Author Topic: Any thoughts on the BEST low budget spotting scope?  (Read 1289 times)

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Offline copemech

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Any thoughts on the BEST low budget spotting scope?
« on: August 24, 2017, 11:27:56 PM »
Title says it all.

Offline pewpew4life

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Re: Any thoughts on the BEST low budget spotting scope?
« Reply #1 on: August 24, 2017, 11:39:44 PM »
Alpine is a pretty good budget spotting scope. Question is, what do you consider "low budget"? And what distance are looking to shoot and see with a spotting scope?

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Offline 1SOW

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Re: Any thoughts on the BEST low budget spotting scope?
« Reply #2 on: August 24, 2017, 11:46:59 PM »
My small $8 monocular works well  to 25 yards,  but I wouldn'tount it on my Bullseye box. FOV is really small. ::)

Offline jameslovesjammie

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Re: Any thoughts on the BEST low budget spotting scope?
« Reply #3 on: August 25, 2017, 09:40:46 AM »
What are you doing with it?  Are you looking for a hunting scope or a target scope? 

What distances are you needing to see at, and what size of an object are you looking at at that distance?  Are you looking at deer sized targets at 400 yards or are you looking to see .308" bullet holes in a target at 800 yards?  Are you spotting elk over a mile?

HOW MUCH TIME are you most likely going to be looking through it at a time?  Eye fatigue is huge.  Cheaper scopes will make your eyes hurt after a while.  If you're going to spend 4 hours a day looking through it (as in at long range matches or a sheep hunt), you're definitely better off with better glass.

I personally wouldn't waste my money on a cheap spotting scope.  You could do just as well with a decent pair of binoculars. 

Offline copemech

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Re: Any thoughts on the BEST low budget spotting scope?
« Reply #4 on: August 25, 2017, 11:05:19 PM »
I would just like something I could see .223 holes in paper out to 3-400 yds. Seems to me that it gets really hard to see them in plain paper targets sometimes even at 100 with anything less than a 3x9 scope.

I'm probably talking about one of them 20-60 x things they sell, but it seems to me a lot of the reviews are not good on the overall quality.

I have good quality B&L Bino's at 10x, but there is no way I am stable enough to use them, need a mount or something even at 100.

Offline Earl Keese

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Re: Any thoughts on the BEST low budget spotting scope?
« Reply #5 on: August 26, 2017, 07:29:24 AM »
I picked up a Simmons on a whim at Walmart a year or so back. I knew it was probably crap, but figure maybe I could get by for the limited amount of rifle shooting I was doing. I shoot quite a bit more now and it's working pretty well for .223 @ 100-300yds. I probably won't upgrade until it breaks since it's just for recreation. Plan to spend considerably more for a good tri-pod though. Five minutes with a cheap tri-pod and you'll be throwing it down range.

Offline FN in MT

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Re: Any thoughts on the BEST low budget spotting scope?
« Reply #6 on: August 27, 2017, 11:15:01 AM »
  Unfortunately quality optics and tripods are NOT cheap.  Many years back , one of my mentors preached QUALITY in tools, cameras/lenses, hunting optics, etc. 

  BUY once....CRY once.      You then have quality gear. It allows you to see better, for extended periods of time without eye strain. For hunters good optics save you walking/stalking time as one can not only FIND...But evaluate game far more efficiently.

  OR....You can buy lower quality optics and gear, then get marginal performance, until You trade them off, lose money and BUY all over again. Or the lower quality stuff simply breaks.   In the END you spend a lot of money...And constantly have marginal performance.

  Buy good stuff from the start and be done with it.

 

 

Offline jammr

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Re: Any thoughts on the BEST low budget spotting scope?
« Reply #7 on: August 27, 2017, 12:47:37 PM »
Northern Tool sells a budget scope (20-60x) with tripod for $40.   I bought one and it gets the job done for me, but I aint shooting competition out to 600+ yards
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Offline Earl Keese

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Re: Any thoughts on the BEST low budget spotting scope?
« Reply #8 on: August 27, 2017, 01:19:35 PM »
  Unfortunately quality optics and tripods are NOT cheap.  Many years back , one of my mentors preached QUALITY in tools, cameras/lenses, hunting optics, etc. 

  BUY once....CRY once.      You then have quality gear. It allows you to see better, for extended periods of time without eye strain. For hunters good optics save you walking/stalking time as one can not only FIND...But evaluate game far more efficiently.

  OR....You can buy lower quality optics and gear, then get marginal performance, until You trade them off, lose money and BUY all over again. Or the lower quality stuff simply breaks.   In the END you spend a lot of money...And constantly have marginal performance.

  Buy good stuff from the start and be done with it.

 

 
For the most part I agree with this and see the logic. On the other hand, a guy who builds cars as a hobby doesn't need a Snap On toolbox when he can buy a new crate motor for the same money. Sometimes good enough is good enough.

Offline Boris_LA

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Re: Any thoughts on the BEST low budget spotting scope?
« Reply #9 on: August 27, 2017, 02:09:22 PM »
I have had a few (budget) scopes including Gordon 20-60 x 60 from HFT. They mostly milky and with limited resolution.
The best so far I have been using is Winchester/Vanguard 15-45 scope like those

https://www.ebay.com/p/Winchester-WT-541/73198556
https://www.ebay.com/p/Winchester-WT-631/73193365

I bough mine years ago on sale in Big5 for ~$100 and still very happy with it. .22 and  .177 holes on paper at 100m are visible.

Most master shooters in our Silhouette club using Kowa 80mm for their spotting, but its by far not a "budget" scope.
For me the best attraction in Kowa is a generous eye relieve allowing to keep the safety glassed on while spotting.
Very heavy and sturdy tripod is a must. That alone is worthy investment and could cost as much or more than a scope.
« Last Edit: August 27, 2017, 02:11:57 PM by Boris_LA »

Offline FN in MT

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Re: Any thoughts on the BEST low budget spotting scope?
« Reply #10 on: August 29, 2017, 11:41:40 PM »
  Unfortunately quality optics and tripods are NOT cheap.  Many years back , one of my mentors preached QUALITY in tools, cameras/lenses, hunting optics, etc. 

  BUY once....CRY once.      You then have quality gear. It allows you to see better, for extended periods of time without eye strain. For hunters good optics save you walking/stalking time as one can not only FIND...But evaluate game far more efficiently.

  OR....You can buy lower quality optics and gear, then get marginal performance, until You trade them off, lose money and BUY all over again. Or the lower quality stuff simply breaks.   In the END you spend a lot of money...And constantly have marginal performance.

  Buy good stuff from the start and be done with it.

 

 
For the most part I agree with this and see the logic. On the other hand, a guy who builds cars as a hobby doesn't need a Snap On toolbox when he can buy a new crate motor for the same money. Sometimes good enough is good enough.

 Works with toolboxes,  but unfortunately not optics. 

BTW....I have Craftsman toolboxes.

 

anything