Rifle Scopes Priorities! What should I do?

[JaysonF]

I have a gold ring leupold spotting HD 12-40x60 with the case, tripod, camera mount and attachments... I got it in a trade and so far, I have traded up.

My Dilemma is this:

Keep the spotting scope setup and save for a rifle scope, which may be awhile.
Or should I trade/sell the setup for a rifle scope... I'd like a really nice scope, but I may have to come up with a couple hundred more to make it to a really nice scope. These things are selling on eBay for about $1200 new, but I know That $1,000 may be me being optimistic.

So, priorities... Keep the spotting scope (which may take me a year or so to build up the desire to buy a good spotting scope) or wait a few months (hopefully) and buy an ok scope...
Decisions, decisions

 

[Defusion]

I feel that a good scope is more important.
If you can get a decent amount for the spotting scope, and would be able to purchase something similar in a year for about the same amount, sell it now and get the better scope.

Try not to lose any money on it. Buying a crap scope now is essentially the same as losing money.
In fact; using a creditcard to purchase a better scope now would probably make more sense than buying something cheap now and disposing of it when you get the money you need by saving up for it.

For example (just taking some numbers, you would have to re-calculate with your own numbers):
CC: scope $1200, interest 8% (??) in a year ($96), assuming you pay it off in one go after 1 year, monthly payments of $100 would make the total interest lower but don't feel like calculating it. Total: $1296,-
Buying something crap now: $200? and $1200 in a year when you have the required amount of money for the better scope. Resale on crap scopes sucks, lets say $50? Grand total spent: $1350,-
Also consider you will need to spend a year looking through crap glass.

Using credit is a slippery slope though, but it probably would be what I would do.

 

[Captain Kirk]

I'd opt for a quality rifle scope, I can always get away with average glass in a spotter. I run a Nikon 15-45, nothing great but it works fine. I will always put as much $$ into rifle optics as budget allows, sometimes more....

 

[kis2]

Do you already have a quality rifle scope? If no, I'd sell the spotting scope to fund one. What I wouldn't want to see you do is have a higher quality spotting scope than rifle scope, not because spotting scopes aren't important, but the entire interface for your rifle is that rifle scope. Get a good one!

 

[Trigger Monkey]

Invest in a good scope for your rifle, you'd be surprised how well you can get by without a spotting scope for long range shooting. I used to have a Leupold Tactical with the TMR reticle because I thought I needed it but I learned that most of the time that wasn't the case. I found that more often than not I was spotting with my scope and the spotter would just be dead weight in my pack. That's the last thing I wanted during a comp so I ended up trading it for a bunch of steel to shoot and haven't really regretted it ever since.

If I have to spot for someone nowadays and I'm not on the gun I use a pair of Nikon ATB binos, you'd be surprised how well these $200 binos work in that role. I was shooting a local match this past weekend and had them strapped down in a PRS Universal Optics Mounting Plate and was actually spotting trace to about 900 yards or so and splash was no problem on longer targets.

 

[JaysonF]

Defusion:
Thanks for the math breakdown. I was wondering if I should put the reminder on a card and go with something better, but having the math right there mad sense. I was really resisting putting in the money for a scope to get me shooting, something which I would just want to upgrade in a year anyways.
Captain Kirk:
I hear that! I always go out and buy what I want, then find out a way to make it work until next payday. Needless to say, I have lived on top ramen for a week. Average glass may just cut it...
Kis:
No I don't have a quality scope yet, I never have. I want to start off with something good which I will like. I too feared that I would have a better spotting scope than my actual scope, and I probably would if I don't sell the leupold.
I appreciate the input guys, I may have to think this one over. I am new to long range shooting and I don't want to make the wrong choice.

 

[JaysonF]

Invest in a good scope for your rifle, you'd be surprised how well you can get by without a spotting scope for long range shooting. I used to have a Leupold Tactical with the TMR reticle because I thought I needed it but I learned that most of the time that wasn't the case. I found that more often than not I was spotting with my scope and the spotter would just be dead weight in my pack. That's the last thing I wanted during a comp so I ended up trading it for a bunch of steel to shoot and haven't really regretted it ever since.

If I have to spot for someone nowadays and I'm not on the gun I use a pair of Nikon ATB binos, you'd be surprised how well these $200 binos work in that role. I was shooting a local match this past weekend and had them strapped down in a PRS Universal Optics Mounting Plate and was actually spotting trace to about 900 yards or so and splash was no problem on longer targets.

I have the Leupold RXB-IV 9x32mm Digital Rangefinding Binocular and I thought I also needed a spotting scope. However if you are having luck with binos, I may already have a good setup.

 

[kis2]

I don't know much about optical history, but consider the role of a spotting scope when rifle scopes were largely fixed at 10x and less. pretty important. fast forward to now where you can get high quality resolution and variable power with an upper end of 25x on a tactical type scope and re-imagine the role of the spotting scope. still important, but unless you are positively identifying some targets at long range, you might could get by with just the high quality scope and some nice bino's.

I'm officially on team new riflescope.