Mid Range F-Class Spotting Scope Recommendations

[Amazingrandy]

Well here is another spotting scope thread that im sure people will love to see/read!

I need some help and expertise though. I am getting back into F-Class shooting, and am looking for a reasonably priced spotting scope to look at mirage and to spot scoring placards. I want to keep it under $350 for now as well. I have my eye on a few scopes already that are in my watchlist on Fleabay. Here in New England we shoot primarily mid-range from 3-600 yards, but do have the occasional long range match from 800-1000 yards that I would compete in as well. The scopes that I have on my watchlist are listed below, and would appreciate your recommendation of one of these and why, or another scope in the same price range that would be a good fit as well. Thank you!!

- Celestron Regal M2 65ED
- Nikon Fieldscope EDII w/30X eyepiece
- Nikon Fieldscope EDII w/20XWF, 30XWF, 38XWF eyepiece ($400)

 

[praveen]

Just a little over your budget... but look at Kowa TSN 501 or TSN 502.

 

[Amazingrandy]

Just a little over your budget... but look at Kowa TSN 501 or TSN 502.

On Ebay they are around $300, so not bad. Can the eyepieces be swapped out for fixed power, such as 20 or 30X?

 

[praveen]

No this one has a fixed zoom eyepiece... 20-40x

 

[Amazingrandy]

No this one has a fixed zoom eyepiece... 20-40x

Is this a scope that you use?

 

[praveen]

I use a Kowa TSN 883. However, its pretty expensive. So, I had started looking into another one for everyday range use. Reviews for Kowa 501 are decent. It has good glass for the price from what I understand although it won't compare with Fluoride lenses.
Any of these scopes you listed will work for mirage and spotting discs.

 

[Ned Ludd]

For spotting scoring placards, you have many options. There are lots of inexpensive spotting scopes that can do the job. However, if you also wish to use it for seeing mirage while shooting, that's a different story. The inexpensive spotting scopes simply won't do the job that a high end spotting scope will do.

If you are set the $350 max price for now, I would suggest bigger can be better. None of the less expensive spotting scopes I have owned with objective lens diameters in the 60-65 mm range or less ever worked very well for mirage. I'd be lokking at something in the 80-85 mm range, if you can find it.

FWIW - I recently lost my two best higher end spotting scopes (don't ask me how) and had to replace them. I was at an F-Class match shortly before this happened and was using my squad mate's spotting scope to score. I was surprised at how good the clarity was, shocked actually, and asked him about it. It turned out to be the lowest-end Athlon Talos spotting scope. After losing my two spotting scopes, I came across a sale ad for this particular scope at Midway USA, and decided to buy one. I figured, even if it doesn't work so great for mirage, it will make an excellent scope for scoring purposes. Long story short, it does work for mirage...sort of. It can definitely pick up mirage, and it does so better than a couple inexpensive spotting scopes I have with 50 mm objectives. However, it's not so great at picking up really faint mirage, the kind that can cost you a point here and there if you can't see it and don't know it's there. It can still be found on sale at another vendor if you're interested:

https://cameralandny.com/shop/athlo...0WXr3gFwMRGT0aLGWfdV3DOQuxgc1uM1fsO_cWfTERrpc

Ultimately, I also ended up buying a Kowa TSN-99A Prominar spotting scope, which is their current flagship model and carried a pretty hefty price tag. I would not necessarily recommend making such a purchase to everyone, but I figured if I can't see mirage with this scope, it probably can't be seen by any spotting scope currently made. Thus, my spotting scope will not be a limiting factor any time in the near future, which is all I wanted. I've owned quite a few spotting scopes in the $350 or less range over the years and from my personal experience, the Athlon Talos is the best of any I've used. I will continue to use it for scoring purposes. The problem with spotting scopes in the $350 price range is that they simply are not going to pick up mirage like a high-end Kowa spotting scope. It doesn't take much scope to work well for scoring purposes, but picking up mirage clearly and reliably is a totally different animal. Unfortunately, the reality is that a good mirage scope is going to cost a lot more than $350. But if you decide to stick with the original price range plan, you might give the Athlon Talos a look.

 

[Amazingrandy]

For spotting scoring placards, you have many options. There are lots of inexpensive spotting scopes that can do the job. However, if you also wish to use it for seeing mirage while shooting, that's a different story. The inexpensive spotting scopes simply won't do the job that a high end spotting scope will do.

If you are set the $350 max price for now, I would suggest bigger can be better. None of the less expensive spotting scopes I have owned with objective lens diameters in the 60-65 mm range or less ever worked very well for mirage. I'd be lokking at something in the 80-85 mm range, if you can find it.

