Another Spotting Scope question

by Stork Sat Feb 08, 2020 3:10 pm

First topic message reminder :

l recently got my slow fire into the low 90's, but I cannot see my shots to confirm my call. I want to learn what I'm doing to produce a 10 vs 9 vs 8, and it seems like a spotting scope is the answer. I'm also trying to spend less than $100.

I've read most of the posts about spotting scopes and from watching others use theirs, I have a few questions.

Is a 45 deg eye piece worth it? From watching shooters, it looks much more natural.

Is the ability to rotate the 45 deg eye piece portion relative to the mount a feature I should look for? The champions choice 10-30x50 and cheap Celestron look to have this, but many don't. Worth it?

What are my options for holding a scope if I cannot afford a shooting box? Janky and crude is fine if it's cheap.

Thanks

by DA/SA Wed Feb 12, 2020 7:54 pm

10sandxs wrote:The Burris IS a great scope. I had one, loved it... till the internal focus mirror fell out. Sent it in, they sent me back a massive 80mm scope cause mine was discontinued...

...and I bought that massive 80mm scope from you and it's amazing! Looking at.22 holes at 50 yds is just like looking at the target standing two feet from it. Crystal clear and bright. If you zoom in you can see the grain in the paper at 50 yds.

by Stork Thu Feb 13, 2020 12:44 am

10sandxs wrote:

Is the ability to rotate the 45 deg eye piece portion relative to the mount a feature I should look for? The champions choice 10-30x50 and cheap Celestron look to have this, but many don't. Worth it?
I have and use the 50mm objective celestron. I can see 90+% of 22 holes at 50 yards in so so lighting conditions. For the price, I think I paid $50 or so, and size I'm happy with it. I mount the scope directly to the box (no swing arm) so different bench heights give me issues. The angled eye piece and mount rotation are very handy to resolve this. I believe there is also a 60mm objective version. I suspect that one would allow you to see 22 holes at 50 yards. I was going for minimal size weight and knew I'd give up something on the long line

Thanks for the response. From reading other posts I didn't think I'd need the ability to rotate the scope, so I ended up buying a Roxant Blackbird 12-36x50. Spent $70. It has a better prism than the Celestron and it was in my price range. For now it should work fine, and I'll be very happy if it is better than the Celestron and your ability to see about 90% of the shots.

Mounting your scope without the arm and rotating the scope body for various bench heights is something I haven't thought of. I haven't seen more than half a dozen boxes up close and I haven't inspected how the scopes are mounted. I've only really looked at the swing arm mount , so without an arm, how did you mount your scope?

by 10sandxs Thu Feb 13, 2020 4:16 am

I'm traveling today, but will get you a picture tomorrow when I'm home.

by tovaert Thu Feb 13, 2020 9:31 am

I started with a Celestron MiniMak 70 and an astronomy long-eye-relief eyepiece that I had laying around. Produced a nice clear 26X, but was heavy and bulky, took up a lot of room below my pistol box tray. Also stripped the friction washers on a Hebbard scope mount. I bought a Kowa 510. Weighs less than a pound. The image is great, but eye relief could be better.

by LenV Thu Feb 13, 2020 1:09 pm

How to mount without arm..

Old school. All you need is a 1/4" hole in your box and a short 1/4" bolt. Mount the scope so when you close the lid the scope lines up and goes into the area designed for it. I use a counter sunk bolt with a Philips head so I can adjust easily. Move the box for vertical, tilt the scope up or down for horizontal. Easy. This is my old Bushnell and home made box.

Another Spotting Scope question - Page 2 Dscf0318

by Slartybartfast Thu Feb 13, 2020 1:20 pm

So, my question:
- when does someone design and build a box with a camera and mounted tablet in place of scope on current boxes?

by **Wobbley** Thu Feb 13, 2020 2:56 pm

Now let’s not get ahead of ourselves!

by SteveT Thu Feb 13, 2020 5:26 pm

Slartybartfast wrote:So, my question:
- when does someone design and build a box with a camera and mounted tablet in place of scope on current boxes?

And once the image is in a computer, automatic scoring, shot cadence data, add another camera on the shooter and record holding time, position consistency between shots... lots of possibilities. It just takes someone a lot smarter than me.

by tovaert Fri Feb 14, 2020 5:06 pm

LenV wrote:How to mount without arm..

Old school. All you need is a 1/4" hole in your box and a short 1/4" bolt. Mount the scope so when you close the lid the scope lines up and goes into the area designed for it. I use a counter sunk bolt with a Philips head so I can adjust easily. Move the box for vertical, tilt the scope up or down for horizontal. Easy. This is my old Bushnell and home made box.

I thought the arm was necessary to adjust for different bench heights? I had to move the arm going between Perry and another range. I don't mind using the serrated friction washers, I just wish they were made from die cast metal rather than plastic. The 501 also opens up a little more room under the tray, but it's kinda pricey.

by LenV Fri Feb 14, 2020 5:51 pm

I use my knees to adjust for different bench heights when using the old school box.

by tovaert Fri Feb 14, 2020 8:25 pm

LenV wrote:I use my knees to adjust for different bench heights when using the old school box.

Sounds completely orthopaedically logical. I was given bad advice when I got started... Smile

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