Hi All,

Wife and I are heading to boomer shoot, and we need a spotting scope that will hopefully help us reach out to 800 yards and have a few pops at 1,000 when given the opportunity.

Budget is $500ish, less is preferred but I'm open to spending more if it's really worth spending more.

It's all target shooting for us, so weight and size isn't an issue. This could be one of the few times we actually use the scope, so resale might be a consideration.

Vortex, best bang for the buck.

What should I be looking for, because even the Intrepid at Cabela's is a pretty penny. $700 before tax.

Angled 20-60x60:
http://www.cabelas.com/product/shooting ... 579204.uts
Look out for sales too.

Bottom line with optics is you pretty much get what you pay for. I'll second the vortex scope btw.
ETA want something cool to go with it? Get a phone skope. It will allow you video your shots. I was shooting at 800 yards and was showing the hits pretty good. It was very sunny and bright though.

Well it's funny you mention phone scope, because with that, eye relief is moot. Which I find is actually a massive differentiator for budget vs premium optics.

I am considering the diamondback because it's literally the ONLY thing in the $500 price range at all for a 20-60 80mm. But I know diamondback is their bottom of the line.

I'm considering, is the intrepid at cabela's worth the extra cash?

I bought this Celestron 100mm 22-66x 45degree. $264

https://www.amazon.com/Celestron-52252- ... 0002862UW/

I'm happy with it, but I haven't used the Vortex so I might not like it. ?? Looks like the vortex is $500 so it's probably better.

Also, get a good tripod. At 66x, the wind wiggles my scope. I need a much better tripod. I'll buy it here: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/buy/Comp ... 4052722025

Because on the left, you can select "Support weight", so you can make sure you get one that will support your scope. I can hook my Canon EOS camera to my scope, so I'll buy a heavy duty one.

Or, skip the spotting scope, and just get a camera. 83x use a smartphone or tablet to control your camera.

https://www.amazon.com/Nikon-COOLPIX-Di ... 00U2W4JEY/

The Diamondback is fine. The Intrepids are awesome, but if you are using just for targets (not bird watching) ge the DB.