Spotting scope 50m

[ALLEN-AK]

Looking for low, medium, high price points brand and dimension recommendation for juniors in need of spotting scope for 3p @ 50 please ... any thoughts? Any good places to buy used ? Thank you!

[tim slater]

From high to low, if money is no object Leica, Zeiss, and Swarovski are superb. But, money is rarely unlimited. Kowa are very popular among target shooters. These are still not cheap but have excellent quality glass, and are durable. Vortex make good 'scopes too as do Nikon. For lower quality eBay is flooded with cheap Chinese made scopes, often identical but for the brand. I have an Opticron, but I'm not sure this brand is available in the US. It's not a bargain brand, but cheaper than Kowa and Vortex.

In terms of spec, cheaper scopes almost always come with a zoom eye piece typically 20x -60x or 15x-45x. Both are perfectly adequate for 50m shooting, in fact your shooter may not use much more that 35X when shooting, or their view of the target will ge too small. But on bargain 'scopes the image can be fuzzy at high magnification. Some aren't clear enough to spot 0.22 holes at 100 yards. Higher quality 'scopes have an interchangeable eyepiece that is sold separately (budget for this). A fixed 25x or 27x is good for 50m, and no fuss. A 20-60x zoom can be useful, but not essential, and is more expensive.

For the front lens, 60mm was the standard for years. 80mm and even 100mm lenses give a brighter image in poor light, and at high magnification. But at the cost of weight. A 3P shooter already has a lot of gear, and a massive 'scope puts extra strain on the tripod when it's extended for standing.

[StanHi]

IMO, don't even consider a cheap scope- for anything. They are a complete waste of $$$. If I need to see .22 holes in paper at 200 yards or more, I need a premium scope. I went through a similar exercise recently; looked at my friend's Leica Televid and Swarovski. I bought a Kowa and think it beats both of them. Pricey, though- $3000+/-. A great bargain is an Athlon Conus; not quite the same level, but very good at half the price. One consideration... you will probably be happier with a scope you can dial-down to 15X or so.
Don't k now about 'used' scopes. But if new, try Camera Land, NY of B&H Photo, NY.

[eflyguy]

I'll counter with the one I picked up for $45 on Amazon - I was one of the first to purchase, they are $80 now. I still recommend at that price (or even higher.) The only issue is you say 50m, so I'm guessing you're not in the US. These all come from China, however, so I am sure you could get it wherever you are.

My daughter and I shoot 100yd iron sight every month, and we had been borrowing equipment from the club. They have a number of high-end scopes available. We wanted to be able to keep an eye on each others shots from the benches behind the firing line, and also for us to use when not at the match, so I picked up the one above. For $45, I wasn't expecting much.

In short, we no longer borrow the club scopes. It is absolutely brilliant, with edge-to-edge clarity (no aberrations.) The claimed 60x is bunk, but whatever the max actually is, it's plenty to clearly see .22 holes at 100yds. Used it for the first time yesterday at 50 while sighting in a couple of rifle scopes, and backed off on the magnification. It is more than capable for what you describe.

I'm in no way implying expensive optics are not worth the money. I have cheap and mid-range rifle scopes and the more expensive ones are better. In this particular instance, however, my $45 spotter is as good as any expensive one I've looked thru.

[skwerl457]

Originally Posted by StanHi

IMO, don't even consider a cheap scope- for anything. They are a complete waste of $$$. If I need to see .22 holes in paper at 200 yards or more, I need a premium scope. I went through a similar exercise recently; looked at my friend's Leica Televid and Swarovski. I bought a Kowa and think it beats both of them. Pricey, though- $3000+/-. A great bargain is an Athlon Conus; not quite the same level, but very good at half the price. One consideration... you will probably be happier with a scope you can dial-down to 15X or so.
Don't k now about 'used' scopes. But if new, try Camera Land, NY of B&H Photo, NY.

I agree completely with you StanHi , I was looking for a spotting scope for
Our 200 mtr range and found only high end glass $900 plus was any good for
Spotting .17 HMR .
I decided to buy a used Bullseye Target Camera for $650 .
At the 50 to 100 mtr range I use the Leupold Vx3i 8.5-25×50
To spot .22 and .17 just fine.

[ALLEN-AK]

Great info folks. Thanks so much! Search is on!

[Silas]

You don't need anything high end to spot holes at 50 yards.

I'd go with a relatively inexpensive scope paired with a digiscope adapter (I'm assuming all these rotten children have cellular telephones).

The Celestron Land Scout series of scopes is worth looking at if you're on a tight budget: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/searc...me%3Acelestron

Got more money? Bump up to the Celestron Ultima series: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/searc...ng_scopes_1032

Another serviceable option would be something from Konus: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/searc...rch=yes&sts=ps

The Celestron digiscope adapter is kinda crappy so I would avoid it, especially with children involved. A more durable option would be something like this model from Levenhuk: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...e_adapter.html

[Dewarzone]

Check out Champions Choice brand scopes. I use the 20x60x77 and have zero problems seeing .22 holes at 100 yards during matches.
At $185 you can outfit a bunch of Juniors for what you would pay for one high end scope. Glass is clear and distortion-free. I was actually surprised by the quality. Sometimes it amazes me how sometimes people think that all Junior programs are awash in cash.