x2 Don't buy a cheap spotting scope. I had a Spacemaster years ago and found myself putting down the scope and using my binos (mid grade Steiners at the time) trying to judge a ram, never used it again after that. A lot of extra weight for nothing. I saved up and bought a Swarovski and loved it despite the extra bulk. Nowadays I have evolved a little further (read don't like to pack as much crap up the mountain) so I use my Swarovski 10x42s with a power doubler (hard to find but worth it). Now my "spotting scope" weighs about 3 oz.
Long story short a good pair of binos will outperform a low end spotting scope hands down any day, even at significantly lower magnification, there is something to be said for clarity.
I have seen them , and I can see much more with my rifle scopes, than with those cheap spotting scopes. The clarity is horrible, and gets worse as you increase the magnification. The best lower priced spotting scopes that I have seen were the old Bausch & Lomb Elites that used to cost around $500. They often show up used for $200 to $300.
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Only accurate guns are interesting.
spotting scope
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