
A 20-60x80 Leupold kit was $500.
The Leicas are way out of my price range (~ $4,000)
Interesting about the small bore shooters. Is it difficult to see a .22 hole at 50 yards with a spotting scope?
I was just looking on the SWFA site at the Leupold spotting scopes. I saw angled body and non-angled scopes. Is one more preferable than the other?
A 20-60x80 Leupold kit was $500.
The Leicas are way out of my price range (~ $4,000)
Interesting about the small bore shooters. Is it difficult to see a .22 hole at 50 yards with a spotting scope?
Shawnee
member
I've tried the "white paper angled behind the target" gig and it worked OK (not great) at 400yds. I could detect 7mm holes in a black bull with my 45x scope - but had to half-guess at distances on the bull. The main problem I have is that I bought the tripod seperate (read: "cheap") and really need to get a better tripod. Any recommendations would be welcomed.
Art Eatman
Moderator In Memoriam
An old surveyor's tripod, or try hock shops for a good-quality camera tripod.
Don’t know if any one has tried it, but I was at Costco the other day and they had a celestial telescope on a tripod for display. The kids were playing with it and I did not think it would focus in the building. Low and behold the kids asked me to look and they had focused on a light across the building 100yards maybe, and I could read the letters on the light mount. Not sure of the power but it would focus to 600 yards and had to be in the 120X range. Did not think of it then but seeing this post it might work, around 200 bucks. If it did not work you can always take it back. Love Costco’s return policy.
Shawnee
member
I have an Astronomy scope and on a house that is at least 1000yds. away I can see the slots in the seperate plugs of an exterior power recepticle on the side of the house.
Not the most portable "scope" in the deer woods though.
Not the most portable "scope" in the deer woods though.
PotatoJudge
Member
AT $20 for a 36 ft cable, for 50 cables, you'd be spending $1000 on USB cables that would reach 600 yards and would be a pain to wrangle. Just wanted to verify that the cable thing was a bad idea.
There are companies that will custom make one long USB cable and one might be able to deal with running it out on an ATV on a spindle and a having a hand crank to roll it back up, but it'd still be expensive and may not work anyway.
How about wireless relay booster thingies? Tech people? Surely it's doable at a reasonable cost.
There are companies that will custom make one long USB cable and one might be able to deal with running it out on an ATV on a spindle and a having a hand crank to roll it back up, but it'd still be expensive and may not work anyway.
How about wireless relay booster thingies? Tech people? Surely it's doable at a reasonable cost.
DaveInFloweryBranchGA
Member
Getcha one of these Konus scopes this fella sells. They're good stuff for the money. You'd have to go to a Kowa and spend a lot of money to get anything better. If this gentleman says they're good scopes, I believe him, being as he's a top notch coach and shooter.
http://www.jarheadtop.com/products.html
Regards,
Dave
http://www.jarheadtop.com/products.html
Regards,
Dave
onemsumba
Member
there isn't enought voltage in a USB cable to push the signal very far.
as most USB devices are powered by the computer they are plugged into you'd have to send the electricity out to the device, and then the image back to the pc. so your actually going 2x the distance..
as most USB devices are powered by the computer they are plugged into you'd have to send the electricity out to the device, and then the image back to the pc. so your actually going 2x the distance..
At those distances, the only way to see bullet holes is with a wireless video camera setup. I've heard the claims of some scopes, but I haven't seen one that will resolve small holes at 600 yards, ever.
The video system can be purchased for half the price of a quality spotting scope.
You would need the 2.4Ghz 3W model down the page here, for $389: http://www.vfmstore.com/tr24.htm
You simply use a car battery at the target with inverter connected, to power the transmitter. Same thing at the bench for the receiver and TV screen. It should get many hours on a charge. Just use a cheap security video camera to the side of the target, or in a ground trench in front of the target.
I'm going to do it myself. For that price, I'd like to know I am going to see bullets holes, rather than hope I will see them with a spotting scope. And keep in mind, scopes only work well in weather permitting conditions. Hot days with mirage is bad news for long-range scope spotting.
The video system can be purchased for half the price of a quality spotting scope.
You would need the 2.4Ghz 3W model down the page here, for $389: http://www.vfmstore.com/tr24.htm
You simply use a car battery at the target with inverter connected, to power the transmitter. Same thing at the bench for the receiver and TV screen. It should get many hours on a charge. Just use a cheap security video camera to the side of the target, or in a ground trench in front of the target.
I'm going to do it myself. For that price, I'd like to know I am going to see bullets holes, rather than hope I will see them with a spotting scope. And keep in mind, scopes only work well in weather permitting conditions. Hot days with mirage is bad news for long-range scope spotting.
Howard Roark
Member
Ray-Vin makes the gold standard of spotting scope stands.
The problem with standard eye pieces is the eye relief. Usually 6mm or so. Eye glasses tend to bump into the eyepiece and you have to get perfectly behind them to see through. Long eye relief scopes are 30mm of relief.
Also, mirage will make powers greater than 30x useless quickly. Spotting holes smaller than .30 cal is iffy at best past 200 yards because of mirage at any power. There are very few 20-60 power scopes on the highpower line because of this.
