Spotting scope suggestions

[NateHaler]

Earlier this year, a fellow came to the range with a Nikon Victory spotting scope. The optics on this was "off the scale" clear! Nikon has scopes with some of the best glass on the market.

Zeiss makes a 'Victory' spotting scope. I don't believe Nikon does. Their website doesn't show it either: http://www.nikonsportoptics.com/Nikon-Products/Fieldscopes/All-Fieldscopes/index.page

 

[ShootDots]

BOhio, you are correct... However, I "mixed up" the 2 spotting scopes... I was trying to remember what I was looking thru... It was a Nikon, however, it was NOT a "Victory" it was a Nikon "FieldScope EDG 65MM"... I just went to "Optics Planet" to "find" the one I was looking thru... The above scope from Nikon was listed at $3199.00.. I was ASTOUNDED at the clarity of that scope.. But thank you for bringing it to my attention of my foul-up.. I appreciate it. I remember also that I could not believe there was Nikon at that price level.. Obviously I have been "in the dark" on more than one train of thought!! LOL!! At any rate, thanks for bringing it to my attention..

 

[RStewart]

I have a Konus for watching mirage and a Schmidt Bender scope for shooting.

 

[savageshooter86]

Sure wish top shooters could do a blind test of spotting Scopes for mirage reading. Same range, same stands, same everything except hide the scope brand. And rate them based on ability to see mirage, clarity of glass and ease of focus.

So this test sure could help some new shooters out. Financially and shooting wise. We are not trying to see billet holes at 1000 yrds, but mirage through the midrange

Find it hard to spend more on spotting scope than on my Sightron SIII 10-50x

 

[RCurtis]

Friend of mine just sent this out in an email. I personally looked through this scope Sunday at our 1000 yard club match and it is a very clear view. If interested pm me for contact info.

This scope was recently serviced by Leica USA and is in outstanding condition. This 20X WA lens is actually 16X on this body and will allow you to see 20+ targets wide at 1000 yards. It is truly informational overload when it comes to mirage and the depth of field for seeing mirage from 200-1000yds is incredible. Because of the field of view, you can see mirage changes coming a looong ways before it ever hits your firing point. The scope is bright, clear, very lightweight and in perfect order.

The scope did have a prismatic effect and was serviced in August. At that time, Leica lubricated, adjusted all functions, reset the prism, cleaned the lenses, re-calibrated and nitrogen purged the scope. This was a $325 service.

The scope includes the body, the 20WA eyepiece, front/rear lens covers and a protective soft case from Creedmoor.

Price is $1450 delivered, insured via USPS. Payment via US Postal MO as it protects both of us.

 

[DogBuster]

I bought one of these for my sheep hunt....watch the video...

I'm happy with my purchase......Doug @ CameralandNY

http://on.aol.com/video/zen-rays-zen-ed2-20-60x82-spotting-scope-review-517380939

http://www.cameralandny.com/optics2/zenray.pl?page=zenray-zened2_20-60x82

 

[aj300mag]

Andrew there is more to using a scope than just seeing mirage...

I was squaded with an individual who didn't have a 1000 yard zero for his rifle. This was at the F-Class Nationals. I would have been useless to him if I couldn't have seen his trace.

I'm not looking for bullet holes at 1000 yards, if I'm scoring for you I'm looking at the spotter and how close it is to the scoring ring. If I think your target is mis-scored I'll advise you to call for a re-disc. It all depends on the resolution of the spotting scope.

 

[RCurtis]

aj300,

That is for the competitor to decide, not you as the scorer. Oh and there is no such thing as a "Re-Disk" its "Challenge the value on target...."

 

[AR Shooter]

The problem is that all the great scopes I have looked through have a price tag above $1,000.00

Check out a Celestron 65mm Regal ED. Been using one for 5yr and it has never skipped a beat and compares favorably with the standard glass Kowa 82mm scope. Celestron's ED glass is similar to Kowa's XD glass.

 

[Mr. Ten-X]

Thought there was a thread on this but can't find it....

What would be the best value spotting scope for using at 600-1000 yards Fclass to help read mirage? Really needing the least expensive, but will be the best quality for the $(hopefuly under $1000)
What brand/brands should I be looking at?

This will be for local club matches and I am very new to this, so please keep this in mind with suggestions. Not looking at $$$$$$$$$$ scopes

For many years, the Kowa 77mm and 82mm models have been the standard with Highpower shooters. Much of this is due to the LER eyepiece available for use with shooting glasses that nobody else really offered. The knock on the earlier 77mm models was that they would fog the eyepiece if a raindrop fell anywhere within 50 miles of them. Had a pair of them and they both had that very issue. I carried 2 eyepieces and a straight Leupold 25X to Perry as a backup in the event there was rain. It wasn't long before a whole raft of services popped up for waterproofing the earlier eyepieces and eyepiece covers soon were being offered by various entrepreneurs. I have no direct experience because I switched to Leica, but I am told this issue has been solved with the 82mm and the 27LER eyepiece. The same for the latest 82mm and the 25LER. It would be what I would suggest to get.

Beyond scoring duties, the scope needs to see bullet holes for the HP shooter at 200yds so that a correction can be made after the mag change in the sitting rapid stage. Beyond that distance, it's all about seeing the mirage. The wider the field of view to see a mirage wave/change coming from several targets over is a decided advantage. Depth of field is critical as well so that when at the longer distances, you get a deeper view of the mirage at varying distances between you and the target. You'll know the instant that you look through a scope with really good depth of field when you back off the focus from 1000 to see the mirage...and say to yourself "I'm in focus at 800...and 700...and 600....and 500". That gives you a clearer snapshot of what the wind is doing over a greater portion of the range.

