Binoculars vs. spotting scope... best for the money

[Chef247]

I've recently gotten into rifle shooting. Though I've been a competitive pistol shooter for over 30 years, rifle is quite new to me.
I'm looking to see what is best to view my target shots at up to 200 yards. Are a good pair of binoculars as good as a spotting scope? I'd like to get a reasonable idea of what works best. I'd rather not spend $1000 on a Sworskvie.... I'm not that intense yet. Can I get something that will allow me to see a .22 hole at that distance for a few hundred?
Thanks

[TerryKuz]

Generally binoculars don't have the magnification necessary, and high end, high magnification binoculars cost more than a scope. The most common scope due to it's cost to benefit ratio is the Kowa. Their 80mm scope is the standard. They also have smaller models, but 80/82 is the norm. 50mm is for very close work. You will also need a good tripod, so figure that in your budget.

[crankythunder]

Bullet holes at 100 or 200 yards, binoculars are just not going to cut it, especially at the sub $1000 cost you are talking about.

Hands down the Kowa is among the best scopes you can get, cherished not only by shooters but bird watchers as well. Unfortunately, once you get the kowa scope body and eyepiece, your usually on the expensive side of a grand. Swarofski's are very good too!

I personally have two spotters, the first is a Konus 15x45x65 which is good for my smallbore shooting up to 100 yards. While it has some color aberrations around the edges, it compares good against the swarofski's and Kowa's side by side for shooting purposes at 100 yards or less. There are some times in various light conditions that the swarofski's and Kowa's can determine bullet holes in the black at 100 yards where my Konus will not but it is not a $1000 buck scope either.

Since I was impressed with the performance vs cost of the 15x45x60 Konus, when I was looking for a scope for 200 yards and farther for centerfire, I selected the Konus 20x60x100. I was fortunate to have looked through a number of scopes at a 600 yard high power match and this scope comes really close to the high dollar scopes. Its downside is that it has a huge 100 mm objective but I have had it for a year and have been impressed with the power/clarity/brightness of this scope. I also got a hard case and foamed it up to protect it-it does not come with a protective case.
Another downside is all the snarky comments about "scope envy" and over compensation with that huge objective from my fellow shooters too.

Regards,
Cranky

[mtncwru]

If you can easily afford a Kowa then go for it. It's a fantastic scope for position shooting, especially with the 25x Long Eye Relief eyepiece. When it was my money on the line, though, I opted for the Konus 20-60 x 80mm. It spots my .22 holes out at 100 without difficulty, and didn't set me back the $1000 that a Kowa would have.

One thing that hasn't been mention here yet is that the background behind your target, as well as the level of mirage you're looking through, are both going to have a big influence on whether you can spot your holes at 100-200 yards. If you don't have a contrasting background, or if you're looking through a pea soup of mirage, you're going to have problems finding your holes no matter how good a scope you have.

[Rover]

Check it out:

viewtopic.php?t=45352

I believe you have better optics with a "straight" power eyepiece than with a zoom.

[bdutton]

For the money I think Barska makes a great scope for smallbore out to 100 yards:

https://www.google.com/shopping/product ... O8GEKYrMA8

I also picked up a Celstron for about $160:

http://www.telescope.com/catalog/produc ... =239976622