For our targets we cut out the center of the target backer (1" thick cardboard). We never staple more than one target thick and use white plastic garbage bags behind the targets to reflect as much light back through the holes.
The problem with standard eye pieces is the eye relief. Usually 6mm or so. Eye glasses tend to bump into the eyepiece and you have to get perfectly behind them to see through. Long eye relief scopes are 30mm of relief.
Also, mirage will make powers greater than 30x useless quickly. Spotting holes smaller than .30 cal is iffy at best past 200 yards because of mirage at any power. There are very few 20-60 power scopes on the highpower line because of this.
For our targets we cut out the center of the target backer (1" thick cardboard). We never staple more than one target thick and use white plastic garbage bags behind the targets to reflect as much light back through the holes.
NotSoFast
Member
Shawnee - Get the best tripod you can afford. Make sure it has the stabilizer legs part way up. If it gets too shaky you can add sandbags to help restabilize it. But if you buy a flimsy, cheap tripod, no amount of stabilizing is going to work, especially when the legs themselves begin to wobble.
I got a good one off of Amazon.com, but I knew what I was looking for.
Here is an example, but I would definitely go to a camera store and tell them what you want and what conditions you are operating under.
http://www.amazon.com/Case-Logic-62...r_1_22?ie=UTF8&s=shoes&qid=1220678587&sr=8-22
I needed one that would not shake with 10 MPH winds, which are standard fare at my normal range.
I got a good one off of Amazon.com, but I knew what I was looking for.
Here is an example, but I would definitely go to a camera store and tell them what you want and what conditions you are operating under.
http://www.amazon.com/Case-Logic-62...r_1_22?ie=UTF8&s=shoes&qid=1220678587&sr=8-22
I needed one that would not shake with 10 MPH winds, which are standard fare at my normal range.
Claude Clay
Member
Quester 3.5 inch with a terrestrial adapter. can see 22 cal holes at 1000 yards. they are not in production a trade for quite a premium. a 4 inch Schmidt folded optics with erector prism will do 30 cal at 1000 and 22 cal at 500 yards for under 400 to 500$.
Dave P
Member
USB
Isn't the serial bus a two wire RS422 interface? ( plus two wires for voltage that you don't need). Any old twisted pair might work here. Length might be limited by handshake speeds, not signal voltage issues.
Isn't the serial bus a two wire RS422 interface? ( plus two wires for voltage that you don't need). Any old twisted pair might work here. Length might be limited by handshake speeds, not signal voltage issues.
rangerruck
Member
I have one that winchester puts their name on; it goes up to 60 power and stays clear out to 500 plus yards, plus the adjustments on it are not so sensitive, that you cannot focus , or control it.
This blows my mind that it can even be possible. I mean, looking through $2000 glass on 60X, I cannot see holes at 700 yards. And you say .22 at 1000? This can't be possible on days with any mirage at all. And wouldn't a 3.5" Quester be of lower resolution than an 80MM ED spotting scope, after all?
NvTwist
Member
It's technically not a spotting scope or a cheap solution but I used to be into amateur astronomy and had a Meade ETX-125 telescope (127mm aperture
), multiple eyepieces & used their digital camera system and linked it to my laptop that give me a live feed, Video recording and Motion control of the scope. For fun I mounted it on top of my truck one day to get it above most of the heat shimmer effect, set up the laptop next to me on the ground and started popping targets while recording, Then replaying. Using the laptop to find more targets by panning and zooming in and out. It was way overkill but way awesome. I think I spent more time setting up the Telescope and laptop then actually shooting that day, was having to much fun with it. Sold the Telescope some time ago, Shouldn't have.:banghead:
), multiple eyepieces & used their digital camera system and linked it to my laptop that give me a live feed, Video recording and Motion control of the scope. For fun I mounted it on top of my truck one day to get it above most of the heat shimmer effect, set up the laptop next to me on the ground and started popping targets while recording, Then replaying. Using the laptop to find more targets by panning and zooming in and out. It was way overkill but way awesome. I think I spent more time setting up the Telescope and laptop then actually shooting that day, was having to much fun with it. Sold the Telescope some time ago, Shouldn't have.:banghead:Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow
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Using Shoot-N-C type contrast targets can ADD 100 yards or so to the distance at which one *could otherwise see* the holes, given the limitations of the combination of lighting/ambient conditions, mirage effect, and spotting scope (including the components of glass grind quality, objective lens size, and magnification). The big boys in good spotters are Kowa, Brunton, Swarovski, Zeiss, & Leica. Trailing closely are upper end Leupolds and Nikons. Bigger objective=better. Higher magnification=better. Of the two, objective lens size is more important.
This may be one of your ultimate long-range spotters:
http://www.bigbinoculars.com/150fmt40.htm
But then again, they're $15K.
Mr. Matt304's explanation of the camera setup sounds the most promising.
This may be one of your ultimate long-range spotters:
http://www.bigbinoculars.com/150fmt40.htm
But then again, they're $15K.
Mr. Matt304's explanation of the camera setup sounds the most promising.
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