Recommend a cheap 'Spotting Scope' ?

[glockman19]

I bought a Big-5 special Baskra for $89. Comes with a hard and soft case. I use the soft case for storage and the hard case for range cleaning supplies

[cudakidd]

Most optics are now made in China with the accompanying quality control issues.

The Kowa is made in japan, the TS500 series is under $200.00 if you do a search online. Excellent brand and the higher prices models are the scopes of choice for high power shooters.

I have had a number of scopes and you get what you pay for, as with all optices and firearms as well buy the best quality you can afford.

If you compare optics at a range you can see the difference clearly.

[pontiacpratt]

Anything above about 40x is useless due to mirage unless you are shooting on a polar ice cap.

It's a good thing that it is 25x-75x

[Chris M]

How about this Winchester 12-50x50 Compact Spotting Scope at Cabelas for $89 on sale (Reg $149). It's $118 at Walmart.com and $109 at Opticsplanet.com. It has decent reviews on all sites. I like that it's compact and has the added accessories below.





http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/te...set=ISO-8859-1

That's the one I have. It's junk. Stay away from it.

[xxdabroxx]

It's a good thing that it is 25x-75x

optics usually have a "happy place" in the middle of their range, so the 40x should be about the middle. even er

[Vtec44]

i think we need barrel warming blankets, kinda like these:

Cool, if they can make a 1000w generator that fits in my backpack... to power those warmers.

[MasterYong]

A little out of my price range

Think I'm gonna go with this one:

http://www.overstock.com/Sports-Toys/Barska-15-40-x-50mm-Compact-Spotting-Scope/3298210/product.html?cid=123620&fp=F&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=11397716

Have no idea what the bolded part means :
" Barska 15-40 x 50mm Compact Spotting Scope "

Will this be good to see .22lr paper holes at 100yrds?

Dude that's WAY overpriced. You can get one for $19.99 at Big 5 that's 20-40x50mm. But you wouldn't want to. Seriously. Just take a 20 dollar bill and BURN it if you're considering getting one of those. I have one, and have friends that have them (either the Barska or Tasco Big 5 specials, they're really the sam thing with different logos) and you can't see a damn thing at 100 yds because the eye relief is at like negative four inches

[ar15barrels]

i think we need barrel warming blankets, kinda like these:

Forget the barrel, I want one of those that I can get into when it's 40 degrees out and the wind is blowing 30mph.

[cudakidd]

Again the bulk of all the low end optics are made and China and they suck! Go to optics forums on the web and look at the discussion on spotting scopes.

Or go to shooting forums with high power shooters, long range shooters, etc and look there.

Good optics under $200 are few and far between. While I wouldn't tell you to buy optics like my Swarovski for casual plinking, I would recommend the entry level Nikon, Pentax, Kowa, etc IF they are made in Japan.

Hakko Japan used to be the OEM for most of them but the Chinese cost factor is making harder to tell and some Companies are having the lower end stuff made there...

This thread seems to go on and on...if you want cheap Optics buy them and see what you have been warned about. But continuing to ask isn't going to produce some $20 Scope that won't suck!!

[xibunkrlilkidsx]

Steer clear of the Winchester spotting scope at Big 5 ($99 on sale). It's trash. When zoomed in at the max (60x), it's like looking through a pinhole.

same thing with the baraska ones that they sell. even with 20x its still HORRIBLY fuzzy.

[SJgunguy24]

Again the bulk of all the low end optics are made and China and they suck! Go to optics forums on the web and look at the discussion on spotting scopes.

Or go to shooting forums with high power shooters, long range shooters, etc and look there.

Good optics under $200 are few and far between. While I wouldn't tell you to buy optics like my Swarovski for casual plinking, I would recommend the entry level Nikon, Pentax, Kowa, etc IF they are made in Japan.

Hakko Japan used to be the OEM for most of them but the Chinese cost factor is making harder to tell and some Companies are having the lower end stuff made there...

This thread seems to go on and on...if you want cheap Optics buy them and see what you have been warned about. But continuing to ask isn't going to produce some $20 Scope that won't suck!!

In bold, pretty much what Randall lives for.
My cheap 50$ binoculars are 10X better then my 50$ spotting scope that fell apart the first time I took it to the range.
You get what you pay for with optics period.