What are desirable specs for a spotting scope for small-bore silhouette? What does everyone here use?

Kowa TSN-821M body with a TSE-17HE / 27x Long Eye Relief eye piece, been using it for 6 years and have no complaints. A good tripod is just as important as the scope, try and find a pro model that is steady and able to take gusting wind and not move. I think you will be surprised at how a spotting scope can act as a sail in a gusty wind.

Yeah, I screwed up buying more spotting scope than my tripod could handle. Oh well, live and learn. Remember that lens grade glass is heavy!

Hmmm, I'm looking for something a little less fancy (translated - a lot less expensive). Even though SWMBO has pretty much given me what amounts to a check, I don't want to abuse it.

I was thinking of hitting the local pawn shops to see what they have. Given that I'm only going to be using this for small-bore spotting, what power /lens size would you guys recommend?

How about this one?

Nikon makes a sky/earth model in the less than 300 range, good for smallbore, not enough feild of view for high power.
Mary

jsimmons,
If you go to either of the Trifecta shoots, You have chance of getting a kowa scope as a raffle prize.
If you go to Winnsboroand shoot the Southern Nationals you can even win one if you shoot well enough to be in second(?) place aggregate for your class. That 25 to 30 score should be good enough to win the A or AA Class, depends on who is sand baggingthat year .

Granted the probaility of winning one in the raflle is about 1 in 200 for Winnsboro, 1 in 100 for Jacksonville and 1 in 100 for Little Rock...The odds might be long but the entertainment is worth it.

Hope to see you in the range and have fun

Kowa is pretty much what everyone else's scope is measured against....Given a blank check, abuse it ....You don't set a precedent you will be llimiting future purchases.


Kitty

jneihouse wrote:Kowa is pretty much what everyone else's scope is measured against....

Well I could get lucky and just find a good deal on one (probably the day I actually shoot a 30/40).

jneihouse wrote:Given a blank check, abuse it ....You don't set a precedent you will be limiting future purchases.

She gave me a blank check because she knew I wouldn't abuse it. Besides, every once in a while she asks me if there's not something I'd like to spend $400-500 on, not to mention Christmas is coming up and my birthday a couple of months later...

"She gave me a blank check because she knew I wouldn't abuse it."

Women love surprises, what better opportunity to provide her with one than to abuse the blank check she is just sure you won't abuse

I always look at it like this. Will she leave me if I do this? If the answer is no then I do it . I have found over time its better to just go ahead and do what I want and catch heat for it afterwards versus asking permission for something and catching heat for even asking. Thus if your going to catch hell either way it might as well be after you have done what you wanted.

If I didn't know better it sounds like you have a sugar momma j/k

Dee

Have a look at some of the leupold spotters, good value for the quality and Chicken George has excellent pricing on them too.

Hmmm blank check you say... Can you say Swarovski

Check out the house brand at Champions Choice. A friend has one that I'm very impressed with for the price.

http://www.champchoice.com/detail.php?item=CC6245Z

How about this one:

Celestron Ultima 100 (52252) - 22-66x100 - The low price point is $179 (!!!).

It's waterproof.

They also make an 80mm and a 60mm version.

Wow, that's a 20lb spotting scope there. I'd be too tired to shoot after lugging it to the firing line and setting it all up.

Yeah, I saw that too, but my god - a four inch objective is amazing.

I checked around, and according to every other web site, it only weighs about 4-1/2 pounds.