what cheap spotting scope for use out to 500 yards

bobjs

Well-Known Member
Right lads

what are you long range shooters using.

i will be looking for a cheap/new or a good priced second hand spotting scope for use out to 500 yards + a wee bit.

i was looking on Amazon and there seems to be a good selection of stuff from 20 to 60 mag, what are you using mag wise and your ratings of the scope you have/or had

this sort of thing. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Celestron-C...id=1402755838&sr=8-3&keywords=spotting+scopes

thanks

bob.
 
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Would you consider a second hand draw type scope so you could use it for stalking as well?

There are several options and most of them are very reasonable money:

Hertel and Reuss - cheap and relatively good quality. Said to be better than the Nickel but pretty much similar. Maybe £50 - 100 for a good one. Long enough to rest well when lying up and spotting. Practical and usable and great value for money though the upper end of the magnification range is really too much for the glass so it is best not to push them beyond about 40X.

Nickel - 15 - 60 X 60 get a reasonable reputation but I've not owned one, usually make a little bit more than the Hertel and Russ but don't pay the crazy prices for one no matter how wonderful the seller claims it is. Worth probably £50 - £120 for a really really good one and they are common on the market so if you wait something suitable will come along in due course. Unless you can see the paperwork saying it has had a good refurb then don't pay serious money as they are all old and almost without fail will have the same faults and problems so the people asking £300 and more, or even anything over £150, are kidding themselves. The folks in Glasgow will probably be looking £70ish for a clean and service.

Optolyth - Maybe a step up on the other two the 30X80 is a good spotting scope for not a lot of cash but because of the big bit of glass out front is relatively heavy and bulky. It is what I generally use. The 30X80 is more in demand than the other sizes of Optolyth as it is a 3 draw scope and so is easier to rest when lying up spotting for deer. More money than the other two and usually around £250 or more.

The folks at the Glasgow Binocular Repair Centre can do work on all of these and so can fix most faults or clean lenses and the like for not a huge amount of money. Most of these scopes are old now, though there are still a lot of them in great condition, but they provide great engineering and what was top notch glass for their day for not a lot of cash plus they are probably not losing any more money now so if you buy one and don't like it you can probably get back what you paid for it.
 
thank you sir.

i have never used a draw scope other than when i was a wee lad back home in scotland, but that was a long time ago.

the scope is just for long range daylight shooting/plinking, i have to use a bench now as i have a spinal problem and my flexibility of my neck is rather restricted,

thank you again for the information etc and i will have a think on it,

kind regards

bob.
 
Understand Aldi have a cheapie on offer this week for £24.99 - might do the job and punch above it's weight. If not please ignore this 'heads up' ! Chris.
 
I got one of the Aldi ones when they were on offer last year - not a bad bit of kit, although I have never usex a more expensive kne so I don't know how they compare to other makes.
 
The Aldi one mentioned is 20-60 times magnification and has an object lense diameter of 60mm so at 20 mags. the exit pupil diameter of light will be 3mm.
It has an angled eye-piece unit which would be good for neck problems.
It also has a short tripod, a carrying case and a 3 year warranty.
For only 24.99 what better can one expect ?

HWH.
 
Just a word of caution prompted by bobjs mention of his spinal issue.

I have been looking for a smallish, cheapish spotting scope and have looked at the ebay offerings. Like this: Celestron C65 Mini Mak Spotting Scope Waterproof **FREE : TRIPOD + CASE ** | eBay

The problem is, these do not rotate in a clamp so the eyepiece is "at the top" so you are jumping up and down to spot your shot.

I'm not saying they all lack this feature, just the ones I've looked at.
 
Summit scopes are well worth the money! I would class them as the cheap end but not the cheap and useless end....
 
cheers lads

thank you all for the heads up hints and tips.

I will be on the look out for one when funds permit, but all info is appreciated.

regards

bob.
 
Bob,
Next time you are in Andover have a look in the camera shop up the lane from the main high street, it is in the same Lane as the fishing tackle shop.
That is where I got mine and it seemed to be pretty good but I haven't used it for so long so I can't remember the name or specification.
 


cheers jim

that looks good. ill have a look,
Bob,
Next time you are in Andover have a look in the camera shop up the lane from the main high street, it is in the same Lane as the fishing tackle shop.
That is where I got mine and it seemed to be pretty good but I haven't used it for so long so I can't remember the name or specification.

ho Eddy

i will have a look on tuesday im in specsavers that afternoon so will try out the new specs.:)

bob.
 
