[MFortie]

For another view... (no pun intended!)

I took my son out with his new Scout this morning and the new Nikon Sky & Field 15-45x60 I picked up locally on sale for $279 (complete kit -- tripod, scope, case)

Set him up on the 50yd bench (indoor range) shooting his .22LR and set up my scope. Great clarity and I could see the bullet holes clear as anything anywhere on the target. After an hour or so when he got a bit more comfortable I decided to play around with the scope. Thought I had it set at 30 power from playing in the garage yesterday -- lo and behold it was at 15x! Turned it up to 30x and it was almost too close! Still clear as can be. Don't think I'd have any problem seeing .22 holes at 100 yards and am willing to bet I can see them fine at 200 yards!

After hearing about the Celestrons I almost returned the Nikon and ordered a Celestron -- right now I'm very glad I didn't!

Regards,

Mark

 

[Kent Owens]

Dwight,
I truly hope everything works out and they give you a good scope. I felt bad about you not getting a good one. I was reluctant to recommend one of 'em, because there's good ones, and there's bad ones in everything. I don't like XXXXXX brand rifle scopes but others love 'em, and do well with 'em. Kinda like telling someone about a great fishing spot, and they go and don't get a bite! So, I usually just keep my mouth shut. DJ's 80MM scope is a good one, I hope your's will be too.
Kent

 

[21302]

Kowa's the way to go..............

I just bought a Kowa TSN-821M.
After years of getting by with the Dept. store stuff, I figured I was gonna be doing this for a while so I bought a good scope to see .22 holes out at 200 yds.
Kowa makes all sizes with any power you want; the prices reflecting what you get. I bought mine from O K Weber out in OR in a nice package deal. I shopped around for a while and they had the best price and gave me good, quick service.
I've used this scope at 250 yds. and can see bullet hole just fine at this distance. Yeah, it was a decent chunk of change. I'm glad i did my homework and sought out the best deal. I'll never need another scope. I wish I'd done it years ago.
CJC

 

[23887]

The "short tube 80" by Orion is a compact scope, though larger than most spotting scopes it cost $199.00 from Telescopes.com. The power changes from different eyepieces from as low as 16x to 199x. This will cover any distance any rifle can shoot.
Mine came white, I took some camo tape and made it look better for benchrest/hunting purposes. The scope measures 16" long w/o eyepiece and has an 80mm objective.

 

[langenc]

Answer to original question---YES

 

[Markbo]

Dwight - that just sucks. The only scope that I have ever had that did that was a $100 Tasco - old school spyglass looking long tube. One of my box full of cheap optics. The only other ones I have used that do that are the $40 BSA scopes they hand out at the local range.

That is just 110% unacceptable for a quality optic. The fact that they did not fix it would certainly irritate me. I think you should call this Chris guy back, tell him what happened and demand satisfaction.

Either that, or call the place you bought it from, have them pull another and test it first, then exchange it. But remember... you will always have that same poor CS to deal with in the future. What about a Kowa like you had talked about?

 

[langenc]

A well kept secret is SWIFT. Swift riflescopes are 90++% as good as Leupold and only cost 50% or less. Check EB Brown or something close to that. They sell over 50% of Swifts sales.

Sure it could be argued that the last 10% is the most important part of a scope. I assure you-you are not getting near as good of a scope from Tasco, BSA and Bushnell for some what less or about the same money as a SWIFT.

Swift makes spotting scopes and Binocs also.. check ebay for some older swifts for a real deal..

 

[MinMAN]

Hi, I have been using a Bausch & Lomb Discoverer 15-60x60 for last five years, and been satisfied with the job it has one. I paid around $200. for it, and can be had for around $239. these days. The scope is not waterproof. However, I purchased a scope cover from Champion's Shooters, for $30. Not that I will be using it in heavy rain anyhow. It's a straight forward simple scope that has been in production for a long time. I still feel no need to upgrade to a more expensive spotting scope.

 

[triggerpresser]

Check these out. I have one of the TS501 45degree 20-40. I think it would work well at 100 yard. I know I can see 22 holes in the black at 50 yards.

The purple ones are being discontinued, big savings there, good people to deal with also.

http://www.champchoice.com/shop.php?action=clearsrch&class=KOWA

I have been looking at this model Kowa (TS501) with the 20-40X eyepiece. I figured out to 50 yards wouldn't be a problem. Can you see a 22LR hole at 100 yards though?

I have also read some of the posts contained in this thread about the Celestron 80mm spotting scopes. I know PDwight (forgive me if I got the name wrong, I didn't look again to check), had some trouble with his being loose when adjusting the eyepiece I believe. Anybody else had any issues with these scopes? For the money they seem to be a good deal.

