Spotting scope question

[Stratocaster1422]

My buddy has a Leupold 15-45x60 SX-1 scope that I thought was pretty nice. I can currently get it for $279 with a case and good tripod. I also found the Barska gladiator 30-90x100 waterproof with tripod and case for $209.

I want to use this to see .223 holes at 150-200yds on white/light blue paper.

Any thoughts on the differences of these scopes? Will the Leupold optics be that much better to command the price difference? Just going by specs, the Barska seems like a better option with more zoom and more light gathering.

 

[mac1911]

223 holes are tough to see. Magnification doesn't really mean you will see anything better.
I went with a konus 20x60x80... magnification over 40 gets dark and hard to see any bullet holes shy of 30 Cal. At 200 yards on 20ish magnification I can see holes if there is good lighting on a standard target. Its not bad for looking at the deer across the bogs at 400 yards or so. Eye relief is good compared to a lot...I wanted to buy a kowa. Which makes most scopes look like paper towel cardboard rolls with plastic wrap onvthe ends.
Try as many as you can. For service rifle my barska scope sucked. Straight eye piece didn't have the rotating band to swivel the eye piece around so you can set it up to see through shooting prone with out getting out of posistion. My barska is a 20x60x100 blackhawk. Its top heavy and falls over in the smaller cheap trip pods. Its good for wildlife but clearity is soso at the top of the magnification.

 

[Rob Boudrie]

Bariska if price is you ONLY concern.

Konus if you are an occasional shooter and want something decent, but for less than the cost of a good gun.

Kowa if you are a serious rifle shooter and want something from the pointy part of the pyramid.

 

[jasons]

I would (and in fact did) buy the Konus 80mm for around $230. You can generally see .223 holes at 200 yards pretty easily with it, and sometimes even at 300 if the light is good.

http://www.opticsplanet.com/konus-konuspot-80-80mm-3-1-spotting-scope.html

(The stand that it comes with is a sick joke, but there are plenty of good options out there.)

 

[Stratocaster1422]

Occasional to regular shooter not looking to break the budget. My range has gotten busier and I hate waiting to see my shot placement. That's the main reason I am looking.

 

[mac1911]

I checked out every scope I could get my hands on under 300.00 the konus had the best eye relief. It is pretty clear and yet to fog up. The ring or band that allows you to rotate the scope is a plus. You can get it adjusted just right to be able to just turn your head and look.
prone on the bench standing ect ect. Down side is the crappy lens covers. Since I don't use it a lot. 3 to 5 matches a year and local 100 yard matches if I'm not running late. I opted to buy a less expensive scope and a much better scope stand. By far one of the better things I purchased last year was the creedmore scope stand and head. A 1k scope ain't much use on a shakey crappy trip pod. I like the pole for bench use also. I can get it up close to where I need it.