Spotting scope info required

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Dark Skies

Dark Skies

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I need to buy a spotting scope. At the very least i need to be able to easily see .223 holes at 200 yrds. I bought a reasonably cheap one years ago 65 dia mm lens with magnification from 2 to 60 X maginfication. To be honest it isn't quite up to the mark. Until a small group has formed it's not terribly good.

I'm looking at some on Ebay at the moment one seems OK at 80 dia with 20 to 120 X magnification. It's not a bad price and it sounds like more is better. But is it? Advice gratefully accepted. Cheers.
 
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.223 holes at 200 yards is a dicey propostion with even the really expensive scopes. If the light is right you can sometimes see them, if the mirage is running you might or might not.

Rule of thumb: figure out how much you want to spend on a scope, then double it. :D Joking aside, a spotting scope is a lifetime investment and should be treated as such. Buying cheap glass will doom you to eventual disappointment and regret. I see guys out at the range with $1500 worth of rifles and accessories trying to use an $80 spotting scope.

Save you pennies for a good one, you'll be glad you did.
 
I tried using a cheap spotting scope and it ended up collecting dust. I'm am now using a Konus. I did quite a bit of research. These are only 230.00 or so for a 20x60x80. Many people are using these at ranges. It may be the best deal out there for the money, at least that's a conclusion I came up with after reading what I could about them.

Originally I was looking at Leupold but according to one review this thing does a rather good job against the Kowa which is like 800.00 and is a favorite of long range shooters. Not quite as good as the Kowa but from what I can gather you could spend double the money of the Konus and end up with a lesser product.

To see .223 holes at 200 yards you need a good scope. Optics are the key here and the better they are the more they cost. You can forget about power because you just use the lower range anyway. You don't want to use the higher power due to problems I won't get into now. You can spend 60 bucks like I did on a Simmons and learn it's a piece of sh** or don't waste the 60 bucks and get a decent spotting scope in the first place. It's nice to see exactly where the holes are including the frazzle around the bullet hole and the 1" grid just like you're holding the target in your hands.
 
Unfortunately I have to shoot at Ministry Of Defence ranges over here. It's all very stuffy and about hitting NRA approved targets. All I really wanna do though is shoot buckets, tin cans, water filled bottles, clays and stuff that explodes dramatically. Sadly having that kind of fun isn't an option in the UK. If it were we'd be allowed to hose down old cars with machine guns. So a spotting scope is kind of essential when shooting on your own. :(

As you may have guessed already ... I spent a day at the range and just could not get the sights to zero. I boresighted my AR at 25 yrd using a laser no problem. Got to the range and clicked up to 3 on my 6/3 marked rear sights and just could not see where the shots were falling. Tried shooting into the sand trap using battle sight and there was a satisfying plop of sand where I was expecting it to be. Transferred it to the target and ... all over the shop. In mitigation I think the 52 grain bullets I was using were too light for my 16" barrel and rate of twist. But even so ... I ought to be able to miss the mark consistently - I just couldn't see them on the target - even the white. In mitigation this is a new (to me) rifle so I'm still getting to know it.
 
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The Konus 80mm is sharp and bright. Its only fault to me is that its zoom eyepiece has limited eye relief so I cannot see as wide a field of view as with my 25X Kowa. But it is about 1/3 the price.

High magnification will not help much unless combined with high quality and large aperture, like as big an astronomical telescope as you can carry to the line.
 
A friend of mine has a Konus, I tried it and it seemed to be a pretty good scope.

If you watch ebay you can find one of the older Redfields, these are a straight scope with a red crinkle finish, 15x45x65, I have used one for about 30 years and have no desire for anything better. Figure $200 +/- .
 
Magnification is not the sole criteria for a good spotting scope. The quality of the glass and optics mean much more than the magnification.


There's a reason why good glass costs more. The quality of the glass used, the coatings, and the simple construction of the spotting scope matters much more than just magnification. I've looked through crappy, bargain priced glass at high magnification and seen nothing but shadows, mirage, and haze. I've looked through top end Leupold glass and watched the trace of the bullet as it goes downrange before it even hits paper at long distance.


Read the reviews, and get good glass. It truly is an investment. You can chase after bargains over and over, and spend wasted money on substandard glass. Or you can buy good quality optics today, stop the cycle, and be satisfied.


Leupold spotting scopes are more expensive, but it does make a big difference when you look through it.
 
The ideal solution would be to have someone actually marking the target at the other end after each shot. Unfortunately street urchins no longer see this as gainful employment.

Redfields or Leupolds on fleabay at the moment. There are somwe Konos

Anyone heard of these people? They're German so that at least gives me some hope.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=280329609478

Also Yukon - anyone heard of them - any good?
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/YUKON-6-100X1...0|66:2|65:12|39:1|240:1318|301:0|293:1|294:50
 
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I never heard of a Sutter scope but rather doubt it is made in Germany; likely China at that price. At the SHOT Show there were several booths of Oriental gentlemen who would take your order for optical products and put any brand name you liked on them.

I have only seen advertisements for Yukon optics and know nothing about their quality, but see above.
 
Good point. I've just asked Herr Sutter if they're actually made by his company or are Chinese imports.

Leupold Spotting Scopes - I'm really starting to hate Googling for these only to find another lesser search engine getting in the way. I wish Google could filter out these wannabe 'shopping' engines.
 
A friend and I are looking into a downrange video surveilance camera for spotting shots beyond reach of conventional scopes. The equipment is rather expensive when bought from somebody who knows what he is doing. If I guessed right on individual catalog offerings of camera, lens, transmitter, and receiver we could save money. But if I guessed wrong, we would not have a spotting system.
Probably not practical on a MoD range, this is for private property, 600 yards across a pasture to a target stand at a hillside.
 
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