Spotting scope recommendations from real users!

cmansguns

cmansguns

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I am having a temporary set back in attempting to shoot my Christmas present 3 boxes of 32-20 WCF 115 gr round nose soft lead in my old 1921 S&W.

My indoor range will not allow all lead ammo. All ammo (except 22 rimfire) MUST be FMJ or Semi Jacketed. I don't want to risk membership by sneaking any in........so found an outdoor range that doesn't have ammo restrictions, but only has 15 yard (45 feet) and 25 yard (75 feet) handgun dedicated lanes.

I'm good with these old eyes to about 10 yards (30 feet) (give or take a couple), with the very good indoor lighting and no wind conditions.

I'm going to signup at the outdoor range simply because I love to still shoot the M1 Garand, and the sons and daughters are liking every rifle and handgun I've got in inventory and they will be fun on the bench style rifle ranges (100 yards plus). The grandkids love the Nylon 66's I have too so money won't go to waste.

As stated............I REALLY need a decent quality spotting scope that will show me what I did (or didn't do) at 15, 25, 100, 200 YARDS. I don't care about cell phone attachments or any other gimmicks, but all that I reviewed on line even Vortex, at under $400 seem to all have a very high percentage of BAD reviews, crummy optics, bad resolution, broken parts, terrible focus, poor or non-existent customer service, etc. et. al. ad. infinitum.

Cannot afford $1,000 and up for top tier stuff, so hoping maybe one or more of you real time shooters that use spotting scopes will share what you KNOW is a decent one for what I need (targets....not prong horn across the half mile wide valley).

The range is typical outdoor (fixed frame, plywood backers), The whole COLD range callout & wait every time you want to change targets, or place mark your shots....and I just hate to be the hold up for everyone else.

Sorry for the long post but I'm really looking for some advice from guys/gals that use a scope.

Thanks very much in advance.
 
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I can highly recommend a vintage scope - Bushnell Spacemaster. I bought one for $100 off Craigslist almost 20 years ago in a case with a table top tripod. Great scope. You can interchange eyepieces or get an adjustable power eyepiece. Mine came with a 15-45 power eyepiece. A 15, 20 or 25 power eyepiece is all you need out to 100 yards. The variable one is really nice to lower power if sighting in at 25 yards. I just checked eBay and there are a bunch available most for under $100. The first link is exactly the scope and eyepiece I have. Second link is the tripod.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/196158674898

https://www.ebay.com/itm/126280499630

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=bushnell+spacemaster+spotting+scope&_sop=12
 

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With glasses my vision is correctable to 20-30, so for what its worth 200yrds and under 400.00 i don't think can be done. Maybe if you have 20-20 or better vision.
I have an Opticron 20-45 that I can see .30 cal hits at 100 in good light on paper targets. might get 150 or 200 with splatter targets. I think I paid around 300.00 for it.
Did a bunch of reading before I got it and most everyone said 200+ yards is going to take expensive glass.
not much help I know, I couldn't afford better glass so I walk if I shoot farther. It's a pain, but gotta do what you gotta do.
 
cmansguns said:
I am having a temporary set back in attempting to shoot my Christmas present 3 boxes of 32-20 WCF 115 gr round nose soft lead in my old 1921 S&W.

My indoor range will not allow all lead ammo. All ammo (except 22 rimfire) MUST be FMJ or Semi Jacketed. I don't want to risk membership by sneaking any in........so found an outdoor range that doesn't have ammo restrictions, but only has 15 yard (45 feet) and 25 yard (75 feet) handgun dedicated lanes.

I'm good with these old eyes to about 10 yards (30 feet) (give or take a couple), with the very good indoor lighting and no wind conditions.

I'm going to signup at the outdoor range simply because I love to still shoot the M1 Garand, and the sons and daughters are liking every rifle and handgun I've got in inventory and they will be fun on the bench style rifle ranges (100 yards plus). The grandkids love the Nylon 66's I have too so money won't go to waste.

