I would like to get a spotting scope for mirage reading only when shooting F/tr. Do I really need a high dollar spotter for doing so? Which one and stand do yall recommend?
Advanced Marksmanship spotting scope
- Thread starter jsthntn247
- Start date
Nope. You can spend a lot of money and go the Kowa route (very good scope), but for watching mirage, my Konus 20-60x80 works just fine. I could see my .223 holes at 300 yards when we shot at Steel Valley last month.
Konus Konuspot 20-60x80mm Spotting Scope 7120 FREE S&H 7120. Konus Spotting Scopes.
I use a Ray-Vin stand.
You are more than welcome to check it out at the next match I see you at.
While you don't need to spend a significant amount, do you ever intend to use the scope for anything else. I understand you say that it is only used for mirage reading but I would argue that you may eventually want to use it for other applications. I would love to have back all the money on the cheap stuff I wasted money on over the years as I tried to save a buck here and there that eventually ended up costing me 3 times as much as I needed to replace things. I would spend the money on a decent scope and use it for other things and be happy with it because if you spend a few hundred for one and then need to actually use it at LR, you will quickly find out how limited it is and then you need to go out and spend more money to get a better one.
+1. I've done just as you say, Hairball, and tried to find good cheap stuff. It just ain't out there!!! I've got a WindRiver, sold by Luepold for $300 that is no better than an older $135 Tasco. I could have combined those amounts and probably come out much better. The eye piece is the most important component as I understand it.
I have a Telavid 77 APO, a Ziess compact 60 X45 and an old Unertl 45* . One does not outshine the other but the Ziess and the Unertl are more travel friendly.
The all make any Kowa look like a kid's toy. I can see stuff with any of the three that you will never see with a cheaper scope.
Alan Warner
Not the absolute highend yet for money vs quality, I don't think you can beat it. These are .mil overrun models with the ITAR restrictions on the box.
LEUPOLD Mark-4 12-40x60 Tactical Spotting Scope, Front Focal Duplex Mil-Dot Reticle (67180)
LEUPOLD Mark-4 12-40x60 Tactical Spotting Scope, Front Focal Duplex Mil-Dot Reticle (67180)
That is the sole reason I use spotting scopes and NO you don't need a high priced one.
You want to a scope for reading mirage, it does no good for me to tell you band X will work, Brand X may work for me but chances are my eyes are the same is yours.
There is just one effective way to pick a scope for mirage. Pick and day where there is no mirage, or you can see any mirage, its there whether you can see it or not. The go to a large sporting good score. (Cabalas, Scheels, Bass Pro, etc) Tell the clerk what you are looking for, and that you want to check them out. So they will take you and a few scopes outside, and look though the scopes, several, until you find one that you can read mirage. Don't use the paved parking lot, use a gassy field.
You'll see the difference in scopes, and not just in high priced scopes. The last one I bough was a Scheels, and it was Leopold which only cost about $275, it works, BUT DON'T buy a Leopold because I said mine worked. Chances a different brand will work for you.
What ever you do, don't buy a spotting scope to read mirage with out looking at mirage through the scope. Don't shop for spotting scopes on a hot humid day. A cool dry day will make mirage harder to detect, that's when you want to shop for scopes. Anything can read mirage when its hot and humid, But we don't always shoot in those conditions.
