Straight or angled spotting scope
Contributors to this thread:Equipment
From: RonP
27-Apr-24
Although I own a cheap straight spotting scope, I have not used them much. I would appreciate your thoughts and preference of straight or angled, why, and additional information you care to share about the good and not so good of each. Thank you.
From: Ambush
27-Apr-24
What and where do you plan to hunt with it?
From: DonVathome
27-Apr-24
Personal call. I used a straight for a long time and 2 years ago got an angled. Still adjusting, easier and more comfortable sometimes - but not always. Much tougher to try to eyeball distant object them find in scope. With inline I can do it easily with angled much harder. I am fine with either Ambush has am good question and I will add are you going to be sitting or standing glassing most often? Standing I would want a straight for sure.
From: Michael
27-Apr-24
The 2 ways that I glass with a spotter are either through my drivers window or sitting on a ridge.
A strait scope is better suited for glassing from a truck window. In order to use my angle scope for this I have to rotate the body to the side to be able to get my eye up to the eye piece.
I prefer an angled while sitting and glassing from a tripod. With an angled scope my tripod is shorter which leads to being affected less by wind.
From: Straight Shooter
27-Apr-24
If you’re spending hours behind the glass IMO, angled is by far better and more comfortable.
From: WV Mountaineer
27-Apr-24
I’m not a huge spotting scope guy. But, I like a curved eyepiece better in all but truck use.
From: Basil
27-Apr-24
Sometimes the angle really shines out of a vehicle. I find I often have to reposition the truck with a straight scope. More range of motion with the angled.
From: Basil
27-Apr-24
From: Matt
27-Apr-24
Depends on use. Angled if you will be glassing up or from a vehicle (presuming the scope is rotatable around its foot). Straight is a bit easier to aim for me.
From: RonP
27-Apr-24
thanks for the replies.
the intended use is mostly scouting from the truck and when not in the truck, sitting down. the game will be mostly elk and deer, and some antelope.
another use will just be watching wildlife.
From: Bou'bound
27-Apr-24
What’s is the incremental cost of getting both units to fit on your scope
From: Kurt
27-Apr-24
I prefer angled. Was easier to get full field of view as an eye glass wearer....just the ergonomics of the angled vs straight as they have the same eye relief with the same parents.
I also find it easier to digiscope with the angled as your phone sits a bit more on top of the eye piece vs dangling.
The Swaro comes with an external peep sight that aids in aiming the scope, great feature, especially when you are first using an angled scope.
From: ILbowhntr
27-Apr-24
I went with angled for most of the reasons already listed. Out of a truck window, I’m usually glassing up a mountain, so that’s never been a problem.
From: Beendare
27-Apr-24
Out of a truck window- Straight
Sitting and glassing- angled
From: Keepitreal
02-May-24
I have been using the offset Leopold for over 15 years. (Same scope, no problems) I guide elk hunts in an area where glassing is key. The offset design is very portable for taking along in a hunt as well as from a pickup. Because it is shorter it is much easier to pack and easier to deal with in a vehicle too. I also use a full hight conjunction Tripod that does not have the center post. My tripod is also used for many other aspects of hunting. If you are also looking for a hunting tripod then look up the Top Hand Tripod. Can't go wrong at 2.5 lbs and you use it to help part out your elk.
From: Keepitreal
02-May-24
Also the lower 12 power of the Leopold is crucial for low light which is more often when game is seen. I would much rather have the 12-40 than the 20-60 any day.
From: Nick Muche
03-May-24
I prefer an angled spotting scope for in the field, straight from out of the pickup truck.
From: WhattheFOC
12-Aug-24
My vote is angled in the mountains and straight anywhere else. I have the atx and find it a pain in the ass out of the vehicle here in sk.
From: WYOelker
12-Aug-24
I spend hours looking and prefer the straight for everything except looking up. The straight is better in the window mount on my truck as well.
