What to look for in a spotting scope?

[foxtail207]

OK, I'm not looking to break the bank, I just want a decent 100 to 200 yard range spotting scope. I've never had one, know nothing about them, or know what to look for. What brands are worth buying for under $100 ?

What do the numbers mean (like 15-45x50) and what numbers would be best for the range shooting 22-250 to 30-06 at 200 yards max.?

 

[earplug]

Cheap spotting scopes suck

Your tossing your money away with cheap spotting scopes.
Best spotting scope research on the web is various bird watching sites. They have many tests of various spotting scopes.
Don't forget to walk the line at a shooting range and ask to look through shooters scopes.
Don't forget to factor in the cost of a good tripod.

 

[X-Rap]

I just bought my second Leupold spotting scope of the summer today. Gave 200 bucks for a pristine 20x60 Gold Ring of a 1980's vintage, included was the take down tripod, lens caps, stow able sun shade and the zippered case. The one I got earlier was $160 and is the compact model 20x50, it came with the zippered case. They are both without a scratch and tight as new and as far as I'm concerned with out equal when size/weight is considered.
These are made in USA with the great Leupold warranty. I guess my point is look around and you might be surprised at what you can find that is close to within your budget but far exceeds your expectations.

 

[WYOMan]

What to look for in any optic ? One answer. Quality glass. 15-45X50 means 15-45 times magnification with a 50mm objective lens. Some may disagree, but I found a long time ago that cheap optics can cause eye strain similar to wearing the wrong prescription glasses. I've seen some mid range priced ones that weren't much better.

 

[oldfortyfiveauto]

I've been very happy with the 12-40 Leupold. It's compact and very importantly has loooooong eye relief for easy viewing. Key when you wear glasses.

 

[fallout mike]

I just got a vortex 25-75x70. Used it once spotting a .22 at 100 yards. Seems to work ok.

 

[foxtail207]

How sharpe are the optics of that vortex 25-75x70 at various magnifications?

 

[BADUNAME37]

I have a Bushnell 787325 Spotting Scope - telescope.
The problem I have with it is that the focus control knob is so sensitive, you cannot get the thing into focus most of the time.

Look for a unit that has a focus adjustment that is not so sensitive that you cannot accurately adjust the scope!

 

[Sport45]

100 yards isn't a big deal for a moderately priced scope. At 200-300 yards it would take a heck of a scope to see 22 caliber holes in the black. At that distance heat and other interferences do things optics can't correct.

 

[Sniper66]

earplug is right...don't waste your money on crap. I spent $100 on one at a gun show. had a very pretty case with all the doodads. The one he had set up seem pretty good...turns out it's a piece of crap. I'll probably trade it for something and spend money on a good one. Have also learned that it really helps to have a sturdy tri-pod. For a good spotting scope and tri-pod, you'll have to dig a lot deeper or find a good second hand bargain.

 

[Steel Horse Rider]

For your price range I would shop the pawn shops and other used markets such as Craig's list or Armslist. What others have said about the lenses is absolutely true so you might take a lens cloth and ask to set the scope somewhere you can actually look at something at the two to three hundred yard range to see for yourself how the optics are. Try to read signs in store fronts or traffic signs to check the clarity and focus. The higher the magnification the more important a good tripod becomes. Good luck.

 

[Jaxondog]

The number's show the power and size of the scope. Take for instance a 4x 30 scope. The 4 is how many times the power is. Like a 3x9x40, it's power can be adjusted from 3-9 and the 40 is the size of the objective lens usually measured in mm. You can get by @100 yd's with a cheap scope but @200 yd's or more you will want to throw it away. Save your money and buy a nice name brand spotting scope. You will be glad you did

 

[jakk280rem]

When I went shopping for a spotting scope, the one feature I found that mattered most was eye relief. I wear prescription eyeglasses and the majority of scopes I looked at and through didn't have enough. I couldn't get my eye close enough to the eyepiece to see a fully resolved image.

Even if you don't wear eyeglasses, if you wear safety glasses or shades when you shoot at the range keep eye relief in mind. I needed a scope to spot .22 caliber and up bullet holes on paper at ranges up to 300 yards. The scope I chose has 28mm of eye relief. Check it out.

http://www.uscav.com/productinfo.aspx?productid=20654&tabid=1

 

[shootniron]

If you are only wanting to see bullets holes out to 200yds...a $50 spotter like the Simmons that I have will do the job with .223 as long as it is focused well...I use it all of the time. With that said, I would like to have a nice scope, but I just cannot justify the money when this cheap scope works everytime I go to the range.

 

[mje]

I have a 72mm astro/spotting scope that cost me around $1,000, and I have a cheap 60mm zoom spotter I paid $50 for at Costco. The $50 scope is fine for spotting holes at 100 yards at my club range, but what it didn't have out of the box was a decent tabletop tripod. A steady mount is essential to make any scope usable.