What kind of money am I looking at for something that I'm able to see impact marks on steel at 700 and in. I can see the plate move and hear the impact, but would like to actually be able to see where on the steel I'm hitting. I am only able to get out this far for a few months of the year before crops get planted, so just wanted to see if it's even worth considering.
Spotter Budget
- Thread starter INgunner54
- Start date
sightmark Latitude 20-60x80 XD Tactical Spotting Scope around 700 - 600 +shipping something probably on sale . and in video on youtube you can see the video through one just a suggestion or athalon maybe another cheap option maybe. or find one on sale here if xp could be an even better option .
We used Kowas for spotting in SDM school back in the day, I got a lot of experience with those. If you can score one for that just do it. Usually the eyepieces are what kill you in the cost.
And the dealer selling this will certainly take care of you. Fact.
Thanks for the replies. So looks like I'm around the 600-800 mark for what I would need. I appreciate the info. I'll have to decide if it's worth it for less than ten times a year.
Athlon Talos 20-60x80, $130 ships free from Midway. Mine is still en route so I can't tell you how far away hits on steel or paper are visible. One review said paper at 600 easy. It's all in the glass quality.
I'll be the odd man out - if you're trying to see where your own shots are going (not spotting for a friend or being a match RO), I'd invest in some extra paint for your targets, and spend the rest of your spotter budget on upgrading your current optic. Seeing the impact as it happens has been a lot better way to gauge what is going on for me than trying to pick out an individual impact on the target after its already happened.
Thanks for the replies. Scope is a nightforce 3-15 f1. I can see the plate move, but not the impact mark. I'll see if I can see them using my razor on my work rifle. Thanks again
Why you no use tripod of Ashbury superiority in background and instead let sit on soft floor of boring capitalist color?
LOL. Yeah I hate that carpet actually.
Ashbury is my field-work tripod. I normally don't take it to the range but if I do it's got a PLRF25C mounted on it. The RRS/Manfrotto 405 geared head is my "from truck to firing line" setup. No way I'd hump that heavy SOB around
I was going to be poor and say nice geared head.
There aren't many good options for slow motion control.
I was thinking about getting one of those but too much $$ for me. The scope I was going to put on it would really make the German think I'm a pauper.
I still haven't found the somewhere else forum.
There aren't many good options for slow motion control.
I was thinking about getting one of those but too much $$ for me. The scope I was going to put on it would really make the German think I'm a pauper.
I still haven't found the somewhere else forum.
For fine control it can't be beat. They do make a lighter version (the 410) but I couldn't find an Arca-Swiss conversion for it like I could for the 405. The 405 is a beastly geared head, but I can put that Spotter 45 reticle pretty much anywhere I want very precisely. I also have an Aimpoint PRO that was laying around co-witnessed to the reticle. With the Ashbury Electro-Optical grabber rail I can co-witness the PLRF to the spotter also, although I rarely do any more just out of hassle.
@flyer
You want a gear headed Manfrotto? No shit, I have an extra I don't use anymore with an Arca Swiss clamp on it. It's slightly used but basically new outside of it being rattle canned FDE. it got used when I had a guy that I was teaching how to shoot/spot/combat shoot but he ended up moving up state. Since then its been in the parts bin as I just put the Spotter 60 on the Ashbury if I take it out.
Would hook you up cheap for it.
Thanks but I have something I'm working on.
It will have nice slow motion and some other features I haven't seen combined.
I also try to bring a 3lb mini sledge, a ground anchor and a Nite Ize figure 9 so I can tension my tripod against the ground.
I don't like shakey scopes.
It will have nice slow motion and some other features I haven't seen combined.
I also try to bring a 3lb mini sledge, a ground anchor and a Nite Ize figure 9 so I can tension my tripod against the ground.
I don't like shakey scopes.
Oh, also I'm not poor, I just act that way some times.
I got my scope for $80 but it has a $200 binoviewer and a $140 T-mount erecting prism diagonal. It's not as rugged as some stuff but a guy who has used a BTX 95 looked through it and liked the view.
Some of the expensive stuff just doesn't have to be so expensive.
I got my scope for $80 but it has a $200 binoviewer and a $140 T-mount erecting prism diagonal. It's not as rugged as some stuff but a guy who has used a BTX 95 looked through it and liked the view.
Some of the expensive stuff just doesn't have to be so expensive.
