View Full Version : Spotting Scope for Zeroing
Looking for some recommendations for a good spotting scope for zeroing AR's. Something I can quickly and easily see holes in paper out to 200 yards.
Looking for some recommendations for a good spotting scope for zeroing AR's. Something I can quickly and easily see holes in paper out to 200 yards.
I have a few vintage Unertls for sale, 20 & 24X power, $200 - $350.
Looking for something new
fingerguns
03-12-19, 10:12
Boots, new boots.
Hum, nobody use spotting scopes for zeroing anymore?
gunnerblue
03-12-19, 10:49
I’m looking hard at the Vortex Razor HD 11-33mm because of optical quality and compact size for backpacking. It would also be used at the range for zeroing. I think it would work well in this regard.
Furbyballer
03-12-19, 10:56
I use the Leupold mk something 12-40 with the Horus mil reticle and its awesome. I used to spot out to 200 this weekend without a problem.
Looking for some recommendations for a good spotting scope for zeroing AR's. Something I can quickly and easily see holes in paper out to 200 yards.
What's your budget? If all you are doing is sighting in a couple of rifles you probably don't need a two thousand dollar scope.
What's your budget? If all you are doing is sighting in a couple of rifles you probably don't need a two thousand dollar scope.
I want to quickly and clearly see the holes in the paper. I’ve got a $500 scope that I can just barely make out the holes.
At least for my eyes, I want minimum 15x per hundred yards to see .223 bullet holes and 20x per hundred is better yet. 8x-10x per hundred yds. is fine for .308” holes. So I would try to find a spotting scope that at least goes to 40x and at least 60mm objective lens for 200 yd spotting. I have a compact Leupold which is clear enough but fairly small ocular lens. That is the minimum size scope I would want. It makes up for it by being very handy to haul around. It is a 15-30x50mm objective I think. When you get up to 60x and 80mm that is a honkin’ piece of equipment and needs a strong tripod/mount.
I have a basic 20-60x80mm Konus. It was less than $200 at the time (a screaming deal via GunBroker), and they're still less than $300. Search for it, and I think I and some others have talked about the good (the scope works well) and the bad (all the accessories are junk).
That said, when I want to see bullet holes at 200+ yds, then I use "shoot'n'c" or "splatter" targets. Easy!
If nothing else, use the "Champion" white sight-in targets, because holes are easier to see on white than on black.
Coal Dragger
03-13-19, 02:20
I’ll just echo what others have said. Larger spotting scopes work better than small ones, glass quality, mounts they’ve being equal. For .224” holes at 200 yards I would be looking for at least 25X-30X if my target is not going to contrast the bullet holes much against the background, or lighting conditions are not ideal.
You can stack things in your favor by shooting at Shoot-n-See type targets that will leave a contrasting ring of color around the bullet hole. I have also found that shooting regular zeroing targets that are glued onto a cardboard backer helps a bit, probably because the bullet holes are much cleaner, and with a backer creating a small cylinder the hole is a bit shaded (might be my imagination), at the very least gluing the target to cardboard makes it almost impossible for your zeroing target to be blown off in the wind.
As for what I would look for in a range use only, or primarily range oriented spotting scope that you don’t plan to hump around while hunting, I would go for at least an 80mm objective lens on the main body. Since the eyepiece on many scopes controls your magnification range and you can buy one or more of them, get as much glass up front as possible. The larger your objective lens, the more light will be transmitted to the eye (glass quality being equal), the larger the exit pupil will be, the brighter the image, and the more generous the eye box. If you want to support high magnification, particularly on an overcast day, then the biggest objective lens you can get is a good step in the right direction.
joedirt199
03-13-19, 12:49
I have an old bushnell spacemaster (made in japan) that has good glass, black rubber coated 15x45 power. Works good and won't break the bank.
The better strategy is to pick good targets with the "shoot-n-c" feature. You can save a bunch of money on a scope and see holes easily. Pappabear found some Non-peel and stick blue ones that we're really favoring currently.
https://i.imgur.com/yOPxbHw.jpg
Coal Dragger
03-13-19, 16:32
I like the looks of that target, who makes it?
Rayrevolver
03-13-19, 16:45
I have been using a Celestron 20-60x80. It looks identical to the Konus.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/761158-REG/Celestron_Ultima_80_3_1_80mm_Spotting.html
Found this as smaller option:
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/761248-REG/Celestron_52223_20_60x_60mm_45_Zoom.html/?ap=y&gclid=CjwKCAjw1KLkBRBZEiwARzyE73dRtQEpc0fKupMBAgtUroHCqZGD0WsZWq_4bGCPlOQtSGExkMWJ2RoCeSwQAvD_BwE&lsft=BI%3A514&smp=Y
I am not saying these are the best prices but just showing options in the less than $200 range. All the guys who are serious about precision seem to own Kowa where I shoot.
I like the looks of that target, who makes it?
Big Dawg Targets
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Big Dawg Targets
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Those look way better for shooting groups and zeroing a scope than the bullseye type shootNsee targets. Thx guys for the tip!
Those look way better for shooting groups and zeroing a scope than the bullseye type shootNsee targets. Thx guys for the tip!
They are much better.
The better strategy is to pick good targets with the "shoot-n-c" feature. You can save a bunch of money on a scope and see holes easily. Pappabear found some Non-peel and stick blue ones that we're really favoring currently.
https://i.imgur.com/yOPxbHw.jpg
I use something similar. I use 12" by 12" Pro Shot grid targets (similar to Shoot n sees) on a white background. The paper is white butcher paper I get from Walmart. The targets are black with yellow green underneath. Unless you get a pretty high end scope with some pretty good resolution, it's pretty hard to see .223 holes at 200 yds on a regular paper target.
