My son is about to graduate with his master's degree and I am looking at possible graduation gifts.

He is a dedicated target shooter and hunter. Could anyone recommend a quality chronograph and a quality spotting scope and tripod?

Thank you.

Oehler 35. Yes, they are selling them to the public again. Spotting scope... Depends on how much you want to spend and the "duties" it's expected to handle. If it's pretty much range only, look into some of the birding/astronomical scopes that are available. They will save you a fortune and give you superior optics.

Ken....

+1 on the Oehler35. I have one(model 33) I got long ago and it is still working well.
Kowa for the spotting scope.

Swarovski spotters have no equal and are well worth the cost. I hated to spend that kind of $$ but am well satisfied that I did. I have the 65mm model w/ a 25-50 power wide angle lense. I have a $100 Chrony and it has served me well...hard to beat the value of a Chrony. They make several models depending on what you want. I never saw a need for a printer etc but they can be bought with them...I just need to see the velocity.

If you're looking for a high end chronograph there are two which fit the bill.
The aforementioned Oehler 35 and the seldom seen PVM-21.
Both are exceedingly competent.

If you're looking for an inexpensive yet exceedingly good chronograph the Pro Chrono Digital simply has no peer in it's price range. Get the USB Connectivity kit and use your laptop to provide a huge display, add remote control functions, and have various data storage and manipulation functions.
Use the bare bones Pro Chrono Digital and you have a chronograph which is accurate and, unlike other low priced units, very rarely misses a shot.

quote:

Originally posted by Woodrow S:
Swarovski spotters have no equal and are well worth the cost. I hated to spend that kind of $$ but am well satisfied that I did. I have the 65mm model w/ a 25-50 power wide angle lense. I have a $100 Chrony and it has served me well...hard to beat the value of a Chrony. They make several models depending on what you want. I never saw a need for a printer etc but they can be bought with them...I just need to see the velocity.

Though I love Swaro optics, if it's nothing more then a range scope you are looking for they are WAY too pricey. A 3.5 inch short tube ED triplet astronomical scope with a high quality zoom will cost less then half with the tripod and give you 4 times the resolution.

The only reason I bring this up is make sure you are buying the right tool for the job. If you need something that is also rugged you can't go wrong with Swaro if you have the money.

Ken....