Spotter weight??

[Silvereagle50]

Looking to get a spotter for an Alaskan Dall Sheep hunt in the future.
Would love to get a Swaro, but that’s really out of my budget.
Looking at the Vortex Razors. The 27-48x65mm weighs in at like 56oz. The 20-60x85mm at 65oz.

Would it be worth the 9oz for the bigger scope?

Also, the guide I’m looking to use says the angled would be better.
But I have a really good deal on a straight 65mm Razor. What would you suggest on this situation?

 

[PathFinder]

The Kowa 553/554 weighs 28 Oz and smokes the Razor 65...those Razors are just nothing to write home about. Mine was the biggest optical disappointment I've ever owned. My take is to get the Kowa, but I'm an ounce counter. The other option is to watch Ebay for a Swaro ATS orLeica APO.

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[PathFinder]

The Kowa 553/554 weighs 28 Oz and smokes the Razor 65...those Razors are just nothing to write home about. Mine was the biggest optical disappointment I've ever owned. My take is to get the Kowa, but I'm an ounce counter. The other option is to watch Ebay for a Swaro ATS orLeica APO.

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

 

[PathFinder]

The Kowa 553/554 weighs 28 Oz and smokes the Razor 65...those Razors are just nothing to write home about. Mine was the biggest optical disappointment I've ever owned. My take is to get the Kowa, but I'm an ounce counter. The other option is to watch Ebay for a Swaro ATS orLeica APO.

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

 

[AkMtnRunner]

Will your guide not have a great spotter?

If you’ll need to rely on yours to make a full curl judgement, and spending serious money anyways, I say invest as much as you’re comfortable with. I would start at the Kowa 55x level if needing to go light, then maybe the best quality 50x+ zoom in a heavier scope. The meopta/cabelas 82mm is great value for alpha glass and can be found for less than $2k. That’s where I would have gone if I hadn’t splurged up to a Kowa 88.

If your guide will have a great spotter, and you just want one to also use, I would again go to the little Kowa and pick up an ultralight Granite Peak tripod. That setup is incredibly useful and will always be a great option for almost any hunting situation.

 

[bullmoose]

I've got the razor HD 27x48x65mm and think its a very good spotter (had it for 3 seasons now). I bought it over the 85mm for the weight savings. There have been a few times where I needed more magnification so I put on my phoneskope and used the zoom on the camera for the extra magnification. Worked great.

There are a lot better spotters out there but the warranty is great with vortex and, for the money, I think the Razor line is hard to beat.

I have the angled spotter, first angled one that I have owned so its taking time to get used to finding things with it. It is comfortable to use, stays lower to the mountain when using, seems less affected by the winds because its lower, and I can run a shorter (lighter) tripod due to the angled eye piece. Don't yet know if I'm sold on the angled eye piece but I've been happy with this one so far.

 

[Blockcaver]

I would let the guide carry the spotter and share use with him. Ensure you have a phone scope adapter to fit it for photos, or he does. Best way to age and ensure legality is via a photo or 10. You will save packing 4 to 7#s including the tripod which is a lot on steep climbs. Absolutely ensure you have a great pair of binoculars. And I like an angled Swaro on a Slik Sprint Pro II tripod. Good luck on the hunt.

 

[fatbacks]

I second the opinion of don't waste your money on a Razor - I had one and it is garbage (I carry a Leica APO 65 now). Let the guide carry the spotter and invest whatever money you were going to throw at a spotter and get the best binos possible. Even if you are carrying a spotter, you'll be using your binos 98% of the time.

 

[AK Troutbum]

I'll echo what's already been said here a few times. Stay away from the Vortex crap, and if you must bring a spotter, and it can't be one of the more expensive alpha glass, buy a Kowa 553 or 554.

 

[Sheepies Irae]

Despite what everyone else is saying, the vortex 50mm is a great scope for Dall Sheep. I’ve used one for 3 seasons and it’s a fantastic lightweight budget option. Of course it doesn’t hold up to similar weighted scopes that cost 1500$+, but for $700 they’re pretty sweet imo. I am tempted to give the kowa 45?mm a shot though, the really light one.


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[Stid2677]

I enjoy watching critters in my spotter, so much so, I always pack my glass. Alpha glass is worth the weight and cost if you are judging legality, if just wanting to find something most of the cheaper options work just fine. But, I can tell you that my ATX 95mm Swaro has earned it place in my pack over and over again. That beast can really pull in the details and that has allowed us to kill and chase rams we would not have with lesser glass. If I ever pony up and pay for a guided Stone hunt, I will pack this beast with regardless of what the guide brings. Because I enjoy that part of hunting, I would not want to wait my turn to have a peak through their spotter. Plus my eyes are tired and I have to focus a bit different than most. I also own a Magnesium body 65mm Swaro and it has never left home in 4 years since I bought "The Fat Girl" She will find stuff farther than I want to pack it.

Plus I love to attach my camera and digiscope with it.....

