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Njsarge

Spotting scopes

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1 hour ago, Njsarge said:

I saw a couple on Amazon that a had a piece you could mount so you can see the view finder through your cell phone screen.


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I've seen a lot of aftermarket/ generic mounts out there. I would not use that as a selling point 

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I have a barska 20-60x80. Definitely a good value for the money when on sale.  Konus 20-60x100 is probably the best bang for the buck I have run into. 

 

If one needs serious magnification on a budget, I'd hit up the telescope companies and look into their small  Maksutov-Cassegrain type scopes. I haven't used them for shooting, but for daylight viewing, it's hard to get more magnification for the money. 

 

 

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On 9/1/2017 at 4:32 PM, Njsarge said:

Can binoculars be used? I have a nice pair of celestron binoculars that can mount on a tripod.


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I really really doubt youll see the holes.  With my leuopold 45 power spotting scope sometimes 308's can be hard to see. 

 

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On 9/1/2017 at 10:24 AM, Njsarge said:

 

Can anyone recommend one for under $100 to be able to see steel target hits at 300 yards?

 

 

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In my limited experience you're asking a lot from a sub-$100 spotting scope.

I have one and I can just make out .223/5.56 holes on paper at 200 yards.

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Years back I went to Montana for a long range shooting clinic I went with a leupold green ring and ended up selling it because i couldnt see any trace out of it at the distances we were shooting. While there I bought a zeiss diascope 85. you my be ok at 300 yds with not so good glass but it will be dificult to see much.

 

Steel hits are more difficult to see then paper hits unless you are painting it often

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Two years ago, after checking out many different spotting scopes at both 200 and 300 yards, I finally decided to pull the trigger and ordered a Meopta MeoPro 80 HD spotting scope that has an integrated 20x 60x eyepiece, a HD Fluoride objective lens, Schott glass and ion-assisted multi-coatings to eliminate chromatic aberrations (CA) and color fringing, all encased in a rubber coated magnesium chassis.  I envision using this spotting scope primarily for assisting in viewing the results of my shot placement for long-range shooting between 100-500 yards.

As some of you know, Meopta is a high-quality optics company based in the Czech Republic that has been manufacturing optics since the 1930’s. I had been originally considering their Meostar S2 Angle 82mm spotting scope, but it, along with a 30-60x eyepiece, costing an additional $500, would total around $2,200 making it too expensive for what I want to pay. The MeoPro 80 HD takes essentially the same Czech-produced optics and assembles them in Meopta’s US facility in Hauppauge, NY. This allows for a significant cost reduction of this scope to the current street price of $1,500.

For a sufficiently strong tripod to support the weight of this spotting scope, I decided to purchase a high-quality Manfrotto BeFree Compact Travel Carbon Fiber Tripod with a ball head.  It is a sturdy, yet light tripod due to the carbon fiber legs, that extend to a height of 58 inches and will support the weight of the Meopta spotting scope, yet folds up to a compact 15.75 inches.  It comes with a padded carrying case.  The street price for this was $250.

Sometimes I may also bring to the range my 40-year-old Leitz Tiltall Tripod to support my spotting scope or camera or brass catcher.  The Tiltall tripod, manufactured by E. Leitz, Inc. was and is a very high-quality, heavy duty tripod that arrived on the photography scene back in the 1970’s and cost almost $100 at that time.  Its color is matte black and is 30 inches long when collapsed and extends to 70 inches.  It was manufactured using high quality parts, including brass bearings, machined aluminum knobs and tubular legs of heat treated aluminum and plated steel fasteners and continues to be very sturdy to this day.

All of this was not cheap by any means, so my total out-of-pocket costs for these items, including shipping cost and sales tax was just around $2,000.  Yes, this is far more money than what the original poster wants to spend or possibly can afford right now, which I understand and respect.  But as many NJGF posters have indicated in related threads, you ultimately get what you pay for.  I prefer to spend more $ up front and buy quality components and tools once, without having to upgrade later.  My view is that it’s my total investment in a high-quality optic system that will provide superior visual capabilities to clearly see bullet holes in targets that are 100-500 yards away AND that I expect will last for the balance of my shooting career.  Plus, I recognize and accept that my eyesight will not get any better as I get older.....

AVB-AMG

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7 minutes ago, AVB-AMG said:

Two years ago, after checking out many different spotting scopes at both 200 and 300 yards, I finally decided to pull the trigger and ordered a Meopta MeoPro 80 HD spotting scope that has an integrated 20x 60x eyepiece, a HD Fluoride objective lens, Schott glass and ion-assisted multi-coatings to eliminate chromatic aberrations (CA) and color fringing, all encased in a rubber coated magnesium chassis.  I envision using this spotting scope primarily for assisting in viewing the results of my shot placement for long-range shooting between 100-500 yards.

As some of you know, Meopta is a high-quality optics company based in the Czech Republic that has been manufacturing optics since the 1930’s. I had been originally considering their Meostar S2 Angle 82mm spotting scope, but it, along with a 30-60x eyepiece, costing an additional $500, would total around $2,200 making it too expensive for what I want to pay. The MeoPro 80 HD takes essentially the same Czech-produced optics and assembles them in Meopta’s US facility in Hauppauge, NY. This allows for a significant cost reduction of this scope to the current street price of $1,500.

For a sufficiently strong tripod to support the weight of this spotting scope, I decided to purchase a high-quality Manfrotto BeFree Compact Travel Carbon Fiber Tripod with a ball head.  It is a sturdy, yet light tripod due to the carbon fiber legs, that extend to a height of 58 inches and will support the weight of the Meopta spotting scope, yet folds up to a compact 15.75 inches.  It comes with a padded carrying case.  The street price for this was $250.

Sometimes I may also bring to the range my 40-year-old Leitz Tiltall Tripod to support my spotting scope or camera or brass catcher.  The Tiltall tripod, manufactured by E. Leitz, Inc. was and is a very high-quality, heavy duty tripod that arrived on the photography scene back in the 1970’s and cost almost $100 at that time.  Its color is matte black and is 30 inches long when collapsed and extends to 70 inches.  It was manufactured using high quality parts, including brass bearings, machined aluminum knobs and tubular legs of heat treated aluminum and plated steel fasteners and continues to be very sturdy to this day.

All of this was not cheap by any means, so my total out-of-pocket costs for these items, including shipping cost and sales tax was just around $2,000.  Yes, this is far more money than what the original poster wants to spend or possibly can afford right now, which I understand and respect.  But as many NJGF posters have indicated in related threads, you ultimately get what you pay for.  I prefer to spend more $ up front and buy quality components and tools once, without having to upgrade later.  My view is that it’s my total investment in a high-quality optic system that will provide superior visual capabilities to clearly see bullet holes in targets that are 100-500 yards away AND that I expect will last for the balance of my shooting career.

AVB-AMG

I’m looking at the red field 

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