Thread: Worth getting cheap spotter?

Getting in some practice with the .22 I've noticed the holes are significantly smaller than the 6.5CM.
"Well d'uh" I hear you say, but that doesn't change the fact that at 50m if I strain at max zoom on my 3-9x40 scope I can juuuuuust make out the holes, and have no chance at 100m.
So I need more zoom, and I have no money so the only option I can see is a super cheap and nasty spotter with a phone mount on it like this one.
https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/marketpl...ing/4396492352
My question is, will useless optics at 40x zoom give me a better chance of seeing my .22 bullet holes in targets at 100m in full daylight at the range? In a few years I'll be able to afford a spotter for hunting so that's not a consideration.
Thoughts?

Identify your target beyond all doubt because you never miss (right?) and I'll be missed.

Hey Meateater
@ our place i just use a steel target painted white with a spot of red paint in the center .Have used road / ground marker paint as it dries super quick
can see the 100m with a 4x power scope . plus the steel rings out if its hit
Aim Small miss small

Originally Posted by Eat Meater

Getting in some practice with the .22 I've noticed the holes are significantly smaller than the 6.5CM.
"Well d'uh" I hear you say, but that doesn't change the fact that at 50m if I strain at max zoom on my 3-9x40 scope I can juuuuuust make out the holes, and have no chance at 100m.
So I need more zoom, and I have no money so the only option I can see is a super cheap and nasty spotter with a phone mount on it like this one.
https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/marketpl...ing/4396492352
My question is, will useless optics at 40x zoom give me a better chance of seeing my .22 bullet holes in targets at 100m in full daylight at the range? In a few years I'll be able to afford a spotter for hunting so that's not a consideration.
Thoughts?

Identify your target beyond all doubt because you never miss (right?) and I'll be missed.

yes definitely - had same problem zeroing .222 at 100m- no way on 9x could see bullet hole so picked up a cheap second hand leupold spotting scope
angled eyepiece the model was I think a wild river or green river - something like that - optics were terrible - power went out to 45x and I could see .222 at 100 yd - if you can get at least 50x better 60 x and if you can angled eyepiece - trade me have cheap stuff - optics well dont know - certainly wont be water proof but just for target day well should do the job- I do like my rifles bang on

I bought a cheapie with that zoom for the same purpose..... Found it wasn't as good as my superzoom camera much easier to look at a small screen than trying to find the target and focus thru the spotter. Better quality spotters would be on another level methinks

Don't know why i didn't think of that. Have a 250mm lens for the camera which would only do 5x magnification but might do a lot better

Identify your target beyond all doubt because you never miss (right?) and I'll be missed.

Do you have a rifle with a higher power scope on it? Just take that with you..

Both rifles have 3-9x40 intentionally. The centrefire has the better glass but it's not enough.

My binos are 10x magnification but I always forget them.

It's not about available magnification, it's about optic quality. The cheap spotters fall off the cliff optically as soon as you wind them up.
My old Kowa TSN-1 with a 25x fixed lens would see 30 cal bullet holes, with the light in the right position, on the 300yd fullbore targets. At 100yds I can watch very small insects crawl across my target.

I bought a Sightron SII 4-16 just for 22rf 50yd - 100yds shooting and I couldn't see bullet holes clearly at 100yds on 16x, and only just at 50yds! Most disappointing as I have a Sightron SIII which is great. The SII got returned and replaced with a superb Weaver 4-16 x 44 EBX. Of course the Vista Outdoors wackers shut Weaver down or I would have bought a couple more of them.

My experiance with cheap spotters is they have been a waste of money. At the moment im using a 6-24×50ao simmons scope. Works better than any cheap spotter Ive used and Ive got a scope to put on a rifle as well

I keep looking at the very high magnification zoom binoculars on trademe.... they dont have to be really good,just good enough to use at range to identify something your scope just cant quite do.... 10x binos are great till you get out past a km..... my camera supposedly has more zoom than the 10x binos but it goes into digital zoom so just enlarges pixels...

Have a cheap 20-60x spotting scope for that very purpose.

Does exactly what it is supposed to do.

just a point some miss here about a spotting scope - with a good set up i.e an angled eyepiece - tripod -and one can put scope alongside rifle and when using it requires a minimum of body movement to look at target - thats so important target shooting - or zeroing - some good ideas here but a lot of them require one to move a lot to look at target - keep that body movement down to an absolute minimum - target shooting I only had to move head very slightly to see target - upper body did not move at all and neither did rifle from hold

Got a as new 20-60 x60 konus as new you can have to try angle eye piece if you want to try just gotta come over hill to pick up , dont suit my eye , box beers if suits .

No it ain't
Optics u get what u pay for

Use an old smart phone video call to your current phone. Or work phone to home phone.

One phone close to target in a mount with camera looking at the target.

If the above arrangement is not suitable for whatever reason, just shoot tight groups, not so tight that everything goes through the same hole, just get them all touching so the hole is easier to see.