Long range shooting has always been a struggle for target shooters as well as hunters and getting the best gear to guarantee quite a perfect shooting or hunting experience and optical performance is considered as one of the toughest things since it demands a lot of research and understanding how scopes or binoculars work in certain circumstances.
200-300 yards doesn’t seem like a very long distance but, generally, everything over 100 yards can be considered long range so we will be discussing long range shooting in this article – 200-300 yards particularly – and, as usual, I brought to you some of the best spotting scopes that will do the job.
Talking about long range might evoke the idea of high-end optics and great construction which would cost a fortune to get a good enough product. But in this article, we will discover a wide variety of mid-range spotting scopes that will fulfill your hunting and range shooting requirements with success.
The first product here is used and praised by many shooters in that range; it has broad capabilities that can easily take away all your worries about optics during your outings.
Konus 20-60X100mm
This spotting scope from Konus has amazing features starting from the 20 to 60X magnification power that keeps quality and allows you to see at a very long range. But today, we only need something that can show us 200-300 yards. Well, this is the best choice for such range.
In addition, the extremely wide 100mm objective lens is the best option for those looking for brightness and crisp clear images. This type of lenses allows a huge quantity of light to get inside the tube and form a magnificent combination of colors for a perfect contrast.
All in all, you will get a very finely defined picture and an amazing optical experience as a hunter and as a target shooter if you use this spotting scope. Its features are totally worth the reasonable price set for it.
PROS:
- Top quality multicoated optics and top notch lenses. This product is carefully engineered and the glass in it will do the job perfectly.
- Powerful magnification going up to 60X without significant decrease in quality in addition that it works great for 200 yards to 300 yards.
- The eyepiece is comfortable and suitable for eye glass wearers
- This spotting scope is constructed using strong materials including rubber armor and with perfect sealing which guarantee total protection from shocks and it is water/fog proof.
- Camera and smartphone adapters included
- Professional case included
CONS:
- Very poor field of view (only 88ft at 1000 yards at 20X) considering the quality of material and the width of the objective lens
- Pretty heavy (weighs around 2100 grams) and the angle shape makes it not easily packable with other gear. Needs to be put aside inside its special case.
- Tripod not included. It needs a high quality tripod given the fact that it’s a very large scope and needs perfect stability for the best performance.
Buying Guide
Why would one want a spotting scope?
Whether you are a professional hunter who looks for a peak performance, or a target shooter who wants to improve his skills and achieve stunning results, or even a wildlife observer who is tired of poor quality lenses giving him blurry and nonsense pictures… then a scope that works well in the 200 yards to 300 yards is absolutely what you need.
A spotting scope that can make a good performance at 200-300 yards can reach even 1000 yards for larger targets, because such products usually contain high quality optical elements and are precisely manufactured.
For all the reasons cited above, a spotting scope with these characteristics will turn every hunt or any activity you use it for into a fruitful experience. You will simply love looking through the glass of a high quality scope.
What are the issues with long distance viewing and what features are needed to handle this?
Since we are talking about 200-300 yards spotting scopes then we must consider the issues of long distance viewing. Well, it is simple, the longer the distance, the more you should zoom in, the narrower your field of view, the darker, blurrier and lower quality your picture. It’s also important to consider what exactly you’re trying to see: identifying the sex of a deer can be done at a much greater distance than trying to see where your tiny caliber rifle bullet landed on a paper target.
To fully optimize your results, you will need a set of quality features including powerful magnification and a wide objective lens without forgetting the quality of glass and material used in construction. Let’s see what features can be convenient in this case.
Magnification power – Generally, the highest magnification possible is needed for long range viewing which can reach 60X and that’s why most of the scopes that have the ability to give great vision at 300 yards use a variable 20-60X magnification so you can adjust it at the option that fits your preferences. Note that even with great glass and top quality lenses, if you zoom in to 60X, you will lose quality. For lower end optics, the 60X is just a marketing gimmick – at that zoom, the image will likely be one big blur.
