Looking For a Spotting Scope

[Walleye Hunter]

The newest thread I see on spotting scopes is three years old so I'm starting up a new thread for my search. There is one very informative thread on them, which I can make good use of but am wondering what might have changed and what I should look for. I'd say that I am looking for middle of the road price wise and am not opposed to getting a used one if I find good unit for a reasonable price.

[Hawk]

What are you using it for?

[Walleye Hunter]

What are you using it for?

Pistol at 25 yds up to rifle at 150 yds for now, no plans to get into 600 yds at this time.

[ar15jules]

I have an "el cheapo" Simmons that came with a tripod for just over 100 bucks. I only use it for sighting rifles at 100 yards. It is a solid unit with LOW END glass, but it serves the purpose. Shadows and low light cause me issues, as is to be expected. I have never used anything from Leupold that I didn't like. For your intended use, a Leupold Ventana 2 SX-1 would fit the bill nicely. 20-60X80 for around $430. No need to spend over a grand for 150 yard rifle holes.

[Hawk]

Seeing holes in black at 150 yards is gong to require a semi-decent scope. If you're going to use shoot-n-see targets or all-white targets almost any low cost scope will work.


This is still a great scope for the price: https://ads.midwayusa.com/product/45...85032208267681

Currently 10% off at Midway.

I can just barely make out .223 holes in black at 200 yards with the Konus.

[JenniferG]

Anything that costs under $400 is made in China and the quality varies quite a bit. The Japanese and Germans still after all these years make the best optical lenses. They are $500 and above but those lower end ones may have Chinese glass or parts in them. Redfield is owned by Leupold so it has higher quality controls. It assembles scopes in the US but they use some imported parts. Everything that I'm reading about them is pretty good including the price which is around $200 or slightly below. You can always try and buy a used Japanese or German scope off of eBay if you're intent on having the best optics but don't have the duckets for a brand new one.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Redfield-20...ty!19320!US!-1

[MT1]

Anything that costs under $400 is made in China and the quality varies quite a bit. The Japanese and Germans still after all these years make the best optical lenses. They are $500 and above but those lower end ones may have Chinese glass or parts in them. Redfield is owned by Leupold so it has higher quality controls. It assembles scopes in the US but they use some imported parts. Everything that I'm reading about them is pretty good including the price which is around $200 or slightly below. You can always try and buy a used Japanese or German scope off of eBay if you're intent on having the best optics but don't have the duckets for a brand new one.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Redfield-20...ty!19320!US!-1

What she said.

I bought a Redfield Rampage (20-60x60mm) about 4 years ago and really like it. They average $250 but if you really shop around you can get a better price. I paid $158 at a Black Friday sale. It comes with flip up caps, carrying case with strap, table top tripod, and a neoprene padded wrap for protection in the field.

The old Redfield stopped US manufacturing in the late 1990s and they went to hell. Leupold bought the Redfield brand out of the dirty crevices of junky Chinese manufacturing in 2008. In 2010 Leupold started making Redfield scopes at their Beaverton, OR plant offering the same warranty and service as Leupold scopes.

[Sandcut]

Just like with binoculars, go to a store where you can actually look through them. Find a sign or price tag on the far side of the store or, better yet, if you can see outside and across the street. Pick out the smallest letters you can find that can be read clearly, preferably in lower light/shadow. I've seen high end scope/binocs with lower resolution than mid-range optics that were within my price range. I've done this with all of my glass.

[stainless]

I have a middle of the road Barska that I bought when I was broke cuz of buying too many guns. That's a whole nother story.

Any WALLEYE, if you wish to test drive it for a couple of weeks you could see if a cheaper unit would work for your purposes. Just run up and fetch it. Text me if interested.

[Walleye Hunter]

I have a middle of the road Barska that I bought when I was broke cuz of buying too many guns. That's a whole nother story.

Any WALLEYE, if you wish to test drive it for a couple of weeks you could see if a cheaper unit would work for your purposes. Just run up and fetch it. Text me if interested.

Thank you for that generous offer! But I combined all of the advice I found here and bought a used Redfield 15x60x60 with tripod for $150 shipped off of fleabay. There were (are) several of them listed and this one was substantially cheaper than the others. It's advertised as good condition with excellent glass so if it's not up to my expectations I feel confident that fleabay and paypal will cover me on it.