One other suggestion is to go to your local cabela’s or bass pro and look through different spotting scopes.
One other suggestion is to go to your local cabela’s or bass pro and look through different spotting scopes.
My shooting partner has that Vortex Diamondback spotting scope and it seems to work well for hits on painted steel to 1000 yards.
OP,
I'd recommend going to an HP match and talk with the attendees. You're very likely to find optics there from bargain basement up to the best that can be had. The majority of folks are usually courteous enough to let you "peep" through their glass between relays. There's plenty of knowledge to be gleaned if you're patient.
Best of Luck,
Keith
P.S. I went with a Kowa 883 after the first season. The folks in the link below are first rate all the way in my dealings with them. The 883 is a budget-buster for sure but there's a lot more to see than projectile strikes in some of the games that we play. There are definitely less expensive choices to start with though, no need to blow it out with your first purchase.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...led_88_mm.html
I found the low-end Konus model to be a really solid value in your price range.
https://www.amazon.com/KONUS-7120-20.../dp/B001DX7Q8W
The tripod it comes with is total garbage though. Plan on spending another $100 for a good one.