Spotting Scope Hierarchy?

[Jetmugg]

After seeing all of the spotting scopes in use at the So. Nats, and reading about spotting techniques and POI changes, my daydreaming has turned towards spotting scopes.

My impression is that Kowa is at the top of the heap, and is priced accordingly. I also know that there are some Fujinon models which are highly regarded. Beyond those two suppliers, which are the spotting scopes that have proven to be useful for the SB silhouette game? I assume there is a price/quality level below which the scopes are no longer helpful, but don't have a good idea where that point is.

Please discuss this matter at everyone's convenience.

SteveM.

[Bob259]

All good spotting scopes are pricey, as good glass and coatings are expensive. Personally I like Swarovski's or Lieca's for their crisp clear view you get and use it for other things as well as Silhouette. That said, in Silhouette it's not like paper punching where you need real good optics to see the bullet holes so a lower quality will work.

But like all optics, get the best you can pay for at the time.

Now if money is not an object.... this is what you need
http://kowa-usa.com/frontend/proddetail ... o=10000325

Actually the binocular causes you less eye strain an helps you see the target better as you have both eyes working together. Lots of folks use 20X+ binoculars that have a tripod mount and that you can get from places like Optics Planet for smallbore.
http://www.opticsplanet.net/binbymagn-13plus.html

[malinois]

I second Bobs comment.....I have laids eyes on the finest optics around and for our game I like a astronomical binicular best...The stereo image is excellent for watching mirage shifts and the detail is excellent. If you have deep pockets you can marry two kowas together but that set up is less than ideal as well as very expensive and hard to keep colimated.

[Innocent]

For low price but clear and crisp, look at Nikon Sky and Earth series.
Mary

[Jerry G]

Kowa makes a big bino. Bring lots of money.

[nomad]

IMO the Kowa with the 27X LER eyepiece is 'almost' unbeatable for silhouette.

That said, and given that Winnsboro has its own spotting problems -- the backplates are constructed and angled such that they're shaded even on fairly bright days and their green color isn't very 'contrasty' with the gray splash left by a little .22 bullet -- I didn't feel that the Kowa was the best choice this time around.

At Winnsboro this year there were several of us shooting together and we had among us a Kowa 82mm/27xLER and a Leica Televid 77mm/32x. In order to avoid shuffling scopes all the time, we used the Kowa, since its eyepiece is friendlier and the FOV is good. However, during and after those little 'showers' on Saturday, the combination of overcast skies, mud spatters and shaded backplates made picking out misses with the Kowa hard to impossible on the ram line and difficult at the turkeys. (Hits on targets were clear but most of the misses just vanished into the dark and spattered background.) After we brought out the Leica, the bullet marks on the backplate were clearly visible throughout. The extra power might have been the key but I 'think' it had more to do with the glass in the Leica. (There's not a lot of difference, but what there is is noticeable...especially in tougher light conditions.)

I've compared the Kowas, Leicas, Swarovskis and Zeiss scopes side-by-side and, if I were buying again, I'd opt for the Kowa, if only for the useful convenience of that LER eyepiece. (And I'd have the Kowa Highlander/Prominar binoculars if I won the lottery.) That said, I'm not throwing my Leica out just yet! There are (infrequent) times when that last, tiny nth of glass superiority helps.

[gkp4570]

Hello. I have been using a Meade ETX-90 with a 40mm eye piece. Very clear! Small holes at 1000yds are easy for me to see. Got the unit years ago after reading about it in precision Shooting.

[ter]

I have the Leica 62mm in APO glass, and it is pretty amazing. There is a very nice optics shop in my area that carries a ton of products. It is pretty easy to be handed 5 scopes, and to be able to sort them by quality and price tag. It is very cool to make a side by side comparison when you shop for optics. I am really sold on the heavy glass/APO option.

[Jim Beckley]

Way out of my league but the Swarovskis have some great glass, Rose, Jr has one and Sr has a Kowa. If money is no object go with the Swarvski, but I think the Kowa scopes with work with any thing we do with silhouette. Manny has an old B&L spotting scope that set him back 82.00 when I was in square pants if not before. It has good glass, also.

[timbertoes]

another viewpoint...

dont buy one at all.

Firstly. The fact is, you either can hit the targets or not.
Secondly, usually someone on your relay has one. If not, just a decent pair of Binos work.
I dont see anyone winning just because the spotting scope costs a lot.
save your money.

[Jetmugg]

I have always taken the approach that there was no benefit to having a spotter or a scope (either you hit them or you don't).

That view changed at the Southern Nats, watching shooters interact with their spotters/coaches to definitely improve their performance and scores. I personally witnessed a young lady progress from an A class shooter to make her way into a shootoff for the AA championship after having a qualified individual spot and coach her during the course of the weekend.

If I'm going to buy any equipment, I want to make sure that I am buying something that I won't have to buy again.

SteveM.