Spotting hits on steel or rocks solo

[Wedgy]

Great reply's, thank you! There's three spotters that I have been thinking about Razor 11-33, Athlon Cronus 12-36 and an older Nikon ED 50.
Gary

I use the ED50 with the 13-40x eyepiece and it's a great compact spotter that weighs about a pound. Combine it with the Vortex Summit SS tripod and you have a 2 pound setup. I also have a 60mm Swarovski and a Meopta 82mm to cover the full range.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000FJH1IA/?tag=lrhmag19-20

 

[Josh P]

I just use a Sony extended zoom camcorder. The video is a bit grainy but I can spot shots to 1375yds it's my furthest piece of steel. It is definitely harder to see the smaller caliber rifles the further you go but is quite easy to see magnum cartridges. I set this up behind the shooter and if you put the target in the middle of the lower 1/4 of the screen you can watch trace all the way to the target. I do this when I'm by myself or have someone new to spotting so we can rewatch a shot with a questionable call that I couldn't spot myself through the rifle. We can then rewatch the video later on a TV and with the bigger screen can teach someone what to look for when watching trace and looking for impact. On a windy day we can't always hear an impact and when the bullet breaks on the plate and stirs up the dirt below. A new spotter my call the shot as low not seeing the hit and the replay let's them see what's going on. And by doing it this way I don't burn up phone battery recording video and can keep my Ballistics app running at my shooting position. A guy doesn't really appreciate a good spotter until he doesn't have one and the video helps to learn how to spot.

 

[frostop]

I generally end up hunting and shooting by myself unless my daughter is available to hunt, she's a local sheriff and has screwball hours most of the time! I tried to spot through the scope and when shooting a rifle without a brake that is just about impossible, for me anyway! The video camera idea is a thought as well, I have a cheap sony, not sure of the zoom, but I have had it set up when watching for deer out to 700 which seemed to work pretty good, hard to tell on the little screen they have but on a tv screen??

 

[frostop]

Well, I did end up getting a Kowa tsn-553, found a good deal and spent a little more than I would have on a razor or nikon. Had it out yesterday and did some long range practice at 725ish and I could see the trace and hits. Now I just need to learn the ins and outs of shooting in the wind!!

Thanks again for all the reply's guys, very helpful in making a decision and pulling the trigger!!

Gary

 

[LongBomber]

My next toy will be a nikon p1000 camera, with image stabilization and some serious zoom it should make decent video of your shots.