search for a budget spotter below $ 700

[plamia2]

Нello Hide!
I watch a spotting scope for shooting and broke my brains to the Inet reading)).
My budget is up to $ 700. But if can spend less, I will be happy.

I dnot need reticle. The smaller and easier the spotter, the better.

A spotting scope is needed for the following things:
1. take it to range adjustment hunting rifles for 100-200 yards and not to carry a heavy tactical rifle with 7-35 ATACR.
2. To correct hunters during their shooting practice on steel by 400-600 yards.
3. To give to his my daughter and she saw where my blunders hit the ground by 1300 yards because of the wind. I have bad eyes and, as a rule, I shoot with 7-35 at maximum magnification, so a wider field of vision is needed than in nightforce.

I want to ask for your advice and your opinion:
Is there enough for me to magnification x30 or do I need at least x45?
Will there be enough tube 50 or need 65 (I dnot shoot in the evening)?

I look at these models:
Athlone Ares 15-45x65
Leupold Gold Ring 15-30x50
Nikon Fieldscope 13-30x50
Do I look right or do I need other spotter?

 

[308pirate]

Pass on all those and get a Kowa TSN-601 with the eyepiece of your choice. Magnification will depend on the eyepiece you choose. I find the 25X LER (long eye relief) to be plenty for seeing trace and mirage at any range and for seeing holes in shoot-n-sees at up to 300 yds.

If you're not familiar with Kowa and their eyepiece choices ask for Doug at Camera land.

 

[Deleted member 113831]

Pass on all those and get a Kowa TSN-601 with the eyepiece of your choice. Magnification will depend on the eyepiece you choose. I find the 25X LER (long eye relief) to be plenty for seeing trace and mirage at any range and for seeing holes in shoot-n-sees at up to 300 yds.

If you're not familiar with Kowa and their eyepiece choices ask for Doug at Camera land.

Amen.

One possibility to add, an old Japanese made Bushnell Spacemaster, the gray ones with the red name plate. Superb 60mm glass for about $150 or less, and a 25x eyepiece.

This one is a bit beat up, but they look like this: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Bushnell-S...991413?hash=item4684b258f5:g:zH8AAOSw01JbkjIk

 

[264win]

The Nikon fieldscope is a great choice, but look at the 60mm version. The 50mm won’t be much if any better than your NF

 

[southerngolfer]

@gr8fuldoug

 

[b6graham]

i wouldnt rule out a good pair of binos in the 10-15x range

 

[Strykervet]

I scored my used USO 15-45x60mm spotter on here for $600. For another $0, I got a rubber shutter that holds the eye at proper distance and protects the lens, and a Delrin PVS14 adapter custom made for it so I can use it at night. It's USO, so it'll hammer nails of course, they do come with various FFP reticles, mine is a milGAP, and have a long eye relief that translates to a narrower FOV. It was designed to be an "observation scope" not a spotter, but obviously the two overlap. I like it. The FOV isn't so much an issue for me since I don't prefer zoomed images.

Kowa is great, yeah, but the nice ones I used cost a lot more than $1000.

The only high end optic mfg. made spotting scope I know of at low prices is the USO and it's a bit different compared to the rest but is well built for dragging around or taking in the field. The next best one, depending on how you look at it, is the Leupod Mk4 and it's about $1000 on sale or used.

The nicer Kowa that we used at the SDM school had no reticle but massive FOV and zoomed in 60x, though we kept 'em at around 40x or so for spotting trace IIRC. We had 'em on stands instead of tripods and used angled eyepieces. Wow, were they nice. Take 'em a bit out of focus, and viola! You can see mirage and trace amazingly well. The cheapos we also had for the students to use did not do that. Getting a quality Kowa a part at a time in order to get a better scope isn't a bad idea. Get the tube first, eyepiece second.

If FOV and resulting eye relief aren't an issue, that USO can save you a lot on a good one and even if you do get another later, it'll still be good to take in the field or anywhere a nicer one would get abused.

 

[TheGerman]

In before Stryker's hubble telescope with attached LRF picture

 

[THEIS]

Hi,

The OP problem is not going to be which spotting scope but which spotting scope he can get in/into Russia due to the trade embargo/restrictions.

OP have you called companies such as:
Premium Armory Company
Levsha
Orujie-Omsk

Sincerely,
Theis

 

[gr8fuldoug]

It would be my pleasure to discuss options with you. Kowa really is an amazing spotter. Weak in the marketing dept, getting the word out, but optiocally amazing.
I'm back in Monday morning, please give me a call, 516-217-1000
Have a great weekend

 

[plamia2]

Hello guys!

Thank you all for your advice. I looked at the Kowa 601 and I liked it.

But while I went to work, my wife changed my budget ?.

As a result, I left with the Bushnell spotter elite 15-45 / 60, which got me a new for $ 220. It's worse than Kowa 601, but to enough for my requirements.

Thanks!

 

[308pirate]

Hi,

The OP problem is not going to be which spotting scope but which spotting scope he can get in/into Russia due to the trade embargo/restrictions.

OP have you called companies such as:
Premium Armory Company
Levsha
Orujie-Omsk

Sincerely,
Theis

You and him know each other?

 

[Strykervet]

It would be my pleasure to discuss options with you. Kowa really is an amazing spotter. Weak in the marketing dept, getting the word out, but optiocally amazing.
I'm back in Monday morning, please give me a call, 516-217-1000
Have a great weekend

Again, for a non-reticle spotter, the 20-60x80mm (IIRC) Kowa we had on the spotting stands (not tripods) with the angled eyepiece (worked well for us instructors spotting behind one or two shooters sitting in folding chairs). Like I said, take it a bit out of focus and less mag than max and it showed trace and mirage like no other. They aren't as rugged for field use IMO, not like USO, Hensoldt, etc., but for range use they're hard to beat.

