How much magnification?

[Jspeed]

I've got a range on my property out to a little over 900 yds….what magnification numbers do y'all recommend for a spotting scope? Thanks

 

[Rich Coyle]

I discovered a 12X spotter can show more detail than a Leupold VX6 4-24X52 or a Swarovskia z5 5-25X52 on 24X and 25X.

Therefore you should get whatever good brand you want.

 

[waspocrew]

I think quality of the glass is more important than magnification. Depending on quality, you may find the useable range is not the entire magnification range of the scope itself.

Had a Vortex Viper 15-45x that was alright, but seemed very fuzzy on the upper end. Stepped up to the Razor line (16x-48) and really noticed a difference, especially at the higher magnification.

 

[Rick Richard]

The higher the magnification the better glass needed. At that distance, you may think about 12X binoculars in my opinion. Just a thought.

 

[yobuck]

I discovered a 12X spotter can show more detail than a Leupold VX6 4-24X52 or a Swarovskia z5 5-25X52 on 24X and 25X.

Therefore you should get whatever good brand you want.

Actually, it depends on the air quality on that particular day.
And air quality can vary from place to place.
Certainly on days with high mirage, which takes place on sunny days, less power will offer a clearer picture than a higher power will.
A larger objective will help to some degree, as it allows more light to enter the scope, but only to a degree, as when conditions are bad, none of them will perform well regardless of the objective size.
In the East, there is a higher humidity factor than in the west for the most part. And moisture in the air will distort the image, and the higher the power the more noticeable it will become.
Its one of the reasons most spotting scope makers only offer variable power eyepieces.
Again in the East, there will be few days where good clarity will be seen with 40 power, but again a 100 mm objective will be better than an 80.
If i were forced to make a choice of just one set of eyepieces for my twin 70 mm spotters i use for glassing, it would be 15 power.

 

[TXTrained]

I've got a range on my property out to a little over 900 yds….what magnification numbers do y'all recommend for a spotting scope? Thanks

Since I had never owned a spotting scope I 1st bought a cheap one.This was prior to shooting past 350 yards. It was a Svbony that was $50. on ebay. It was ok.Then I bought a Vortex Diamondback at Academy for $400. And it was twice as good as the Svbony.But still not a 600 yatrd scope.So I returned it and bought a Vortex Diamondback HD. It was 4 times better and it was only $500.I used it spotting impacts/misses at 2k yards. But now I need a Spotting scope with a Reticle in MILS so I bought a TRACT 27-55x80 that cost $1500. and also purchased a 30x reticle eye piece that was $385.I compared it to the Vortex Razor and they are pretty much equal.The TRACT eye piece will fit the Vortex. TSo if you dont need a Reticle in MIL or MOA the 1500 TRACT will definetly do the trick.A KOWA is also a good choice that wont brake the bank.GOOD LUCK

 

[yobuck]

Im curious, what are you using the reticle in the spotter for ?

 

[del2les]

I own several spotting scopes that range from 20-60x, 15-45x, 12-48x and 12-25x, and as the years went by, I found I use the 12-25x far more than anything else with the 12-48x coming in second and used mostly on the lower settings. As stated above, clarity and sharpness of optics is superior to power.

 

[Rifleman97]

Im curious, what are you using the reticle in the spotter for ?

Not who you're replying to but if you have a reticle in your spotter you can use it to manually rangefind objects of known size. Like a rangefinder but a lot more magnification

 

[Wyo37]

Kowa with a 30x wide angle eyepiece. Also have the 20-60x but prefer the fixed 30

 

[yobuck]

Not who you're replying to but if you have a reticle in your spotter you can use it to manually rangefind objects of known size. Like a rangefinder but a lot more magnification

Uhhuh, uhhuh, lol
For long range hunting, that will get you inside the ball park, maybe.
A 1/2" target dot will cover 1/2" at 100 yards.
So all you gotta do is put it on the deer and calculate how far away it is.
Works every time. lol

 

[yobuck]

Kowa with a 30x wide angle eyepiece. Also have the 20-60x but prefer the fixed 30

Have you ever tested your fixed 30x against your variable set on 30x on the same things on the same day as for clarity?
If not you should.

 

[Rifleman97]

Uhhuh, uhhuh, lol
For long range hunting, that will get you inside the ball park, maybe.
A 1/2" target dot will cover 1/2" at 100 yards.
So all you gotta do is put it on the deer and calculate how far away it is.
Works every time. lol

I wasn't assuming a dot, I was assuming a mil dot/mil hash reticle.

 

[SSG Graybush]

I've got a range on my property out to a little over 900 yds….what magnification numbers do y'all recommend for a spotting scope? Thanks

For a spotter as much and as clear as possible. Watch mirage from directly behind the shooter.