TargetTalk

What are some really good scopes for prone shooting that don't cost an arm and a leg?

I have a Kowa scope. It is a 50mm, and cost $195 from Champion's Choice. It has a 45 degree angeled eyepiece, and a 20-40x zoom. very lightweight, works well at 50m.


Hope this helps,
GO ARMY!
david

I would suggest a Kowa also. That is what I use now and it is the best scope I have ever used in my opinion.

Thanks to both of you. I will look into them.

I highly recommend the Kowa 661 45 deg scope. Previously, I was using a Unertl 20x 45 deg (rare to find now) that was really good, but once I got the Kowa I realized that I was giving away points.

The scope costs around $575, but it includes a 25x long eye relief eye piece.
-ken

What are some good rifle scopes that also are not too expensive?

Curt,
As far as rifle scopes go, I recommend getting the best that you can afford. I personally use a Leupold 6.5-20 EFR. This is well suited for both prone and position.

If you can find a Redfield 3200, that is another excellent choice for prone. So are the Unertl 1 1/4" and 1 1/2". The larger Unertl scopes (2") are just too heavy to shoot for extended periods.

There are others out there such as Tasco and Weaver, but I don't have any experience with those brands.

As another side note, the Redfield and Unertl scopes are barrel mount style while the Leupold, Tasco and Weaver are action mounted. The main difference is that if you have any plans whatsoever of shooting postion, go with the action mount. They are shorter, usually lighter but give a much better overall balance to the rifle than the longer scopes do.
-Ken

Curt: As 1813benny said there is generally no real shortcut in rifle scopes. The needs smallbore shooting are not the same as for hunters. You want a scope that has absolute repeatable adjustments and is very clear. Brightness is something hunters worry about but we don't do much shooting in the dark so that is not as important.

Two scopes that are currently produced that are pretty decent are the Weaver T24 and the Sightron 24x. I personally have a T24 and it is very very clear and repeatable. I don't have a sightron but have read good stuff about them.

There is another scope that is not made anymore but is a very good choice for someone on a tight budget. Tasco made a straight 24x scope that was excellent. They are pretty clear and repeatable. These particular ones are Japanese made. They tend to go pretty cheap because tasco did not exactly have the best reputation. I have seen them for between $50 and $150. Some guy just sold one on rimfirecentral for $110. They are not real common so you need to watch the auction and classified sites for them. I had one of these for a while but traded it since I had more scopes than I needed at the time.