I'm thinking of getting a new Spotting Scope. Which type of Spotting Scopes Angled or Straight? Is best for bench rest and prone shooting.
Spotting Scopes Angled or Straight?
- Thread starter Don-n-Texas
- Start date
Re: Spotting Scopes Angled or Straight?
personal preference
I like angled since you can accommodate many different shooters with different heights.
personal preference
I like angled since you can accommodate many different shooters with different heights.
Re: Spotting Scopes Angled or Straight?
What D Lamz said. Angled is just more user friendly. I never liked straight because I have to cock my head back to look through the scope. Angled is just more comfy, especially if you're going to be in a prone position. The only thing I don't like about angled is that you get a little disoriented when you first look through the scope, it takes a little longer to get on target. So if you need to quickly acquire something, I'd go with straight, it's more similar to looking through a rifle scope.
Water muddy enough?
Good luck.
What D Lamz said. Angled is just more user friendly. I never liked straight because I have to cock my head back to look through the scope. Angled is just more comfy, especially if you're going to be in a prone position. The only thing I don't like about angled is that you get a little disoriented when you first look through the scope, it takes a little longer to get on target. So if you need to quickly acquire something, I'd go with straight, it's more similar to looking through a rifle scope.
Water muddy enough?
Good luck.
Re: Spotting Scopes Angled or Straight?
I had the same question awhile back, and came upon this little useful info on spottingscopes.com.
------------
"* Angled or straight?
I used to only use a straight spotting scope. It's intuitively easy to point it and get the bird in view, and I couldn't imagine switching. Then I bought an angled spotting scope, and quickly thought, "What took you so long??!!" There was definitely a learning curve to get good at pointing the hunting spotting scope in the right direction. But to offset that, it is SO comfortable to look through! If the bird watching spotting scope is set at a steep angle, you can raise the spotting scope tripod neck and look straight through, rather than crunching down on your knees and looking up. If the spotting scope is set across, it's easy to set the tripod fairly low and just bend your neck and upper back to view. Especially when birding with a group, the angled scope is SO much easier for people of different heights to share."
http://www.spottingscopes.com/selectingspottingscopearticle.cfm
I had the same question awhile back, and came upon this little useful info on spottingscopes.com.
------------
"* Angled or straight?
I used to only use a straight spotting scope. It's intuitively easy to point it and get the bird in view, and I couldn't imagine switching. Then I bought an angled spotting scope, and quickly thought, "What took you so long??!!" There was definitely a learning curve to get good at pointing the hunting spotting scope in the right direction. But to offset that, it is SO comfortable to look through! If the bird watching spotting scope is set at a steep angle, you can raise the spotting scope tripod neck and look straight through, rather than crunching down on your knees and looking up. If the spotting scope is set across, it's easy to set the tripod fairly low and just bend your neck and upper back to view. Especially when birding with a group, the angled scope is SO much easier for people of different heights to share."
http://www.spottingscopes.com/selectingspottingscopearticle.cfm
Re: Spotting Scopes Angled or Straight?
Angled.
Aside from using it in multiple positions, it'll sit lower than a straight spotting scope so it's more stable with lower center of gravity.
Angled.
Aside from using it in multiple positions, it'll sit lower than a straight spotting scope so it's more stable with lower center of gravity.
Re: Spotting Scopes Angled or Straight?
I have the straight scope and for the way that I use it is great. Whether benchmounted or prone shooting it is good. If you like to glass across valleys and you are perched on a high hilltop it is great. If you are more into star gazing or looking up hilltops for goat and such than an angled scope will be more suited.
I have the straight scope and for the way that I use it is great. Whether benchmounted or prone shooting it is good. If you like to glass across valleys and you are perched on a high hilltop it is great. If you are more into star gazing or looking up hilltops for goat and such than an angled scope will be more suited.
Re: Spotting Scopes Angled or Straight?
For the bench I like a straight one but for ground related shooting no doubt the angled eyepiece is mandatory to keep you in the shooting position better and not moving your head around.
For the bench I like a straight one but for ground related shooting no doubt the angled eyepiece is mandatory to keep you in the shooting position better and not moving your head around.
Re: Spotting Scopes Angled or Straight?
For range - angled. You wont have to break position and lose your natural point of aim to view.
...but if you needed the scope for use to observe things straight is much quicker to acquire what you want to observe.
They wouldnt make two styles if one could do everything you wanted equally well. Get the angled scope and you will have a ready excuse for why you need to buy a high end set of binos.
For range - angled. You wont have to break position and lose your natural point of aim to view.
...but if you needed the scope for use to observe things straight is much quicker to acquire what you want to observe.
They wouldnt make two styles if one could do everything you wanted equally well. Get the angled scope and you will have a ready excuse for why you need to buy a high end set of binos.
Re: Spotting Scopes Angled or Straight?
It looks like I will get the Angled. Thank You everyone for responses.
It looks like I will get the Angled. Thank You everyone for responses.
Re: Spotting Scopes Angled or Straight?
I use a spotting scope regularly for work and I went with the straight. I then took a 2x4 and formed it into a rough rifle stock and mounted the spotting scope to it.
this way i can zoom out and use it quickly as a high powered monocular or rest it somewhere on my vehicle and zoom in at range.
also I use this for long range observation on large targets not small items like bullet holes
I use a spotting scope regularly for work and I went with the straight. I then took a 2x4 and formed it into a rough rifle stock and mounted the spotting scope to it.
this way i can zoom out and use it quickly as a high powered monocular or rest it somewhere on my vehicle and zoom in at range.
also I use this for long range observation on large targets not small items like bullet holes
Re: Spotting Scopes Angled or Straight?