From: Medicinemann
12-Aug-24
The angled Swarovski scope has a spotting tube right next to the eyepiece. Whatever you see in the tube, is what you'll see in the scope.....
From: Medicinemann
12-Aug-24
From: tradi-doerr
13-Aug-24
I have angled, and use it both sitting/standing or sitting in a truck. The body rotates so that the eye piece is at a strait level, and now I can sit in my trk seat and not have to turn as much to use it. Acquiring a target I just look down the body like you would a strait, but that's pro's of a strait is the ease of use for that purpose.
From: Rock
14-Aug-24
I had straight scopes for 30+ years and liked them but then decided that I wanted and angled scope I like it much better and like trad-doerr mine has a body that rotates so it is much better and easier to use out of the truck window.
From: Jaquomo
14-Aug-24
I have both and much prefer the angled with a rotating barrel.
From: BlacktailBob
17-Aug-24
I just started using one. In the past I used 15x binocular on a tripod. My new spotter is angled, and I have very hard time finding what I've spotted with my binocular. Will take time getting used to it, I guess. Hunting in Alaska for the most part, I can’t relate to glassing from a truck.
From: Jaquomo
18-Aug-24
Bob, I find it more comfortable glassing with an angled from a tripod, especially for long periods. YMMV. Everybody is different.
From: Tilzbow
18-Aug-24
Angled is way easier on my neck and a lot more comfortable than straight. The only time straight would be preferred in my case is when looking down steep country. After a few full days of use finding targets in the angled scope becomes easier and easier.
From: BlacktailBob
18-Aug-24
Well I hope and think it will just require a period of adjustmnet to getting used to the spotting scope. Look forward to a few weeks at the Kodiak cabin adjusting to it. Very few mature bucks out there last year. Hope a few of the young bucks I saw last year are shooters this year and maybe one or two of the few almost mature bucks survived.
From: Jaquomo
18-Aug-24
Good luck, Bob! But you make your own...
From: Tracker
18-Aug-24
Love my angled spotter.
From: Jim Moore
21-Aug-24
I have an old Redfield spotter that is straight. It's smaller and easily packable. I can aim it pretty good. got a bigger angled Vortex that works better off of a Tripod. that all said, I'd trade that big sumbitch off for some quality 15X56 binos. You spend a long time glassing like we do out here in the high desert, the relief on the eyes is so much better. Used a friends big 15's on my desert sheep hunt and I am a true believer! You can attach your phone skope or whatever to it. You could go crazy and get something like Swaros BTX system that has the binocular eye piece but the single barrel scope. Not sure of any other companies that have that. Price point is way out of this retired guys league though.
From: Tilzbow
21-Aug-24
If you’re willing to deal with the weight then 15x on a tripod rock for western game like sheep, mule and Coues deer rock! Kowa has a huge set of 32x binoculars that would be the best of everything, assuming you had a Sherpa to carry them. They’re so big and heavy they had a built in handle. Cost a small fortune, too.
Speaking of Kowa Optics; if I were to buy a new spotting scope for western game that I wanted to carry around in my pack while hunting, as opposed to a big, heavy 80+ MM, I’d definitely go with the little Kowa 55 MM. Comes in straight or angled. I’d probably go straight with this since it’d be primarily used after finding game via grid searches with 10x and/or 15x binos mounted on the same tripod.
From: DonVathome
24-Aug-24
That is a really tough one. I used straight for 15 years then got an angled. It was slightly better when sitting and glassing (which is 95% of my glassing). IF you are trying to stand and your tripod needs to be at max height you need a few more inches of tripod height because of the angled scope. That was an issue for me.
I also found it a lot harder to look over the scope at something then find it in the scope. I never got used to it and found it much more difficult to see something with my naked eye and then look through the scope and find it. Maybe after a few more years I would have gotten used to it.
Also angled catches rain drops & snow easier. I would pick a straight but only by a little. I still use my angled and will not replace it - not a big enough deal.
