Good Spotting Scope for 300 Yards Review 2024

While most spotting scopes can handle short-range sighting with little difficulty, spotting out at 300 yards is when the optics’ quality comes into play and makes the difference.

We’ve handpicked these four scopes for anyone looking for a good spotting scope for 300 yards. We used the quality of optics, magnification range, and objective lens size as our determining factors. 

In the end, the Konus 7122 Spotting Scope won our vote as the best choice, but check out the full review of these scopes below for our reasoning why.

Our Pick: Konus 7122 Spotting Scope

This spotting scope is large in size, 18.8 inches long, and weighs 5.3 pounds. However, with that extra size come a lot of qualities. It features a standard 20-60x magnification range, with an impressive 100 mm objective lens. It has a FOV at 1000 yards of 88 feet at 20x and 44 at 60x. It comes with a soft carrying case, HD glass, and a rubber-armored metal housing that makes it waterproof, shockproof, and fog proof.

Pros & Cons

This scope has impressive optics that offer clear images even at higher magnification and good eye relief–important for those who wear glasses. Despite the large 100 mm objective lens, the scope still performs well under bright light conditions.

There is a slight chromatic aberration at 60x, but not so much that it distorts the image or makes the scope difficult to use. It is also on the heavy side, so a sturdy tripod is a necessity. It is also one of the few scopes with a camera adapter.

What people are saying…

This scope scored four or five stars with 82% of buyers, with a full image and little loss of illumination at a higher magnification range being a favorite feature. A good eye relief that allows one to keep their eyeglasses on was also mentioned as a great aspect of this spotting scope.

Complaints were generally superficial, focusing on an imbalanced weight and lack of functionality at close range and remarking on the slight color distortion at 60x (while still stating that there was a clear edge-to-edge image.)

Update: The product has an updated version, the Konus 7127 KonuSpot-100 Spotting Scope.

Runner-Up: Barska Colorado CO11218

This full-sized spotting scope’s higher 30-90x magnification range makes it an excellent choice for long distances. Pair that with a large 90mm objective lens, and you should have no problems viewing your target out at 300 yards or even at 500 yards.

The fully multi-coated optics are made of high-definition (HD) glass to provide clarity and high color contrast. It’s also O-ring sealed and dry nitrogen-purged, making it fully waterproof and fog proof. It is 21 inches long and weighs 3.1 pounds, making it relatively lighter than other full-sized scopes.

This scope packs a lot of power, but with that power comes a longer spotting scope that requires a sturdy tripod for clear images (a weaker tripod will cause it to tip and wiggle.) It moves smoothly through the magnification ranges, and the wide objective lens pulls in a lot of light, which is useful in low-light conditions. It includes a built-in sun shade and comes with a soft carrying case. 

Pros & Cons

Despite a great price (retail list price of about $250, but it can be found for less than $130), the amount of power this scope brings is overkill for anything but long-distance viewing.

The patented one-touch Insta-Focus system allows you to instantly focus on targets with just a touch of a finger. These are one of the best binoculars for shooting targets with its BK-7 prism glass.

What people are saying…

This scope brings mixed reviews, with only 56% of buyers rating it four or five stars. Many buyers ranked it only three stars, citing that it was too powerful for their uses and that it was too heavy with their pre-existing tripods. The high power and weight combination made it difficult to get a clear image without a sturdy tripod.

However, for the buyers who understood this point and did use it with a sturdy tripod, the reviews were very positive, citing sharp and bright images thanks to the large objective lens and HD glass which make this a good spotting scope for 300 yards or more.

Also Great: Alpen Rainier 851ED Straight Spotting Scope

Note: Alpen Optics was acquired by Explore Scientific in 2018. 

This higher-end scope has the quality and features you would expect for the price. It features a wide 25-75x magnification range and an 86mm objective lens. It features ED (extra low dispersion) and HD (high density) glass with UBX fully multi-coated optics. This sleek rubber-armored spotting scope is waterproof and fog proof. It was also the Editor’s choice in Outdoor Life Magazine’s 2014 gear test. This scope is backed by Alpen’s no-fault, no-problem lifetime warranty.

Pros & Cons

This scope has great optics, with the ED and HD glass providing bright, high-contrast images even at higher magnifications. The larger objective lens pulls a lot of light to help in low-light conditions. However, this level of quality comes with a higher price tag. 

This is also a larger scope, so a sturdy tripod is required for proper viewing. The higher-end optics are also sensitive, so focusing between magnification ranges can take some time.

What people are saying…

This scope brought in impressive reviews, with 80% of buyers rating it at five stars, with the remaining 20% giving it four stars. Great optics with consistently clear, high-color contrast images were cited as this scope’s draw, with the only complaints being the size and sensitivity of the optics. Overall, buyers seemed very pleased with the purchase of this scope.

Honorable Mention: Vortex Optics Razor HD RZR-65A1 Angled Spotting Scope

This higher-end spotting scope features both ED and HD glass, with proprietary XRPlus fully multi-coated optics and triplet apochromatic lenses to provide even sharper color. 

The 16-48x magnification range is complimented by a 65mm objective lens. While this isn’t as powerful nor as large an objective lens as other scopes in this list, the quality of the optics is great enough to provide excellent image quality at 300 yards easily, with no color dilution or distortion at higher magnification.

Pros & Cons

This is a higher-end scope with high-end optics that may be the last scope you ever buy. Despite being a full-sized scope, it is still relatively lightweight at two pounds. The HD and ED glass provides clear images with edge-to-edge detail and color fidelity that you can’t get in a budget scope. 

However, while that higher price tag does bring higher quality optics, it lacks other features and extras, coming only with a view through a canvas carrying case and lens caps.

What people are saying…

86% of buyers gave this scope five stars, with the great image quality being the most appreciated factor. Crisp images with sharp color and edge-to-edge detail were cited by numerous buyers, with impressive clarity at nearly 1000 yards. There was one complaint of blurry images at long distances, which was not further explained and is contradicted by multiple statements of sharp and clear images at 600+ yards.

What Is A Good Spotting Scope for 300 Yards in 2024

Picking the best spotting scope for 300 yards out of these four was no easy task! These scopes all feature HD glass with great optics and more than enough power to see targets at a distance.

But, we had to go with the Konus 7122 Spotting Scope for its affordability and impressive 100 mm objective lens that takes advantage of low light conditions yet still performs well in bright, full sun. We also liked the inclusion of a camera adapter that allows you to snap a photo of that trophy buck just before you take aim and bring it home.

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Sources and Official Brand Websites:

Barska  |  Konus  |  Explore Scientific |  Vortex Optics | The High Road