As stated............I REALLY need a decent quality spotting scope that will show me what I did (or didn't do) at 15, 25, 100, 200 YARDS. I don't care about cell phone attachments or any other gimmicks, but all that I reviewed on line even Vortex, at under $400 seem to all have a very high percentage of BAD reviews, crummy optics, bad resolution, broken parts, terrible focus, poor or non-existent customer service, etc. et. al. ad. infinitum.

Cannot afford $1,000 and up for top tier stuff, so hoping maybe one or more of you real time shooters that use spotting scopes will share what you KNOW is a decent one for what I need (targets....not prong horn across the half mile wide valley).

The range is typical outdoor (fixed frame, plywood backers), The whole COLD range callout & wait every time you want to change targets, or place mark your shots....and I just hate to be the hold up for everyone else.

Sorry for the long post but I'm really looking for some advice from guys/gals that use a scope.

Thanks very much in advance.
Click to expand...

I'm not an optics pro by any means, but I've looked at some online reviews that are quite disappointing. Many of the reviewers don't know much more about optics than I do. As a result their reviews appear to be very subjective and flawed, not anywhere close to being objective.

You may be right in that you don't get much today with a $400 spotting scope. Even a cheap scope will probably work (at least minmally) for up to 100 yards. A clear and vivid 200 yard image may be asking too much of an inexpensive scope but some cheaper scopes may be barely adequate.

I'm still using a Bushnell Spacemaster 15x-45x that I bought new about forty years ago. They were around $250.00 at that time but mine still works for up to 200 yard spotting, but not much farther. These are likely available used as they were quite popular for years.

For distances beyond 200 yards, I use a much more expensive spotter, in a price range you indicated you had no interest in. You often get what you pay for, but if looking for a new scope, I would guess there should be some in the above $500 range that might suit your needs.

Be careful on the magnification. A high magnification with a cheaper scope is often unusable. At 200 yards, a 30x that you can see clearly with is far more useful than a 40x that shows a horribly fuzzy, distorted image.
 
If possible, don't buy any SS without looking through it first. Some cheap scopes are almost as bad as having nothing. I have a very old (>50 years) Unertl with a 25x eyepiece that does everything I want at up to 100 yards and is usable at 200 yards. I notmally do not shoot much at 200. As suggested, check Craigslist, Gunbroker, and eBay for used scopes but try to find a name brand. My scope has straight through viewing, i.e., the eyepiece is not angled. Personally I greatly prefer that type to a scope having an angled eyepiece. Others may have a different opinion.

I have a friend who is happy using 8x binoculars to spot at 25 yards. You might try that first.
 
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I’ve been very pleased with my Leupold 30x gold ring I bought many years ago. Just googled it and it’s $700 at Midway. (Yikes! I didn’t pay that for it 15+ years ago.). It’s clear and light and packs well, in addition to working well off a bench. You might watch for these on the Bay or the List used, keeping in mind Leupold’s warranty is great.
 
When I got started shooting at the local CMP matches at my club I didn't want to speed $1000-1500 for a spotting scope. Upon the advice of some guys that had been running the club for a long time they recommended I look at the Konus 20-60x X80mm spotting scope. I have been perfectly satisfied with the service this scope has provided. However, all of our shoots are limited to 100yds and reduced sized targets. that being said, I am still able to see .223 holes in the black (hopefully) at 100 yds. .30 cal holes are no problem at all at 100yds. The scope is light but a little on the bulky side for overall size. Price is very reasonable. The angled eye piece is a HUGE plus as it allows you to keep the scopes center of gravity mounted lower for stability.
[ame]https://www.amazon.com/Konus-7126-KonuSpot-80-Spotting-Scope/dp/B07Z99DFRB[/ame]
The club also has several ancient Bushnell spotting scopes they loan out to new shooters on the line.
 
I like my old 20x Leupold Gold Ring ( one of their first Spotters. ) They can be found used.

Also; a used B&L Discoverer or Redfield 15x60 are good. You'll find that staying between 20x and 30x will serve you well.
 