 

[Turbulent Turtle]

I have been using a Vortex Razor spotting scope. It has very good glass and I really like the features. I typically bring and use another far less expensive spotter mounted on a tripod when I'm scoring for another shooter. Interestingly, at the CA State LR Championship this past weekend, I noticed that I could actually see the mirage much better in the less expensive scope. In fact, the difference between the two was almost night and day. Possibly some part of that may have been the difference between lying flat on the ground while shooting and sitting up a few feet while scoring, but not all of the difference could have been because of that. I'm thinking now of switching to the less expensive scope while shooting. It certainly falls within your budget, so if you're interested, here is the info for it:

Well, that's funny. When I made that observation and even offered an explanation for that phenomenon here a few months back, some people took exception to that, dismissing it out of hand. I do agree that a quality scope is important from the point of view of reducing or eliminating eyestrain and associated issues, but top of the line glass for watching mirage and other shooting conditions is contra-indicated.

It should also be noted that Nikon has a long history of producing extremely high quality glass for their cameras, it's only logical to assume they would make use of that knowledge to produce riflescopes and spotting scopes. Their EDG VR85 Fieldscope is an object of desire, but at a breathtaking price of $5,500 that's all it will be for me. Even the non-VR models are jaw-dropping expensive.

An 80mm scope is a BIG object to have on the mat with your F-TR rifle, the stand is critical here and I am still in search of the perfect F-TR stand for my 65mm Kowa.

 

[mysticplayer]

Anyone compared the Kowa 82SV and 661? Which would be preferred to see mirage and a larger hunk of the range?

Also, there are 2 LER eyepieces 25X and 30X. Seems the 25X has much longer eye relief but narrower field of view.

20mm which is rated for the 30X should be plenty for my eyeglass use but curious if anyone has compared them TO SEE MIRAGE.

My primary use would be to see the air during an F class match.

bayou shooter, you are not crazy about seeing mirage and "lesser" glass. I have no idea what the engineering reason is but some optics just see mirage much better.

I shoot Sightron scopes and these pick up mirage way earlier then my buddies March. In fact, he had to consider adding a spotter cause he simply wasn't seeing what I did. Now when conditions got really muddy, his image quality was clearer but the Sightron was still plenty good to hold a scoring ring at 1000yds

The most obvious example was with a S&B 22X (thereabouts) scope (optics I love by the way). Shooting on the coast after a rain and the sun came out. Needless to say humidity soared enough to cause my glasses to fog. You could see the mirage with the naked eye. Mirage was so horrid, many shooters started loosing the scoring disks.

that S&B, cut through that muck and I could resolve the scoring rings (600m). Very clear. Problem was, all the mirage info was now gone and the air was very twitchy. Wet flags were slow and didn't say much. Could see the target great but shot the pits cause I couldn't see the air.

So now I am more concerned about seeing the mirage as a wind indicator. Don't really care about seeing the scoring disk as my scope has that covered.

Love to hear any thoughts on those Kowas

Jerry

PS If money allows someday, I would love to get a Leica as that allowed me to see target, and mirage in a very clear distinct way. Lesser glass lets you see lots of mirage but sometimes the info is "blurry". Some really high end glass lets you see mirage which is resolved. When you experience it, you will understand what I mean.

 

[Turbulent Turtle]

I found it. It was something I posted on September 7, 2013.
http://forum.accurateshooter.com/index.php?topic=3824291.msg36279933#msg36279933

Look for my first post on the thread.

I can explain it a little more but I'm pressed for time, right now.

 

[Turbulent Turtle]

Greg, I like your Rube Goldberg setup for a scope stand; I think it's ingenious, but it would not fit my requirements.

I currently use a Freeland tripod with a Polecat head on which I have attached my Kowa 661 with LER eyepiece. That setup is fine except for one issue; one of the legs of the tripod invades my shooting position and that's a problem.

When I plunk down my scope & stand on my left side, I set up the legs with one of them at 2 o'clock, another one at 6 o'clock and the third one at 3 o'clock. The Polecat extends to the right holding the scope along side my rifle about 6-8 inches away from the riflescope, and at the same elevation.

I find the Polecat to be a b*tch of a device to adjust the up and down of the scope once in position. So what I do is make sure the scope is parallel to the ground and then when the rifle gets on the mat, I reposition the scope to be at the exact spot in relation to it.

I use the knob on the 6 o'clock leg to fine tune elevation on the scope; that is so easy and nice, it's just great. No shaking of the scope while the adjustment is going on. And I can do this from position very easily. I usually leave the Polecat loose so that I can pan the scope horizontally, again from position, so that I can view the entire line. For that to work, the scope has to be level as much as possible and be free to move left to right, something that your setup does not allow.

My problem is that the long 6 o'clock leg intrudes into my position, so I am now thinking of shortening that leg considerably, while maintaining the knob for the elevation adjustment. If I can make that work, it would be the appropriate stand for me.

 

[mysticplayer]

Depending on the range and how many competitors, you will not have enough room for such a stand.

At Raton, we were stacked up so you had to be careful about not spilling over into another firing point.

If you have the room, that would be a nice set up.

Jerry

 

[Turbulent Turtle]

Wow; that's a pretty big thing and it could be used to attack or distract the shooter next to you.

I like big, but this is a little extreme. It would be a pain to move from yard line to yard line, unless it had its own power.