Wanting to get my dad a spotting for Christmas, we have an old Nikon that we busted on a trip out West several years ago. Looking at the Vortex Diamondback series, any input on whether to get a 16-48 or 20-60. For around Kentucky he will mainly use it on our back porch to look out in the field for deer and turkeys which is around 600 yards at the furthest point and I might borrow it for shooting at a 1000 yard range. Thanks for the input.
Spotting Scope
- Thread starter Kyboy
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- Jun 4, 2020
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There was a Leupold compact in the classifieds.
skipperbrown
Well-Known Member
I have the Viper Vortex 15-45 x 65 HD. It's really unusable past about 30-35x. I'd alway go for the bigger objective lens unless transportation is an issue. The light gathering is very important at higher magnification. The 85mm is a hunk of glass and you will need a decent tripod (which is an expense all to itself). Actually, you'll need a good tripod for either.
On a bright day with low mirage, I can usually make out .22 holes at 300 yds on a black and white target, but not always. My buddy has an ancient KOWA 32x ER x 88mm and it is marginally better optically than the Viper with its HD glass. The KOWA is much easier to use with the extended eye relief and wider field of view.
On a bright day with low mirage, I can usually make out .22 holes at 300 yds on a black and white target, but not always. My buddy has an ancient KOWA 32x ER x 88mm and it is marginally better optically than the Viper with its HD glass. The KOWA is much easier to use with the extended eye relief and wider field of view.
I have the viper binos as my primary binos, have the diamond back as my truck binos. I'll be honest I cannot tell too much of a difference in the two. I have always had luepold stuff but they have pissed me off with their customer support.
I'm a big Vortex guy. Love their customer service and warranty. The Diamondback series is probable more than enough for what you're using it for. I'd go as big as you can afford, you can always crank it down, not the other way.
Or....sell your house and buy a Swarovski.
Or....sell your house and buy a Swarovski.
Would you all go angled or straight? Like I said we have an old one and I couldn't even tell you if its angled or straight, not too many people use one around here besides for shooting purposes and they're all straight.
Angled for sure
skipperbrown
Well-Known Member
I went angled and often wish I went straight. If more than one person is going to be looking through it at the same time, angled for sure.