For 100yds or less I would go with high quality binocs. I have Zeiss 10x40 B that are over 40 years old. From a steady rest (elbows on bench or bags) easy to spot out to at least 75yds, 100+ if you use shootnsee targets or painted steel. Much better investment as they have been great for many years of hunting, ballgames, critter watching and more. Just my $.02 :)
 
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I have a Celestron Ultima 80 that works fine out to 200 yards. There are certainly better scopes out there, but this one works just fine,for seeing holes in paper. I’ve also used it to see 4 of Jupiter’s moons. Not bad for less than $250!
 
It isn't about the magnification! It is about clarity and light gathering. My 15-year-old Celestron has the typical 20-60 x eye piece for longer rifle distance, but my objective lens is 88mm and gathers light even on cloudy days! Celestron is far less than the traditional names, but they are made in Asia (if that matters to you.) If my shot is in the black, I can see 22 cal hole to 300-350 yards, I can spot the impacts on clean steel plates to over 1000 yards. Mine was a demo model for $175 when I got it.

Ivan
 
I have only used a few. One is mine but it's a cheap one, can't even remember the name but would never reco it anyway. The other is my shooting bud's and it's a Leupold. Don't know the model, but it's SUPER TOP NOTCH! Leupold always seems to make nice stuff! The scopes I have are also Leupold and they have always performed wonderfully.
 
And just by the way, if you can handle the scope, I want to pass along a tip I learned shopping at a nice store a while back. “Can’t make up your mind which scope to get? Here, let’s go over to the front door and look at a brick wall.” Seriously, looking at that brick wall about 75 yards away showed serious differences in scope quality. How clear and sharp the corners of the bricks and mortar lines looked. Were they equally clear from edge to edge, etc. Now, was it worth the difference in price point? In some cases, yes.
 
For my use, I’ve found extra weight is a good thing
in spotting scopes. I’ve had a light scope go skittering
off the bench in a stiff breeze.
The Bushnell Spacemaster is heavy enough to stay put.
 
Thanks for the tip....

Baxter6551 said:
I can highly recommend a vintage scope - Bushnell Spacemaster. I bought one for $100 off Craigslist almost 20 years ago in a case with a table top tripod. Great scope. You can interchange eyepieces or get an adjustable power eyepiece. Mine came with a 15-45 power eyepiece. A 15, 20 or 25 power eyepiece is all you need out to 100 yards. The variable one is really nice to lower power if sighting in at 25 yards. I just checked eBay and there are a bunch available most for under $100. The first link is exactly the scope and eyepiece I have. Second link is the tripod.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/196158674898

https://www.ebay.com/itm/126280499630

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=bushnell+spacemaster+spotting+scope&_sop=12
Click to expand...

I was looking to get an Athlon Talos scope but I may take your advice on the Spacemaster. I never shoot over 100 yards.
 
Baxter6551 said:
I can highly recommend a vintage scope - Bushnell Spacemaster. I bought one for $100 off Craigslist almost 20 years ago in a case with a table top tripod. Great scope. You can interchange eyepieces or get an adjustable power eyepiece. Mine came with a 15-45 power eyepiece. A 15, 20 or 25 power eyepiece is all you need out to 100 yards. The variable one is really nice to lower power if sighting in at 25 yards. I just checked eBay and there are a bunch available most for under $100. The first link is exactly the scope and eyepiece I have. Second link is the tripod.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/196158674898

https://www.ebay.com/itm/126280499630

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=bushnell+spacemaster+spotting+scope&_sop=12
Click to expand...

rwsmith said:
I was looking to get an Athlon Talos scope but I may take your advice on the Spacemaster. I never shoot over 100 yards.
Click to expand...

You can depend on a good B&L Spacemester. I have a small collection of spotting scopes (19 total). Several are Spacemasters, I have a couple with the 15-45X eyepieces. I have a Leupold 15-45X spotting scope and is just barely is better than my Spacemasters. I have my spotting scope in a old hard scope case, in there, there is room for the spotting scope, scope stand and a set of binoculars. The post about bino being useful at the range is the true, mine are 20X though, not 8X.
 
A 20 power is all that I use, here in Nevada, since extra power does not do well in 80 plus temps with the heat waves, that makes every thing do the "Hula dance".

A 10 power should work at 100 yards if you have fair eye sight and good glass.

Good luck on finding something.
 
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