I picked up a new Leupold Ventana 15-45x60mm spotting scope kit and a new sand bag this week.
I bought both at Sportsman's Warehouse & I overpaid a trifle (about $350 for the kit & $60 for the bag, +tax) but I got what I needed.
The Leupold Ventana is far from Leupold's most expensive but it's a real Leupold with the Gold Ring warranty. It is heavily rubber armored, and the adjustments are very smooth and precise. The feel is incredible when you focus it. I liked the retractable sunshade and eyepiece, and focusing was always clear and effortless. It comes in a nice fitted locking case with extra room, snap-on lens caps, carry bag, padded strap and a tabletop tripod.
I loved everything about this kit except the small tripod, which was Chinese-made and about half plastic. For all of that it worked OK, and will be fine for a small camera. But the Leupold immediately went on my professional Bogen tripod, which is as appropriate to the quality of a Leupold, as the Chinese tripod wasn't.
(Here it is at the range. Sorry about the crappy cell-phone photos.)
Wow! After using Vortex, Nikon, Weaver, Tasco, & Bushnell I can only say, they may be nice scopes, but if you can afford a Leupold Gold Ring do not talk yourself into a lesser scope. My next rifle scope will unquestionably be a Leupold.
But the bag....
Since I first saw one, I wanted an x-style tack driver bag to shoot off of at the range.
I used this one for about 6 rounds Sunday and the thing is a disappointment. It was nicer to shoot from than my old bags, but that's it.
First, not only is the leather not leather, it isn't even good plastic. This appears to be cheap leftover upholstery from the cheapest Chinese car made. Anyhow it burned off the bag like a dry leaf, and the only cheerful thing was that it didn't leave burnt plastic goo on my barrels. Amazingly the plastic burned, but didn't stick. Later the burned bits just flaked off the thin cloth backing when I lifted the bag.
My other criticism is the stitching. The cloth-to-cloth stitching is all A-OK, but the stitching from cloth to the "leatherette" is to coarse. This bag appears to be filled with plastic "sawdust", and the particles are much smaller than shot or beans, and it's actually leaking out between the coarse stitches, at the single-stitched & un-sealed seams.
I'll use it for now. I'll glue some leather over the plastic and maybe glue the seams so the bits stay in; but I am not at all proud to own this bag.
I bought both at Sportsman's Warehouse & I overpaid a trifle (about $350 for the kit & $60 for the bag, +tax) but I got what I needed.
The Leupold Ventana is far from Leupold's most expensive but it's a real Leupold with the Gold Ring warranty. It is heavily rubber armored, and the adjustments are very smooth and precise. The feel is incredible when you focus it. I liked the retractable sunshade and eyepiece, and focusing was always clear and effortless. It comes in a nice fitted locking case with extra room, snap-on lens caps, carry bag, padded strap and a tabletop tripod.
I loved everything about this kit except the small tripod, which was Chinese-made and about half plastic. For all of that it worked OK, and will be fine for a small camera. But the Leupold immediately went on my professional Bogen tripod, which is as appropriate to the quality of a Leupold, as the Chinese tripod wasn't.
(Here it is at the range. Sorry about the crappy cell-phone photos.)
Wow! After using Vortex, Nikon, Weaver, Tasco, & Bushnell I can only say, they may be nice scopes, but if you can afford a Leupold Gold Ring do not talk yourself into a lesser scope. My next rifle scope will unquestionably be a Leupold.
But the bag....
Since I first saw one, I wanted an x-style tack driver bag to shoot off of at the range.
I used this one for about 6 rounds Sunday and the thing is a disappointment. It was nicer to shoot from than my old bags, but that's it.
First, not only is the leather not leather, it isn't even good plastic. This appears to be cheap leftover upholstery from the cheapest Chinese car made. Anyhow it burned off the bag like a dry leaf, and the only cheerful thing was that it didn't leave burnt plastic goo on my barrels. Amazingly the plastic burned, but didn't stick. Later the burned bits just flaked off the thin cloth backing when I lifted the bag.
My other criticism is the stitching. The cloth-to-cloth stitching is all A-OK, but the stitching from cloth to the "leatherette" is to coarse. This bag appears to be filled with plastic "sawdust", and the particles are much smaller than shot or beans, and it's actually leaking out between the coarse stitches, at the single-stitched & un-sealed seams.
I'll use it for now. I'll glue some leather over the plastic and maybe glue the seams so the bits stay in; but I am not at all proud to own this bag.
