I'm in the market for a spotting scope, (I've been browsing through some of the tripod table-top mounts) and was curious as to what you guys would recommend or what I should be looking for in a spotting scope?  I'm looking for something versatile that can be used for both pistol shooting (25-50yrds) as well as rifle shooting at 50, 100 and 200+ yards.  Thanks in advance.   

For spotting scope I went for whatever was the cheapest one at the time and haven't regretted it once. It was around $80 or so at Young Guns. Personally I don't think a quality spotting scope is important, in Hawaii.

I told my wife "Hey, I think I need a spotting scope."  Two weeks later, she scored a 20-60x60 at a garage sale for $20.  Been using it for nearly 10 years now.

There is something to what Dregs says.  If you're shooting at Kokohead, the farthest you possibly need to be able to resolve bullet holes is 200 yards.  Most likely, your worst case is .22 holes at 100 yards.  Either way, even a fairly crappy scope will do the job.

What I find really makes the most difference is the stand.  The wind at Kokohead shakes my scope all over the place.  If it's dialed up past 30x or so, it is impossible to see even .30 caliber holes at 50 yards due to the vibration.  Holding it steady doesn't really work (my hands are fairly shaky).  So, if I had it to do all over again, I'd look for the scope that came with the most solid stand. 

Thanks for all the advice guys.  My father had an extra spotting scope just collecting dust that he gave me.  So that saves me a bit on price.  It is a Burris 20x-60x-80mm Spotting scope: 



It fits my purposes just fine, however it is very front heavy and is prone to tipping (He said even on mild days at Kokohead the winds would tip it over).   It seems to be a design flaw; the mounting screws for the tripod are very near the eye optical, when the balance of the scope is somewhere in the middle.  I'm thinking I could fix this with an arm of some sort that would move the tripod forward closer to the scope's center of gravity.  I've been checking on amazon and other places online, but haven't really come across anything.  Here's a rough MS paint drawing of what I had in mind:

This is how it is now, with the front heavy balance:
 

And this is how it would be with an arm moving the tripod further forward:


If I can't find it commercially, I'm thinking of building it myself.  The red part would be an aluminum arm to center the weight of the spotting scope. 

Like Tom G, I scored my spotting scope at a garage sale for 15 or 20 bucks. I did however purchase a better tripod at radio shack. When they have a sale some tripods are less than 10 bucks.

To fix that front heavy scope, get a tripod with extendable legs, and extend the leg running under the scope and leave the side legs short to balance it.

It fits my purposes just fine, however it is very front heavy and is prone to tipping (He said even on mild days at Kokohead the winds would tip it over).   It seems to be a design flaw; the mounting screws for the tripod are very near the eye optical, when the balance of the scope is somewhere in the middle.  I'm thinking I could fix this with an arm of some sort that would move the tripod forward closer to the scope's center of gravity.  I've been checking on amazon and other places online, but haven't really come across anything. 

The threads for the scope are common, you can find them with just a little hunting in the 1/4" bin at any hardware store.  Buy yourself a 6" piece of steel bracket, one 1/4" bolt, and two 1/4" wing nuts.  Use a vice (or a door) to make the bends you describe.  You should be in business for $5 or so.

I'm slowly pondering alternative mounting systems altogether.  I see guys with their scopes fixed to their shooting boxed.  Intriguing, but I don't use a shooting box.  I have a couple of table-top mic stands with heavy bases that I could affix a tripod head to.  That'll add 10 lbs to the walk-up, though.  My current scheme involves c-clamping directly to the shooting table.  Still working on the logistics for that, but it seems promising.

Perhaps something like this can be constructed from your mic stands. Hipower shooters use these types of stands on all types of terrain and positions.
http://www.jarheadtop.com/Stand_Pictures.htm
http://www.creedmoorsports.com/store/product.php?productid=889741&cat=267&page=1

I was thinking more along the lines of this.  I have both tripod-leg and flat-base mic stands I can pull from, and a couple of old tripod heads.  All I really would need is a threaded adapter, which I could probably piece together at City Mill.  Just need a roun toit.

Looks like it'll work.

Depending on the cost and amount of work involved, maybe a new tripod, like the Slik Mini Pro, would be a good option.

For me, I ended up getting a Alpen 20x50 Waterproof Mini-Spotting Scope for $45. For what it cost, it's pretty good. It is small and easy to carry around. It is decently clear. The problem is that the eye relief is horrible and hard to see with glasses on and the tripod it comes with sucks. It's flimsy and falls over.

When I decide to upgrade, I'll probably go with something like the Celestron 65mm F-ED Spotting Scope for high quality, or the Konus 7120 20x-60x80mm Spotting Scope for a little less money. Both of them get good reviews without being too expensive. Both would require a new tripod though.

Thanks guys for the imput.  Tonsofguns, I tried the one leg longer than the other tripod approach and it still tips.  The scope is just too front heavy. 

Tom, I think I will try your approach, thanks for the advice about the threads and the metal arm.  I'll be working on this if I have time this weekend. 

Oh and 2a, fortunately my scope also came with a tripod, it's like this one pictured here:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0000C16R5/?tag=2ahawaii-20

Cool. I was thinking that one of those ones with the wider, lower legs would help. Looks like you already had that angle covered

I may have just found the spotting scope that I will get when the time comes: Bushnell Excursion FLP Spotting Scope 15-45x60, Tactical. There were some pics through the glass and reviews on the Sniper's Hide that looked favorable. Good clarity and value.



-Folded Lightpath System
-Fully multi-coated optics for maximum brightness
-Excellent eye relief
-ED Prime Glass
-1st Focal plane Mil Dot reticle
-Eyepiece diopter ring
-"Black Out" exterior
-Waterproof
-Includes tripod and soft case

what's the price range on that?

Never would have occurred to me to have a reticle in a spotting scope. 

what's the price range on that?

nevermind....clicked the link

It's runs under $400 most places I've seen it.

Never would have occurred to me to have a reticle in a spotting scope. 

I wouldn't have thought of it either, but it serves the same purpose as a reticle on a rifle scope. It is a first focal plane reticle so it zooms in as you zoom the scope and can range at all zoom levels. Pretty neat.