Trijicon’s New 20-60x82 HD Spotting Scope

Trijicon’s ever-expanding line of products never fails to impress. One of their latest, the 20-60x82 HD Spotting Scope is perfect for any competitor shooting at long distances. This big, gray battleship of a spotting scope will win many converts through sheer optical performance and rugged durability.

Competitive shooters require a spotting scope that is easy to carry and can take severe punishment from the elements, like an early morning Lake Erie T-storm at Camp Perry during long-range. The HD Spotting Scope has a lightweight solid magnesium body that is nitrogen purged and waterproof. The dry-nitrogen process also prevents the inside lenses from fogging.

I used a BOGO hunting-style tripod loaned to me by NRA Competitive Shooting Director Dennis Willing for my testing during the Palma Championship.

The scope has rubberized armor, which helps to protect the optics inside during active use. I found the rubber also helps make the scope easy to grip wet or dry. Even with all that glass inside, the total weight without caps or case is just a hair under four pounds. The matte gray finish with black trim keeps the glare down, and is as handsome as it is functional.

Focusing was quick and precise at 1000 yards using the sturdy, easy to manipulate dual-focus knobs.

I decided the best place to put the new HD Spotting Scope through its paces would be at the World Long Range Palma Championships, which occur only every four years and happened to be conducted at the tail-end of the NRA High Power Rifle Championships this summer at Camp Perry. I definitely garnered some looks with this beast of a scope when I brought it out to Range 4 during the championships, some commenting on the size and high-quality build.

From the beginning of my field tests, the HD Spotting Scope lived up to its high-definition name. The view is crisp and color rendition is spot-on. This isn’t surprising, since the lenses are manufactured from multi-coated fluoride glass allowing for superior light transmission. The choice in lenses helps facilitate high color fidelity while avoiding chromatic aberration. Trijicon is very serious about their glass.

The picture was clear and crisp, as you can tell even from this quick iPhone shot through the scope’s eyepiece.

At Camp Perry I learned how easy it is to mount the 20-60x82 on a tripod, thanks to the integrated tripod adapter at the base of the spotting scope. I had no problems at all getting the rig out of the truck and out on the range in less than a minute. Tripod mounting is preferred by many competitive shooters since it allows for a more stabilized sight picture. I used a BOGO hunting-style tripod loaned to me by NRA Competitive Shooting Director Dennis Willing for my field test during the Palma Championship.

The eyepiece is interchangeable and Trijicon offers a 25-50x Wide Angle Eyepiece to expand the scope’s range.

The dual-focus knob allows for precise focus clarity with coarse and fine focus knobs. Focusing was quick and precise at 1000 yards. The knobs are very sturdy and easy to manipulate, even with gloved fingers. The eyepiece is interchangeable and Trijicon offers a 25-50x Wide Angle Eyepiece to expand the scope’s range. I had zero fogging problems with the scope during my tests.

Trijicon makes a functional carrying case specifically designed for the Trijicon HD Spotting Scope. I especially liked how even with the case on I had full-functionality of the focus and magnifying knobs. It is made of 500 Denier nylon Cordura fabric and lined with 400 Denier nylon pack cloth. A zipper allows access to the eyepiece, dual-focus knob, tripod foot and there is Velcro access to the objective lens. In addition, something great the Trijicon engineers whipped up is the body indexing feature that allows you to rotate the scope once set up. The angled eyepiece makes it easier to keep position while viewing. The body indexing feature allows for 225° vertical rotation of the spotting scope to move eyepiece position without adjusting the tripod, great for when shooting from the sitting position. The rotating collar has an indexing feature with tactile detents, positioning the scope at various angles.

Trijicon makes a functional carrying case specifically designed for the Trijicon HD Spotting Scope, made of 500 Denier nylon Cordura fabric and lined with 400 Denier nylon pack cloth.

The Trijicon 20-60x82 HD Spotting Scope has an MSRP of $1899.