I have been looking on the Internet at Spotting Scopes, especially after reading some of the posts about getting what you pay for. I was looking at several I thought I might stretch my budget a little and get. Then I realized that the $350 - $500 was for the Body ONLY, and the Eyepiece was another $200 or so...

 

[Al D.]

triggerpresser,
One can easily see .22 cal holes at 100 yards with as low as 20x under most light conditions and against most backgrounds. And, yes, spotting scopes are not a cheap investment if you want quality optics. If you buy cheap, you will spend that money again when you upgrade to a quality scope. The TS-501 is a nice compact scope, but with one has to get right down on top of the eyepiece to really see anything. If you do not need the angled head, why not consider a TSN-602 with the 25x LER (Long Eye Relief) lens. That is enough magnification to see everything at 100 yards and, if you wear glasses when you spot (you should be wearing eye protection when you shoot anyway), you will love the LER eyepiece.
Al

 

[Markbo]

Celestron wants this scope back as well, this will be my last attempt. Dwight P

Dwight, what's the good word?? (I hope )

 

[Markbo]

In the meantime, I think I have found THE spotting scope system. Check this out:

http://www.riflescopes.com/products/STS80HDBE/swarovski_30x80_big_eye_spotter_system.htm

For $4,800 you get not one, nooooo, but TWO 30x8mm spotting scopes made into a binocular. Couple of drawbacks. Weighs as much as most rifles. Additional eyepieces for different magnification are over $400. Each. And for this outlay, tripod NOT included...

bwaaaaaaaa haaaaaaaa haaaaaaa haaaaa ha ha ha ha ha ha haaaa

Whadya say... 50 of us throw in $100 each and we can each have them for one week per year, with one day in between for shipping to the next guy.

 

[triggerpresser]

No good word, two trips to celestron and still slop in the zoom eyepiece..it gets worse each time it comes back...so I dont dare send it back a third time.

Dwight P

Is your Celestron one of the models covered by the No Fault Warranty??? The price sure looks attractive for what you supposedly get and I was leaning toward trying one. Now I am not so sure. Anyone else have a Celestron. What are your thoughts after having had one?

 

[Markbo]

Man, that is just a bummer. I guess you are better off just getting your money back and saving some pennies for a little better one, eh?

I checked out those Kowa Scopes and from what little I know, they apparently are pretty highly regarded.

 

[Stoner25mkiv]

Man, that is just a bummer. I guess you are better off just getting your money back and saving some pennies for a little better one, eh?

I checked out those Kowa Scopes and from what little I know, they apparently are pretty highly regarded.

Kowa scopes are hard to beat. Highpower shooters demand alot from their scopes and Kowa's are one of the preferred brands. As already mentioned, Otto Weber of OK Weber, out of Oregon, and Champion's Choice out of Nashville, Tn are both good places to deal with. Shooters serving shooters, both of them. I happened to catch a "display" model thru Champion's, at Camp Perry one year. You might could ask if they have any available....saved me some decent money. Scour the used ads too for an older Kowa 77mm. They are discontinued now in favor of their 82mm, but are still an excellent choice. (my opinion)

 

[25488]

This is an awesome forum! I am a new member and have learned a lot just reading postings from other members. I just ordered a Celestron Ultima 80 with the 45 degree eyepiece from an on-line store called E-binoculars. They had it for about $155.00 plus $8.95 to ship. That's the lowest price I can find and they have it in stock. I'll post my opinion about the store and the product after I receive it. I'm planning to order the stand (and weight) from Champion's Choice in LaVergne, TN unless someone knows of where to get a better deal on a comparable quality product.

 

[25488]

Oh, well.....I will get this forum figured out eventually. I made my purchase after reading page one (didn't notice the other three...... :banghead3). Anyway, I will let everyone know how MY Celestron works out when I receive it.

 

[triggerpresser]

Oh, well.....I will get this forum figured out eventually. I made my purchase after reading page one (didn't notice the other three...... :banghead3). Anyway, I will let everyone know how MY Celestron works out when I receive it.

Luckyone, I read all of the pages, made a couple of replies and bought one myself. I couldn't find anything in my price range (just couldn't bring myself to use plactic and layout $500 plus) I thought would be any better. I say I bought one myself, my wife is getting it for me for my Christmas present. I too will post my impressions after opening it and trying it out.

 

[SamSpade]

I am totally happy with my Celestron Ultima 80! :t

 

[triggerpresser]

I'll post an update sometime after Christmas. Hopefully someone else will also and maybe we can determine how much of a problem this is.