Scopes

Kae

The American
American Shoot
Yes, I know, the indoor season is upon us, but I shoot all through the year, so its not as daft as it sounds, honest.

I have never been bothered with a scope, although I realise that I've lost points because of it. I now feel that I've reached a level in my shooting where spotting individual arrows will be an advantage to me, and it's time to incorporate a scope into my shooting routine.

I've read everything I've been able to find, but I'd like to hear everyones reviews of what they have used over this outdoor season.

So spotting scopes, the good, the bad and the ugly if you please :D

Kae.
 

napolienne

Active member
Fonz Awardee
I own a Mighty Midget (1), which is OK, but would struggle at 90m and isn't great in poor light. You can't buy it any more anyways. However, its replacement (Mighty Midget 2) is much better, larger diameter lens lets more light in, very good optics, yet still small enough to fit happily in your kit box.
 

hollowpoint

New member
i've been searching for some information on spotting scope too. here is my little conclusion so far.
buy one with:
1, a bak-4 prism
2, an aperture of 60mm or bigger
3, a 20X-60X zoom eyepiece
4, multi-coated optics
5, water & fog proofing features
6, a rubber armoring
7, long eye relief
 

hollowpoint

New member
sorry kae, i forgot to tell u about my choice. it's a meade redtail 20-60X 77mm. but there isn't any test report yet. cause i've just ordered it from a local dealer two weeks ago!
 

MINIMike

New member
I've got a Bresser Safari bought from Bowsports.

80mm front lens, 20 - 60 magnification, nitrogen filled and complete with a 'stay-on' cover for ?100 (also available from specialist optic retailers at ?150 - so you'd better get in quick before BS realise their mistake! ;)).

It's certainly good enough for spotting arrows up to 100yds but I wouldn't recommend taking it up to full mag.

Failing that, if you fancy making your bank manager cry, anything from Opticron, Nikon, Zeiss, Leica et al.

These guys are good if your tastes run a little richer..... Binocular and Spotting Scope Introduction Page - warehouseexpress.com but keep a tight hold on your wallet!
 
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Malcy

The American
American Shoot
Something that is often over looked is the tripod. You can buy a decent scope that you can spot arrows with at 100 yds for not a lot of money. I think you would be better putting the money into the tripod though. The one I got was cheap and it's a nightmare to get setup at long distances and if you have to move it off and on the line you don't want to be getting frustrated trying to sight your target.
 

Kae

The American
American Shoot
cheers malcy, tripods are the last of my worries, i've got plenty of experience of them with my photo gear.

Thanks for all the recommendations, keep them coming

Kae.
 

mizzat

New member
Fonz Awardee
Ironman
My recommendation is for the Nikon Fieldscope ED 50 with the 13-40 zoom eyepiece. You don't need a large 80 mm lens and the image quality is superb (probably just short of the Leica and Swarowski). Whatever scope you pick, make sure you plan for a decent eyepiece (which can cost more than the scope body).

Steve
 

Kae

The American
American Shoot
mmmm, so that raises another question.

Which is easier to use? A straight or angled body?

Presumably an angled body is easier to look into when on the line?

(There is no-one in my club that uses one, so I can't "try before I buy")

Cheers, Kae.
 

Dave

Administrator
Staff member
Fonz Awardee
Ironman
American Shoot
NOCO
Angled body is easier to use, but I'm currently using a straight due to it being a bargain :) And Mizzat's right about the eyepieces, my eyepiece cost twice as much as the scope body (though the scope body was an ebay bargain :))

My previous scope was an 'Ebay special' for about ?35.00 - did the job at 100yrds without problem though it was a bit dim when it was dark. The current scope (below) is probably a bit overkill but I couldn't resist it at the price :)






Also, have a look in the similar threads box below for more info. on scopes :)



mmmm, so that raises another question.

Which is easier to use? A straight or angled body?

Presumably an angled body is easier to look into when on the line?

(There is no-one in my club that uses one, so I can't "try before I buy")

Cheers, Kae.
 

Anna K

New member
Ironman
Definitely want an angle. With a straight eyepiece it's really difficult to use while on the shooting line.
 

SLOWHAND

New member
Get a Kowa.Either new or used. Best scopes by far without spending silly money. I've only ever looked through one scope that was better than my twenty year old Kowa and that was a new Kowa with an 80mil lens.
Angled is better 'cause you dont need to have the scope so high off the ground which is better for stabilty.
And dont forget that the best scope in the world will give poor results without a decent tripod.
If I were you I would not take much notice of specifications. You can have two scopes with the same specs but one of them will be far better, it all depends on the quality of the optics and the coatings. Have a look through as many as you can before buying. Dont be tempted by too high a magnifcation. I have a 20-60 mag zoom eyepiece but it very rarely gets used at anything higher than 40 (clarity, colour and especially brightness will suffer at the higher mag). A good 25 or 30 mag fixed eyepiece will often give you better results than a zoom lens with a wider field of view too.
 

Thunk

Well-known member
Ironman
I bought a Kowa about 35 years ago for birdwatching. 50mm objective with a 20x eyepiece. It's been replaced for birding purposes with a Leica which cost many times the price of the Kowa - my credit card was glowing a dull red for quite a while after! - but the Kowa is fine for shooting, even at a pinch out to 100 yds.

I don't use it on the line, just between ends so the fact that it's a straight-through doesn't bother me. If you want to use it on the line, get an angled eyepiece model. You can then use the angular adjustment on the tripod head to angle the eyepiece towards you so that you merely have to lean forward to put your eye to it.
 

Nick Forster

Member
Ironman
Hawke

Three things I believe I required at 100yrds from my scope
1: a bright veiw
2: Good colour contrast so that I could work out who's nocks were who's.
3: and most important it had to be waterproof. ( my old one was meant to have been and was'nt )
I am very lucky to live in an area where a lot of bird watching goes on and our local camera shop has a brilliant range of scopes to choose from and they set them op side by side for you to try. This range included Kowa , opticron ,bushell , meade ,celestron , Leica & Nikon as well as a range from a manufacturer called Hawke this is a american based company who make rifle scopes for stalkers and there scopes are made to stand up to the sort of treatment that this sport can deal out.
Opticaly The Leica was out on it's own but it was up to 5X the cost of the other scopes here other than that the Hawke 23-70 x 70 endurance was brighter and the colour definition was better than any of the above including the 80mm units I had it up against, it also comes with a stayon cover it is 100% waterproof it is nitrogen filled and has a full lense coating. I took a lot of time looking at scopes over the summer before I decided to buy and this scope can not be matched. value for money it is ecellent ?199rrp i have seen them down to ?160 on the net they do a 60mm unit which merlin are stocking which is also eccellent.Hawke Sport Optics
Buy one of these and you wont be disapointed
Nick
 
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