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Bore Scope: Anything out there decent that's not a hawkeye?

Hello

Getting to the point I'd like to start inspecting my bores. I picked up a provision 618. Even got the 45 mirror attachment. Do not waste your money on one of these! Maybe it's just mine but I can't get it to focus with the 45. And just straight is not what I'm after. and even that image it bad

So. I hear the buy and cry once. But is there anything out there besides the Hawkeye that gets the job done. I know I'm cheap! I look up the medical equivalent to the Hawkeye on ebay. A few out there at a decent price but without specs I'm afraid I'm just wasting more money

Any thoughts or options are appreciated.
 
Get the best, and cry once. The money will be long gone, and you will still have the Hawkeye borescope, and you will wonder how you ever got along without it, as you learn it's many values.

Get the basic 17" Deluxe model with the focusing eyepiece, Lester Bruno for $694, less than many are paying for a higher end rifle scope.
 
Last December I ended up buying one exactly like this one. Mine came with a 1 meter and 3 meter fiber optic. It works great for looking inside the bore and see what cleaning regimen actually works as well as barrel wear. The 5.5mm head slips nicely in a .22 bore, mine also has a 45 degree mirror but I never use it.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/251267632191?lpid=82
If you want to see hairline cracks you will not be happy with this.

Another user here has both an Hawkeye and a digital scope and he says the Hawkeye has much greater resolution, but because of its fragility he keeps it home, but the digital fiber optic goes to the range and gun shows. Because I'm occasionally clumsy an Hawkeye wouldn't survive a fall, that was never really an option for me. I figure these things like early digital cameras will improve, so in a few years if I need it I will buy one with a higher resolution.

Kindest regards,

Joe
 
Hi Dennis,
I not keen on PM, I prefer e-mail because I can see what the message is without me coming on to the site. The little envelope logo right next to the PM logo is for e-mail. It works much better for me especially when I'm selling/buying stuff.

I hope I didn't to offend anyone, it's just a personal preference.

Joe
 
I've had my Hawkeye for more than twenty years and it's been invaluable in not only inspecting bores but many other things. I bought it when they were $475 and then I got a rebate. If I wanted to, I could sell today for more than I paid for it. You can't say that for the other stuff on the market.
 
Okay, well, the hawkeye is the one I'll go with. I've searched for hours on the web, appears to be the best, and in many ways the only option. My post was somewhat redundant I guess.

I have a provision 618 for sale if anyone is interested ;) , wouldn't sell it to someone wanting it to look at rifles, but might be useful to someone for autos, etc. Complete with the 45 degree mirror and the brighter light....100 bucks shipped!
 
A good borescope, no matter how you cut it, is not inexpensive. Buy the best Hawkeye you can afford and you won't be disappointed. :)
 
Joe R said:
Last December I ended up buying one exactly like this one. Mine came with a 1 meter and 3 meter fiber optic. It works great for looking inside the bore and see what cleaning regimen actually works as well as barrel wear. The 5.5mm head slips nicely in a .22 bore, mine also has a 45 degree mirror but I never use it.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/251267632191?lpid=82
If you want to see hairline cracks you will not be happy with this.

Another user here has both an Hawkeye and a digital scope and he says the Hawkeye has much greater resolution, but because of its fragility he keeps it home, but the digital fiber optic goes to the range and gun shows. Because I'm occasionally clumsy an Hawkeye wouldn't survive a fall, that was never really an option for me. I figure these things like early digital cameras will improve, so in a few years if I need it I will buy one with a higher resolution.

Kindest regards,

Joe
Joe, I am glad you had good results with this particular digital scope but like I have said on another thread that I think you were on I did not have the same good results you had. The quality of the picture was poor and several of the digital functions did not work. From talking to others it seems like a crap shoot weather or not you get a good one and I am not into rolling the dice when it comes to spending my money and hoping I get a good one. The good news is that I was able to get a full refund on the above digital scope including shipping and I put that money toward a Hawkeye.
 
10-12 years ago I also hesitated to buy a Hawkeye ( around $700 at the time) as it was the same price of a good prairie dog rifle.After running over to my gunsmith every time I bought a rifle I decided that in 2 or 3 years I would save that amount in gas.So I did.Now my buddies come to my house to have their guns scoped. And I know when my barrel is halfway gone a new Krieger needs to be ordered. And at a gun show if a rifle seller won't let me scope his rifle I walk away.Saved a lot of money doing that. My eyes aren't good enough to look down a 22 cal bore and see anything but light at the end of the barrel.
Get it and use it for a while and let us know what you think.After owning 2-4 rifles a Hawkeye should be mandatory!
P.S. -I am frugal not cheap!
 
So on the fixed VS focus. Am I reading this right, the fixed focus would be good for 22 to 30cal?

But they also make one that has a focus, I guess what I'm reading into this is that you can get a finer focus though the 22 to 30cal? Or is the focus feature just for bores over 30? about 125 dollar difference in price

End of the day, I want something that will deliver a clear, crisp image from 6mm to 30cal at a minum, I have a 375 but its a seldom fire rifle, I would give up scoping that one particular rifle

Thanks
 
On the focus, I got the adjustable. My old eyes seem to be different every day, because I'm always fine tuning the focus when I borescope. IMO, you should spend the extra and get the focus. It doesn't take that much in such a tiny optic to lose the ability to see fine lines.
 
"AK": If I have my focus adjusted on the Hawkeye, for a 22 cal. bore, I can pretty much rotate around the entire 360 degrees and have a clear, sharp picture. On the 30 cals. though, if I have it focused at 6:00 in the bore ( for example) and rotate the mirror to the 12:00 position, it will be slightly out of focus, unless I raise the tip of the tube. Easier to just reach up for a quick re-focus.

I would imagine the out of focus condition would be even more pronounced on a larger bore diameter.

For me, the focusing adjustable model (17" Deluxe) is a must.
 

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