Budget friendly spotter

[Vmascorro89]

Hey every one, looking for input on a budget friendly spotter scope. Personally I am a nikkon guy with nikkon scope and binos. But open to another brand that KS in advance.

[jackelope]

What is your budget?

[bearpaw]

The Leupold 12x42 Gold Ring is a good choice for a mid range priced scope and it's very compact and light compared to the top three.

[Holg3107]

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/999169-REG/vortex_rzr_50a1_razor_hd_11_33x50_spotting.html

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/957084-REG/vanguard_endeavor_hd_65a_16_48x65_ed_glass_angled.html

Here are the two that I would consider the best budget spotters. Personally your money should go to optics quality over zoom capability. Meaning, its better to get less magnification with better quality glass than more magnification but less quality glass. For an honest to goodness budget spotter I think you're going to have a hard time beating the Vanguard Endeavor HD especially at $399. The 11-33 Razor also comes with a really nice tripod included in the price so for a tripod and spotter package at $700 I would still consider that in the budget category but that means something different to everyone.

[mallard]

Since budget is relative, I'll offer a very affordable option. Bushnell Trophy Xtreme. Bushnell is running a $50 rebate.
http://www.bushnell.com/global/promotions

eBay recently had the 16-48x50 as low as $119. Stack that with a 10-20% off from eBay and your talking $50-60 to your door.

[jackelope]

I think I've done pretty well maintaining a budget by buying a lot of used optics. I have decent stuff but not top tier. It's always seemed to work "well enough" for me. Seems like there's always a few spotters for sale in the classifieds here. I've heard decent feedback on the Vanguard spotters. There was one for sale here a few days ago in the $350 range if I remember correctly. The Vortex Viper HD can be had for $400-ish. The Vortex Diamondback spotter is decent too. Their Nomad <$300 new was a good bang for the buck scope but it's discontinued now.

[ctwiggs1]

Vortex is on camofire all the time for like half off retail. 

[Pathfinder101]

I think I've done pretty well maintaining a budget by buying a lot of used optics. I have decent stuff but not top tier. It's always seemed to work "well enough" for me. Seems like there's always a few spotters for sale in the classifieds here. I've heard decent feedback on the Vanguard spotters. There was one for sale here a few days ago in the $350 range if I remember correctly. The Vortex Viper HD can be had for $400-ish. The Vortex Diamondback spotter is decent too. Their Nomad <$300 new was a good bang for the buck scope but it's discontinued now.

That's kind of what I have done.  Bought my binoculars refurbished.  Bought my Leupy Goldring spotter used off ebay. Got my Leupy VX3 rifle scope in the bargain cave at Cabela's (was a return).
 Cool thing about Leupold is that if anything is wrong with it, just send it to Leupold and they fix or replace it.  I have never been nervous about buying used Leupold stuff because their warranty is so good.

[Bushcraft]

Do you want to budget now, and then budget later, and then budget again later, etc., or would you rather buy once, cry once and be done with it?

Save your money and buy a top tier spotter at a significant discount online from a retailer or classified ads.

[Vmascorro89]

This will be my first purchase of a spotter and I see the can b into the thousands. Which I'm not looking to spend right now. So I'd say 600 would be my top dollar at this time, so what and why would you buy?

[bobcat]

A used Leupold 12-40x60

[bobcat]

https://m.ebay.com/itm/LEUPOLD-VARIABLE-SPOTTING-SCOPE-12-40x60mm/223017366843?hash=item33ecdef53b:g:U5QAAOSwtH9bIcJ4

[JeffRaines]

Do you want to budget now, and then budget later, and then budget again later, etc., or would you rather buy once, cry once and be done with it?

Save your money and buy a top tier spotter at a significant discount online from a retailer or classified ads.

This is the rub. If hunting is something you enjoy, you'll end up buying a budget spotter now... then in a year or two you'll eventually look through a nice spotter and go "MAN! WHAT A DIFFERENCE!". You'll then sell your budget optics at a loss to buy the "nice" optics.

Or you could just save a little longer and buy something nice, used preferably, and have something that you may not want to sell... and if you do, you'll take much less of a loss(if any). It sounds like you don't have a spotter now, so whats going another season without one?

[Vmascorro89]

Do you want to budget now, and then budget later, and then budget again later, etc., or would you rather buy once, cry once and be done with it?

Save your money and buy a top tier spotter at a significant discount online from a retailer or classified ads.

This is the rub. If hunting is something you enjoy, you'll end up buying a budget spotter now... then in a year or two you'll eventually look through a nice spotter and go "MAN! WHAT A DIFFERENCE!". You'll then sell your budget optics at a loss to buy the "nice" optics.

Or you could just save a little longer and buy something nice, used preferably, and have something that you may not want to sell... and if you do, you'll take much less of a loss(if any). It sounds like you don't have a spotter now, so whats going another season without one?

Very true. At this point I don't own a spotter. Inhunt with my dad and he has more gear then me, but I'd like to have all my own equipment. So I'm looking into buying my own gear.

[Wolfdog2314]

I was in your spot last year. I was going to go with like a Vortex Viper or Razor. My buddy told me “grow some b@ll$ and buy a Swarovski”.

I did. And I don’t regret it one bit. I will never have to replace this spotting scope. Ever. (I am kind of a gear junky so maaaybe a decade down the road) But even at that point itl still hold good value.

I want to upgrade my vortex viper binos now to Swarovski. I looked thru a pair while buying my spotter and it ruined me. If you do buy a “budget” spotter, don’t ever look through one of the “high end” spotters. If you do you’ll wish you had just spent the cash. It is a big chunk of change, but if you’re going to use the heck out of it for years to come, look at the best one you can afford, and go a step better and buy that one!