Objective lens diameter – this directly affects the clarity and brightness of your view and indirectly the field of view. It defines how much light enters the tube so the picture can be brighter and for long distance viewing, clarity and brightness are the most necessary things if you do not want to end up with a blurry background and a dark picture of the scene with nothing useful. As for the field of view, vision at 60X makes the FOV very narrow so you will need a wide objective lens to optimize this and get the best results.
What things to be aware of
If you want ease-of-use and great optical performance, you should pay attention to details, such as:
Size and weight – you should bear in mind that the size and especially the weight of your spotting scope are as important as the quality of glass inside it. If your scope weighs more than 2 kilograms and has a complicated shape which makes it hard to pack with other gear, then ask yourself – do you want to carrying that weight around in a separate case everywhere you need it? You might want to go for a high-end compact spotting scope and compensate for the lack of objective lens size with top-notch optics, e.g. with the 55mm scopes from Kowa.
Tripod adaptability – make sure that your spotting scope is adaptable on different types of tripods so you can purchase a high quality one that will make the movement of your scope very easy and precise. It helps guarantee the versatility of your product and the stability particularly when you are looking for precision.
Now, it’s the point where we can start looking at some products, and even though there are thousands of products out there, we brought to you only the best three that will perform superbly for 200-300 yards viewing.
Vanguard Endeavor HD 82A 20-60x
This product is able to turn your dream about viewing a scene 300 yards away clearly without any chromatic aberration true. It has all the features to fall in love with and want to use this scope over and over again.
Check out the user reviews for this product over at Amazom – people use the Endeavor extensively for hunting, birding as well as range shooting and the reviews reflect the strengths (and some minor weaknesses) very well.
PROS:
- Extra-low dispersion glass and BaK-4 roof prisms used to correct aberrations and eliminate glare and blur.
- Dual focus for sharp adjustments.
- Comfortable and detachable eyepiece
- Rubber armored body that guarantees durability
- Water and fog proof
CONS:
- Relatively heavy (66.7 oz / 1.9 kilograms) which may make your day out a little bit tiring.
- Focus is not very good for quick action, needs some time to be set.
- Tripod not included
Celestron Ultima 20-60X80 Angled
Celestron has never disappointed its customers with new products and especially the Ultima which gained fast recognition and now is considered as one of the best spotting scopes available in the budget range.
This particular product comes with a 20-60X eyepiece and an 80mm wide objective lens, this combination can do most jobs very well – and there are other configurations too.
PROS:
- BaK-4 prisms with multicoated lenses that produce better contrast with resolution
- Durable rubber armoring and strong material that provides resistance to shocks.
- Comfortable eyepiece and suitable for eyeglass wearers
- Includes additional useful items such as case, eyepiece and lens covers and a special cleaning cloth.
- Water and fog proof.
CONS:
- Pretty heavy (2250 grams)
- Obvious decrease in quality while going up in magnification.
- Tripod not included.
Vortex Viper HD 20-60X80 Angled
This spotting scope from Viper is closer to the top end for shooting optics, and has other interesting parameters that make it exclusively useful for long range observation. In addition to the 20-60X magnification and the 80mm wide objective lens, it is equipped with XR fully multi-coated lenses that provide you with crisp clear images and top-notch vision. There’s a smaller 65mm version also available.
PROS:
- Extra-low dispersion glass for better light transmission and less chromatic aberration
- Built-in sun-shade to protect the objective lens from sun glare and help you get perfect shots
- Comfortable eye relief and suitable for eyeglass wearers
- Durable material
- Totally water and fog proof
CONS:
- Very heavy (2.5 kilograms)
- Tripod not included
After reading through all of these reviews of spotting scopes for 200 to 300 yards range, you should have noticed the fact that products of this type are usually heavy and need some getting used to to make them perform very well, so before you purchase any product, make sure that it fits your preferences and that you totally understand how to use the device otherwise it will be useless and you won’t appreciate its value. Definitely read some user reviews, such as on Amazon for a better understanding.