Angled or Straight Spotting Scope

Joined
Mar 14, 2016
Messages
750
Location
Utah
Straight spotter if you hike to the top to hunt. Crooked spotter if you sit on the road at the bottom and look up.

I sold my 884, looking for an angled because it’s much easier to show my kids and wife without changing tripod height.
 

Sellers77

FNG
Joined
May 5, 2022
Messages
14
I’ve always ran the angled spotter. Feel like I’m able to glass with it better mid days. I’m just so used to it because that’s all I’ve ran. I feel like I’m pretty fast finding the critter when swapping over. Also like being able to look down into it and lean a little more into the spotter when I’m glassing with it. Feels a little more stable to me. And it’s nice when running a phone scope cause you can stand up stretch if your watching a deer and just run the video to keep tabs. Also nice cause I typically hunt with other people so having the phone easier to see for others is a huge perk for my buddies.
 

6.5x284

WKR
Joined
May 7, 2015
Messages
1,062
Location
NW MT
Had many of each but have changed everything over to straight mainly for the reduced time to be on an animal after finding it with binos. I prefer straight for this vs angled that has been rotated sideways. Can’t count how many times I just missed video footage of an animal in an angled spotter never to be seen again! A bonus is it packs much better in a pack!


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Mojave

WKR
Joined
Jun 13, 2019
Messages
2,315
Straight! The only thing I don't like about it is the digiscoping function. As I never feel as though I can see what the spotter is seeing.
 

BluMtn

WKR
Joined
Nov 24, 2016
Messages
1,050
Location
Washington
I am straight also. But not to be a smart rearend, but it was not long ago that if you said straight you would be mocked and told you didn't know what you were doing when it came to spotters. The pendulum is swinging back to center. LOL
 

realunlucky

Super Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jan 20, 2013
Messages
13,120
Location
Eastern Utah
Seems short people love a straight scope. I've used both and really is just personal preference.

Angled is better for long glassing sessions or extremely steep glassing from bottom to top or top down. Also can run shorter tripod which may or may not be worth the weight savings.

Straight is nice to use with binoculars then swap directly to the spotter.

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OldInNV

FNG
Joined
Dec 2, 2023
Messages
12
I prefer angled. I have both angled and straight and never grab the straight one anymore.
Bingo!

Angled is easier to use under most circumstances. With a straight you have to bring the scope up farther to provide viewing. The angled scope can be much lower; you can look downward and stoop down a bit if necessary, as in a blind.
 

deertrout

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Oct 29, 2017
Messages
154
Location
MI
I went back and forth on which one I'd prefer and settled on angled. I don't hunt a ton of places where I need to look sharply down, but am hoping I can use the rotating mounting collar to make that a little less awkward, if needed. The place I think I'm going to wish I had a straight is on a window mount in the truck. I'll probably just stick to binos there and get out of the truck if I want to use the spotter (on a tripod)- or open the sunroof and sit in a booster seat...
 
OP
NCStaccato
Joined
May 28, 2024
Messages
16
I appreciate all the input, I got behind both today and pull the trigger on an 88a.
 
OP
NCStaccato
Joined
May 28, 2024
Messages
16
tap it on the side and let me know if it kinda rattles inside! i have an 88s that visually is perfect but rattles inside and bugs me! hoping it's normal lol.
I get it Monday. That will be the first thing I do.
 
OP
NCStaccato
Joined
May 28, 2024
Messages
16
6.5X 284 I received my 88A today, no rattle or any noises. I do wish the eye relief was better. I guess that spotting scopes in general. Wish it was as forgiving as my ZCO 840.
 
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