Need a Spotting Scope for 1,000 Yards.

[MR WICK]

Money isn't an issue. I just keep reading mixed reviews on every single Long Range Spotting Scope I see. I look at this as an investment. Why get a 500 yard Scope when you will need a 1,000 yard Scope three months from now?


Thanks Everyone.

 

[CoalCrackerAl]

Your going to need one of these.

 

[Walkalong]

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1199215-REG/kowa_tsn_883_prominar_pure_fluorite_88mm.html

 

[Walkalong]

That said, my Celestron Regal 85MM does pretty well, and it was $500ish some years back.

Here it is on my home made stand.


But I would look in the $1000/$1500 range today, money isn't as tight as it was back then.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/102082576?pid=823186

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1018074215?pid=531063

 

[MR WICK]

Your going to need one of these.
View attachment 1061266

Will it work?

 

[MR WICK]

That said, my Celestron Regal 85MM does pretty well, and it was $500ish some years back.

Here it is on my home made stand.
View attachment 1061269

But I would look in the $1000/$1500 range today, money isn't as tight as it was back then.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/102082576?pid=823186

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1018074215?pid=531063

I love Vortex. Has anyone ever used this scope before. If so please give me your impressions.

Vortex Optics Razor HD Spotting Scope 22-48x 65mm Wide Angle

 

[Slamfire]

Money isn't an issue. I just keep reading mixed reviews on every single Long Range Spotting Scope I see. I look at this as an investment. Why get a 500 yard Scope when you will need a 1,000 yard Scope three months from now?


Thanks Everyone.

How good are your eyes? I am going to claim that at some optical level, your eyeballs with their cataracts, etc, are the limiting factor.

The Club President, in his late 60's purchased a Zeiss riflescope. He went to the 200 yard range with all sorts of patterns, grids, and compared various rifle scopes. He ranked them best to worst. Then, he asked a teenager to look through his scope. The kid saw things that Mr Senior Citizen did not!. Obviously, the comparison of scopes by a senior citizen was bogus, because the tester had rotten vision.

I am going to say, the larger the lens, the better. It used to be that the Kowa 82 mm was very popular, but now I see Kowa has a TSN-99 with a 99 mm lense! The price of the thing is in the ridiculously large range.

One year, at Camp Perry, I got to look at the 1000 yard targets through the eyepieces of a Soviet Navy telescope. The thing was like a turret mounted device, you stood in it. I was inside some machined ring. The objective lens must have been two feet in diameter. The image was bright, but, regardless of how clear the image was, mirage wiped out any ability to see bullet holes on the face of the target. The target face still looked like something at the bottom of a swimming pool. And, that will always be a problem. Distortion of the image due to atmospheric conditions is not something you can fix with expensive lenses. And another real problem is, wind moves left to right, and right to left, and sideways, all at the same time, but at different locations on a range. Take your scope and focus at 800 yards, 600 yards, 400 yards, 200 yards, and you will see the mirage moving in different directions! However you can only focus one scope, at one distance, at one time. If you want to see the marking disc, the focus won't be the 800 yard line!

I recommend, regardless of which one you buy, make sure the thing is balanced. Optically, this is a great scope



but the attachment point is such, it is nose heavy. I mean very nose heavy, and that makes little adjustments difficult and the scope wants to rotate around the mounting screw. That's bad.

I do recommend looking a birding web sites. Those guys are trying to see feather colors at distance and they, not shooters, are the real drivers of spotting scope technology.

Get the zoom eyepiece and don't be surprised to be looking at the target at the lowest magnification. The zoom on the Kowa 99 is too high, I would look for a low end zoom of 20. This may not make any sense, but dialing down the magnification tends to give a clearer image.

 

[LoonWulf]

Also, what are you trying to SEE at 1K? If its unmarked bullet holes you better be shooting a howitzer....
Splashes on pristine steel? even my 200 dollar Talos can do.

Something in between? youll need much better glass than my Talos, and decent magnification, tho thats hardly and end all be all.

Quite honestly Im not the guy to try and help with spotting scopes, I generally use my rifle scopes to spot with when were shooting long(ish) range.

 

[MR WICK]

How good are your eyes? I am going to claim that at some optical level, your eyeballs with their cataracts, etc, are the limiting factor.

The Club President, in his late 60's purchases a Zeiss riflescope. He went to the 200 yard range with all sorts of patterns, grids, and compared rifle scopes. He arranged best to worst. Then, he asked a teenager to look through his scope. The kid saw things that Mr Senior Citizen did not!. Obviously, the comparison of scopes was bogus, because the tester had rotten vision.

