Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Need a spotter that won't break my wallet

I was shooting at 300 and 400 yards today and basically got tired of walking back and forth. So I decided I need a spotter over the Dillion I've been saving for. Which spotter and magnification would you suggest in the $500 range that would allow me to see bullet holes at 400yards?

One thing to keep in mind is that once the ground warms up in the morning and you start getting mirage, a spotter may not be able to help you see your bullet holes at 300 to 400 yds. So there may be better solutions than a spotting scope (see bottom of this post).

To address your question about spotting scopes, others with more experience with a variety of spotters will undoubtedly chime in, but I'm happy with my Minox 62mm spotter with the ED glass and the 21-42 LER eyepiece. I think that would be above your $500 threshold (I bought mine the scope and eyepiece for $750 a year ago and prices have increased since then), but I've also heard good things about a Pentax model that's around $500. You're wise at a better spotter than the cheapos at the bottom of the scale. I've tried to use a Burris 20x, 50mm spotter I got for free with a scope, and it hasn't worked very well for seeing 22-caliber bullet holes.

When I was at the range a few weeks ago, there was a guy who had a large styrofoam board painted black that clearly showed shots at 400 yds, even with some mirage. Here's what I remember from what he told me: He bought the thin styrofoam board at a office supply store (like Office Depot/OfficeMax), and (important from what he said) he wrapped it in some kind of special tape used to hold down carpet (hard to find, he said), and then he spray painted one side of the board black. Apparently the tape in some way helps you to see the contrast between the white styrofoam board and the black surface. Each time out, he just spray paints over the front surface again and places some small targets over it. It seemed to work pretty well, and depending on what caliber of gun you are shooting and what power scope you have on your rifle, you might be able to see the holes with that setup through your scope without spending $500 on a spotter.

I have at times used styrofoam paper plates, and even better the plastic paper plates for targets. They cut very clean, and large holes. Stapled a black plastic gargage bag up once (to cover the many bullet holes in the cardboard backing). To my surprise, I found if you used the plates on top of the plastic bag you got the nice clean full bullet diameter holes, but the plastic mostly stretched around leaving a smaller hole. The resulting large clean hole at high constrast to the black plastic made seeing your holes at least three times easier. Sounds like this styrofoam board (available cheap at art supply stores) and covered with some stretchy tape probably resulted in about the same thing.

See if Doug has any of the Vortex Sandpiper spotting scopes left. Most say very good for the price.
http://www.cameralandny.com/optics/vortex.pl?page=vortexsandpiper

The Vortex is in my price range but how good is it?

Watch ebay for a used leupold 12x40x60. YOu should be able to find one in tat price range and they are hard to beat. I have on but it is the HD version. Great scope..

No 1st hand experience, but hear very good reviews on this scope.

http://www.eagleoptics.com/index.asp?pid=5458

Mike.

mliang,

Someone suggested the Minox 62. I compared one with my 6500 4 1/2-30X50. So far it is the only glass that has been better than my Bushnell rifle scope; just barely, but it was better. For deserning detail, I could not tell any difference between my 6500 on 30X and my 12-42X NightForce set on 30X.

Of course you will be anoid because I am not going to suggest you buy a high dollar scope. When my gun smith decided to buy a spotting scope, he spent about half the day comparing brands side by side. These icluded Leupold and Nikon and others. I don't remember all he told me. He bought a Tasco 20-60X80MM. He said none of the spotters under $500 were as good as it.

I know when a bunch of us compared some scopes last summer, it beat all of them except my 12-42X56 NightForce. Each was set on its highest power with the higher powered scope set on that same lower magnification. We were comparing the ability to resolve the edges of the letters on a HIGH VOLTAGE sign on a transformer ranged 411 yards away with a Leica 1200. The scopes included a Weaver 6-24X, a Bushnell 4200 6-24X and Leupold VX-3 6 1/2-20X, 3-15X Sightron II and others. These were all nice, but definately fell behind the Tasco spotter.

If you want to impress folks with your toy. Spend some big money. But, I recomend the Tasco. I'm pretty sure they sell for around $180. If you can find one on sale, you might shave off fifty or sixty bucks.

I have not used a Sandpiper, but almost all reports are that they are a good scope for a great price. I don't know if they will allow you to see holes in the target at 400 yards though. Any one try this with your Sandpiper?

The Konus gets great reviews. I am in the same market. I know nothing about them other than they get great reviews.

mliang,
PM sent

The Sandpiper is very good (especially for the $200). You need to get to the $600 Pentax scopes to better it.

Same view point in the most recent Cornell Ornithology 2008 Spotting Scope review. It was the only low end scope they liked even beating some of the more expensive low end scopes!

http://www.livingbird.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=272
http://www.livingbird.org/netcommunity/bbimages/lb/pdf/ScopeChart2008.pdf

If it's strictly for range use, check out the Celestron C90 or C5. They're a bit bulky for field use. Both models are waterproof. Check out the write-up in Better View Desired.

http://www.betterviewdesired.com/Catadioptric-or-Mirror-Scopes.php

I don't own one, but I've talked to several folks that have been very satisfied with their Konus (20-60x80) scope purchases based on what they paid for it. You'd probabably be able to find it for right about $200.

I looked through a Vortex Sandpiper and thought it was very good for a budget scope.

How about one of these.
http://www.usoptics.com/index.php?page=spottingscope
dave

Mliang,

I have a Leupold 12-40 spotter than I'm probably going to toss on the classifieds here soon... It's the non-HD version and they seem to sell for $850 or so last I checked. It's about 2 years old and has very light use. It would still have the awesome Leupold lifetime warranty. I was gonna put it out there at $600 shipped (ground). PM me if interested!