Spotting Scope - Straight or Angled Body?

[Wildhawk66]

Ok guys, I need some help choosing a spotting scope for bench shooting. I have a $1000.00 (give or take) price range and have been leaning toward a Kowa 663 (angled body) or 664 (straight body) 66mm scope.

What does everyone recommend in terms of a straight or angled body?

What eye piece is recommended for this type of use?

Also, I'm not tied to the Kowa, is there anything comparable in my price range that I should definately look at before I buy?

[baldoHHO]

I have a Minox 45x-80x power straight situated on my left on the table.
When in a crouch position on the bench- my scope is on the same plane
as the rifle- no need to bob or perch over-easy for me. Look into Sinclar
International for bench scope mount because it is low profile. If you
buy the smallest standalone scope mount it would still be too high- at least for me. I purchased my scope at clearance- im happy....

[ar15barrels]

For $1000, you can get into a Kowa 821M.
Angled eyepiece and a 25x or 27x long eye relief eyepiece are THE setup to get.

[ocabj]

I own the Kowa 821, but I would say that with a $1K budget, I might get the Bushnell Elite instead. It's got ED glass and comes in either straight or angled body with a zoom eyepiece for under $700. Optical clarity edges out the 821. The Kowa 823 on the other hand edges out the Bushnell Elite because the 823 has ED glass, but the price is significantly higher.

Note that the 820 series is discontinued, and is succeeded by the Kowa 770 series. Strangely, the 771 is about $300 higher than the 821 (body only), sot he price point in the Kowa lineup is a bit sparse between the $500 and $900 range.

If you want Kowa, the 660 series is actually pretty good. I had that before the 821. The 661 is smaller, lighter (66mm objective vs 82mm), although it gets less light. But the optical quality is just as good and it's less expensive than the 821. The only reason I switched from 661 to 821 is because someone on this forum sold their whole 821 setup for such a good price I couldn't pass it up.

Summary: Go Bushnell Elite with the 20-45 zoom eyepiece.

http://www.opticsplanet.net/628045.html

If you need the LER like I prefer, you can find it online, such as at Adorama:

http://www.adorama.com/BS783000.html

[tankerman]

Scope City
Great selection and prices.

[Sheldon]

The angled scopes allow the scope to be placed a little further away from your body, but allow you to still look into the eyepiece without having to move you body as much as you might have to with the straight eyepiece. Properly placed you should just have to turn your head and be in line with the angled eyepiece. With the straight eyepiece the scope would have to closer to your body to allow the same eye alignment. When shooting from positions with a rifle sling the extra clearance is nice so you minimize the chances of bumping the scope out of position/alignment while getting into position to shoot and adjusting your sling.

[MFortie]

I have a Meopta and it's great...

(Oh, and angled.)

[Ahhnother8]

Have looked through the Kowa 821 and 823 side by side, at Coalinga on the 600 yard line, and could not see the difference. There were several of us highpower shooters that "took the test", and there was NO visible difference. In theory, the ED glass is better for high-end photography, but for looking at targets, it is not worth the money. The smaller Kowa's also have great glass, they just gather less light, so are less effective in the last minutes of daylight. With the 821, I can see at night, with a little help from the moon. It also focuses down to about 15'. I use it to watch wildlife in the backyard, but it has an angled eyepiece and is not ideal for that. It makes it much more difficult to find your "target". I also have a 40 or 50mm Kowa. It is compact and very clear.

For position shooting: angled 27x eyepiece
For bench shooting: either straight or angled 27x
For hunting: straight eyepiece variable power
For birdwatching/photography: straight eyepiece variable power

[ar15barrels]

Question for john and lane then since you guys have both spent time behind these.

I have been thinking about an 821M, but I keep missing them on ebay around $650ish with a LER eyepiece.
Would I be better served with the 80mm bushnell elite or should I keep waiting for a deal on an 821m?
What about eye relief on the 30x bushnell eyepiece.
Is it longer, equal or not as long as the Kowa LER eyepiece?
I'm very cognisant of eye relief and if the resolutions were equal, I would tend toward better eye relief.

Lastly, throw the 66mm kowa into the mix too.
I keep thinking I want something a little smaller to make it easier to hump around in the field.
Is the resolution really as good as the larger scopes?

[ocabj]

I have a friend with the Bushnell Elite 20-45x80 angled and I've looked through it side by side with my Kowa 821M w/ 27xLER and I think they're both equal at least, if not an edge to the Elite. This was while looking at a 200 yard SR target at distance.

I had the Kowa 661 w 25x LER and that was an excellent scope. I think it's a good Across the Course scope due to it's size and weight, yet good optical quality.

[Wildhawk66]

Thanks guys. I've decided to go with an angled eye piece and I'm leaning towards the Bushnell Elite.