Spotting Scopes Under $150

[mmason3]

Like the title says, I'm looking at getting a GOOD optic for under $150. I'm not looking to take on the title of world's best spotter so Marky-Mark can make a mile shot with a .338 Intervention in which he kills the visiting president from a foreign country then Danny Glover hires some mercenaries to kill him in a corrupt cover up. I'm simply looking for a good spotting scope that I can use to zero an AR-15 at the range so I'm not that guy that yells "can we go cold?!?" every 5 minutes. I've seen some store branded stuff from Cabela's and Gander Mountain and was wondering if that was worth it. They came in around $80-$100. Any input is appreciated, that being said let's go ahead get the "YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR" out of the way. Check. Roger. I don't need to check craters on the Moon and I'm not going to rely on this one optic for the rest of my life. I plan to upgrade when my weapon caliber increases and so does my distance. Thanks for all the help Traders!

 

[freedom]

In for the info. One of the big minuses with the cheap ones is the chincey tripod they come with. Those nicer adjustable stands make it much more useful.

 

[mmason3]

So if I get an "okay" optic and spend some money on the tripod that wouldn't be a bad investment?

 

[freedom]

So if I get an "okay" optic and spend some money on the tripod that wouldn't be a bad investment?

I think that would be the way to go. I don't have one, but it's what I'm leaning towards.

 

[DoglegArms]

I have the Celestron Land scout 12-36x60 $70. As @freedom said, the tripod is crap. Otherwise it works fine for me.

 

[DoglegArms]

So if I get an "okay" optic and spend some money on the tripod that wouldn't be a bad investment?

I use a portable camera tripod.

 

[mmason3]

I completely forgot about using binoculars to take to the range and being a option since what I need isn't really precision shooting that requires a spotter so I looked into binos and then stumbled onto monos. I found a mono that would work and came with a bonus tripod. I picked it up from amazon and thanks to prime it will be home when I get back from my business trip. Can't wait to take all my new goodies out to the range this coming weekend.

 

[mmason3]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00K9SYPAE?redirect=true&ref_=ya_st_dp_summary

Link to what I found

 

[freedom]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00K9SYPAE?redirect=true&ref_=ya_st_dp_summary

Link to what I found

That's only 12x. Your eyes might be better than mine, but I would have a hard time seeing 22 holes at 100 with that.

 

[DoglegArms]

That's only 12x. Your eyes might be better than mine, but I would have a hard time seeing 22 holes at 100 with that.

Yeah 12x wont get you far. I definitely can't see holes in paper at 100 yds. 36x is good for 100 yds and a little further.

 

[mmason3]

Well shit, I guess I'm going to go edit an Amazon order...

 

[mmason3]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BY66JO?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00

Ended up getting this. I've been eyeing it for the last few weeks as I knew I would need a spotting scope but I'm hesitant to order things like this online. Once I get it out on the range and put it through its paces, I'll do a write up and let y'all know how it does.

 

[Cudruln]

I picked up a Simmons on black Friday for a pretty good deal. Still have not used it though.

 

[freedom]

I think when looking at budget glass, it's better to go fixed power than variable. It drives the cost up, so everything else gets downgraded to hit a certain price point. They're also less complicated, and maybe less prone to failure. The ones I've been eyeing are mostly fixed 20x.

 

[qodeBebop]

If I was looking for a cheap spotting scope I'd pick up a fixed 20 power SWFA scope. Better glass than cheap spotters and can always mount it on a gun whenever. High magnification on cheap optics is usually shitty.

 

[mmason3]

Thanks for the input guys!

 

[mmason3]

I received my Barska Blackhawk spotting scope about a week ago and the unboxing went well. Everything looks to be of fair quality for being in the sub $100 category. I mounted the scope to the tripod and it felt really sturdy. I was took it out and looked at the moon one night and it was very clear and had decent magnification. I'm guessing that spotting out to 100yds won't be an issue. When I get out on the range and actually use the scope I'll update the thread with pro's and con's of the scope.

 

[dial1911]

I may be too late, but... I found my regular sized camera tripod at a store called Tuesday Morning- sort of a catch all, discount dollar store. Kind of like a Big Lots, but smaller.

The aluminum tripod was like $12 from there. One thing you'll learn quickly about the table top tripods is that the table moves a lot. Even fixed concrete top shooting benches. Getting the spotting scope off the table is a big help.

 

[mark23]

The only issue with cheaper spotting scopes is the higher magnifications aren't really realistic. I have a Leuopold SX1 Ventana 15-45x. It's a sub-$300 spotting scope, so I'd say it's still relatively low-end. 45x isn't very realistic as it doesn't focus very well at that distance. It looks pretty good at 30x, but loses it after that. It didn't come with a tri-pod. I have one, but it sucks.

 

[Laufen]

Cheap and decent spotting scopes don't exist. Optics prices are governed primarily by the grade of glass used in the optic. Glass is graded like diamonds. The more flaws the cheaper it is. The greater the number of flaws (air bubbles, sediment, etc) the poorer the image. Spotting scopes need lots of glass..that alone hikes price. If you start right off the bat with cheap glass and high magnification you're double screwed.