what's a cheap spotting scope for range use?

[gmsharps]

A Kowa with angled eyepiece, LER and 25X. I have tried a multitude of cheap spotting scopes due to budget restraints over the years and could have bought the KOWA with what I had spent. The old adage suffer and buy once holds true here. I eventually ended up buying a KOWA TSN-1 when they were still being made and have not looked back. Just my 2cents

gmsharps

[fourarmed]

If you must buy a cheap one, try to get one WITHOUT a zoom eyepiece. That is where even fairly good spotting scopes fall down.

[TXGunNut]

I'm sorry you had a bad experience with Burris. I don't have much use for their rifle scopes or binocs but I spent almost an hour comparing spotting scopes at a big box sporting goods store awhile back. I kept going back to the Burris even though I had budgeted more for a spotting scope. It performed as well as or better than scopes costing twice as much. In the interest of full disclosure I wanted something to throw in the range bag to check targets at 50, 100 and maybe 200 yds. If I had serious longrange hunting and shooting desires I might buy something better but this little scope has served me quite well.