Spotting Scope Suggestions?

[elkoholic72]

The clarity is great unless it is really hot and the mirage factors in. But that comes with any of them, including my leica 85mm spotter--rarely take it hunting anymore due to weight. I also have an adapter for my digital camera and videocam that lets me get some very long range pics.
I think the tripod is a Manfrotto 785b.
Very packable and easy to use. I can stand it all the way up to eye level if the wind is calm.

[yobuck]

since your from pa. theres a good chance you will end up putting a pair of scopes in a bracket for use as binnocs.
so consider that when buying a scope.
very few serious pa. hunters use a single scope.
by far the most popular scope for that purpose is the bushnell spacemaster.
the older ones in the grey color are at least arguably better than the new ones. the older black ones are just as good to my mind.
they can be bought on ebay very reasonably, $150 on average for a very nice one.
dont worry about the eyepiece as it can be changed, which is another advantage of those scopes.

the older kowas can also be bought reasonably.
i have a pair of t.s.n.2s 77mm in a bracket and they are excellant. mine have 30x eyepieces.
they can be changed also, but are much more expensive than bushnell.

angle eyepiece models wont work in a bracket.
there is a t.s.n.2 on ebay right now with a zoom 20/60 eyepiece. that would be an excellant scope. it will probably sell in the $500 range.

as for bullet holes at distance, thats tough with any scope unless conditions are perfect. even then white paper is necessary.

[liltank]

Originally Posted by yobuck

since your from pa. theres a good chance you will end up putting a pair of scopes in a bracket for use as binnocs.
so consider that when buying a scope.
very few serious pa. hunters use a single scope.
by far the most popular scope for that purpose is the bushnell spacemaster.
the older ones in the grey color are at least arguably better than the new ones. the older black ones are just as good to my mind.
they can be bought on ebay very reasonably, $150 on average for a very nice one.
dont worry about the eyepiece as it can be changed, which is another advantage of those scopes.

the older kowas can also be bought reasonably.
i have a pair of t.s.n.2s 77mm in a bracket and they are excellant. mine have 30x eyepieces.
they can be changed also, but are much more expensive than bushnell.

angle eyepiece models wont work in a bracket.
there is a t.s.n.2 on ebay right now with a zoom 20/60 eyepiece. that would be an excellant scope. it will probably sell in the $500 range.

as for bullet holes at distance, thats tough with any scope unless conditions are perfect. even then white paper is necessary.

Thanks buck, good info.

Tank

[Natty Bumpo]

as for bullet holes at distance, thats tough with any scope unless conditions are perfect. even then white paper is necessary.

Amen to that. My cheap spotter can make out bullet holes at 200 yards, but not as often at 300 yards. I've had opportunity to look through some very good Nikon fieldscopes, and even with them it was hard to make out holes at 300 yards. Light colored targets help.

[cross]

Originally Posted by liltank

Cool, thanks guys, keep it coming. Moman and ovastafford, how far can you see the bullet holes in a target?

Tank

Tank,

With my 12x40x60 Leupold HD I can definitly see 7mm holes in paper at 500 but don't think I can see them at 700, so somewhere in between is most likely going to be the limit. Steel, of course, allows you to see the holes much further out. I don't think that the Leupold is really that comparable to the Swaros. The Swaros, from what I've been told, are a giant step ahead of the Leupolds when it comes to optical clarity and quality. However, the Leupys are still in demand for being lighter, shorter, more affordable and easier to carry.

cross

[jerkeejoe]

I've got a Swaro ats65 with 20-60 eyepiece non-hd and it's phenominal. I compared the hd and non-hd and couldn't justify spending an extra $800 for the HD.

I can easily spot hits on steel at 1300 yards (the longest we've shot with it) and can read street signs at 3000 yards.

Cameralandny.com is running a special $1500 for the ats65 with 20-60 right now. You really can't beat that spotter that price.

Joe

[gahlizard]

i recently talked to scott barish @ Libery Optics and he shared many pros and cons with me about the spotters. it would probably be worth your time to have a chat with him to find a good compromise with weight, clarity, size and cost.
greg