I recently picked up a Bushnell T series 15-45x on the bushnell spring rebate. For the price I have been decently impressed by the optical quality and smaller form factor. I dig the mil reticle for range estimation and calling spotting adjustments. It may not be high enough magnification for seeing small holes on paper at long distances but seems like it will be fine for seeing steel impacts or dust from misses.
What's your budget? If all you are doing is sighting in a couple of rifles you probably don't need a two thousand dollar scope.
That is my quandry. I find myself wanting more magnification than my 10x scope and binoculars to see .223 and .30 bullet holes at 1-200 yards (not just zeroing). I don't WANT to spend more than $500 for a spotter and everything I read makes me think that any scope sold for less than $1000 is fragile blurry garbage. Throwing $500 away on a crap scope seems as dumb as spending $1000 for a scope I will use 25 times a year.
I am stuck in waffle mode and still walking back and forth to my targets. I guess the exercise doesn't hurt...
Failure2Stop
03-14-19, 09:27
Good paper targets or appropriate steel are a much more economical solution.
That is my quandry. I find myself wanting more magnification than my 10x scope and binoculars to see .223 and .30 bullet holes at 1-200 yards (not just zeroing). I don't WANT to spend more than $500 for a spotter and everything I read makes me think that any scope sold for less than $1000 is fragile blurry garbage. Throwing $500 away on a crap scope seems as dumb as spending $1000 for a scope I will use 25 times a year.
I am stuck in waffle mode and still walking back and forth to my targets. I guess the exercise doesn't hurt...
If you use a Big Dawg or Shoot n c like what markm or I use you don't need to spend big bucks on a spotter, you can see your hits with a much less expensive spotter. That will work out to about 300 yds. After that you'll need a pretty good scope to see even the Shoot n c targets.
I don't WANT to spend more than $500 for a spotter and everything I read makes me think that any scope sold for less than $1000 is fragile blurry garbage.
You do NOT need a really expensive spotting scope.
The limiting factor for spotting is almost always environmental — it's fog or mirage, and better scopes don't deal with that any better than cheap ones.
IMO and IME, the returns diminish verrrrry rapidly once you spend more than $200-$300 on a spotting scope. I'm not saying a $1,000 scope isn't better than a $300 scope, but it's NOT 3x better, or even 2x better.
FWIW, budget for a good tripod or stand. That'll do more to make your scope useful than a "better" scope itself.
I'm a huge fan of Velbon's "table-top" tripod with it's widespread legs — I usually shoot off a bench.
I have been using a Celestron 20-60x80. It looks identical to the Konus.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/761158-REG/Celestron_Ultima_80_3_1_80mm_Spotting.html
No, that's different...
I don't know about the quality of the scope itself, but one of the reallllly nice features of the Konus is that the mounting ring swivels independently, so you can easily have the eyepiece pointing to one direction or the other (not just straight up).
I bought the vortex Razor, but you can get their cheaper line that is sub $1k for a decent Spotter.
The targets we use are all bought off Amazon, and they are cheap. They dont have the sticky feature but staples are cheap and easy.
Vortex Diamondback for around $400, kinda like a Konus
Vortex Viper to up your game in the $700 range.
If you have a sportsman warehouse close by, they usually have both. Good luck.
PB
You do NOT need a really expensive spotting scope.
The limiting factor for spotting is almost always environmental — it's fog or mirage, and better scopes don't deal with that any better than cheap ones.
IMO and IME, the returns diminish verrrrry rapidly once you spend more than $200-$300 on a spotting scope. I'm not saying a $1,000 scope isn't better than a $300 scope, but it's NOT 3x better, or even 2x better.
FWIW, budget for a good tripod or stand. That'll do more to make your scope useful than a "better" scope itself.
I'm a huge fan of Velbon's "table-top" tripod with it's widespread legs — I usually shoot off a bench.
Going to have to disagree with this. There is a huge difference in clarity between a $1500 Swaro, Lecia, or Kowa and a $200-300 spotter. You won't find a serious High power rifle shooter with a $200-300 spotter. And the reason is you can't see .223 and .30 holes at 200-600 yds on the targets they use. You're right about a good tripod though. A little wind and a weak tripod can bounce a spotter around and make things difficult. Again, if you want to see small holes 200 yds and out use targets that show up well.
Going to have to disagree with this. There is a huge difference in clarity between a $1500 Swaro, Lecia, or Kowa and a $200-300 spotter. You won't find a serious High power rifle shooter with a $200-300 spotter.
Fair enough, but for the OP and for AndyLate, who are trying to see .22 holes at 200yds, a $1,500 spotter is totally overkill. A $200-$300 spotter will work fine for them.
I'm not a serious high power/precision shooter, but with my $200 Konus I can easily see .22 holes at 200yds and .30 holes at 300 (as well as .17 holes at 150yds), especially on "splatter" targets.
Also, it's has held up fine over dozens and dozens of trips to the range over the last 8-10 years.
I don't baby it, either: it lives in an old soft ukelele case (perfect fit) and travels in a big duffel bag full of targets and shooting rests.
Yes I agree that he really doesn't need a really high end spotter for what he's doing. Maybe it's just my eyes, but I can't see .223 holes on a regular paper target with a lower priced spotter at 200 anymore. Remembering back I dont think I ever was able.
Maybe it's just my eyes, but I can't see .223 holes on a regular paper target with a lower priced spotter at 200 anymore.
I can't either, if the target is black. I can't even see .22 holes in a black target at 7yds, shooting rimfire pistols.
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