I suppose it depends on what your definition of cheap is! I've used quite a few different makes / models at varying prices. My current scope for TR is a Leica Televid 77 which I picked up for £500 (not cheap but affordable compared to the new price of >£2k!). My wife has a 62. Both are unbelievably clear and offer a significant benefit in reading mirage compared to cheaper scopes I've used.

Kowa scopes offer excellent optical quality and, depending on model can be had for ~£100 to £250. A TSN 1-4 (Kowa's numbering works on odd numbers being angled, even being straight and 3 and 4 are their higher quality prominar glass) is a great, reliable and durable metal scope albeit a few years old now. The TSN 821 - 824 is a bigger scope but being made of plastic is about the same weight. It also offers a great view and can be had used for around £200-400. The TSN 611- 614 are good and can be had for less than £100 if you're lucky.

Further down the price range, I've been impressed by Opticron scopes and have had an IMagic which I picked up for £75 and an IS60 which I got for £60. Both were fine for shorter range stuff (and I still use the IS60 for smallbore shooting). The down side is the eyepieces tend to be not such good quality but the HDF versions are supposedly excellent - I've not used one though.

Several guys at my smallbore club use the Aldi scopes but the quality doesn't come close to any of the above. The OP mentions shooting out to 500 yrds which I think would be well beyond the capability of the Aldi scope.

In summary I'd highly recommend buying a good quality second hand scope rather than the cheap options as you'll get better glass, better build quality and overall a much more durable and usable scope.

Good luck with your search.
 
Bob unless you have super good eyesight and a good top quality scope, don't expect to see bullet holes in a target at much more than 200 yards. It's easier to see 30 cal holes than smaller ones of course & shoot-n-see targets help. If you shoot gongs, paint them white & you will then see bullet splash marks easier.
You will also see holes better if the background contrasts with your target face.
My advice - buy old / higher quality scope second hand(a big front lens will gather more light - although makes the scope heavy). I find angled scopes easier to use than straight ones - allows using a lower tripod & you can obviously look through it from one side & not have to look round it. With angled scope it is best to have one that has a mount that can swivel for easiest alignment with your spotting / shooting position.
Try a few scopes out side by side before buying if you can - then you can really see what is good & what is bad if you compare them side by side.

Ian
 
Bob unless you have super good eyesight and a good top quality scope, don't expect to see bullet holes in a target at much more than 200 yards. It's easier to see 30 cal holes than smaller ones of course & shoot-n-see targets help. If you shoot gongs, paint them white & you will then see bullet splash marks easier.
You will also see holes better if the background contrasts with your target face.
My advice - buy old / higher quality scope second hand(a big front lens will gather more light - although makes the scope heavy). I find angled scopes easier to use than straight ones - allows using a lower tripod & you can obviously look through it from one side & not have to look round it. With angled scope it is best to have one that has a mount that can swivel for easiest alignment with your spotting / shooting position.
Try a few scopes out side by side before buying if you can - then you can really see what is good & what is bad if you compare them side by side.

Ian

Hi Ian

I have this past weekend got some 4" 6" and a 8" gongs made for me just making the brackets up this week, they will all be painted as follows,

for the 20 tac. 1x 200/300/400 all painted bright red(all 4")
for the 6mm br 1 x at 200/300/400/450/500 and 600, these will be painted white and will be the 5" then 6" gongs ending with the 8" at 600.

i am after a scope that i can spot targets out to 600 but not for bullet holes just to use as a spotter (steve will be on the scope for me and vice versa for him.)

thank you for the tips etc.

bob.

ps: last year when i was selling all my bits up to help pay the bills as i was on the sausage roll dole/job seakers etc. i gave my spotter away to a lad who was starting out in shooting. so i now wish i had kept it.
 
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All the stock & wildlife on the Plain will soon have tinitus then!

Have fun!

Ian

cheers ian

I hope so. i have just managed to get permission to take it out to 1000 yards and further if needs be, but i don't have a hope in getting that far anymore.

kind regards

bob.
 
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