I am going to say, the larger the lens, the better. It used to be that the Kowa 82 mm was very popular, but not I see Kowa has a TSN-99 with a 99 mm lense! The price of the thing is in the ridiculously large range.

One year, at Camp Perry, I got to look at the 1000 yard targets through the eyepieces of a Soviet Navy telescope. The thing was like a turret mounted device, you stood in it. I was inside some machined ring. The objective lens must have been two feet in diameter. The image was bright, but, regardless of how clear the image was, mirage wiped out any ability to see bullet holes on the face of the target. The target face still looked like something at the bottom of a swimming pool. And, that will always be a problem. And another real problem is, wind moves left to right, and right to left, and sideways, all at the same time, but at different locations on a range. Take your scope and focus at 800 yards, 600 yards, 400 yards, 200 yards, and you will see the mirage moving in different directions! However you only focus your one and only scope at one distance. And if you want to see the marking disc, the focus won't be the 800 yard line!

I recommend, regardless of which one you buy, make sure the thing is balanced. Optically, this is a great scope

View attachment 1061275

but the attachment point is such, it is nose heavy. I mean very nose heavy, and that makes little adjustments difficult and the scope wants to rotate around the mounting screw. That's bad.

I do recommend looking a birding web sites. Those guys are trying to see feather colors at distance and they, not shooters, are the real drivers of spotting scope technology.

Get the zoom eyepiece and don't be surprised to be looking at the target at the lowest magnification.

Thanks a lot man.

 

[Nature Boy]

I’m using a Kowa. It’s probably +90% of what I see on the firing line at the matches I attend

 

[Walkalong]

How good are your eyes? I am going to claim that at some optical level, your eyeballs with their cataracts, etc, are the limiting factor.

As someone who had great eyesight, then saw it degrade until it is where it is now, this is sadly true.

 

[Chuck R.]

Another Kowa here a TSN 82 20-60X.

I can see splashes on steel at 1000 as long as the mirage doesn't truly suck. As Nature Boy said, the Kowa's make up about 90% of the scopes I've seen at matches.

 

[BigBL87]

Also, what are you trying to SEE at 1K? If its unmarked bullet holes you better be shooting a howitzer....
Splashes on pristine steel? even my 200 dollar Talos can do.

I think this is the pertinent question. Spotting/identifying critters is very different from spotting bullet impacts.

 

[earplug]

Camera with video link.

 

[Iggy]

Have you considered a drone with a video camera?

 

[Nature Boy]

I think this is the pertinent question. Spotting/identifying critters is very different from spotting bullet impacts.

Agreed. I think we are all assuming target duty.

If it’s hunting, we need to bring binos into the discussion

 

[Chuck R.]

I think this is the pertinent question. Spotting/identifying critters is very different from spotting bullet impacts.

Not to mention some additional weight considerations...

For spotting critters I use a smaller, lighter, Swarovski scope with 65mm objective combined with Swarovski 10x40 binos with a smaller/lighter tripod than my range set up.

 

[BigBL87]

Have you considered a drone with a video camera?

I'm glad someone else said what my first thought was, haha!

 

[Walkalong]

Agreed. I think we are all assuming target duty.

If it’s hunting, we need to bring binos into the discussion

Actually, I can see impacts on steel at distance better with binos than I can a spotter. 1K iis pushing it with 15X binos with my old eyes, but it’s pushing it with a spotter as well.

 

[Nuclear]

Use the rigs amateur astronomers use, a telescope with a digital camera that relays the image to a PC with image processing software.

 

[BigBL87]

So, since Loonwulf mentioned it and I have one as well, figured I'd mention that the Athlon Talos is capable of letting me read an interstate off ramp speed limit sign that is approximately 600-700 yards away. Like I said, not sure what you're looking to observe/find at 1000 yards but just gives some context for a spotter that only costs $150 (or less right now at alot of sites actually).

 

[hk940]

Another Kowa here a TSN 82 20-60X.

I can see splashes on steel at 1000 as long as the mirage doesn't truly suck. As Nature Boy said, the Kowa's make up about 90% of the scopes I've seen at matches.

View attachment 1061318

Have you had a problem with the outside finish/paint of your scope getting sticky, and soft? Mine developed a soft finish on the factory paint, I called Howa and explained the problem, they said they could refinish it for $250.00! I said no thanks. Careful stripping and masking and a can of Krylon plastic paint it looks good as new. If you do get a Kowa get at least an 80mm objective.

 

[LonewolfMcquade]

Money isn't an issue

Leica

 

[MR WICK]

I only target shoot. I use the splatter targets and steel.

 

[Laphroaig]

Have you had a problem with the outside finish/paint of your scope getting sticky

+1 here. Mines a TSN-821. I have a cover on it so it doesn't really bother me too much.