The old Bushnell Spacemasters are great scopes. The last one I got was from ebay for $100.00 NIB.

Maybe the Benchrest guys could chime in here.

 

Now that was a fast response. I meant to also say I prefer something Made in USA or Japan. Also who offers a good warranty.

 

Luckily, you don't need to see a .223 hole at 600 yards.

That gets REAL expensive.

 

I have used a lot of SS's (OP's at matches) but my favorite for purchase is the Leupold 12-40x60. I got a used one off eBay for about $600 and love it. Best eye-relief I have seen. It is not as sharp as a multi-thousand-dollar Swarovski, but it gets the job done just as well, for me. If I am shooting at 600 yards I am either using an electronic target or there is a guy in the pit marking my holes.

 

Hey Rexxon

Seeing 22 holes in the black at 50 yards is difficult with inexpensive scopes. I have a number of spotting scopes that do not cut it at 50 yards and they include a bushnell spacemaster, a konus with a 65 mm objective, and a konus with a 100 mm objective. I would not recommend any one of them.

I also have a Kowa TS 501 with the 20 power long eye relief eyepiece and the variable 15x45 eyepiece (I think that is the power) that does get the job done in good light conditions but on cloudy overcast days it is difficult or impossible to see 22 holes in the black, let alone discern if they cut the 10 ring or not. This is a moderatly priced but highly regarded scope for the performance/price evaluation.

I do have a set of Kowa Highlanders which are awesome but extremely expensive. they do work and I have two sets of eyepieces that I need to select between on cloudy days.

I do have some experience peering through the ultra expensive Kowa, Miopta, Leica, and other spotters and their performance is outstanding but they cost a arm and a leg and another arm. Even with their high cost and excellent quality, their owners do sometimes have problems with the 22 holes in the black.

Best advice that I can give you is that I am impressed with the quality/price of the Kowa optics and their 82 mm spotter would be my purchase if I was going for a higher quality spotter.

You might also want to check out the Champion Choice house brand scopes. they do give good performance for the price but they are not in the same league as the top dogs.

Bottom line is that I do not know of a spotter that will work in all conditions for my 60 year old eyes. I would not recommend the Konus scopes although they do work when it is sunny out. The Kowa 501/502 is a good compromise with price/performance/size/weight for me but I do stretch its limits a bit more often then I like. The Kowa Highlanders are too big/heavy/awkward for all but when I have the team out and I am reviewing a bunch of targets downrange or ship spotting or astronomy.

Regards,
Crankster

 

I have a Vortex Viper HD 15-45x65 and I'm very pleased with it. It is perfect for the 100 yd. range I usually shoot and would be even finer for 50. Beyond 200 yds., though, you'll probably need more magnification. The glass is very good, the 65mm objective makes it a bit lighter and more compact than some of the alternatives suggested and the price is reasonable. (B&H Photo has a promo running most of the time but you have to call them. Mine was a top-of-the-line Vortex tripod included for free, but that was a couple of years ago.)

 

We are like Alton Brown (the chef) he hated "unitaskers" in his kitchen,,
The spotting scope for looking at rimfire targets at 100 yards and less is a "unitasker"

We purchased a pair of Canon binoculars WAY over a decade ago,,
the binoculars are 12X and have image stabilization,,
IT IS REAL EASY to see rimfire holes in a piece of cardboard at 100 yards,,

It is even easier to watch bunnies at 200 yards with them,,

If there is an animal in the back field, we have those binoculars out,,

We paid like $350 when we got them,,

OOPS,, they cost a little more,, now,,,

https://www.amazon.com/Canon-12x36-Image-Stabilization-Binoculars/dp/B00XOD5C1W

No matter,, if ours died today,, I would replace them,, they are that good.

 

We are like Alton Brown (the chef) he hated "unitaskers" in his kitchen,,
The spotting scope for looking at rimfire targets at 100 yards and less is a "unitasker"

Unitask? How do you figure? A spotting scope is an excellent way to observe birds and other wildlife, celestial events and even spy on the neighbors, if that's your thing. The difference is in magnification. While 12-15x is typically as high as general purpose binoculars go, most variable spotting scopes start around that point and go much higher. Both scopes and binocs have their strengths, weaknesses and versatility . They are just intended for different uses.

My spotting scope is moderate power, 15-45x, and appears to cost a bit less than your binoculars, even with a high quality tripod.

 

I have a Kowa TSN-2 with a fixed power (20X) extended eye relief lens. It's a dream spotting scope for me and I have it on a great Al Freeman mount. A bit heavy to be sure but this glass is great for spotting .22 holes up to 200 yards.

 

I use Swaro's for hunting and scouting, but Vortex Viper Razor HD 11-33x50 for most range work.

 

I have an old Bausch & Lomb spotting scope that I got off of eBay cheap and then spent nearly $300 getting it refurbished. It is an old made in Rochester, NY scope. My other spotting scope is an angled eyepiece Redfield from Leupold. It is a nice scope for the money but I think it is made in China.

 

I've got an old B&L Balscope Senior. I like it. I've got 15, 20, and 32x eyepiece for it.

I'm waiting to recieve a Unertl 24x63. I've got high hopes for it.

 

The Japanese Redfields are pretty good if you can find one. It'll definitely be used.

 

Thanks to all

 

If you want to buy a good scope, I can suggest you Hawke Vantage 24-72x70, it has the best magnification on the market, large objective lens which is a very good advantage, but the only disadvantage is the angle setup, but in the most of the cases it is not that important if you're not a sniper in the middle of war. I don't know what to say about the tripod, but I would say that it is pretty important. A bad tripod can cause you a lot of problems and the main one is uncomfortability. I can suggest you to check https://ballachy.com/best-spotting-scope-tripod, there are a lot of tripod models, so you can read all the details and chose the perfect one.