Another Spotter Recommendation Thread; Advice Needed

[Bakwa]

I've been getting away with a Konus 20-60x80 spotting scope for casual use for a while now. I can pretty well make out bullet holes at 200m and splashes on steel out to 400m with this awesome super-budget piece of glass. That said, the lack of clarity strains my eyes and makes it impossible to make out fine details at longer distances.

The needs of my current job are pushing me to get a good quality spotting scope to make out finer details on things out at distance (200m-800m); my issued bino's and my personal spotting scope [Konus] don't do well enough currently. I've also been shooting more paper out past 400m and it'd be nice to see my impacts on my targets with whatever spotter I'm going to buy.

I wanted to keep this at under $1k-$1.2k but I don't want to pass up good options that are just above my price range if they're that much better.
I've been looking into the Athlon Ares 20-60 and the Vortex Viper HD's. But the Razor HD 27-60, Nightforce TS80 20-60, and Athlon Cronus 20-60 are all looking pretty nice at $1.5k and get pretty great reviews.

Without having the opportunity to look through any of these, I don't have much of a frame for reference. I know they're all better than my current budget Konus that's been chugging along, but are any of them in a much higher league than their counterparts for the $?

Any input based on experience with any of these [or similar] optics would be much appreciated.

Cheers!

 

[Steel head]

Following

Same boat.

 

[gr8fuldoug]

Have you seen this Athlon Ares 15-45X65 ED Spotter review over on RokSlide?https://www.rokslide.com/forums/threads/athlon-ares-65mm-full-review.136883/ It is also available in a 20-60x85

 

[45.308]

Not sure if this will help clear up finer detail you seek but I can see bullet splashes and hits on steel to 1100, about my furthest distance. Last time at boomershoot, my 2 buds were impressed compared to one of them's Vortex so he put it away right from set up before first shot. Some other shooters got interested in it, asked questioned, took a peek through and were impressed, at least said they were.

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[Mortalpawn]

I've written this before but for field use I prefer the Leupold Mark IV 12-40x60mm with TMR reticle. The low power end makes it easy to transition from binoculars or do a detailed search at 12x (which you can't do at 20x), while at 40x it has plenty of power for milling and reading mirage/wind. The TMR reticle lets you spot shots and make rapid corrections as it is all milrads (assuming your scopes are milrads).

I would not buy a scope without a reticle. Even with modern lasers, some targets can be hard to get a good return on so you should know how to mil targets/game. Scope clarity is good, even past 1000 yards, and the unit is tough and can handle abuse. There is a reason why this is the scope that military sniper/spotters use. You can get this in your price range if you buy it through Leupold's military/LE or Instructor program.

Now if you are just bench rest shooting or spotting holes in paper at a known range, then yes get a 20-60x and don't bother with a reticle.

 

[NY700]

I think some of the best glass for the money is the Celestron regal line up. You also gain the advantage of a system that uses standard telescopic eyepieces which opens up your options a ton including zoom and extended relief eyepieces

 

[Huskydriver]

Do you need a reticle in the spotter?

 

[Sheldon N]

I wanted to keep this at under $1k-$1.2k but I don't want to pass up good options that are just above my price range if they're that much better.
I've been looking into the Athlon Ares 20-60 and the Vortex Viper HD's. But the Razor HD 27-60, Nightforce TS80 20-60, and Athlon Cronus 20-60 are all looking pretty nice at $1.5k and get pretty great reviews.

IMO clearest spotter this side of a $2k+ Swaro or Kowa is the Meopta S2 20-70x82. If you're looking for a good deal the Cabelas Euro 20-70x82 is the same spotting scope (but with a fixed eye piece) and can usually be had used around $1200 or so.

 

[Reverie Ranges]

I picked this up at the local pawn shop for less than 1k. We had 120mm spotting scopes at Sniper School, and these see better... 2 80mm lenses have tremendous clarity and have better depth perception than one lens. I would highly recommend if you are spotting regularly, find a set similar to these or ship-to-shore binos. On the bonus, I should be able to watch the next lunar landing...