Spotting scope

[gregnsara]

I know this is probably dumb question but does a spotting scope exist for around $100 that let's you see a 30 caliber hole halfway clearly at 300-600 yards?

 

[hagar]

No, but the Konus 80mm comes close at around $200.

 

[Ben Dover]

Old Italian proverb:

"Cheapa U buy, cheapa U get!"

 

[std7mag]

I can spot 223 at 300 with my Celestron C70.
On sale on Amazon for under $100.

I also use a white posterboard and 1" orange sticker for my targets though, so a little cheating. Lol

 

[Doyle]

We had this discussion a while ago. Seems the wave of the future is going to be a remote camera/viewer combination. They are already available but price is still pretty high - comparable to a high-end spotting scope.

 

[Don Fischer]

Just a thought. Rather than a scope you can see the hole with at 300 yds, shoot three shot's then walk down and look at your group. Gives the barrel time to cool and you might could use the exercise!

 

[Ben Dover]

^^^^^ This!

Better yet, shoot 5 shots. that will tell you more about your load.

 

[ms6852]

Let me save you the aggravation. Take a $100 bill and light it on fire. But I doubt you'll see bullet holes at 300 yards let alone 600 yards. Read the article on the scopes and I own the one of the Top 5 listed and atmospheric conditions play havoc.
https://www.opticsplanet.com/howto/how-to-choose-a-spotting-scope-for-target-shooting.html

 

[gregnsara]

I don't know the first thing about spotting scopes that's why I was asking. I've been off work for a while and can't get around very well and I especially can't afford a higher dollar scope right now. I've got a teenager who is really interested in long range shooting so I was wanting to cultivate that interest. I didn't figure there was a scope for a low dollar that would see that far. Apparently I need exercise more than I need a good scope. Thanks for the advice everyone.

 

[zukiphile]

I've got a teenager who is really interested in long range shooting so I was wanting to cultivate that interest.

Does he already have a .22lr?

I enjoy lobbing bullets out at distances with noticable trajectory, but I use a 22lr. My cheap 20-60x60 can make out .22 holes to 150 yards.

When my younger daughter was 10, she expressed an interest in going to the rifle range with me. I jumped right to a vision of a father-daughter hobby, and bought her a bunch of equipment. Her interest was really just curiosity and quickly waned. When I realised that she was only coming along to humor me, I stopped asking her to come along.

If he has an interest, I hope you can cultivate it without spending much. Sometimes we get too wound up in the equipment.

 

[TXAZ]

Buy a used 8" telescope with a corrected / inverted 40-60X eyepiece, that you had to negotiate down to $100. You'll get close to your goal. Don't expect rugged, water resistance or color correction.

 

[ms6852]

If you use the shoot n c type of target you will be able to see bullet holes better, but the targets are a little more expensive. I use them at 200 yards when I shoot 22lr or magnum.

 

[fourbore]

I got a simmons 60x on sale at cabelas and it is about comparable to what I can see with at the high end magnification with my 6-18x leupold rifle scope. It is dark and for what ever technical reasons juts hard to use and hard to see details.

This is a good question. I wish I asked first. I guess it was $100 on sale at $60. I could have just burned the money for what it is.

"Cheapa U buy, cheapa U get!" Yea, that about covers my experience.

The person who mention the red stickers. You have to hit them. Red is a big help. Holes on a black bull are very hard to see. Very hard.The reactive color targets are good, but expensive.

The problem I have is, who can you trust? Are you going to buy a Konus based on one line answer from one person? The Leupold is crazy money, off the charts.

 

[Ben Dover]

There's an adage that has a lot of truth to it.

The man with the Bushnell could tell there was someone on the other side of the lake.

The man with the Leupold could tell that he was smoking a cigarette.

The man with the Schmidt & Binder could tell what brand of cigarette.

 

[NathanHoln]

I can't recall at the moment the exact resolution, but I believe it is x50 or possibly x60 and when we were out developing loads, we ended up using the rifle to spot the other dude because the rifle scope got way closer than the spotting scope he had. It was about $100-$120. It was about 6 years ago so I don't recall the details, I'll take a look at the vault tomorrow.

 

[Rembrandt]

The technology is there to put a small camera close to the target (not in line of fire of course) then view the bullet holes from your phone. No different than some of the home security systems.

 

[Unclenick]

The needed camera technology is out there. The technology needed to put a hole through that camera has been around even longer.

At most big matches, you won't be allowed to set the camera up. You will either have electronic targets, in which case you won't need to be able to see the target to know where the bullet went, or you will need a conventional spotting scope.

The used market is where I would look first. A good quality used scope will be better than a low-quality new one. Just be sure it is in good shape. High magnification is less important than brightness (large objective) and sharpness. I can generally see all I need with 25X. Higher magnification is sometimes helpful, but it makes the image darker and you often find it just magnifies mirage more so the indistinct wiggling image is just bigger and dimmer, and you don't see any more than you could before.