 

[Shrek]

I’ll second what Stid2677 has to say about his fat lady and what AK Troutbum has to say about Vortex. Vortex is inexpensive with a fantastic warranty...and it shows in performance and you’ll need the warranty. A spotting scope in need of warranty on your sheep hunt of a lifetime will be a bitter pill to swallow. I own an ATX 95 fat lady myself and have looked through enough Razors to know just how underwhelming they are.

 

[Silvereagle50]

Obviously the guide will have his own glass and will make the decision on legality.

I would like to carry my own so that I don’t have to wait to look through his. And as I said, on a school teacher salary (and from the lowest paid state) I can’t afford alpha glass. At least not new and used prices aren’t far off that.
Also I plan to do at least a spot and stalk type hunt for Muley and antelope in the next few years, so a spotter will be used there as well.

That all being said I would like to be around $1K or less in this.
Otherwise I would have already pulled the trigger on a Swaro 65 used. Can usually find them for $2Kish.

 

[longbarrel]

I had a Razor 65 and went to the 85 for its better resolution. The problem is not just its 4+ pound weight--you need a 4 lb. tripod to stabilize it. I now use the Kowa 554 and a light tripod, about 3 lb. total. Don't waste your money on a spotter that won't see the details way out there. OTOH, you will not be sorry with the 553 (angled) or 554 (straight). Then you can save some $ on the tripod.

 

[AK Troutbum]

Obviously the guide will have his own glass and will make the decision on legality.

I would like to carry my own so that I don’t have to wait to look through his. And as I said, on a school teacher salary (and from the lowest paid state) I can’t afford alpha glass. At least not new and used prices aren’t far off that.
Also I plan to do at least a spot and stalk type hunt for Muley and antelope in the next few years, so a spotter will be used there as well.

That all being said I would like to be around $1K or less in this.
Otherwise I would have already pulled the trigger on a Swaro 65 used. Can usually find them for $2Kish.

Not that this helps you out at all, or makes any difference, but I just missed out on a gently used 65mm HD STS with stay-on case and tripod, that sold here locally for $1000. This was just yesterday and I literally missed it by minutes. Anyway, if you keep on looking and you're patient, sometimes great deals can be had in your price range.

 

[Silvereagle50]

Not that this helps you out at all, or makes any difference, but I just missed out on a gently used 65mm HD STS with stay-on case and tripod, that sold here locally for $1000. This was just yesterday and I literally missed it by minutes. Anyway, if you keep on looking and you're patient, sometimes great deals can be had in your price range.

Guess I missed it as well. Or I’d have pulled the trigger.
Missed a helluva deal on a used SG Sky 6900 last week as well. Just made me sick.

 

[Silvereagle50]

So what is a good price on the Swaro sts 20-60x65?
Looks like new they about $2500.

 

[Sheepies Irae]

Obviously the guide will have his own glass and will make the decision on legality.

I would like to carry my own so that I don’t have to wait to look through his. And as I said, on a school teacher salary (and from the lowest paid state) I can’t afford alpha glass. At least not new and used prices aren’t far off that.
Also I plan to do at least a spot and stalk type hunt for Muley and antelope in the next few years, so a spotter will be used there as well.

That all being said I would like to be around $1K or less in this.
Otherwise I would have already pulled the trigger on a Swaro 65 used. Can usually find them for $2Kish.

I strongly urge you to leave the spotter at home this time. If your guide has a spotter, then don't bother. General rule of sheep hunting in my honest opinion is 1 spotter per 2 (or even 3) people. If it's a fly in hunt without a lot of walking/climbing then maybe take one. If it's a walk-in I would definitely not bother taking an extra scope that isn't even as good as your guide's. You'll have plenty of time to judge your sheep when he's laying 5 feet in front of you. Lastly, you can see a lot from a distance with just binoculars, even if you can't judge a close to full curl.

That all being said it is just my opinion so take it all with a grain of salt and enjoy your sheep hunt.

 

[Wapiti1]

I would also suggest not taking a scope. Let the guide take it, have a few looks yourself, and then get closer on the rams that are worth it. There is usually plenty of time for you to ogle a ram through the scope if you want.

If you must, get angled as suggested. Try looking up with a straight tube scope and you will quickly get a neck cramp. You will also need a taller tripod. That said, a lot of guys don't use a tripod (weight and storage), they lay the scope on their pack. In that scenario, angled is the only option.

A great budget option is the Pentax PF65ED. IMO better than anything Vortex offers and just behind the 66mm Kowa offerings. I have a 66mm Kowa Prominar. That is a sleeper spotter. You can go larger than the 65mm size if you want. The improvement is better clarity at the top magnification, and better low light performance. But you need to carry it, and store it somewhere. 80mm plus scopes are big.

Don't overlook Meopta scopes. Excellent for the money.

Jeremy

 

[Nick Muche]

If I was paying $20K+ for a guided sheep hunt, there's not a chance I would go without my own spotter! Glassing is what you'll be doing the most and being a part of the entire process would be very important to me. Additionally, you likely won't be carrying a very heavy load, depending on the circumstances of the hunt you book and the weight of a nice spotter and tripod would not be overwhelming at all.