Spotting scope for both bench and hunting?

N

NativeCraft

New member
Any recommendations for a spotting scope that would be suitable for both antelope hunting and bench practice (most often only out to 200-400...possibly out to 600 for HighPower competition in the future)?

In order to stay married, I'd probably better limit myself to $600 max...more preferably $500.

EDIT: How about if I said I'd like to be able to see bullet holes only out to 400 yards?
 
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nikon, leupold - i'd stay away from cheap spotters, they just lack the defination capabilities. if you can find an old b&l on a used market, they were great & on a used market you should be able to get by with about 200
 
You'll be hard pressed to find a ideal scope in that price range for your intended purpose.

If you can stretch that a little, go for a Leupold. Burris might have a nice variable power unit in that range.

I bought the Nikon (I forget the model, I think it's the waterproof "spotter XL"?). It's a nice unit, but I can't see .22 caliber holes much past 200y, or .30 cal. much past 300.
 
I just bought a nice burris 15-45X. I havn't had much time with it yet but it is light and clarity seems great so far. It was right around $250
 
Go to www.adorama.com/CNU100.html and check out the 100mm Celestron. I don't own one yet, but I will before next springs P-dog/ground squirrel season. I had the chance to look through the 80mm model last year and I was very impressed. I did a side by side with one of the new Alpine scopes and the Celestron was head and shoulders better than that one. I heard about it originaly from someone on one of the benchrest forums and he was using it for 600 yard targets. Check it out.
 
I will catch a lot of static but Leupold and Burris make very nice rifle scopes but with spotters, binoculars and rangefinders they are the on the bottom in preformance.

Check out the Celestrons because telescopes are their main claim to fame! I have the Celestrom Ultima 80 and it is a great spotter for under $200!!

Do a search on some of the shooting forums and you will find a lot of good comments on the Celestron.
 
I have a Burris Landmark and I would not buy it again. It gets dark in low light really fast and it isnt very clear at all.
 
The Kowa is pretty good but probably 7-800 now.

Pentax used to make a reflector scope that was excellent and cheap. I don't know if it is still made but may be available on the used market if not still available. It sure made me a believer in reflectors.

Jack
 
Thanks for the suggestions, guys - I'm going to check into all that were mentioned.

If I were to change my criteria some and say I'd like to be able to see bullet holes out to only 400 yards, would that open up more possibilities for me?
 
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Celestron 20-60x80mm. I use this with a window mount for spotting coyote. Not to shabby for the price. I'm able to make out bullet holes on white sheet paper @ 440yrds.

Sunny days even better.
 
"I will catch a lot of static but Leupold and Burris make very nice rifle scopes but with spotters, binoculars and rangefinders they are the on the bottom in preformance. "

I'll second that 100% The Burris is a bit better than the Leopold when it comes to the lower end IMO.. Best bang for the buck is to find a Nikon Sky&Earth (mint green ones) in a 15-45. They don't make them anymore and nearly doubled their price. They could be found for around 329 or so. Best sub $500 dollar spotting scope that we had in stock.

I'll also throw out the Alpen name too. I think for 160 bucks it beats most of the 300 dollar spotters that we had.

As for range finders, unless you are just using it at the range or for target practice, save all of you money and get the Leica. NO comparison in the Nikon, Leopold, bushnell category. The Swarovski is nice but still too big and way more money. SOOO much brighter and it doesn't look like you're looking through a tinted window. Let alone the fact that it has red illuminated crosshairs. Try to see the gray ones when looking into brush or into a shadow.


**EDIT If size isn't a huge concern the 20-60x80MM Sky and earth is selling for mid 3's. It's BIG but is still fairly light. You can find a few bodies for the 60mm but couldn't find any eyepieces.
 
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For anything much past 200 yards you need 60 power. Everybody's made really good suggestions. Got a friend whom just one of the new Leapold folded optics scopes and wasn't as impressed with it for the money.

I havn't tried the Celestons, but have heard good reports o them.
 
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The one below I bought several years back, I am able to see 22 cal holes at 300 yds with it.
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Yes sir, I have the same exact scope. I think Kowa offers the most bang for the buck, I like it for it's excellent eye relieve, it's better than the Swarovski (relieve wise) I looked through, clarity is not quiet but very close to the european lends and its very rugged but might be a little heavy for hunting.
I chased my sheep 8 days staight with an old 20x leupold, as long as the clarity is good, you shouldn't need anything pass 20x in hunting situations.
 
Do not pay extra for a variable. The best resolution is had with a fixed 20X or 25X. I had a 20-60 Kowa and when I bought a fixed 25X eyepiece for it I never used the variable again.

Jack
 
Thanks for the suggestion, Jack. Since I'll be using it mostly on the bench, a fixed power will probably best suit me. After mulling this over some more resolution on the range is my main criteria.

Jack, on the 20-60 Kowa - you mean it comes with a 20-60 zoom and you just replaced it with a fixed power eyepiece?
 
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The ability of a scope to resolve small objects, (or bullet holes), is less a function of power and more related to the size of the front objective. A spotting scope with an 80MM front objective is approx. 80% bigger than a 60MM scope and a 100MM scope is about 50% than an 80MM one. (double the diameter, quadruple the area). If you're wanting to resolve small bullet holes at great distances than go with a bigger front objective. Yes, glass and coatings do play a part in all this and the most expensive models, for the most part, use the best glass and better coatings, but even the mid range scopes of today are way ahead of the best scopes from say 15 or 20 years ago.
 
You will also need a good tripod! I can see 17 caliber holes in the orange or white at 200 yards with my Celestron Ultima 80 set at 60 power. This is with a good tripod set on a concrete bench.
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Sam, so if I were to step up to the Celestron Ultima 100 I should really have no problem at all seeing .223 or .270 holes at 200 and maybe even out to 300?

Also, any recommendations for tripods?
 
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