spotting scope ??

[electrode1998]

I am in the market for a spotting scope to take to the range. The range max is 600 yards but my usual range right now will be 400 or less. I am not shooting competion right now but I may in the future. I am looking for input on brands, features, prices, what to look for, etc. I own several rlfles with scopes on them, but I am not looking to break my budget on an accessory.
Thanks for the input upfront and I am in no rush to buy.

 

[Blackfork]

Don't scrimp

You don't want to have to buy the dang thing twice. A good spotting scope on the PROPER stand is a wonderful thing. I've got a Kowa 821 with a 20-60 power eyepiece. It's worth every penny. It's a BIG enhancement to my range enjoyment.

Even shooting 22 at 100 yards its a great luxury- you can easily see those bullet holes. I can usually see holes at 200 yards, depending on conditions.

I've got a Champions Cholce wand stand with three legs. The legs have independent leveling screws. My stand sits level where everyone elses are tilted all over. I think thats the stand to get. I got the zoom head attachment with a L adaptor so that my heavy Kowa isn't hanging by the screw mount hole on the side- the L puts the mount under it.

Lots of stands out there but I think this old brown design is the best.

I have a little Kowa on the inside of my pistol box. Like it a lot.

If I was buying again today I MIGHT go with the 611 or 600 series instead of the 800 series. Good scopes, a little smaller. Get the 45 degree eyepiece for highpower.

You just need 20 power for highpower- just to read mirage and scoring disc, but for the range and seeing bullet holes I suggest going with the 20-60X eyepiece. You get more use out of it.

Worth every penny, plus some.

 

[Quintin Likely]

Knowing what kind of competitions you're planning on doing further on down the road would help in picking a spotting scope for you. The spotting scope that a tactical/sniper type shooter uses is probably gonna be a bit different than the one used by an F-Class, Palma, Long Range or across-the-course high power shooter.

Of course a good spotting scope is a multitasker, it can be used with just about anything you shoot, and for whatever reason if you needed to sell it later, the really good ones hold their value well. So depending on your budget, I'd say if you can, cry once and buy once.

 

[Jim Watson]

If you are shooting alone, it is the rare spotting scope that will pick out bullet holes beyond 300 yards in good conditions. In poor conditions it will do well to see a hole in the black at 100. If you are shooting matches, it doesn't take a fancy rig to see a white spotter in the black. I have a 60 mm Kowa that is plenty for F-class and BPCR metallic silhouette and midrange.
The Konus is getting a good reputation for a cheap scope.

 

[MutinousDoug]

If you are going to shoot competatively you want an offset eyepiece. It gets the scope out from in front of you and coordinating your shooting position with your scope becomes much easier. That said; finding the target in a scope that doesn't point at your target is not intuitive.
If you are expecting to see bullet holes at 400 yds, no scope on earth can do that for you in all conditions. The air you look through just isn't that clear and the magnification of your scope makes mirage appear worse than to the naked eye. If the air is still and the light is just right, you can see .30 cal holes out to maybe 300 yds or farther with a quality 25x to 30x power scope. When there is a boil you won't see holes with a 45x Swarovski.
The bigger (heavier) scope you buy requires an equally large (steady) stand or tripod.
Eye relief is very important so that you can see through your scope without removing your safety glasses. 3/4" or 18mm is about minimum.
Quality scopes will have coated lenses (unless they are older than 15-20 yrs) which increases contrast and helps pick out bullet holes. Some of the really top of the line scopes have photographic coatings that render color better than you can see until you photograph and print the enlarged image and are not necessary for spotting use. Birders who have in excess of $1000 to spare on glass really like them.
Kowa seems to be the standard by which spotting scopes are judged. There are more expensive scopes to be had such as the Swarovski but the KOWA has an extensive line of quality scopes. A 20x by 50mm objective is about the minimum scope that can be used effectively for NRA High Power to see spotting and scoring disks and read mirage out to 600yds. HTH

 

[electrode1998]

Thanks for all of the info. That is exactly what I needed. I am mainly looking right now at seeing the target to sight in and practice with hunting rifles from max of 300 yards and minimum of 100 yards so what ya'll have said will be a big help.

 

[Quintin Likely]

I use a Kowa 661 with a 25 power fixed long eye relief eyepiece. I can reliably see .22 caliber bullet holes with it at 200 yards, but at 300 and beyond it gets kinda iffy. Especially if there's any mirage in the air.

Use a Shoot-N-See target at 300 yards to help locate your hits through the scope.

 

[primerate2]

There is no question get a Kowa with the angled eye and extended eye releif.

 

[primerate2]

and Champion Shooters Supply has them
1 800 821 guns

 

[Alphazulu6]

I agree find a nice Kowa. I would recommend the newer ones if you can afford it but you can find some really nice used ones. I still have mine and it was built in the 1960s...10x 20x and even came with a 40x power aperature. Great quality!