# best spotting scope for big game



## hazmat (Apr 23, 2009)

I was wondering from some of you experts optics guys out there. What spotting scope would you recommend. I am not going to spend 2k dollars on one I think 1k is my max that i want to spend.what would you guys reccomend. This spotter will be strictly for spotting animals in the western states from a far and adding a phone skope to take pictures.is vortex any good or are they all hype. I heard excellent reviews about the Redfield rampage but it's alot cheaper get what you pay for scenerio kind of scares me and i dont want to buy another one for a while.whats your thoughts. This forum seamed kind of slow let's hear some thoughts


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## hazmat (Apr 23, 2009)

What about alpen. Or celestron


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

Around 1k... i'd go get a demo Vortex Razor from CameralandNY.


-DallanC


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## Matapatos (Dec 2, 2012)

A bit more info: Is it a scope you'll be packing? Are you looking at a weight range? Which mm are you looking for? Are you trying to narrow down a manufacturer first? 

I am all over Vortex. I have their Viper HD right now and am looking at upgrading to their small Razor. They are a great scope for the money and their warranty can't be beat. Narrowing down the model will be tougher, but they are a great place to start.


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## hazmat (Apr 23, 2009)

Matapatos said:


> A bit more info: Is it a scope you'll be packing? Are you looking at a weight range? Which mm are you looking for? Are you trying to narrow down a manufacturer first?
> 
> I am all over Vortex. I have their Viper HD right now and am looking at upgrading to their small Razor. They are a great scope for the money and their warranty can't be beat. Narrowing down the model will be tougher, but they are a great place to start.


Looking for a 20x60x80 preferably but I am open. As far as packing it will be used alot for sitting at my cabin retreat snapping photos of elk deer moose bear. From 1000 yards and beyond. But I will be packing it in the back pack on occasions but not on any over nighters or pack trips. I am looking into some high powered binocs for that


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## hazmat (Apr 23, 2009)

hazmat said:


> Looking for a 20x60x80 preferably but I am open. As far as packing it will be used alot for sitting at my cabin retreat snapping photos of elk deer moose bear. From 1000 yards and beyond. But I will be packing it in the back pack on occasions but not on any over nighters or pack trips. I am looking into some high powered binocs for that


But don't get me wrong I will be packing it for scouting trips


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## bugchuker (Dec 3, 2007)

Ask springvilleshooter about his Kowa, its a lot better than the Viper HD for just a little more money.


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

bugchuker said:


> Ask springvilleshooter about his Kowa, its a lot better than the Viper HD for just a little more money.


Correct me if I'm wrong, but isnt Kowa the leader of the big 3 ?? Doesn't it go:

Kowa > Swarovski > Leica > others. I've looked through Kowa side by side a Swarovski and the Kowa was amazing.

-DallanC


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## bugchuker (Dec 3, 2007)

Kowa might be as good, but cost's a fraction of the Swaros and Leica.


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## Springville Shooter (Oct 15, 2010)

My Kowa is amazing. After years of hard use it still holds up against the best glass out there. I haven't been in the market for a while so I don't know about prices but if you can find a Kowa in your price range I wouldn't shy away. ------SS


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## hazmat (Apr 23, 2009)

well I pulled the trigger and went with the vortex viper hd 20 60x80. I got it for 800$ so now I can still afford some 15x binoculars gonna be a good year for spotting some critters thanks for the replies


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## ridgetop (Sep 13, 2007)

hazmat said:


> well I pulled the trigger and went with the vortex viper hd 20 60x80. I got it for 800$ so now I can still afford some 15x binoculars gonna be a good year for spotting some critters thanks for the replies


Hope it works out well for you. 
Hawke optics is another good option that could have been looked at.


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## hazmat (Apr 23, 2009)

ridgetop said:


> Hope it works out well for you.
> Hawke optics is another good option that could have been looked at.


Come to find out amazon was out of stock at that price so I am back on the market. I will look into it.


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## bugchuker (Dec 3, 2007)

I have a Vortex Viper HD 20x60x80, I bought it last June Ill sell it to you for $800


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## hazmat (Apr 23, 2009)

bugchuker said:


> I have a Vortex Viper HD 20x60x80, I bought it last June Ill sell it to you for $800


How come you are selling.


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## bugchuker (Dec 3, 2007)

I have a smaller 15-45x60 that fits in my pack better. I bought it thinking it would work in the pack, but its a pain.


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## hazmat (Apr 23, 2009)

hazmat said:


> Come to find out amazon was out of stock at that price so I am back on the market. I will look into it.


Looks like Amazon did me a favor I think I am going to pass on vortex. Any zen ray users out there the hawke looks like a nice one as well. Out of those and a nikon or alpen what one we old you guys buy


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## mikevanwilder (Nov 11, 2008)

Hawke optics are great glass. They are starting to get a bigger following here in the US but have been doing great in Europe.


