Spotting Scopes

[GaryGGR]

I have started to shoot NRA High Power Service Rifle. I am practicing on a 300 Yd. range. I would like a spotting scope that I could see .22 caliber holes, on the target at 300 Yd.

I f such a scope exist what objective lens size, power and brand would you recommend?

 

[cdrt]

Check with Champions Choice and Creedmoor and see what they have. I use a 20 power scope, primarily to see the mirage and to see the spotters at a match. I can see .30 caliber holes at 100 yards (the distance I have to practice at); not sure how they would look at 300.

My scope is an old Bushnell. Not too familiar with the newer brands, but I'm sure someone out there (Blackfork, where are you?) can help.

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

Question #1, as always, is what is the budget, at least approximately.

I've got several recommendations for ya, depending on the budget. I'm no expert, but I read about optics a lot, and own a few items...

 

[Howard Roark]

Kowa scopes are the default standard. Good quality vs price.

The 601 is the best value. I use an old 611.

The Konus scopes are a decent scope for the money. The hype that they are as good as the Kowa is bunk though. I've looked through too many to believe that.

Jim Owens has the best prices on the above scopes.

Champions Choice has a decent affordable scope as well. Buy once, cry once.

Edited to add:
Ray-Vin has the best scope stand on the market.

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

Yeah, the tops are Kowa, Brunton, Zeiss, Swarovski, and Leica.

Some of the better values are found among Nikons, Leupolds, Konus, Alpen, Bushnell, & Celestron.

Do you have $2,000, $200, or somewhere in between?

The answer to your question of "Can it be done - can .22 holes be seen at 300 yards" is "Yes - depending upon:

1. Lighting conditions
2. Mirage presence
3. Whether you are using Shoot-N-C type sticky targets
4. If not using shoot-n-Cs, the color of the target, and most importantly,
5. The quality of the optical lenses, lens coatings, objective lens size, and magnification (which in turn depends on the budget)."

Check with Champions Choice and Creedmoor and see what they have

I agree with that. Those guys walk the walk, shooting at long distances, so they're gonna advertise for sale what they know to work for them.

 

[cuervo]

I have a Bushnell Elite 20-60x80 that I'm happy with. If the light is right, I can see .30 caliber holes at 500yds.

A quick search found a good price, but you might be able to find better:
http://www.eagleoptics.com/index.asp?pid=3858

I'd definitely go with the angled eyepiece for shooting.

 

[TrapperReady]

Were I starting from scratch (again), I'd definitely go for the Kowa. I tried to save some money and ended up with a scope that did OK at 100 yard reduced courses, but was useless beyond.

I've been out of highpower for a few years, but am thinking about getting back into it. If I do, then the first thing I'll do is get a new scope.

 

[Jon Coppenbarger]

for 223 holes good luck at 300 yards. I use the large Kowa and trying to see holes at those distances. For me it really depends on the back ground. with anything but sky I would not even consider looking for holes during a match. Camp perry you can see holes pretty well at 300 but you have sky and lake behind the holes. For everything else the conditions call my sight changes. I have seen alot of folks make bad changes by thinking pasters and light reflections and even bugs were bullet holes.
Now as far as seeing holes at 200 I have looked threw plenty of scopes and if I can not see them with my kowa the others most likely will not be visible either. that goes vice versa also. Now on a nice day some varible scopes i have seen holes I could not see with mine but the trade off is not worth it.

 

[Furncliff]

I bought a Nikon spotting scope for my wife last year (bird watcher). She's kind enough to loan it to me occasionally. I have used nikon lenses on cameras for a long time, and I wasn't disapointed with this scope. Nikon has a lifetime warrentee. One good place to shop is:

http://www.opticsplanet.net/nikonspotscopes.html

 

[Hoser]

I can sometimes see holes at 300 with my 27X Kowa. Or any other scope for that matter.

 

[Slamfire]

If you shoot in the hot humid South, for example yesterday, I could not see .223 bullet holes at 100 yards, due to all the mirage.

Camp Perry is at the side of Lake Erie, and that range has the clearist air (when it is not raining!) and I can occasionally see bullet holes at 300 yards.

I have looked through a number of scopes, and I think the Kowa TS-601 is an excellent affordable scope.

 

[johnmcl]

Hi Gary,

I have had very good results with my Konus spotting scope. This is an 80mm scope available from Midway and others for just a little more than $200. That's about a quarter of the top end Kowa cost.

I use this scope for everything from small bore pistol to HP work. I find at 300 yards though that the atmospheric conditions are the limiting factor. The infamous mirage effect clamps down on scope performance.