Angled is what I have been using from a Kowa and a Vortex. It allows more positions
Angled is what I have been using from a Kowa and a Vortex. It allows more positions
Re: Spotting Scopes Angled or Straight?
looks like angled gets the nod. are all of the mark 4 spotters angled?
looks like angled gets the nod. are all of the mark 4 spotters angled?
Re: Spotting Scopes Angled or Straight?
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: bobo</div><div class="ubbcode-body">looks like angled gets the nod. are all of the mark 4 spotters angled?</div></div> They are straight. Offset, but straight.
Photos referenced from SWFA.
Leupold Mark 4 (Straight):
Vortex Razor HD (Angled):
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: bobo</div><div class="ubbcode-body">looks like angled gets the nod. are all of the mark 4 spotters angled?</div></div> They are straight. Offset, but straight.
Photos referenced from SWFA.
Leupold Mark 4 (Straight):
Vortex Razor HD (Angled):
Re: Spotting Scopes Angled or Straight?
oh that right. the offset had me thrown off. thx
what other spotters are out there that offer ranging reticles other than the mark 4?
oh that right. the offset had me thrown off. thx
what other spotters are out there that offer ranging reticles other than the mark 4?
Re: Spotting Scopes Angled or Straight?
I am a "Straight" guy myself !!
oh, so is my Spotter
better all around for what I do. The window mount with an angle spotter no workie !
I am a "Straight" guy myself !!
oh, so is my Spotter
better all around for what I do. The window mount with an angle spotter no workie !
Re: Spotting Scopes Angled or Straight?
Go to SWFA and look at their various scopes. Some had reticles, I can't recall which.
I taught SDM's and other advanced marksmanship courses in the army. We worked with our snipers too (this was an experimental school set up by our Bde., one of the first two Stryker units.) Anyway, we'd team up SDM's, a shooter and a spotter.
We had mostly Kowa scopes (60x?) with the angled viewpiece. If I'm not mistaken, you can change the viewpiece from angled to straight on some brands, not sure which. The viewpieces aren't cheap though. I've also seen ones that have a quick viewfinder to put the scope on the objective first, then you look through the eyepiece. Mostly on telescopes though, but I'm sure if you look you'll find one like that. Depends on what you want to spend though.
We also had some Bushnell rubber 40x's with straight viewpieces. Those were nowhere near as nice as the Kowas for a number of reasons, and actually spotting trace was quite difficult comparatively. And 40x at distance isn't enough to determine hits on targets at long ranges, depending.
Now for general range use, you can't beat the angled viewpiece. You can get one of those long poles on a flat tripod and use it anywhere from prone to sitting to standing. Those Kowas were REALLY nice scopes for spotting trace on 5.56 on 1000m ranges.
Were I going to carry one into a fight, I'd probably go with something like that Mk4, an offset or straight. Something smaller at any rate, and without giving up high magnification... I can't envision packing a huge Kowa plus all the other junk in the field, and if they gave me a Bushnell, well, I ain't packing that around either for different reasons.
So really, three different scopes for three different folks. A straight body, an angled one, and an offset one. The angled one works the absolute best at the range of them all, from personal experience and from what I was told by all the students that had to use them. A tall mount works great. I think we used the TSN82SV and the 20-60x eyepiece. Looking at $1500 including a mount, etc., but it is NICE.
For the field, yeah, I'd go offset or straight, mainly because of size, weight and speed on target.
Go to SWFA and look at their various scopes. Some had reticles, I can't recall which.
I taught SDM's and other advanced marksmanship courses in the army. We worked with our snipers too (this was an experimental school set up by our Bde., one of the first two Stryker units.) Anyway, we'd team up SDM's, a shooter and a spotter.
We had mostly Kowa scopes (60x?) with the angled viewpiece. If I'm not mistaken, you can change the viewpiece from angled to straight on some brands, not sure which. The viewpieces aren't cheap though. I've also seen ones that have a quick viewfinder to put the scope on the objective first, then you look through the eyepiece. Mostly on telescopes though, but I'm sure if you look you'll find one like that. Depends on what you want to spend though.
We also had some Bushnell rubber 40x's with straight viewpieces. Those were nowhere near as nice as the Kowas for a number of reasons, and actually spotting trace was quite difficult comparatively. And 40x at distance isn't enough to determine hits on targets at long ranges, depending.
Now for general range use, you can't beat the angled viewpiece. You can get one of those long poles on a flat tripod and use it anywhere from prone to sitting to standing. Those Kowas were REALLY nice scopes for spotting trace on 5.56 on 1000m ranges.
Were I going to carry one into a fight, I'd probably go with something like that Mk4, an offset or straight. Something smaller at any rate, and without giving up high magnification... I can't envision packing a huge Kowa plus all the other junk in the field, and if they gave me a Bushnell, well, I ain't packing that around either for different reasons.
So really, three different scopes for three different folks. A straight body, an angled one, and an offset one. The angled one works the absolute best at the range of them all, from personal experience and from what I was told by all the students that had to use them. A tall mount works great. I think we used the TSN82SV and the 20-60x eyepiece. Looking at $1500 including a mount, etc., but it is NICE.
For the field, yeah, I'd go offset or straight, mainly because of size, weight and speed on target.