Okay German, here's the picture! Yet again!

OP, disregard the LRF and PEQ and the custom metal mount that holds it all together. You can get the spotter and Sirui tripod for $737 total and mount directly to that.. $600 for a plain USO spotter and another $137 for the SIrui with ball head from Cameraland (good folks, take care of members here).

This will give you a solid field spotter and it'll work in the prone with this tripod, or standing. Best budget setup I could find that utilized quality parts. USO and good mfg.'s warranty their stuff and will take care of you, which can make for better than buying new.

The setup I have had a lot of custom parts made by members here. For the spotter, two simple but very nice upgrades were an eye shutter than covers the eyepiece but when you put your eye up to it, it opens and you have perfect eye relief. These have long eye relief, good or bad depending on how you look at it. Then another fellow made me a PVS14 adapter that turns it into a night spotter. VERY nice, especially considering none of those cost me anything. Big thanks to all the amazing members that helped make this possible.

But it goes to show you, after a divorce that shelved and erased plans, I wasn't able to get the PLRF25C and Hensoldt spotter, but I was able to get a good, quality day/night LRF spotting setup for only $1137 minus the PEQ2 I already had! And I didn't sacrifice much and my LRF is good to 6 miles. It has the PVS14 mounted in the picture. These custom parts saved hundreds I suppose, and not many existed, I designed most myself. But a tripod and spotter and maybe getting one of those eye shutters would be nice but not necessary, and you'll be ready to roll.

If you can swing a 20-45x60mm Mk4 and a tripod, that'd be a better all around setup IMO and not cost as much as some others. They can be had for $1000 used or so on sale, worth saving for, and then the tripod I mention and you'd be good to go. Also they make more upgrades and parts if you want to do that down the line. Good luck either way you go.

 

[THEIS]

You and him know each other?

Hi,

Nope lol, but it takes about 3 seconds to know enough for my original reply to be accurate and knowing is half the battle; right.

Sincerely,
Theis

 

[308pirate]

Hi,

Nope lol, but it takes about 3 seconds to know enough for my original reply to be accurate and knowing is half the battle; right.

Sincerely,
Theis

Yeah anybody can use some free IP lookup webpage

In any event, I don't really care where the OP is located or where he's from. He can use my suggestion or not. No big deal to me.

 

[texag0842]

@plamia2 https://www.ebay.com/p/Bushnell-Elite-LMSS-8-40x-60mm-Spotting-Scope-780840/2254335024

Better jump on this fast they're typically $1200-$2200

 

[Leozinho]

@plamia2 https://www.ebay.com/p/Bushnell-Elite-LMSS-8-40x-60mm-Spotting-Scope-780840/2254335024

Better jump on this fast they're typically $1200-$2200

I think that’s for the camera adaptor.

 

[texag0842]

Good catch, obviously linked the wrong one.

I want to say the other was $499 for the actual LMSS w/o Horus

 

[Jory45acp]

I know this is way under your price range but when i compared visual clarity side by side I wound up getting a Konus Konuspot 20-60x100 Spotting Scope. It's a bit big but when we look at 600 yd targets it's easy to see scores and there is no strain. One advantage to the weight and counter weight on my tripod is out here in Utah its windy. The added mass helps keep scope from shaking on higher mag downrange. Just an option to consider.

 

[gr8fuldoug]

I know this is way under your price range but when i compared visual clarity side by side I wound up getting a Konus Konuspot 20-60x100 Spotting Scope. It's a bit big but when we look at 600 yd targets it's easy to see scores and there is no strain. One advantage to the weight and counter weight on my tripod is out here in Utah its windy. The added mass helps keep scope from shaking on higher mag downrange. Just an option to consider.

For range work the Konus Pro KonuSpot-100 20x-60x-100 #7122B will do a fine job and at under $300.00 leaves you plenty of extra $$$ for ammo and a good tripod.

Give a call, 516-217-1000, to discuss one as well as other options

 

[Wyzrd]

Not $700, but check out the Zen Ray ED2 spotter. Every bit as good if not better than the Vortex Razors as I’ve gone through 2 Leupolds, an Alpen Rainier ED, and a Razor. Glass is very impressive for the $!

 

[gr8fuldoug]

The ZenRay was a great scope, however, ZenRay is no longer an active company

 

[Wyzrd]

The ZenRay was a great scope, however, ZenRay is no longer an active company

Damn, I did not know that... that sucks! Well, I’m glad I still have my ZR ED2 spotter, as it is great for spotting impacts on steel out to 1000+ (conditions permitting).

 

[plamia2]

Mounting bushnell 15-45, the mechanic did me a tripod. I paid $ 70 for it. He was all iron, heavy as hell, but completely dead keeps.

Yesterday I was beat on steel on 1360 meters and my spotter saw the steel swayed when hit by a bullet, and ricochet on the ground. In bushnell 15-45 on white steel bullet spots are hardly visible, and difficult to make out exactly where the last bullet hit.

I also see holes in bushnell from .243 and 7.62 by 200 meters in paper.
It's not the best spotter and looking at it for a long time is tiring for the eyes, but it's cheap and works for me.

In addition, I took for $ 55 binoculars Pentax 12x50, it is also not swaro?, but it with acceptable glass and comfortable to view.

Thanks guys for your time and opinions!

 

[NorthWesterner]

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