Spotting Scope for F Class, yes or no?

[Joe C]

I've spent a pretty good amount of time on line looking at pictures of F Class shoots and I don't see many spotting scopes in use. Is this something that not many of you guys use? What are the pros and cons? Any help would be appreciated as I've been looking at a couple of different models but if it isn't needed then it won't be bought right now.

Much thanks in advance!

 

[fayettefatts]

Hi Joe C:

If you can read the mirage with your rifle scope you may not want to bother taking a spotting scope to the line when you shoot, but you almost certainly will need one when it is your turn to score. If you don't want to buy a spotting scope until you are sure of what you really need, at least take a pair of binoculars along.

 

[Jay Christopherson]

I see a mix of spotting scope use at F-Class matches around here. The ones that use them, usually focus them halfway downrange or at some point before the target itself so that you can see what the mirage is doing. If you have a wide enough field of view, you can usually fix it so you can see some windflags as well and maybe the mirage running across your target board. You could use your rifle scope (if it has a side or objective focus), but I don't know a lot of guys who like to mess with their scope that much during a string.

I also know guys who shoot for center and never bother with mirage. One guy I am thinking of told me that he simply shoots a condition. If the wind picks up or switches drastically, he'll try to wait it out. He cleans a lot of targets so it seems to work for him.

I'm kind of on the fence myself- I've been using a scope for mirage, but I am not sure how much value it adds for me since it sort of breaks my concentration when I have to break position to look through it. I find more value in it for long range matches than mid-range.

 

[ryanjay11]

I noticed many of the top shooters at nationals were using spotting scopes to read the mirage. There are several brands of spotting scope stands that allow you to position the scope where you can look through your scope with one eye and the spotting scope with the other.

I decided to try it out for myself, so I picked up a Kowa and Ray-Vin F-stand this winter. I have yet to shoot a F-Class match with it, but I've used it while practicing with my rimfire.

I believe German Salazar has a write up about using a spotting scope on his blog. I will do a write up about my own experiences using a spotting scope at shootfclass.com after a couple of matches.

 

[jbpmidas]

I don't use one for 600. I am only shooting Expert scores right now, so take that into account. I watch mirage through my riflescope, which is a 4.5-30. I use 10x binoculars for scoring.