TargetTalk

What is your favorite spotting scope for long range shooting?

A Kowa 82-series scope with a 25x LER lens.

I also use a Kowa, but mines the smaller 66mm version, again with the 25x LER eyepiece.

If you are prepared to spend the money, Leica is an option.

Either way, get one with a 45 degree eyepiece so it's easier to use when shooting prone.

I have used several brands, but the Kowa has been the best for quality/value.

Regards
Ken

When choosing a spotting scope I would check the power.x25 is ok for indoor or short distance but it will be lacking at 50 or 100 metres[yards over your way] Angles eye piece is a must in my opinion
I have a Leica and to be totally honest it is way over kill.Ok its nice but the additional money would have been better invested in ammo.
All the best for the new year

I think that the quality of the scope as far as "seeing" is far more important than its magnification. Out to 100 meters, 25X is adequate for a decent quality optic, and beyond that for larger bullet holes.

dontshootcritters wrote:When choosing a spotting scope I would check the power.x25 is ok for indoor or short distance but it will be lacking at 50 or 100 metres[yards over your way] Angles eye piece is a must in my opinion
I have a Leica and to be totally honest it is way over kill.Ok its nice but the additional money would have been better invested in ammo.
All the best for the new year

Forgot to add that about an angled eyepiece. A straight lens is usually OK for benchrest or pistol, but for position an angled eyepiece is definitely the way to go, as it allows you to look through the scope with minimal movement from your position. That's where the long eye relief lens really shines, too.

As for power vs. quality, quality is far and away the more important aspect of a scope. Lens quality, target lighting, and target background (e.g., what color shows through the bullet hole compared to what color your target is) are all far bigger contributors to whether you can spot your holes than the power of the scope. I can easily spot my .22 holes at 100 yards with my 25x scope, and I've spotted .30 caliber holes out to 300 yards with good lighting and a contrasting background.

Using the lowest power needed has some other advantages, including less apparent scope motion (as compared to looking through a 50x or 60x scope; those always seem to me to be rocking and rolling something awful, especially once the wind picks up), and at 50 and 100 yards/meters you can see multiple bulls without moving your scope.

If you want to save some money, I highly recommend a Celestron Regal F-ED. I just got a 65mm for my birthday, and it is fantastic. It's the cheapest scope you can get with real ED glass. They make it in 65mm, 80mm and 100mm versions. The 65 is less than $400. It barely fits into my pistol box, but it makes seeing 22 holes at 50yd trivial, such that I can accurately score the target with the scope. It's overkill for pistol, but it's still very nice. For rifle, especially at long distances, maybe the 80 or 100 would be a better choice as long as you are willing to deal with the size and weight. They all have angled eyepieces, and a rotating mounting foot.

It comes with a very nice zoom eyepiece with reasonable eye relief. It's 16-45x with the 45mm scope and 20-60x with the other two. It will also accept any 1.25" amateur astronomy eyepiece, so you can customize to your heart's content, and save about a grand over a new Kowa.

Note: Yes, it's made in China. If you don't like that, you unfortunately will have to shell out a lot more money.

Agree with the last comments.When I purchased my Leica many years ago there weren't the variety of brands available.Kowa obviously is a leading brand also but still very expensive but having said all that you do in most cases get what you pay for.Mine is a set x40 and I wish it went out to x65.Especially in the sun when finding shots can be a mission on multiple shot diagrams.
Good ideas from all people here tho all the same.

Long range shooting usually means 300-1000 yards and it is typically done on ranges with pit marking. So seeing shot holes in not required as spotting discs are used by the markers it show the position of each shot.

20-25x magnification is adequate for this, as once the sun comes out mirage eliminates the possibility of seeing actual shot holes anyway.

cgroppi wrote:If you want to save some money, I highly recommend a Celestron Regal F-ED.

Agreed! I have the 80mm version. Might be a bit of overkill depending on your type of competition. The only real knock against it, maybe, is it's sheer physical size. It's great for occasional stargazing, also.

Mike

NG 20 x 30 or NG 30 x 50. Outstanding quality at a low price. As sold by our host.

If a budget of $1000+ is available I would and do recommend the Brunton range of scopes 9http://store.bruntonoutdoor.com/optics/spotting-scopes/.

I used to be sponsored by Leica and then Swarovski for spotting scopes when on the UK national archery team, but at the ATA trade show in Indy I saw the Brunton and they were better than what I had, clearer, lighter, better color definition and also harder wearing.

Using the Eterna 20-60x80 scope, I was able with ease on the lowest zoom (20x) to see the 4.3mm arrow holes at 90m (99yds) on full zoom I could see the paper tears inside the hole. I also tested it at the Ben Avery range (Az) on some 1000m rifle targets and could call scores with ease. Expensive but I would say its the best available, just wish I didn't give it to our Beijing bronze medallists as a well done gift.