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## toasty (May 15, 2008)

Springville Shooter said:


> My Kowa is amazing. After years of hard use it still holds up against the best glass out there. I haven't been in the market for a while so I don't know about prices but if you can find a Kowa in your price range I wouldn't shy away. ------SS


+1, the Kowa glass is crazy good. My buddy has the 80mm Viper and the 66mm Kowa is substantially better. You want the fluorite lenses with come with the TSN XX3 and XX4 models. The 663 or 664 is about $1000 with the eyepeice which is what I have. The 883 and 884 models go to a 100% fluorite lense which is even better than the other models. This is a huge test done by cornell. Here is the summary but the full report is worth a read.

http://www.livingbird.org/netcommunity/bbimages/lb/pdf/ScopeChart2008.pdf


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## humpyflyguy (Sep 10, 2007)

I bought my razor in that same size of your viper for $950 last November from Al sports for $950. Well worth the drive to Logan for the better glass.


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Spotting scope?

Once in awhile I'll carry a 600-yard rangefinder thingie.

.


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

This is worth a read:

http://utahwildlife.net/forum/1258697-post3.html

-DallanC


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

wyogoob said:


> Spotting scope?
> 
> Once in awhile I'll carry a 600-yard rangefinder thingie.
> 
> .


This coming from the guy who if he totaled up the yardage of the past decade or two's worth of elk kills, wouldnt be more than 600 yards.

You sit on the same log right? Dont you have the yardages carved into all the trees around you? :mrgreen:

-DallanC


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## katorade (Sep 23, 2007)

I have the Vortex Razor 65mm I found a guy selling it for just under 1,000 bucks new, I like it, and Vortex's warranty.


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## hazmat (Apr 23, 2009)

wyogoob said:


> Spotting scope?
> 
> Once in awhile I'll carry a 600-yard rangefinder thingie.
> 
> .


Yup I want to take advantage of the new age. I.e take pictures of some of the animals I will be chasing this fall. Ole timer


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

DallanC said:


> This is worth a read:
> 
> http://utahwildlife.net/forum/1258697-post3.html
> 
> -DallanC


I don't have a spotting scope but I couldn't help but notice some birds below those goats in that second picture:


Black-Rosy Finches, cool:

.


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## blownsmok97 (Nov 8, 2009)

I just bought one of the zen-ray ed2 20-60x82 not too long ago. Haven't had it for long but I love it. Read lots of good reviews on it and decided to pull the trigger and am not disappointed at all. I was in the same boat and couldn't spend more than $1000. Camera land has the ed2 on sale for $800. Great price.

http://opticsthoughts.com/?page_id=101 
This guy is one of the go to guy's for testing and reviewing optics on opticstalk.com


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## swbuckmaster (Sep 14, 2007)

20x60x80 vortex has got to be one of the heaviest pieces of glass on the market. Sucks to high heck to pack! In fact all the big glass from all the manufactures are worthless when it comes to packing. You can scout all day with glass up to 30 power. I'd never buy a big scope unless it was staying in the truck or wheeler and then I still wouldn't because some tard would steal it. 

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk


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## hazmat (Apr 23, 2009)

swbuckmaster said:


> 20x60x80 vortex has got to be one of the heaviest pieces of glass on the market. Sucks to high heck to pack! In fact all the big glass from all the manufactures are worthless when it comes to packing. You can scout all day with glass up to 30 power. I'd never buy a big scope unless it was staying in the truck or wheeler and then I still wouldn't because some tard would steal it.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk


Thus why I plan on buying 15x binoculars to go along with my spotting scope


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

wyogoob said:


> I don't have a spotting scope but I couldn't help but notice some birds below those goats in that second picture:
> 
> Black-Rosy Finches, cool:
> 
> .


Totally thought you were going to link a picture of the elusive white tailed ptarmigan. Deer, Elk, Moose... all easy to find with basic optics. White Tailed Ptarmigan however need the clearest of optics.

-DallanC


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## Bax* (Dec 14, 2008)

Ive bought a few things from here:
http://www.eurooptic.com/vortex-spotting-scopes.aspx

Nice guys and quick to ship. Plus they have pretty much every brand you can think of.


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## Bob L. (Jan 11, 2015)

If it were me, I would be looking for a used Swaro. I have seen them sell used around $1250, but I am a green fan.


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## hazmat (Apr 23, 2009)

Bob L. said:


> If it were me, I would be looking for a used Swaro. I have seen them sell used around $1250, but I am a green fan.


I have figured out Swarovski guys are extremely loyal to the product with merit the ones I have looked through are awesome


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## Dahlmer (Sep 12, 2007)

swbuckmaster said:


> 20x60x80 vortex has got to be one of the heaviest pieces of glass on the market. Sucks to high heck to pack! In fact all the big glass from all the manufactures are worthless when it comes to packing. You can scout all day with glass up to 30 power. I'd never buy a big scope unless it was staying in the truck or wheeler and then I still wouldn't because some tard would steal it.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk


 This!!!

Any 65mm or bigger objective lens is going to cost you 3.5-4 lbs. You'll need at least another 2.5-3 lbs. dedicated to a tripod that is sturdy enough to hold it. That will require a backpack with more capacity thus more weight as well. You will likely be over 10 lbs. with nothing but glass and that doesn't include binos.

