Spotting scope - angled or straight?

[WildRose]

Spotting scope - angled or straight?

And why?

Straight so it can be strapped to a rilfe stock.

 

[Goofycat]

My old Redfield is turreted, providing either straight or angled capabilities. "Turreted" should have been included in the choices.

 

[ronsroom1]

Angled, for she same reasons.............

I prefer an angled spotting scope because it seems easy to use in any position.

When shooting prone- I can set the scope just to my left and not interfere with my shooting
position. the scope is angled so that all I have to do is move my head a little to the left to look
through it and never lose the position.

Shooting off the bench ether straight or angled work fine but again I like the angled spotter
placed to my right out of the way.

For spotting for another shooter for long distances I like to set up behind and just above so I
can see the vapor trail/shock wave and the angled head makes it possible to sit down and get
a good steady position so I don't move the scope.

The scope that I use has a fully adjustable head (Will go from straight to 90o) and is very handy
in any situation or position.

The fixed angle type scope would not be an advantage over the straight one IMO.

Just my opinion

J E CUSTOM

 

[ragsflh]

i like straight for bench or hunting

 

[Rhino55]

I have a angled Kowa 821 and love it. With a tilt of the head and I can see the direction and tilt down and see through the scope. It is great for when I'm shooting prone in matches and reading the mirage.
Rhino55gun)

 

[pressman]

straight. i own a lupy mark 4 with the tmr reticule and it does a really nice job

 

[hoppers1000]

I like the straight, I find it easier to use,and to put on target,and it is my personal preference nothing against the angle,if I had one I would learn to use it

 

[owlhoot]

I like the straight version. The angled version has a few more parts. It probably is easier to spot targets from a bench with. I read somewhere that sales are about even, so one probably is as much in demand as the other.

A look at eBay tells me that a person who buys a new one better expect to keep it a while since there is substantial depreciation. A good used one might be the best.

 

[Elkmen]

You guys just validated my most recent purchase. A straight Ziess 24X40X80 I primarily use the scope for spot and stalk hunting. I did use it the other day for spotting, when I was shooting but couldn't see the holes in the black./

 

[farout]

Angled is easy on the neck and back and allows a person to look down in a relaxed fashion. It also allows folks of different heights to look at the same object without moving the scope.

Angled scopes do not work well from window mounts in trucks though. I use a straight one if in the truck.

I use both.

 

[DaveG]

I like the angled becaus it is what I have allways used. Jaust more comfortable for me.

 

[Greyfox]

Mine have all been straight since most of my use is while hunting. I find game location easier and faster using my left eye to assist, similar to game location with a scope. Also, the straight prism designs are more compact for easy transport.

 

[Trickymissfit]

my first spotting scope had an angled eyepiece. Never would give me a good sight picture while wearing glasses. Later on I tested about twelve or fifteen scopes in the heat of the day over black top. I was looking for less mirage and distortion along with better resolution. I ended up with a strait instead of an angled scope. I also found that fixed power eyepieces (prime) had better resolution and less distortion. The best scope I've ever looked thru was a Swarovski. The next rung on the ladder would be filled with the Liecas, Kowas, a very high end Nikon, and the samething in a Bushnell. All these scopes were well over $1,000 except for the Kowa ($750). Course now they're even higher priced. I found that most all scopes above 45x were somewhat dim, if not down right dark. Dividing the power level into the lense diameter shows some real ugly things in many scopes (that's known as the light factor), and will give you an idea how bright they are. Ideally we want something like a 3.0, but thats hard to come by most of the time. The Kowa I use is 3.03, but with the 45x eyepiece it drops down to 1.8. Barely minimal for most of us. A 60x eyepiece would give you 1.36, and that's rather dark! The Lieca I used in my hunt for a new scope was very nice, but had a little more glare in the sight picture than I liked. Plus I don't think they are water proof or shock proof. The Nikon was very good in the lower ranges of power, but liked the resolution of the Kowa a little better. The Lieca was more fatiguing to look thru in bright light than the others. I saw little difference between the Bushnell and the Nikon.
gary

 

[DocB]

Angled.

It works well on the range, just turn the barrel so it's angled towards my head so there's not a lot of movement required.

For LR scanning, I've taken Len's lead and gone to tripod mounted 20x60 binos. Much easier on the eyes, no burn out, no headaches, no sore neck. When I'm ruckin, just stow the tripod and wear them on a padded carrier from Sitka.

DocB