ZooBear Posted February 28, 2006 Report Share Posted February 28, 2006 Looking at the Nikon Earth & Sky or Bushnell Elite for benchrest shooting. How important is a fogproof seal? Are there any better scopes out there for $500.00 or less? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
too_pointer Posted February 28, 2006 Report Share Posted February 28, 2006 Re: Spotting scope for benchrest Our man AJ should jump on this , I had a cheapy 60x that would not show a bullet hole at 100 yards, I got rid of it. I read in another forum that spending some extra $$, even for less magnification is worth it. Good luck and let us know what you get. too_ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJ Posted February 28, 2006 Report Share Posted February 28, 2006 Re: Spotting scope for benchrest Is your goal to see bullet holes at XXX distance, varmint hunting, big game viewing, or what? If you want something to help with sighting in at the 100 yard range, buy something cheap and save more to buy a good spot scope. If you want to take it hunting out west some day, you don't want a huge 80mm objective that is 16" long and weighs 3.5 pounds. I have the Cabelas Big Sky 27-80x80mm spot scope and its not too bad. Its not a Zeiss or Swarovski but its 1/4 the price. There is no real benefit of the very high magnification of this scope. The thing gets so jittery even on a tripod that its sometimes hard to use. I have no problem seeing .17 caliber holes at 200 yards with it though. I highly recommend going to a store that has a bunch of different spotters and ask to look at them on a tripod where you can look out a window or something to give you a long range view of the optics. I looked at a lot of different scopes when I bought mine and name brand does not mean a lot unless its Leica, Swarovski, or Zeiss. Crank up the magnification and look at something's detail, like a tree, wood grain fence, vehicle rim, something fairly detailed to allow you to see which has the best optical resolution. One ok scope is the one that Burris was giving away with the Fullfield II scopes. You can get a Burris 4.5-14x42 Fullfield II Rifle Scope and a Free 12-24x50 Burris Landmark Spotting Scope. They are not the best spot scopes, but they are not too bad. I like them for hunting as they are compact, powerful enough to see a long distance, have decent optics, and if it gets broken, I am not out anything, as I still have the riflescope. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZooBear Posted March 1, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 1, 2006 Re: Spotting scope for benchrest Thanks Guys. I went yesterday to a few stores and looked at about 25 scopes. I think the one I like best is the Nikon Sporter XL 2. The glass is very good and its waterproof. It comes with a no fault warranty and I found one for about $250.00 under suggested retail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Colorado Bob Posted March 2, 2006 Report Share Posted March 2, 2006 Re: Spotting scope for benchrest IMO---I would get a variable like an 18x45 power. I think anything over 45X has to much heat mirage to make it worth while. For hunting out here in Colorado I use a good pair of binco's & leave the spotting scope at home. I only use it at the range. CB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ronin Posted March 2, 2006 Report Share Posted March 2, 2006 Re: Spotting scope for benchrest I agree with Bob about field glass. I use Leica Geovid binocs and will never use anything else. My Leicas taught me that quality lenses far out weigh magnification. I pick up things with the Leica that I would never have seen with anything else I've used in the past. However, they were super pricey. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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