I had to build a budget rig last year due to a divorce. I was gonna save for a Hensoldt and Vectronix LRF but that went out the window. The spotter is a USO 20-40x observation scope w/milGAP reticle I got on here for $600 and I got the LRF for $400 on ebay, it's good to six miles, and the tripod w/head was $126 on clearance from Cameraland. The frame/mount, PVS14 adapter and shuttered eye cup (that fixes your eye at the proper distance for a still image) were all made by members on here. The entire rig minus the PEQ and PVS was $1126 IIRC, maybe $1130 with bolts and stuff. I just had to be patient and where there's a will there's a way. Anyway, here's my budget post-divorce setup:
Ideally a PVS30 in the front would be better but I only have one and making this work was hard enough given I couldn't make any of the parts myself really. If I had another PVS30 or in the future when maybe I get some other clip on and have a better spotter that's exactly what I'll do. Maybe find a cheap SIMRAD. I know Badger and Larue to name two make all sorts of mounts and add ons for the Leupold Mk4 spotter (which can usually be found for good deals on Ebay, here or even new on sale) and/or the Hensoldt. If you wanna be able to go all tacticool and mount extra shit to it or use it at night, I'd take that into consideration now and not later. If for day only, you simply cannot beat that Kowa for the price. So you have some good options for quality glass.
Maybe one day I can score a Mk7 LRF, there are a couple of lucky members that have one. The one in the picture is a Mk5 and mine is just a day LRF with a dangerous class4 IR laser. The Mk7 is eyesafe and has a 7x 3rd. gen. day/night viewer with reticle and works to ten miles, also gives the GPS grid of you and the target if you have it connected to a PLGR and it also connects to a computer or PDA. Pure total badass and they go for sale on Ebay from time to time. That's probably the best deal if you can find it and it's worth getting a bank loan if you need it in order to score one. Just run the SN of all military stuff through the plethora of applicable federal and local investigators first.
Ideally a PVS30 in the front would be better but I only have one and making this work was hard enough given I couldn't make any of the parts myself really. If I had another PVS30 or in the future when maybe I get some other clip on and have a better spotter that's exactly what I'll do. Maybe find a cheap SIMRAD. I know Badger and Larue to name two make all sorts of mounts and add ons for the Leupold Mk4 spotter (which can usually be found for good deals on Ebay, here or even new on sale) and/or the Hensoldt. If you wanna be able to go all tacticool and mount extra shit to it or use it at night, I'd take that into consideration now and not later. If for day only, you simply cannot beat that Kowa for the price. So you have some good options for quality glass.
Maybe one day I can score a Mk7 LRF, there are a couple of lucky members that have one. The one in the picture is a Mk5 and mine is just a day LRF with a dangerous class4 IR laser. The Mk7 is eyesafe and has a 7x 3rd. gen. day/night viewer with reticle and works to ten miles, also gives the GPS grid of you and the target if you have it connected to a PLGR and it also connects to a computer or PDA. Pure total badass and they go for sale on Ebay from time to time. That's probably the best deal if you can find it and it's worth getting a bank loan if you need it in order to score one. Just run the SN of all military stuff through the plethora of applicable federal and local investigators first.
you could always mount one of these and in between shots you could star gaze or spot for others
optcorp.com
remember to keep lookin up .
Officina Stellare Pro RC Imaging Package - Includes 3-inch Flattener, 3-inch Rotofocus, MMOAG & Adapters
Flatten, Focus, Rotate, and Guide with quality components included in the Officina Stellare Pro RC Imaging Package! Includes a 3’????????? Flattener, a 3’????????? Rotofocuser, the Astrodon MMOAG off-axis guider, and the adapters necessary to couple all of these component
I use a Razor 11-33x50 spotter for what you're talking about - steel out to 800 is what I shoot most of the time and you can easily see individual impacts. I think I paid $400-$450 used. It's small and easy to store/transport as well.
The 20-60 Kowa that Doug mentioned would probably be a great option, maybe slightly better than the Razor due to the extra mag and similar glass quality.
The 20-60 Kowa that Doug mentioned would probably be a great option, maybe slightly better than the Razor due to the extra mag and similar glass quality.
Nice. I know back in the day (maybe 6 years ago or so) they only have the 405. Hejnar makes some awesome stuff. That their manual clamp on the top there with the knurled knob.
I do find the weight of the 405 beneficial as one might expect. It's only a "range toy" really. You'd never catch it stuffed in my pack or otherwise!
