Customer Reviews

Bushnell Trophy 20-60x65 Waterproof Spotting Scope (Green)

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I do not own this particular model, but have recently, and not so recently, had the opportunity to use one (borrowed) under a variety of circumstances and activities. For the money, I have to say that this is a relatively good scope. The two areas I have primarily used this scope is in bird watching, i.e. shore birds, vultures and eagles. Secondly, I have used in on the pistol range as a spotter. In both cases it performed adequately to superb.

Now I am not a technical person. For me, optical equipment either works or it does not work and I have no clue as to the technical in and outs of the instrument being used. I have little to no patience for equipment that does not function at the job I pay for...not matter what the technical reason. From a practical standpoint though, there are some considerations.

First: If you use this scope at the higher magnifications, then you must have a better tripod that comes with it. You need very solid support. There was no problem in this area when on the shooting range as the scope was mounted on a very substantial bench and sighed in on a specific target. The problem here, again at the higher magnifications, is the ability to quickly find your subject. This at times was difficult to do as the picture is quite small and the slightest movement was quite troublesome. the lower magnifications were great for scanning the shore line and river banks.

Second: This scope cannot be attached to a camera. For the money I suppose you cannot expect everything, but the buyer should be aware of this.

Third: I love the fact that there was absolutely no problem with "steaming up." The scope is quite waterproof and if you are working a lake, stream or marsh you need not worry. The scope is very rugged.

Fourth: I found the image quality, especially when you consider the price, to be amazingly good; quite clear and this enables to get a very detailed view of your subject.

Fifth: This optic does weigh around seven pounds which is lighter than some, but still and all if you are trekking a great distance, then seven pounds is seven pounds...if you know what I mean.

Sixth: The cases that come with the scope...well, I have seen better, but there again, look at the price you are paying. The quality of the cases for me, are of little moment.

Seventh: In an ideal situation I always recommend using a scope in the field before purchasing. I was lucky to be able to do this. Each person has their own needs and what works great for one person, might not be the best for another.

Bottom line is that unless you are ultra serious about your hobby and/or want to impress those who are impressed by such things, i.e. expensive stuff, then I can hardly see how you can go wrong with this unit. Will I buy it? Probably as I need another back-up scope and when I consider the price an then the quality I am getting for my dollar, this is attractive.

Don Blankenship
The Ozarks

My wife wanted to see the eagles at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge in Eastern Oklahoma. We couldn't get closer than 1/4 mile to the nest. This scope brings the bird up so close you can see the feathers ruffling in the wind!
Great buy!

THIS IS A VERY POWERFUL SCOPE. IT IS GREAT FOR SEARCHING FOR GAME AT A LONG DISTANCE. YOU MUST HOWEVER GET YOUR EYE VERY CLOSE TO THE EYEPIECE.
IF NOT YOU WILL HAVE A VERY SMALL PICTURE. I HAVE TO REMOVE MY GLASSES. I LIKE THE SCOPE AND USE IT OFTEN. JOHN

This spotting scope from Bushnell is an excellent buy if you are an outdoors person or if you like watching the world from your window.

You can even view the craters on the moon.

Plus it's waterproof and comes with two cases and a tripod.

The amazon price is the best deal on the internet.

I am an North South Skirmish Association member, shooting competitively at paper and breakable targets with black powder in antique guns. This shooting is done at outdoor ranges, and in all kinds of weather conditions. The normal distances are 50 and 100 yards. Spotting scopes are essential and must be ruggedly made, waterproof, with good eye relief, good light collection, good clarity of picture and good anti-fog aspects. The Bushnell Trophy 20-60X65 meets all of these criteria, and in fact performs much better than numerous other scopes I have tried costing many times more than this scope costs. Built-in extendable sun screen and screw in front lens protector are nice features. Hard case is not much but well padded with foam inside. Soft case, which is the one you will use to carry onto the range is decently made and of rugged fabric. This is an excellent value for someone needing a spotting scope out to 100 yards, and may do well for those shooting beyond that distance. The only drawback is the stupid little tripod that comes with the scope. Simply throw that accessory into the trash and replace it with something that will actually support the scope.

I selected this model because it is waterproof/fogproof (I live near Seattle), the zoom range, and the price (I seem to recall paying about $160 for it about five years ago). But the image quality seems quite wonderful. I can't explain technically why, but I've found images of birds to be amazingly sharp. Even something as common as a great blue heron or mallard is terrific to watch when you can enjoy a super clear, colorful image of them. I mostly stay at 20x, and find higher powers a bit challengeing to use (that's why I'm only giving four stars). I wish it could connect to my camcorder, but apparently scopes with that feature are much more expensive. Finally, I appreciate the hard and soft cases it comes with.

Looked at Leupold,Nikon, and many other brands. This one came out the best in terms of value for price. I did not want to spend $400 to $1000 for a scope which I will use mostly at the range and for some viewing. I can see clearly at my paper targets at all yardages. I shoot .223 so the hold size is small. 50, 100 and 200 yards is clear and easy to focus. At 300 yards I can clearly see the metal plates we shoot at at our rifle range. I used it for sight seeing and about 4 miles away I could see the large lettering on the side of the delivery van. At the same distance at night I could see the 1 foot lighted lettering on the side of the building. Good enough for target shooting for most yardages from 50 to 300. I don't shoot farther than 300 yards as our rifle range only goes that far. But Very Good for these ranges. Buy another tripod, more heavy duty. If you have the scope on the same bench as the bench you shoot on, it will move when you shoot. Get a good sturdy tripod.

I had to write a review since I find these so helpful when I'm looking to purchase something. So I hope this helps someone out in the future.
Just got my Bushnell Trophy 20-60 x 65mm spotting scope today. It's my first spotting scope so I have nothing to compare it to. I bought it for an elk hunt out west primarily, and for target spotting on a 500 yard rifle range. Ordered it from Wal-Mart Site-to-Store for $197. I figured if it's awful I can take it back. First thing I did was try it out on the back porch(5:00pm on a sunny day). I set it up on my camera tripod and sighted in on neighbors house down the block. I zoomed in on the dish up to 60x and could read "Dish Network Plus", and could even tell how many screws(same color as the dish) were in the center - 2. Next I got my laser range finder out and lased the target at 164 yards. I then went out to the end of my driveway and looked down the country road. I could read the street sign and the street number clearly from 440 yards. At that power you do cut down on your field of view significantly.
Now when you go to 40x & 60x you have to get real close to scope or you get the dark shadow creeping in on the sides of the lens. This is sometimes a bit tricky because if you touch the tripod or scope it shakes the image, but with a little practice & patience you should get the hang of it.
The hard & soft case are nice, but the tripods I'll probably just use for my digital camera when I need a stand for timed pictures.
Overall, for about a $200 spotting scope I'm very pleased.

I live in the south west there is a canyon wall that is about 900 yards from my back door. with this at max power i can count the limbs on the dead juniper tree at its top.

For the price, this spotting scope is a good value. At 20x it is sharp and easy to use. As you up the magnification and, thereby, reduce the field it becomes increasingly difficult to find and then bring into focus distant targets. A good tripod is essential, along with patience.