I'm considering purchasing a new spotting scope. Kowa seems to be highly recommended by some, and they make some long eye relief eyepieces, which I need since I am a glasses wearer. However, they make models with ED glass and models without. The ED glass increases the cost quite a bit.

So my question is whether the ED glass is worth the extra money.

Does anyone have any experience with these scopes and this ED glass?

Thanks,

LWD

Hello,
To start with, don't believe you can go wrong with the Kowa brand of optics. Go to any organized rifle match, Camp Perry, Quantico, Oak Ridge, Malvern, etc. and the serious shooters will be using a Kowa scope. Not the most expensive, but one of the very best available. I have used a Kowa 77, old one, with the 25x LER, angled body scope for nearly 20 years now, dropped it, been stepped on, left in the rain(not suggested treatment by the way, but over years of many, many matches, stuff happens) and still gives crystal clear images.
Way back when thought about the additonal cost of the lens treatment you mention and was told that it was great, but more for definition of true colors as desired by bird watchers????
For normal shooting applications doubt that you would need the extra cost feature. If you were to be "on the firing line..." at Camp Perry in early August you will see a large number of Kowa scopes. They simply are the best out there for the bucks. Yes, I do like Kowa and a good used one is very scarce on the market. People normally just do not let them go. Good luck with whatever you select.

Thank you for your input. I'm only interested in looking at bullet holes and for some use when hunting, so it doesn't sound like I need to spend the extra $$$.

Do you have any complaints about the long eye relief eye piece?

Thanks again,

LWD

Check out ;

www.jarheadtop.com

A highpower teacher, Jim Owens ( a retired Marine gunny Sgt.) sells Kowa and Konus (which I bought and believe is a great buy)

Kowa is the go to scope and Konus is pretty close at 1/3 cost

Hello LWD,
I like the LER lens/25x on my old 77 for obviously you do not have to have your eye up next to the lens itself and and those with glasses appreciate it even more than I do. Hot muggy days and your head up against the scope lens will only serve to "fog" over the lens and that is not a good thing.
Angled body and LER lens permits the prone shooter to do very little movement in order to view the shot placement, spotter on the target face, etc. and helps a great deal in maintaining the natural point of aim while in prone. The new Kowas I do not believe offer the 25x but do offer the 27x and of course cost more these days. As to the power of the lens, more than 25 or so is kind of a waste to me for at long range the super powerful magnification also magnifies the mirage or at least for me it does. It's kind of like velocity for certain cartridges, velocity sells and that mundane cartridge travelling along at some 2700 fps is "old hat." Well, variable, powerful magnification sells also and for me it has little extra value for the dollar spent. Marine shooting teams used old tattered 20x scopes and seemed to do quite well. They are still used and do have the angled body feature.

You can not go wrong with a Kowa.

I have a set of Kowa Highlanders and love them. At a recent long-range handgun shoot i could just barely make out some bullet holes in 1000 yd. targets with the 32X eyepieces.

quote:

www.jarheadtop.com

If you want a great stable scope stand to go with your new scope, check out Owen's web page. He sells a nicely adjustable, stand too.