[abq87120]

I saw a Simmons Spotting Scope at Wal-Mart that looks pretty nice. 20-60x60 if memory serves me. I unpacked the tripod and it seems sturdy and stable. 15" - 54"(?) in height. $60 + tax OTD.

I'm sighting my gun (with an inexpensive Simmons scope mounted) at 100 yards only. I can't see much further than that while hunting anyway, lol. My 10x binoculars don't do the job for me at that distance.

Anyone have one of these spotting scopes? What do you think of it?

Dan in ABQ

[TiltbackJack]

Don't have one, but interested in what other GT'ers have to say...

[abq87120]

I picked up one yestarday. $64 out the door. I didn't get it home until almost dark. I was able to try it out briefly. I can say that it's low-light resolution is impressive. The tripod is not rock solid but is adequate, I believe. I'll write more after taking it to the range this week end.

Dan in ABQ

[Caladan]

I have one that I keep in my workshop. Since it's inexpensive, I don't have to worry about anything happening to it like I would my more expensive spotters. I was surprised to find out that the view it gives is about the same as a Bushnell that costs more than twice as much. In fact, I'm a bit p.o.'d now at Bushy because of this.

Like all inexpensive spotters, it gets pretty dim at magnifications above 45x, but I generally don't use it or the Bushy above about 40x anyway. Build quality is good when one considers the price.

The tripod is a piece of junk though. I didn't need it anway, and I gave it to one of the kids belonging to a co-worker.

One other low-priced spotter you might consider looking at is the 50mm from Celestron. You can get one for about $55 shipped from Amazon. They are pretty good as well, and are a bit smaller in size than the Simmons.

[abq87120]

I have tried it at the range now a couple of times. It is a decent scope for the price. Not that I have any other experience with spotting scopes, lol. But if you need a $60 spotting scope, I think the Simmons at Walmart is a pretty good buy.

Dan in ABQ