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Spotting scope ??

grdad45
(Also posted in 'Ask The Experts')
I'm looking to get a spotting scope, and have a few questions-
1. Since I will be using it at up to 400 yards, what power range do I need?
2. Angled or straight eyepiece? 
3. What tripod? Don't want a wobbly one.
Thanks!!!!
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Comments

7 comments

Date Votes
  • He Dog

    I prefer straight eye pieces, for me they are easier to find my image in.  All of the professional birding guides I have been with in several countries use the angled eye piece.  They get used to finding things, and it allows the scope to be lower when using, so more stable on shorter tripod legs.  There are a ton of good tripods out there, I use Manfrotto, and Slik, but also have Gitzo, and a 12" tall cheapie for use on the shooting bench.  Think about the ways you will be using the scope/tripod combo and be sure to get one that will be tall enough for your purpose.  If you will be standing and looking for long make sure you can get the scope up to where you can stand and glass comfortably.  Being hunched for a while is a real misery.  I prefer latches on the legs to screw down sections.  Screw downs are more secure for heavy duty use, but for lighter use and careful users, the latches are much faster to use.  I have never had issues with either, but I don't hunt mountain goats.  I don't take them internationally, but do have the lighter Slik that we fly with around the country and it has been fine and durable.  Padding on the upper legs is nice, cushions the legs if you cary over the shoulder, and is less frigid winter mornings, and absorbs less summer sun, to stay cooler.  A carry strap is nice, but they can be had after market.

    A word on the scope: get the best you can afford.  I have a very old Bushnell (1970's) that I have had against Swarovski and could see better with it.  Neither the glass nor the coatings a nearly as good, but something about it made it possible for me to see clearly and identify a bird I could not id with the Swarovski.  So- try it before you buy it.  Look at Vortex for quality/$$.   While my best scope is Leica (now Leitz), I do use top tier 10x Vortex binos and they are about 96% as goods as the Swarovskis which cost more than double.   

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  • dpmule
    He Dog said:

    I prefer straight eye pieces, for me they are easier to find my image in.  All of the professional birding guides I have been with in several countries use the angled eye piece.  They get used to finding things, and it allows the scope to be lower when using, so more stable on shorter tripod legs.  There are a ton of good tripods out there, I use Manfrotto, and Slik, but also have Gitzo, and a 12" tall cheapie for use on the shooting bench.

    A word on the scope: get the best you can afford.  I have a very old Bushnell (1970's) that I have had against Swarovski and could see better with it.  Neither the glass nor the coatings a nearly as good, but something about it made it possible for me to see clearly and identify a bird I could not id with the Swarovski.  So- try it before you buy it.  Look at Vortex for quality/$$.   

    +1 on all counts except I prefer the angled eyepiece for comfort over the straight when glassing in mountaino terrain.
    And ditto on the Vortex, I am hearing lots of good about them and more and more hunting guides are using them because of price and quality of view.
    Mule
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  • bpost
    I find it strange that Nightforce and Leopold have stayed at the top, Nikon is gone, Burris is a shadow of what it once was and Vortex is rising like the Northern Star.  Odd how businesses come and go over time.  My favorite scope was a 8X32 Burris followed by the Burris Signature 1-6 that I carried on several rifles in Alaska, I regret selling them both.  My spotting scope is a cheaper Burris that I find excellent to 100 yards, thereafter not so much.  Please let us know what you choose, a good range report on optics is always welcome and needed.
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  • toad67
    IMO, to properly answer your question, one needs to know what the primary use at 400 yards will be? Are you trying to count points on a deer, look at birds or trying to see bullet holes in a target? A lesser quality scope in a lower magnification will probably do the first couple of things okay, as long as it's clear. Even with the higher end scopes it can be tough looking at small objects at long distances. The biggest problem is generally heat waves. They make things so distorted that it is almost impossible to see anything at a distance in the upper magnification range. I have a 20-60x80 scope, and can rarely use it past 40x. Objective size seems to make the most difference to me.
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  • Smitty500mag
    I have an old Swift Model 821 spotting scope that I use. It came with 5 eyepieces 15, 20, 30, 40, and 60X - 60mm. These old scopes were built like a tank with cast aluminum bodies. I also have an old Tasco spotting scope 15x45 - 40mm that's not bad for what I paid for it.  Except for looking at the Moon I've never tried them at over 300 yards but I would guess they are good for twice that or more.
    They probably make a lot better scopes today but for me, I like the old stuff. 
     








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  • grdad45
    toad67 said:
    IMO, to properly answer your question, one needs to know what the primary use at 400 yards will be? Are you trying to count points on a deer, look at birds or trying to see bullet holes in a target? A lesser quality scope in a lower magnification will probably do the first couple of things okay, as long as it's clear. Even with the higher end scopes it can be tough looking at small objects at long distances. The biggest problem is generally heat waves. They make things so distorted that it is almost impossible to see anything at a distance in the upper magnification range. I have a 20-60x80 scope, and can rarely use it past 40x. Objective size seems to make the most difference to me.
    Sorry I wasn't more informative as to my intended use of the scope. 99% of the time, it will be sitting on a shooting bench looking at paper targets. Where I hunt, I am rarely able to see game over 250 yards away, and that is down a road or right-of-way. (pretty thick cover) 
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  • toad67
    So I'd guess that since you're shooting at that distance your scope must be in the 14+ magnification range. If you have trouble seeing the target at the higher power magnifications on your scope, then you will probably have the same issues on a spotting scope, unless the objective is larger than your scope's objective. If I were in your shoes, I'd ask a few of my buddies to see if I could borrow a few scopes to try out. Another helpful thing might be to try a target such as a "dirty bird", or "shoot and see". They have a black face on them, and "splatter" showing you the hole with a bright contrasting color underneath. 
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