Konus 7120 or 7122?

[AZRedhawk44]

Time to buy a spotting scope for High Power.  Been either getting by without (using some Leupold 10x50 binocs I have) or borrowing from folks.  Just bought the Creedmoor coat, next up is the scope and stand.

The Konus 7122 is a well-reputed 20-60x100mm scope, running about $330 most online vendors.  There are a bare handful of complaints I can find where it seems folks get a bad egg, but warranty replacement seems to make them every bit as happy as folks who get it right the first time.  Often compared to Kowa or Nikon offerings from $600 to $1000.

I'm just about ready to get a 7122, but I'm a bit worried about its size.  That seems to be the only legitimate complaint that happy owners have.  It's a 5 pound scope.  When mounted high on a scope stand, it's gonna wobble on a windy day.  Also, the case it comes with... sucks.  No padding.  And there are no aftermarket cases for a scope of this size.

The 7120 is a 20-60x80mm scope by Konus, and $110 less in most places, at $220.  I start to have reservations when I get down into this price point.  It's just a short hop/skip away from BSA, NcStar and other such products.  However, it's Konus and they don't have a crap-level product to even attempt to compete with the $100-ish scopes, so I am giving it consideration due to the reputation of the 7122... and because it is a smaller and lighter product.

My requirements:
-bright enough to see .22 caliber holes in the black at 200 yards.
-need to see a large scoring disc for 500/600/1000 yard slowfire.
-need to read the wind mirage at those distances.

It'd be nice if the scope was of a convenient weight for trips into the back country to serve for spotting purposes while hunting... but I've got my Leupold binocs that are perfectly fine for that already.

I don't relish the idea of spending more than $500 combined between the scope and the stand.  Most HP folks are aghast at the notion of spending less than $500 on just the scope in the first place... but I can't afford a $1000 optics rig unless I'm not going to shoot at all for 6 months or so.  The 7122 is heavy and fragile enough that it merits one of the higher end stands like those offered by Giraud.  The 7120 is much lighter and I can get away with a lighter duty stand like this one (http://www.jarheadtop.com/Stand_Pictures.htm) or a Freeland-style bipod stand.

If anyone here has a Konus 7120 and uses it at High Power matches, I'd dearly love to hear their thoughts.  Or the ability of the lighter-duty stands to hold a heavier scope like the 7122 (or the folly in such an assumption).

[French G.]

I await your review. I too am a scope borrowing parasite. I got to use someone's Kowa 100mm at 600 yards, No problem seeing 1" hole markers and a quite fine view of the mirage travelling in when scoring.

I got to watch someone with a borrowed Swarovski spotting scope in use on the 50yd pistol line. The 25 mph breeze tossed it off the bench and on the ground concrete. As proof of his level-headedness the owner did not disembowel the young fellow. Same owner and borrower, Les Baer 1911, rear sight falls off, same match. Bad day for the gear owner. Slowfire in a sustained breeze like that is awesome. or not.

[AZRedhawk44]

Two matches back, I was loaned an absolute POS made by Burris... I think it was a 50mm objective, weak magnification, straight eyepiece, wretched eye relief, and about as bright as looking through a brown beer bottle filled with pond scum.  And I was still able to read the 500 yard scoring disks with it, though my neck wasn't happy with me afterwards due to the straight eyepiece.

I doubt the 80mm Konus will be anything like that... but I'd like to hear from someone if at all possible.


Also, I'd really rather get the 100mm, but I'm worried about its fragility/mass when mounted 5 feet off the ground for standing position shooting.  Can I put a stack of 2.5 pound or 5 pound weights around the shaft of the scope stand, down low, and better protect it from wind or the accidental bump?

[brimic]

Can I put a stack of 2.5 pound or 5 pound weights around the shaft of the scope stand, down low, and better protect it from wind or the accidental bump?

I'd use a bigger single weight so that you can still get the scope low enough for prone.

[French G.]

So far the best defense seems to be stomping the center post down into the earth. Might be a problem with you in the southwest, do you even have movable dirt out there? 

[MechAg94]

I've got a 100mm Konus that might be the one you are talking about.  It is clear as a bell and is great for looking at the targets down range.  I haven't worked with it much at 200 yards, but it is light years better than the cheap ones I have used before. 

It is BIG.  I didn't quite realize how big when I ordered it.  But other than being a bit of a monster and mildly embarrassed at pulling out this huge spotting scope at the range, it works well.  Using a full size tripod is a lot better than setting it on the table.  I thought I spent a decent amount on a tripod.  It is still all plastic, but seems to work about as well as any cheaper tripod.  I haven't noticed any issues with wind.  If you get a decent tripod, that should help a lot.  If you are not on concrete, maybe a heavier metal tripod or some tent stakes that can clamp over the feet would help.

Another option:  I saw a tripod used for surveying the other day.  If you can get you hands on one of them and make the mounting work, they have points at the feet to dig into the ground.