In short, I couldn't be happier with the Konus.

 

[RockRifle]

Quality Optics!

I would love to have a Kowa scope, but found when I was looking at them that they had no real warranty. I found locally a 20-60x80 Leupold Sequoia that is just as bright and clear with a lifetime warranty for $200 less than the Kowa. Try them out, shop around, get what works, not what looks cool.

Oops! My leupold LOOKS cool too...But seeing 80VLD holes is hard at 6ft in the pits, so I don't complain if I can't see them at range. That is what spotters are for!

 

[XTerminator]

There are a few less expensive scopes out there whose optics are "nearly as good" as a Kowa.
To me the thing that tipped my decision in favor of Kowa was the availability of their 27X Long Eye Relief eyepiece. It's really nice to be able to see the full field of view without having to put your eye right up against the eyepiece, especially while wearing glasses.
Steve

 

[Howard Roark]

Kowa scopes have a lifetime warranty.

 

[Slamfire]

For me, I used a Kowa for a decade, and now I am using a huge 80mm Pentax. Great scope, wish I had not bought the huge honker. Its a 20-60X, and I am always waisting time fiddling with the adjustment.

However, I will say that cheap scopes have gotten a lot better. I purchased a cheap chinese 20-60X "Bariska" scope at Gander Mountain. For $100.00 I got a scope, cheap tripod, nice box, and lense protectors.

When you zoom the Bariska, you start to see how cheap it is, only the center image is sharp, the outer third is fuzzy. The center image is greenish. Of course the Pentax is clear and sharp from edge to edge.

I took the Bariska a 500 yard match. I compared images at 500 yards with my Pentax.

With the Bariska, at 500 yards I could see the color difference in the bull between the pasters and the target black. With the Pentax I could see the edges and outline of the pasters on the target black.

The cost difference between the scopes is at least $900.00.

However, using a cheap $100 dollar scope 10 years ago, you would have had issues reading your target number at 500 yards, never mind finding the spotting marker.

So cheap scopes have improved. And I have lent the Bariska out to Newbees who have forgetten, or don't have a scope. If they smash it up, I am out very little.

 

[paulo]

Go to jarheadtop.com check out the Konus.It is not a bad deal,looked through one and was impressed.

 

[1776 Rebel]

Check out this site. Not updated too often but a great place to see optics reviewed and educate yourself.

http://betterviewdesired.com/

Optics are a lifetime investment. Spend your money on quality, quality, quality. Get the best glass you can afford. If you could afford a Questar I am sure you could see the pimples on a knats butt. But they are impractical for shooting. At Camp Perry I did see a larger number of Pentax 80 and 100mm scopes for long distance stuff.

 

[HANDLOADER]

Is a 15 to 45 power scope good enough for rifle competion or do you need a more powerful scope?

 

[Howard Roark]

Most scopes used are 25-30 power. More than that is not usable because of mirage.

Variable power is not good. One needs long eye relief so as not to crowd the scope. Especially using glasses. Long eye relief is only available in fixed powers.

 

[gtmerkley]

anything that works for me

 

[badeye]

Here is a link to some good info. The author covers a lot of issues that are often overlooked. He even discusses tripods, which are a very important part of the total package. If your tripod isn't steady, your view will be poor and frustrating no matter how good your scope is.

The author should have obtained a fixed power for the Pentax to compare it more fairly to the Zeiss. While the Pentax zoom is one of, if not the very best zoom eyepiece available, it is not as good as the best fixed power eyepieces. Pentax fixed power eyepieces are considered the best by many experts and with the fixed power eyepiece, the Pentax probably would have ended up as the top rated scope in this comparison.

http://www.6mmbr.com/SpotterReview.html

 

[Slamfire]

This weekend I shot in a reduced course match and had a chance to look through a Konus 20-60X. The field of view was clear from edge to edge, and when I zoomed up the image was clear from edge to edge.

The image was not "green", which is the color in my cheapy Barsika.

At the ranges I shoot at, Mirage eventually shuts you down. And that includes the Unertl team scopes. I have looked through those cannon sized things and yes, you can see better, but you can't see through Mirage.

I remember one year at the 1000 yard matches at Camp Perry, some gentleman had brought a Russian deck mounted scope. The scope had twp eyepieces and a ring/turret mount. Must have weighed a hundred pounds. They assembled the thing in sections. My recollection was the lense was footsized, maybe more, maybe less.

While it was real clear, you still could not see through the mirage. You just saw the mirage really, really, well.