What Spotter Magnification Should I Go With?

[rindog]

I've narrowed the focus and determine the Vortex Razor HD is the spotter I'm going to purchase. The jury is still out whether I go straight or angled. I've read all the threads providing feedback, but I'm uncertain which style glassing I'll be doing (glassing up mts, or glassing down mts).

The burning question is what magnification should I go with? 16-48x, 11-33x, or 20-60x? Is there a rule of thumb on how far I can glass with each magnification (ie, 48x is good for 2 miles, 60x is good for 3, etc)?

I hunt public lands in CO. This is my second year as a resident. Year one I didn't have a spotter. My goal this year is to perch up on a peak and glass the surrounding area which could be 2-4 miles off. This thread may also calibrate my expectations of how much terrain I can glass from one point.

All info is welcome. I hope to purchase this bad boy in the next week, so I can head out on my first scout trip the following weekend. Thanks in advance.

 

[Musket Man]

My Ziess is 15-45 and I am happy with it. I would not get the 11-33 because under 15 it would probabaly not have an advantage over good binos. How high of magnification you can use has alot to do with the quality of glass and also the conditions in the field. You need really good optics and a clear day to get a clear image at 60 or even 45 power sometimes.

 

[ando_31]

I don't think there is a rule of thumb to how far you can spot with any scope. You can spot as far as you can see, and that varies from person to person and environment to environment. In my opinion the only reason to go with anything less than a full 80mm scope is because it is to large or to expensive.

Go with as big as you are willing to carry. If you plan on primarily using your spotter close to you vehicle then the bigger the better. Quite the opposite if you plan on walking with your spotter all day on your back. The same goes for spotters as it does for binos in regards to the bino saying, "the best pair of binos are the ones you have with you".

 

[Winchester]

My Ziess is 15-45 and I am happy with it. I would not get the 11-33 because under 15 it would probabaly not have an advantage over good binos. How high of magnification you can use has alot to do with the quality of glass and also the conditions in the field. You need really good optics and a clear day to get a clear image at 60 or even 45 power sometimes.

I agree with Musket Man. I've used scopes that go up to 60 power but it's very difficult to get a clear image ... I usually wind up backing it back down to around 45 power. 45 seems to be a good max power to be able to "draw them in close" while still having good clarity.

 

[LaHunter]

I have the Razor HD 16-48X with 65mm objective. I have been happy with it. I have had it for a little over a year and I used it last fall in WY. I think it is a good compromise between weight / bulk and magnification. For carrying in a back pack all day, this is about as heavy as I would want to carry. The larger spotter will give you better spotting potential with a significant weight / bulk penalty.
For what its worth I have the straight spotter, but this is personal choice.

Good Luck

 

[mnhunter]

Before you worry too much about magnification you should think about objective size. The eyepieces with Vortex are tied to a given obj size. I am not sure that you can buy different variable eyepieces to adjust to a different power range for a given obj lense.

I like the 15-48x65 as a good all around scope. You can pack it, and you aren't giving up so much in light gathering and power when you are using it around the truck.

 

[kupper]

I'm using the razor 16-48 currently and love it. I chose the 16-48 because I felt it was the best combo of weight and magnification. I suppose its dependent on how much walking you're going to be doing, at times ill admit it would be advantageous to have had the 60x but I wouldn't change a thing if I had to buy it over again.

 

[Umpqua Hunter]

I carried fixed power Leupold spotters for several years (this was years ago). One was 20 power and later the other was 30 power I recall. They were nice quality spotters, but I really did not feel it had the power level I needed in order to actually pack a spotter around. I carry a 60 power spotter now (variable power), but don't think I would hesitate going with a 45+ power spotter if I was looking for some weight savings.

 

[okielite]

For me I'd go 20-60 with the angled head. It's much easier to class from a vehicle with a angled head IMO.

 

[rindog]

I got my Razor HD in 16-48x in the mail yesterday. This thing is sweet! I had my wife look through it. She thought the image was more clear than what she saw with the naked eye. Then she asked me what I spent.

I have to give some love to the guys at Cabelas. I went in there about every week for a month hoping to find a sale. They let me take a 60x outside and play with all the features. Eventually they had a sale.