The reality is if I can throw my spotting scope in my saddlebag and stay close to my horse it is with me. If not, I usually only carry it for a day or two before I abandon it.

In my opinion anything over 45x is a waste, probably 30x. Heat waves will make anything above that unusable 90% of the time. I would recommend going smaller and lightweight...that way it will be with you when you need it.


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## swbuckmaster (Sep 14, 2007)

15 power binos are also over kill and heavy. Lighter weight 10 or 8 power will do anything you want to do. I prefer 10 though and did everything with 8 power for years. 

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk


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## Bob L. (Jan 11, 2015)

hazmat said:


> I have figured out Swarovski guys are extremely loyal to the product with merit the ones I have looked through are awesome


My story $1200 was a TON OF MONEY to me to buy some 10x42 SLC 12 years ago. I have used them so much and they are great glass and they are the old ones. I actually feel like I am a decent glasser from the use. I feel like I could have them forever. My buddy has the Leica 10x42 rangefinding binos and I can tell he likes mine better hehe.
So I think you are right, I have some loyalty there and didnt even realize it lol.
Anyway I love my binos and will have them until I forget them on the top of a truck in the middle of no where.
I hope you find what you are looking for, bud.
Bob


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## Vanilla (Dec 11, 2009)

I thought I had responded to this, but I guess I didn't hit save. 

I have the Vortex Razor 16-48x65. I really like it. To be candid, my buddy's Swaro is better. But it also costs $1500 more. (Maybe even more than that?) So I don't think it's a fair comparison. If you're in the $1000 market, I think you'd do well with this scope. It can be had for less than $1000 new if you shop around. I think you would like it much more than the Viper HD 20-60x80.


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## huntn30inchers (Apr 21, 2014)

Ive got the Vortex razor 16-48 and really like it but I kind of wish I would have gone with the 20-60, that extra reach is well worth the weight for me. You should check out the Mavin built spotters they just released, I may be going that direction after I see what they are all about at the expo. I may even have a spotter for sale right at a grand for you...


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

Love the Razor 20-60x, fantastic scope. 


-DallanC


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## Antler&fish (Dec 25, 2015)

Haven't tried many of the other brands, but am happy with the vortex viper.


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## ridgetop (Sep 13, 2007)

What ever you decide to buy, I think you should go with a scope that has an interchangeable eye piece. Then you can save up in the future and buy a wide angled fix power eye piece, like the 30x or 50x fixed. Those wide angled eye pieces are very impressive and bring in a lot more light, have a much bigger field of view and seem to be more clear then the 20-60x. Even in the swaro scopes, the wide angle lenses are much better.


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## hazmat (Apr 23, 2009)

ridgetop said:


> What ever you decide to buy, I think you should go with a scope that has an interchangeable eye piece. Then you can save up in the future and buy a wide angled fix power eye piece, like the 30x or 50x fixed. Those wide angled eye pieces are very impressive and bring in a lot more light, have a much bigger field of view and seem to be more clear then the 20-60x. Even in the swaro scopes, the wide angle lenses are much better.


Thanks for all of the advice guys I am glad now that my original order didn't go through. I am going to stretch the budget a bit I think and evaluate all of your guys recomendations


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## Vanilla (Dec 11, 2009)

Two considerations kept me from the 85mm Razor. 

1- Cost. And not just the cost of the scope. To get a tripod that legitimately could keep that scope steady, you either have to go really heavy or super expensive for a light weight model. 

2- Weight. And not just of the scope. See #1 above. The extra weight of the scope combined with the extra weight of the tripod (unless you break the bank) ends up being much more than 'just a little.'


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## CPAjeff (Dec 20, 2014)

I personally have the Razor 11-33x50 and love it - I'd rather have less magnification and better glass than higher magnification and subpar glass. I am not a guy who is very concerned about counting inches and have no trouble seeing antlers at 1000 yards. It's light enough that it is hardly noticeable in the pack and takes up very little space. Check out Kents Market in Tremonton, they have an optics shop in the front of the store that I buy all my stuff from. On average, a person can usually save $100-$200 by going through them.


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

Vanilla said:


> Two considerations kept me from the 85mm Razor.
> 
> 1- Cost. And not just the cost of the scope. To get a tripod that legitimately could keep that scope steady, you either have to go really heavy or super expensive for a light weight model.
> 
> 2- Weight. And not just of the scope. See #1 above. The extra weight of the scope combined with the extra weight of the tripod (unless you break the bank) ends up being much more than 'just a little.'


Tripod depends on how "tall" you need it to be. I have a $25 Vanguard micro that holds it rock solid but its super low height. I use it more for resting the scope on the hood, perfect height.

But I also did get a SLIK D700 tripod that holds it rock steady at full standing height... again I dont pack with that... ever, but its sooo comfortable to stand there naturally with the scope at eye level, drink in hand.

But honestly, I have like 5 different tripods now... all have their uses.

-DallanC


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