Vortex Nomad Spotter

m249

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 22, 2008
Messages
66
Location
Superior, WI
Aright I need everyone to give me their honest opinion. I have been looking at these for a while now and need to know how they perform out in the field. I'm tired of reading reviews only to have half of them written by people that work for the company. I would like to know if these scopes are able to spot .30 cal holes in a shoot-n-c target at 500 yards? Or what range would be the max for this. I am also wonder how this scope will do while on a hunt. How rugged is it, how does it do in low light situations, how well is it at picking out animals against similar colored backgrounds? This scope is within my budget so I would really love to hear what everyone things about this scope. I like to hear the good, bad, and ugly.
 
Honestly, I've been very impressed with mine. For the money it is hard to beat. This glass is not as clear as the Viper or Skyline. But that comes with the price point.

I was spotting .224 holes at 400 yards with mine so I don't think 308 would be an issue.

Hunting was where I was both impressed and realized the limitations. It is VERY light and easy to pack. I have the Vortex bench tripod which worked great. The glass was clear enough on deer to differentiate horns, width, and points to about 600 yards. After that, it became more difficult to discern points. After 800 I could still tell bucks from does but only if they were moving.

All in all I am more than pleased with my purchase and would buy one again. Now that I know the scope's limitations I never have an issue in the field.

Hope that helps.
 
Thank you j-man this is exactly what I was hopeing to see. Its good here hear that it does perform good. I also like to know what the limitations are for the scope.
 
played with my buddies quite a bit last fall. It does perform well for the 300$ price tag, however at the end of the day it is still a low-middle range scope. I had no problem seeing .308 caliber holes @ 500 yards on a white backer on cool days, however i could not discern buck from doe past 750-800 yards without alot of work.
 
This is on-off subject, but I have been considering the Redfield Rampage. Anybody have any experience with this particular scope? From what I have read, it is a well built spotter with decent glass for the money.

Tank
 
I would also like to hear about the Redfield Rampage. I haven't seen anything about this scope. Is this around the same quality of the Nomad?
 
OP - I purchased the nomad prior to my Wyoming hunt last year and am very pleased with the performance. As stated in a previous post, it is not the viper, it is a $300 spotter. The optic is super clear and I was able to distinguish bucks (of substantial size) from does out to 1000 yards. The only downside I have with this scope is early morning and late evening, things get a little fuzzy. It was my first spotter and I would recommend it to anyone looking at this price point. I would give Doug at Camerland a call. He was really great to deal with. I will purchase from him again here in the near future!

In addition, to know fault of my own, I had to send the spotter back to Vortex because the ring which goes around the spotter broke when it got knocked over. Vortex Warrant is legit! It was a really quick turn around to replace ring and it came back to me as new! I know you can't see the spotter itself, but here are a few pictures! Best of luck to you!
 

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m249 you have been given some good advice here. I procrastinated on a new spotting scope for 2 or 3 years until I finally made my decision. The Nomad may be all you need and if that is the case then the question is answered.
I shoot long range with a group of guys at my range then we also run sniper challenges at others. My objective in a scope was the utmost of clarity and the ability to see excellent trace and when lighting is right---the bullet.
Then, again, I don't use one for hunting. Nothing over the lowest power of my rifle scope is necessary in these thick Georgia woods.
I think I got both, but then buying a spotting scope is the same as a rifle scope or any other optics--you get what you pay for. I wasted a lot of money before I finally discovered that.
I bought the Vortex Razor. It's a lot more expensive than the Nomad but it seems to be what I wanted. I'll know more when we get back out to the long ranges.
The main thing to do is for you to try several different scopes in the basic conditions that you intend to use it then make a decision. You may find that the Nomad or a comparable scope meets those criteria, but then you may not.
At least you'll know where your dollars went.
 
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