My ... very ... limited experience with variable eyepieces is that they lack field of view and ultimate resolution, brightness... all around 'optical quality'.

db wrote on Nov 15^th, 2024 at 9:31pm:

Thanks for finding thar but that only fits the 60mm Kowa.

I’ve had limited experience with red filters on some of my bigger camera lenses and all of my underwater cameras. No expert so don’t try to drag me into deep water on this subject but light is transmitted in different wave lengths and red filters transmit the longest of all light waves which accentuates your target or capture. 

As I recall it’s all about contrast which I believe sums up bullet holes on a target background. A cheap red camera filter held over the objective lens may just yield the answer. Somebody mentioned placing the filter over the ocular or eyepiece and I may be wrong but filters usually are used on the Objective Lens. Worth a try

Rick

Fluoride lens really make a big difference. I have a Kowa 82 fluoride 20-60 and it does very well on 22 holes. Including on black but depends on the light with Black. I have a Leica non fluoride and not as good. Also a Vortex Gen 1 Razor 85 Fluoride 20-60 does pretty well but eye relief isn’t as good as other two. Red filter on eye piece end is used for red targets, basically removes the red target center ( looks white) and leave hole, works well. Fluoride big objective does much better. Also your stand is a big part. Vibration is the killer of clarity.

Funny you should brign that up. I bought a Nikon 78 when I first started shooting bpcr over 20 years ago. I thought it was a great scope but I couldn't use the short eye relief at that time when spotting for myself. I then bought the Kowa 77 because that's what everybody else had. When I compared it to my Nikon, I thought it was better but had no real way of knowing. Kept the Kowa because I needed the extended eye relief and ended up selling my Nikon. Never thought of looking at 22 holes back then because I wasn't shooting that type of event.

Thing that makes distance spotting more difficult is the air. You are looking through a bowl of soup, sometimes it’s thin soup other times thick. No scope can compensate for air conditions & there is no linkage air difficulty resolution to distance. 

Various coatings can help with sunlight difficulties & some ranges it’s a major factor. Our club 600 yard range wide open no shadows, and it’s oriented exactly north to south. Sun is always on your left morning right afternoon overhead mid day. It’s more overhead summertime more in front winter makes little difference. Most scopes spot it well 

Out Smallbore range is true west behind the shooter to east were the targets are hung, heavily wooded close either side. Morning sun difficult noon sun mottled through the trees wintertime even harder, better afternoon when it’s behind the shooter. Better scopes are an advantage. 

Few things  I believe can’t prove.  No substitute for large objective lens, bigger is better. Shorter scopes don’t resolve as well as long. Variable degrades resolution & solid mount is essential

Boats

boats wrote on Nov 20^th, 2024 at 9:10am:


Boats hit the nail on the head when he wrote that the air between the scope and the bullet hole is a big part of the problem.  Our range is right on the coast, only a few hundred yards from the ocean, so you can add fog to the mix.  Often, the air is very soupy.  Often we say "is it a good day for 200?"  And often the answer is "no".