Heck ya, I'll take that deal!
That was me once upon a time, now I'm too old and lazyI’ve wanted a spotting scope for years but just keep using my 12x binos or walking to check my targets. Life is sometimes hard when you’re cheap.
The cost of a decent spotting scope sounds like a lot less money the older you get.That was me once upon a time, now I'm too old and lazy
The straight through one is easier to use for hunting if you need to be able to acquire a target quickly. It's just more intuitive to get on target with it. The downside is you have to have a tripod that will bring the scope up to eye level which makes it longer and less stable in a breeze. Angled ones can be used at a lower level since you are looking downward into the eyepiece. Also for using on a shooting bench, the angled ones can have a rotating ring on them allowing you to position the eyepiece at a horizontal position so you can set the scope right next to you on the bench. You can just raise your head and look over into the spotting scope without having to change your shooting position.
The cost of a decent spotting scope sounds like a lot less money the older you get.
As your eyesight matures you will come to appreciate good quality optics considerably more than you will when you are younger. So much so I have sold certain guns with the acquisition of optics as my end goal for rifles I have kept.
Amen to that!The cost of a decent spotting scope sounds like a lot less money the older you get.
While we are on the topic of spotting scopes, I have purchased several over the years. I have always disliked the zoom eyepiece. They are complicated with many lenses in them. This reduces the optical clarity having to pass through so many glass surfaces. Some are made well but are very expensive. Cheap ones just suck. I finally bought a Pentax 80mm without any eyepiece. Since I already had a full set of Pentax XW fixed focal eyepieces, it just made financial sense to me. The difference is simply amazing. The XWs have an apparent FOV of 70*. When you use a zoom, the FOV will shrink down to the point of like looking through a straw. When using it for target shooting, this isn't quite as big a deal, but if you are using your spotter for sighting game at long ranges, you will really appreciate the panoramic view of a fixed focal eyepiece. You will also be able to see your bullet holes in a target at greater distances.
I bought 3 off Am$%^n, $59, $150 and one for $399. The $59 did what I wanted it to do, I can spot shots from 100-300 yards. It has an attachment for my phone that I can use to take pics in any field we have, longest is 257 yards. The $59 also works in every light the other two worked in during a side by side comparison during two weeks of testing at home and at the hunting camp. I have bad eyes, my wife has good eyes, she couldn't tell a difference either for what I was trying to do. Now, will the $59 hold up to the rigors of hunting out West and being banged around, probably not, but I wasn't buying it for that. It will spot a shot on white paper and will work on our green fields for taking pics of racked bucks.
Angled. Really needed if you ever shoot standing in matches.Also works well when prone.
