For spotting 30 cal holes in your targets when sighting in at 250 yards ?
Is a spotting scope the best way ? Does anybody make a resonable priced optic that will get it done ?

I can normally see 30 cal holes in the target with the scope on top of the rifle. even a 2.5x8 does the trick at 100 yards. When I get out farther I use a swaro spotting scope

It doesn't take much. My 20+ year old cheapie Tasco easily does it.

I bought a 60mm spotting scope at a gunshow around 1991 with a 25X eyepiece and mount in on a small benchtop tripod. It's a Mirador - I'd never heard of it when I bought it, supposedly it's a Kowa under a different name, but it's the one pictured in this ad:

http://www.astromart.com/classifieds/details.asp?classified_id=555457

It doesn't hold a candle to a big 80mm Swarovski or something for resolving stuff at 1000 yards but it's worked fine for spotting .22 holes out to 300 or 400 yards, it's small and fits into a pistol rug for transport to and from the range.


P.S. It doubles as a small telescope for astronomy sometimes, or making sure the three young women in the apartment down the street have closed their curtains properly when showering...

I use a 60mm Bushnell Elite, but my 50mm x 20 Bushnell Sentry which I found at a garage sale for $10 works also.

At the range or for watching women showering?

Prwlr,
You gettin' out to 250 yds with that Sentry ?

i use my feet.

At 200 yds. any decent 6X rifle scope ought to work. the big trick is to understand that you can focus both the reticle and the image on the US style scopes.
As to a spotting scope, be carefull. My ex-wife bought a cheap 20X spotter once that would not show us .30 caliber bullet holes at 100 yds. reliably. So buy from somebody that will refund your money if you aren't happy. E

Those shoot-n-see targets work pretty well... But in lieu of those my pentax 65 does everything I ask. (besides cook dinner).

I've been shooting at yellow paper targets lately (home made) and I can see .308 holes through my 10x at that distance just fine.

Good one!

Jim in Idaho your my kind of guy - making sure those three young ladies are properly care for. Need any help? <Evil Grin & Wink> Ovis_Chaser