FWIW - I recently lost my two best higher end spotting scopes (don't ask me how) and had to replace them. I was at an F-Class match shortly before this happened and was using my squad mate's spotting scope to score. I was surprised at how good the clarity was, shocked actually, and asked him about it. It turned out to be the lowest-end Athlon Talos spotting scope. After losing my two spotting scopes, I came across a sale ad for this particular scope at Midway USA, and decided to buy one. I figured, even if it doesn't work so great for mirage, it will make an excellent scope for scoring purposes. Long story short, it does work for mirage...sort of. It can definitely pick up mirage, and it does so better than a couple inexpensive spotting scopes I have with 50 mm objectives. However, it's not so great at picking up really faint mirage, the kind that can cost you a point here and there if you can't see it and don't know it's there. It can still be found on sale at another vendor if you're interested:

https://cameralandny.com/shop/athlo...0WXr3gFwMRGT0aLGWfdV3DOQuxgc1uM1fsO_cWfTERrpc

Ultimately, I also ended up buying a Kowa TSN-99A Prominar spotting scope, which is their current flagship model and carried a pretty hefty price tag. I would not necessarily recommend making such a purchase to everyone, but I figured if I can't see mirage with this scope, it probably can't be seen by any spotting scope currently made. Thus, my spotting scope will not be a limiting factor any time in the near future, which is all I wanted. I've owned quite a few spotting scopes in the $350 or less range over the years and from my personal experience, the Athlon Talos is the best of any I've used. I will continue to use it for scoring purposes. The problem with spotting scopes in the $350 price range is that they simply are not going to pick up mirage like a high-end Kowa spotting scope. It doesn't take much scope to work well for scoring purposes, but picking up mirage clearly and reliably is a totally different animal. Unfortunately, the reality is that a good mirage scope is going to cost a lot more than $350. But if you decide to stick with the original price range plan, you might give the Athlon Talos a look.

I completely understand and agree. Right now I just want something that can do what I need it to for a couple years, and then possibly move up. I will be giving the Athlon Talos a look. Thank you

 

[Florida Wally]

I have a Nikon Field Scope. It is D=60 P with a 30x wide angle eyepiece. I have had it for 2 or 3 years and like it a lot. I got it from eBay and it came from Japan. I bought the scope body and eyepiece separately since I wanted a wide angle eyepiece. Also, it is an angled scope. I only use it for reading mirage at F-class matches. It works for me, but I need to have a contrasting background to see the mirage well such as a sandy road through grass, or a white spot on the berm. I focus it on an object, usually tall grass or a tree limb at about 300 yards for 600 yard targets and 200 yards on 300 yard targets. For 1,000 yards, I just peg it all the way as far as it will focus on the target then back off a little so the target is blurry and I can see the mirage

I read an article a few years back about them and the article explained the vintage scopes from Japan are a good value, so I bought one. Seems like I bought the scope body for around $200 and the eyepiece for $250 ish. It has held its value, so if I upgrade to a higher end scope someday, I will have the option to resell the Nikon.

 

[BP1]

For spotting scoring placards, you have many options. There are lots of inexpensive spotting scopes that can do the job. However, if you also wish to use it for seeing mirage while shooting, that's a different story. The inexpensive spotting scopes simply won't do the job that a high end spotting scope will do.

If you are set the $350 max price for now, I would suggest bigger can be better. None of the less expensive spotting scopes I have owned with objective lens diameters in the 60-65 mm range or less ever worked very well for mirage. I'd be lokking at something in the 80-85 mm range, if you can find it.

FWIW - I recently lost my two best higher end spotting scopes (don't ask me how) and had to replace them. I was at an F-Class match shortly before this happened and was using my squad mate's spotting scope to score. I was surprised at how good the clarity was, shocked actually, and asked him about it. It turned out to be the lowest-end Athlon Talos spotting scope. After losing my two spotting scopes, I came across a sale ad for this particular scope at Midway USA, and decided to buy one. I figured, even if it doesn't work so great for mirage, it will make an excellent scope for scoring purposes. Long story short, it does work for mirage...sort of. It can definitely pick up mirage, and it does so better than a couple inexpensive spotting scopes I have with 50 mm objectives. However, it's not so great at picking up really faint mirage, the kind that can cost you a point here and there if you can't see it and don't know it's there. It can still be found on sale at another vendor if you're interested:

https://cameralandny.com/shop/athlo...0WXr3gFwMRGT0aLGWfdV3DOQuxgc1uM1fsO_cWfTERrpc

Ultimately, I also ended up buying a Kowa TSN-99A Prominar spotting scope, which is their current flagship model and carried a pretty hefty price tag. I would not necessarily recommend making such a purchase to everyone, but I figured if I can't see mirage with this scope, it probably can't be seen by any spotting scope currently made. Thus, my spotting scope will not be a limiting factor any time in the near future, which is all I wanted. I've owned quite a few spotting scopes in the $350 or less range over the years and from my personal experience, the Athlon Talos is the best of any I've used. I will continue to use it for scoring purposes. The problem with spotting scopes in the $350 price range is that they simply are not going to pick up mirage like a high-end Kowa spotting scope. It doesn't take much scope to work well for scoring purposes, but picking up mirage clearly and reliably is a totally different animal. Unfortunately, the reality is that a good mirage scope is going to cost a lot more than $350. But if you decide to stick with the original price range plan, you might give the Athlon Talos a look.

