SIGforum.com Main Page Mason's Rifle Room Cheap but decent spotting scope or binoculars for range use?
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Domari Nolo |
Hi all, I'm looking to purchase a decent spotting scope or a set of binoculars for range use. My budget is around $100. I'd like something that I can use to see groups at 100 yards and better see what I'm shooting at out to 300-400 yards. They also need to work well with my Rx glasses I always wear. They really won't see any "hard use". Do you have any suggestions? I read through the in-depth buyer's guide on B&H Photo's website. Lots to consider! I'm hoping your experience will lead to a good choice, as always. Thanks! ChrisThis message has been edited. Last edited by: Chris17404, | ||
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| Member |
i am not an optics expert. but sounds like a spotters scope would fit the bill better. 8x isn't going to allow you to see holes very well past 100yds and even 100 can be difficult. And if you get higher than 8x you will have a lot of 'shaky factor' if not bench-rested. lots of tripod based scopes out there optics are a crazy product category because the difference between 'good enough' and 'excellent' can be $1000s try to avoid the cheap made in china crap but as far as Binos go -- lots of people like Nikon brand -- they have several 'lines' kinda like good / better / best that are priced accordingly. i have been satisfied with the overall quality / value of Nikons ------------------------------------------- Proverbs 27:17 - As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. | |||
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Wait, what? |
I second a spotting scope with a small tripod. You won’t have to make any adjustments once you have it dialed in or even touch it/break hold on the weapon. Just lean over and peek. Also, it’s been my experience that high power binos (which you’d likely need to discern groups at 100 yards and beyond) tend to suck unless you spend the money on good ones. “Remember to get vaccinated or a vaccinated person might get sick from a virus they got vaccinated against because you’re not vaccinated.” - author unknown | |||
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| Member |
100 dollar binocs, probably will not do it as 209 said. you can pick up a barska 25-75 spotting scope on sale that will for that price. | |||
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| Go ahead punk, make my day |
Spotting scope, binos won't work at that range | |||
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| Freethinker |
I agree that for the purposes you describe a spotting scope would probably be better. Binoculars have their place for certain types of observations, but a scope is usually better when higher magnification is needed and looking at fixed points. Binoculars have two sets of optics and mechanically they must be precise enough for the two optics to track and line up properly. Those are expenses a spotting scope doesn’t require. Then there’s the magnification question. You didn’t mention what size bullet holes you want to see, but that obviously makes a difference. I recently acquired a high tier scopesight whose maximum power is 15×. Its optical quality is excellent, but I still have difficulty with 6.5mm groups at 100 yards, especially when bullets hit a dark portion of the target or the holes are stacked on top of each other. I don’t have that problem with .30 caliber holes at 18×, but for 6.5 shooting I now remember to take a 20× spotting scope along to the range and not rely on the scopesight. Eight to ten-power binoculars are probably not going to be adequate for what you want, especially if you rely on holding them by hand rather than mounting on a tripod, and double especially if they cost less than $100. ► 6.4/93.6 ___________ “We are Americans …. Together we have resisted the trap of appeasement, cynicism, and isolation that gives temptation to tyrants.” — George H. W. Bush | |||
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| Domari Nolo |
Thanks for the great info. That's really helpful. I now see your points about how a spotting scope with tripod would likely be better for this. I'll take a look at those. I will mostly be looking at 5.56mm holes at distance. What are the pros and cons of straight-viewing and angled-viewing spotting scopes? I've never used one before. | |||
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| Freethinker |
I find that angled eyepieces are often easier to adjust and use because it’s necessary to be in just the right position behind the straight view to see through them. One obvious example is if the scope is mounted on a tripod and people of significantly different heights are using it. If it’s a bit below eye level of the shortest person, I can still bend down to use it. With a straight view scope, it’s necessary to move it up and down. It’s also easier to use an angled eyepiece when the scope is positioned off to the side, such as when I have it on a tripod when I’m shooting from a bench. I have three spotting scopes, but only one straight view model, and that’s because it wasn’t available with an angled eyepiece. ► 6.4/93.6 ___________ “We are Americans …. Together we have resisted the trap of appeasement, cynicism, and isolation that gives temptation to tyrants.” — George H. W. Bush | |||
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| Domari Nolo |
Thank you, sigfreund! | |||
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| Freethinker |
You are welcome. Lots of good information on this forum.  ► 6.4/93.6 ___________ “We are Americans …. Together we have resisted the trap of appeasement, cynicism, and isolation that gives temptation to tyrants.” — George H. W. Bush | |||
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| Member |
