Good Spotters Scope for the $$.

[J Rich]

Looking for a good spotter scope for a few dollars. I just need to be able to see bullet holes at a couple hundred yards max. Most of the time it will be used at less than 100.

I DON'T need any NV, Thermal, fancy gizmos, or a 2 mile range. Just a basic Spotters scope to relay info back to the shooter. Thanks!

 

[Cadcom]

I picked up a cheap Simmons at Cabelas for about $70.00 that works great. I actually don’t use it as much as I thought since I started taking my binoculars to the range with me. The binos work well for quick target check and I get a lot more use out of them (football games, races , etc) But the spotting scope def has a much better view at longer distances. I just get tired of lugging it and the tripod out.

 

[GAgunLAWbooklet]

I have a Yukon brand made in China that I got through Optics Planet about 10 years ago for I think $80 .

It came with a crappy little tripod, made for a table top, but I never use that. I mounted it to a wooden block for stability and that wooden block contains a pivoting support / mount so I can swivel and tip the scope as I need to.

It has the 45° angled eyepiece, which is very important if you're going to use the scope from the sitting or prone position. I guess it's less important if your scope is going to be mounted on a tripod and then set atop your shooting bench .

 

[GAgunLAWbooklet]

P.S. my scope will let you see any bullet holes, even 22 holes on the solid black target, at 100 yards in good light.
However at 200 yds it will only be able to show you a .270 or larger caliber hole and only if it is in the white or against a light brown background like cardboard or butchers paper .

If you use one of those Shoot-N-See splattering targets, or if you're shooting painted steel plates, you should be able to see the mark easily at 200 and probably even 300 yards. My scope has a variable magnification from 15x to 45x, and a 60 mm objective lens.


One thing you may be able to do to make your shots more visible through the paper or cardboard target is to use an old white tablecloth or bedsheet and stretch it behind the target, several feet behind it, at a 45° angle up at the sky, so that it reflects sunlight towards the back of your target and towards the firing line.
That will illuminate your bullet holes and make them shine in contrast to the black paper. The South River Gun Club in Covington uses, or used to use, that system for their CMP high power rifle matches at 300 yards.

 

[ltfirhunter]

Athlon Optics spotting scopes are excellent for the money.

 

[freedom]

Konus makes excellent budget spotting scopes, but they're between 2-300 for the smaller objective. For that though, you get something that's almost as good as the big players. I know I can see 22 holes at 300, maybe more but I've never checked. I can also see and read mirage clearly at distance.

 

[nicaburns]

Celestron Ultima 65 can be had for around $129

 

[palmettomoon]

Second on the KonusSpot scopes. I use a 100mm objective. The damned stand cost more than the scope.