This week we are gonna look at the Diamonback   20x-60x 80mm   spotting scope.   One thing I notice about a  lot of people who start getting serious about their precision shooting or long range shooting is they don’t realize how important a decent spotting scope can be.

Yeah, a lot of modern rifle scopes are pretty amazing. They have limits though.   That’s when you need a spotting scope.    You get more magnification, you get a clearer picture, you get the ability to see holes in targets at ranges  you can’t discern  with your rifle optic, you get the ability to have a spotter who can read conditions, spot your shot and make more detailed examinations of an area.  Last but not least, you can look at something without having to point your gun at it.

I got the Vortex optic a few years ago because it was a great deal. It had features I wanted and I had been hearing a lot about optics from the company and wanted to give something from them a try.

Specs on the optic.

Fully Multi-coated-antireflective  lenses

Nitrogen purged with O-ring seals

Dielectric Coating ( whatever that is )

The spotting scope is  a 15.7 inches long and weighs about 46 oz.  The eye relief is 20-16.5mm.    The exit pupil is 4.0-1.3mm.

As you can see the ring and mount lets you attach it to camera type tripods and it can be loosened to allow you to turn the optic inside the ring.  This way if  you like the eye piece at the 6 o’clock position or  3 or 9 or some where in between you can.  Most handy  when shooting from prone and wanting to just lean over and take a peak.

The spotter doesn’t come with it’s own tripod but it does come with a carrying case that allows you to unzip each end and use the optic without removing it. It is nothing special though so I ain’t even gonna bother to show it to you.  Think cheap  black nylon and gun shows with beef jerky.

The top knob allows for focus and the rear eye piece is of course adjustable for magnification and the usual stuff.

The X range is right where I like it. More magnification in  a spotting scope this size often is counter productive in my opinion.  If you want or need more, you are gonna need something bigger.   If you aren’t used to long range shooting ( 1,000 yards and beyond) then let me tell you, more isn’t always better  when its just more.  I think I have mentioned this in the past , but even with your rifle optics when shooting at extended ranges  you will see a diminished return the more you go up  in magnification unless you also get into hubble sized scopes to make the higher Xs useful.    Long story short,  just because you got your hands on a 36x rifle scope with a 40mm objective lens doesn’t mean you got yourself a practical  1000 yard optic.  But that is another topic for another  upcoming day.

Anyways.    The scope very thoughtfully comes with two protective covers for the lens.   The rear screws on and the front has the two  latches.  Over all it’s pretty nice .

So, yes it is clear.   It compares favorably  to the Leupolds  and Redfields I have used over the years. I been really impressed by the detail I can view with it.