Using an angled spotting scope while prone does not feel comfortable. Using angled while sitting is a plus unless you have a massive tripod. I prefer straight or offset straight spotting scopes. Don't even think about using binos - you will never see a 5.56 hole at 400 yards with even the best optics. 15-45 power or 20-60 are bread and butter. Mine is a Vortex Razor 20-60 Gen 1, and with a 30 caliber bullet, you can watch the trail out to 1200 yards without a struggle. | |||
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| Freethinker |
That’s an interesting complaint that I don’t believe I’ve ever heard before. My oldest scope is a Bushnell “Spacemaster” with angled eyepiece that I bought in the 1970s. It was a major purchase for me on E-6 pay at the time, but I use it to this day and is continuing support for the advice to “Buy the best you can afford and cry only once.” It’s been a long time since I’ve used a scope in the prone position, but I did it all the time in my smallbore competition days and I never had any problem using the Bushnell. To ensure, though, that I wasn’t misremembering something, I set the scope up for prone viewing just now and it works fine. It’s also more convenient to use than a straight view because the stand can be positioned farther away from me with the eyepiece rotated in my direction. One thing that occurred to me about all this, however, is it’s critical that a scope with an angled eyepiece can be rotated left/right in the mount that screws to the tripod or other stand rather than being fixed. I’ve never seen an angled eyepiece scope that couldn’t be, but perhaps some of the cheaper ones don’t have that feature. I’m not familiar with the Barska brand mentioned above, but the below link is to one scope that evidently can be rotated as I described because it has a small knob on the side that I believe locks the scope in position (just like my Bushnell). That would, however, be something to confirm. https://www.barska.com/20-60x6...scape-spotting-scope ► 6.4/93.6 ___________ “We are Americans …. Together we have resisted the trap of appeasement, cynicism, and isolation that gives temptation to tyrants.” — George H. W. Bush | |||
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| Member |
Maybe just in time.A fellow member has a spotting scope for sale. $120.00 shipped. https://sigforum.com/eve/forums...0601935/m/3630085074 _________________________ "Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on or by imbeciles who really mean it." Mark Twain | |||
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| Member |
I have a Celestron spotting scope. One of their lower priced ones but at 100 yards I can see 223 holes. | |||
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| Member |
I’ve used this same scope for range use for probably 10 years. It works well and I can see hits easily at 100 yards.
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Member |
A cheaper Barska I've had for a couple years BARSKA 20-60x60 Zoom Colorado Spotting Scope (Green Finish) https://www.amazon.com/BARSKA-...XB2ZEZWWTWAVKT9EGAD0 | |||
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| Freethinker |
As I alluded to earlier, I can fully understand how budgetary limitations affect what we purchase. I also try not to be an optics snob, and have long wondered how bad cheap optics could be. Today I found out. One of the shooters at a group session had a Bushnell “70 Elite” spotting scope with a 20-60× zoom eyepiece. How bad could something like that be? Okay, it was better than no scope, but just barely. When I first looked though it the setting was 30×. That was so poor that I turned it down to the 20× minimum. That helped spotting hits at 100 yards, but not much. The field of view was extremely small, and was further degraded by a thick blurry ring around the marginally usable central image. I don’t know how much the scope sold for new because it’s been discontinued, but I found one on eBay for $52 plus shipping. Unless I were desperate for something, I would consider $20 to be a waste of money. Perhaps there was something wrong with the unit I examined, but it demonstrated that poor optics can be really bad. ► 6.4/93.6 ___________ “We are Americans …. Together we have resisted the trap of appeasement, cynicism, and isolation that gives temptation to tyrants.” — George H. W. Bush | |||
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| That's just the Flomax talking |
In my experience, cheap and optics don't mix. Buy a good scope and it will last a lifetime and more. Beyond 100 yards, you need light, so a large objective lens is best: 60mm or larger. | |||
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Telecom Ronin |
Same here and for under $200 it works but is not a quality piece. The power adjustment ring has shifted and the clarity it just ok, seeing 22 cal holes on 60X at 50 meters is possible but not great. I could make up a 6.8spc grouping at 200m....so not too terrible. When it finally breaks I will invest in good scope....but for the time being this "cheap" scope works. | |||
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| Member |
Think about it, while shooting prone, your chest is on the ground, your rifle and head are at most 10" off the ground, and an angled spotting scope requires to look down at 25-30 degrees. In order to do this, the scope would have to be on the ground. I have shot with a person who anchored the scope not on the bottom, but rotated it 90 degrees, where it was mounted on the side, and the angled piece was angled back at the shooter. The problem remained the tripod, and constantly rolling into it. The other problem was that your left eye could not acquire the target because you are facing 25 degrees to he right to look at the eyepiece. When I shoot prone, I position my spotter on a shooting bag to the left of my gun, so I just move my eye to see the target. | |||
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SIGforum.com Main Page Mason's Rifle Room Cheap but decent spotting scope or binoculars for range use?
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