Cundiff5535 Posted April 11, 2015 Share Posted April 11, 2015 Hey guys, this is probably not the best forum for this question but, I need some help... I am about to jump in and buy my first Spotting scope. I realistically want to stay under 1K and even more realistically at $600-$800 max. If the step up to 1K (or a little more) gets me a much better of a spotter, Ill do it but, I am not sure I need it or want to drop a ton of cash (for me). I live in the Chicagoland area so sadly, I have no place to shoot past 600... and realistically the most Ill be shooting is 300. I shoot A LOT of BR .22LR at 50 and 100 and shoot AR 223 loads at 200. Thats the majority of my shooting. I will say, I have HORRIBLE eyes so I am not sure if you all think that is impactful.I am currently considering either a Viper Vortex HD (I am a huge fan of Vortex optics) but, I am seeing a lot of great things about Kowa, Pantax, along with Vortex and Zen Ray. I personally do not care to buy used or even an older model scope if the value is there but, I do want to get a really nice scope. I have read so many reviews, my head is seriously spinning.I have read that the Pentax PF80 for 1K is a great buy... the Kowa 82mm TSN-82SV is a fantastic scope, and the Viper HD 20-60 is just something that makes sense as I have a bias to Vortex. And the Razor is great in terms of value at its price range. Can anyone tell me what the pro and cons are of those? What makes most sense for ME? <--- Since this is my first spotter, I am not sure.When it comes to Optics for my rifle, I know what I like based on the many, many optics I have owned (pretty biased toward Nightforce, Zeiss, and Vortex). I do not have the time or money to burn through 10-15 spotting scopes to find out what best fits me. What I do know is that I need to make a decision soon. Weather is breaking at its almost time to start shooting again! (I am not a cold weather guy so, no chance Im going out in anything under 50 to shoot:)Anyway, all help is so very much appreciated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve RA Posted April 11, 2015 Share Posted April 11, 2015 Check around where you shoot rifle and if anyone is using one, ask if you can look thru it and what they like and dislike about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShooterSteve Posted April 11, 2015 Share Posted April 11, 2015 My spotter only goes to 45x, and I wish I had a little more power. buy the best you can afford. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RiggerJJ Posted April 12, 2015 Share Posted April 12, 2015 (edited) I would go to a Cabellas or similar and take the optic guy and some scopes outside and compare them. I did this with rangefinders and am very glad I did. But I will tell you from 1st hand knowledge, bypass all of that and get the razor. I have a 20-60 and it's the only scope I have seen that can see 223 holes at 300...I am sure there are others that can, but not for the price of a razor. jmho jj Edited April 12, 2015 by RiggerJJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Smith Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 There is a very recent thread asking a nearly identical question: http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=213053&hl= Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOOM Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 I'm barrale able see 223 bug holes at 600 yrds with a 20-60 spotter. Never really sure without checking the target Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbletap_ed Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 The biggest issue I have with spotting scopes is eye relief with my glasses. Yes, everyone at the range should have safety glasses but if you do not need them you can always lift the safety glasses to look through the scope. Therefore, if you need glasses like I do check the eye relief on the spotting scope. Even better if you can get a chance to look through what you want first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dauntedfuture Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 If you look on the line at an NRA match you will see lots of Kowa scopes. They are very good glass and worth what you pay. You will quickly find that magnification is not everything and that at a certain point no scope is going to work to see bullet holes when the mirage kicks up. About the max magnification that you will see is 25X. You are also going to find that focus with lower end scopes at the high end of magnification gets tough and sometimes it does not work at all, that is to say you just cant get focus with that power on that spotting scope. With a sky background 300 yds is about as far away as you can see bullet holes with any spotting scope out there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bfilbey Posted April 22, 2015 Share Posted April 22, 2015 This is probably a bit more low end than you want at $1K but I have used this for years. They issued it to Army snipers for a number of years. It is a great little piece of glass and is more portable than the 8o+mm scopes. I would go with a Kowa or a Konus if you want a 80 mm scope. My 80 is a Zeiss but they have gone up a lot since I bought mine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Freeman Posted April 23, 2015 Share Posted April 23, 2015 Get a Kowa with a long eye relief eye piece. Worth their weight in gold. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOOM Posted April 24, 2015 Share Posted April 24, 2015 ^^^^^THIS Is what I didn't think of Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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