I bought one of these also for a backup and for the guys that show up and don’t have one, I think I paid $130 for it.

 

[Ned Ludd]

I bought one of these also for a backup and for the guys that show up and don’t have one, I think I paid $130 for it.

Yes, that's the one. I'm still surprised how good the clarity of this scope is for that price. It's not a $1000+ optic, but pretty darned good for the low cost.

 

[Rset]

There are plenty of very good (some renowned) shooters that do not even use a spotting scope and find it unnecessary even at 1000 yards. I am just a slacker, and mostly shoot mid range, but have also found it to be more of a disturbance than an assistant when actually shooting a string of fire (f-class), including, and possibly more importantly at 1000. I find mirage through the scope alone easier to read the farther the distance to the target.

 

[Amazingrandy]

There are plenty of very good (some renowned) shooters that do not even use a spotting scope and find it unnecessary even at 1000 yards. I am just a slacker, and mostly shoot mid range, but have also found it to be more of a disturbance than an assistant when actually shooting a string of fire (f-class), including, and possibly more importantly at 1000. I find mirage through the scope alone easier to read the farther the distance to the target.

This was also a thought of mine as well. I'm able to see mirage pretty well through my scope, but thought the wider field of view would be better.

 

[SSchnd]

Good Seller with a great scope in your range on US National Match Forum Selling Regal ED 65mm for a very good price
Ive been running my Regal ED 65mm for Highpower and long range for a long time and simply love it. Buddies with the Kowa's look at mirage in my scope and are amazed. (I am running a LER eyepiece for most matches even walk n paste) but the zoom eye piece works well. Its a great spotting scope. Hefty. Two other freinds have the 80mm Regal. I find the 65MM is plenty.

Sign In - National Match Competition

 

[SSchnd]

 

[Amazingrandy]

Good Seller with a great scope in your range on US National Match Forum Selling Regal ED 65mm for a very good price
Ive been running my Regal ED 65mm for Highpower and long range for a long time and simply love it. Buddies with the Kowa's look at mirage in my scope and are amazed. (I am running a LER eyepiece for most matches even walk n paste) but the zoom eye piece works well. Its a great spotting scope. Hefty. Two other freinds have the 80mm Regal. I find the 65MM is plenty.

Sign In - National Match Competition

Thank you for the heads-up. I just registered for an account. I keep hearing good things about the Celestron, with the only real downside being the weight.

 

[swd]

I use a Celestron 80mm Regal M2 with the 27X LER eyepiece. Unfortunately they discontinued the 27X LER eyepiece a few years ago. If you you can find one used it works really well for reading mirage.

 

[SSchnd]

I use run a very sturdy scope stand, but my buddy with the 80MM uses a Holub Machine stand and works well for him. My Gear Buggy Stand is a tank. FYI IF you want a LER Pentax makes a eyepiece (any1.25") that fits this. As SWD said we have Celestron LER eyepieces on our (sadly yes they discontinued them- got mine of Flea bay) and mirage viewing is outstanding.
Check Forum Rules on NM forum site. If we do not know ya or have less than 10 posts may be subject to a referral. I will PM Steve the FS add person over there to let him know you may contact as an FYI service.

 

[Ned Ludd]

This was also a thought of mine as well. I'm able to see mirage pretty well through my scope, but thought the wider field of view would be better.

There is a caveat to that idea: the mirage you see in the rifle scope resides only in perhaps the last 30 to 50 yd of the bullet trajectory before it impacts the target, because the rifle scope will be focused on the target face. As such, its use as a tool for estimating the effect of wind on the bullet's trajectory is limited because the bullet has almost reached the target. Although you can certainly use such mirage in the rifle scope to help estimate the effect of any wind, it is far from the whole story. A spotting scope will allow you to observe mirage anywhere in the bullet trajectory. Many shooters find it useful to focus their spotting scope on mirage somewhere near the middle of the trajectory.

 

[SSchnd]

Agree with Ned, in the rifle optic it can be useful to see a flip in the wind direction during a rapid fire (time fire) stage while on the rifle. IE hold off if you have a right wind and the condition flips and you have a good optic atop the rifle to see the mirage. We are limited to 4/5x in service rifle but I know guy that cleaned his rapid prone in a EIC match when other all went out the other side.
However the spotter for mirage viewing is the tool of choice. if you're match competition shooting a quality glass and dependable, durable spotter is a must.