Leupold spotter recommendation

[vandeman17]

I am looking for a new spotter. My parents friend just started working for leupold and can get me 50% off. Looking for a good mid range spotter to upgrade from my bushnell. Suggestions?

[Bean Counter]

Gold Ring or go elsewhere. You know you want it 

[coop2424]

Gold ring HD with that kind of discount or the mk4.  I have the gold ring HD and is a good size and good glass for the price you would be paying.

[vandeman17]

Gold Ring or go elsewhere. You know you want it 

Dang right I do 

[JDHasty]

12-40x60 Gold Ring. 

Mine is north of twenty years old, it is not HD, but still is a great spotter for hunting and rockchuck shooting and the range.  I a have a Razor 85 and optically it is better, but the Leupold is packable - to a degree.   

If I were offered the deal you are and did not have a spotter... It would be an easy choice to make.  I would go with the 12-40x60 HD. 

I have had three Leupold 20x50 and 25x50 Gold Ring Rubber Armored Compacts stolen and need to purchase a compact scope for packing and don't have a clue what I will get. 

[trophyhunt]

I have no Idea what models are the best, but with 50% discount, I would get the best one they have.  I bet your PM box is getting full of people wondering if you can buy them one??? Sweet deal.

[coachcw]

50 percent  the best heaviest  glass they have. I have a Nikon but it's light and blows around .... imo  wieght is good in a spotter ....

[vandeman17]

That gold ring is mighty tempting

[Bob33]

Get the 12-40x60 HD Gold Ring. It is a nice scope. I have one and love it. The HD model is just a wee bit better.

[coachcw]

Gr 20-60 x 80 !

[JDHasty]

Gr 20-60 x 80 !

 

Unless you have a pack able scope or have no use for a pack able scope I would tend to disagree.  YMMV

I have a 12-40x60 and a Vortex Razor 85 and if I had to choose only one... 

[SemperFidelis97]

Go with the 12-40x60 vandeman I have used mine for years in the s.e. where decent glass is huge.

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[Bob33]

I have 60mm scopes (including the Leupold 12-40x60 HD) and 80mm scopes (including a Swarovski). The benefits of the larger scope are obvious: more magnification, and more light gathering ability.

The benefits of the 60mm scope are not so obvious, but real. First, they are smaller and lighter. If you’re using the scope exclusively from a road, that doesn’t matter. As soon as you start packing, it will become a factor.

Secondly, they often have a lower power magnification. The Leupold has 12x at the low end. That provides nearly double the viewing area that an equivalent 20x scope does. That’s huge if you’re using the scope to look for something, rather than focusing on a known object.

The 12x also provides a greater exit pupil. A 12x eyepiece on a 60mm provides a 5mm exit pupil. By comparison a 20x eyepiece on an 80mm scope only provides a 4mm exit pupil.

The bottom line is that I use my 60mm Leupold more than any other scope. It’s a perfect compromise between the compact 40mm and 50mm scopes, and the larger 80mm scopes. All have their purpose but I personally find the 60mm most useful.

[coachcw]

Gr 20-60 x 80 !

 

Unless you have a pack able scope or have no use for a pack able scope I would tend to disagree.  YMMV

I have a 12-40x60 and a Vortex Razor 85 and if I had to choose only one... 

He has a bushenell forthe pack . its nice to have some heavy glass ....

[JDHasty]

I have 60mm scopes (including the Leupold 12-40x60 HD) and 80mm scopes (including a Swarovski). The benefits of the larger scope are obvious: more magnification, and more light gathering ability.

The benefits of the 60mm scope are not so obvious, but real. First, they are smaller and lighter. If you’re using the scope exclusively from a road, that doesn’t matter. As soon as you start packing, it will become a factor.

Secondly, they often have a lower power magnification. The Leupold has 12x at the low end. That provides nearly double the viewing area that an equivalent 20x scope does. That’s huge if you’re using the scope to look for something, rather than focusing on a known object.

The 12x also provides a greater exit pupil. A 12x eyepiece on a 60mm provides a 5mm exit pupil. By comparison a 20x eyepiece on an 80mm scope only provides a 4mm exit pupil.

The bottom line is that I use my 60mm Leupold more than any other scope. It’s a perfect compromise between the compact 40mm and 50mm scopes, and the larger 80mm scopes. All have their purpose but I personally find the 60mm most useful.

 

That is what I am talking about.  I have a 15x56 Swarovski binocular, but before I had it I used my 12-40x60 a heck of a lot more betw 12 & 20 power than I ever used my 20-60x85 Vortex Razor above ~40 power.  A LOT more, like twenty times more often. 

Others who went chuck shooting w/me commented on the value of having a spotting scope that has the FOV that 12 at the low end provides, as have big game hunters who have been with me and had the oportunity to spend time behind my 12-40X60.  Some of these guys had their own Kowa, Leica, Swaro or Ziess along and we used my Leupold because it was just a better scope for looking FOR animals with.  No one in their right mind is going to claim that the Leupold is optically superior to those, what it is all about is that the format makes this configuration a great scope for shooting chucks and hunting big game.   

Nothing, and I mean NOT A THING, in the spotting scope world will best a 15x56 Swaro SLC or Vortex Kaibab or 15x60 Zeiss bgat for looking for chucks, prairie dogs or most all big game.  "Binoculars are for looking for, spotting scopes are for looking at" is what I tell my kids, but we have that option available.  If a person does not own a "big eyes" binocular... the Leupold 12-40x60 is a great second choice.  It is also a great choice to throw in a pack if you have some hiking to do and are going into a place where you don't have the luxury of taking both a binocular and a spotting scope.

The 12-40x60 is packable, it isn't my first choice for a scope that will be primarily packed, it is a bit bulky and a bit heavy, but it is not going to kill you packing it either. 

I am speaking form 25 years of experience w/ the optical instrument we are discussing here and YMMV, but I would think long and hard before I purchased the 20-60x80 over the 12-40x60.  It just may be that the larger scope will better satisfy your needs, but don't just go with "bigger is better."