Kowa 77mm or 55mm?

[murf45]

I’m looking for a great all around spotting scope and looking hard at the Kowa 55mm & 77mm spotting scope. I will be primarily using it for mule deer hunting in the west. I do a lot of backpack hunting anywhere from .5-6 miles in the backcountry. I’m curious if anyone has put time behind these spotters?
I’m generally using my spotter to get a better look at an animal I’ve found through my bino’s not scanning with my spotter all day. Would the 55mm be the better bet at 1.75 lbs or would I be wanting the extra glass/zoom with the 77mm at 3.75lbs? Anyone with experience with these scopes feel free to chime in. I plan to buy one of these scopes in the near future.

 

[Schaaf]

Can’t speak for the 55, but my 77 Kowa is the nicest piece of glass I’ve looked through. I have carried it 12 miles into wilderness areas before and didn’t even think twice about wanting something else.

 

[mntnguide]

My 77 kowa doesn't leave my pack. Ive considered picking up the 55 for hunting season just to lighten the load, but for the highcountry mule deer hunting i do, i need the extra zoom of the 77 to save my legs lots of miles when it comes to looking at bucks at a far distance. If i was primarily elk hunting, id probably just pack the 55, but for deer I'll take the 77 every time. Also best glass ive used

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[HighVoltageHunter]

Depends on the terrain and distance. We used my Kowa 553 earlier this year on a fishing/scouting (mule deer) trip in the Sierras. We had set up in a meadow @ 8k and were glassing up deer about 1,000-1,500 yrds above us, in knee high sage, with our bino’s and then used the the little spotter to get a better look.

I was able to identify buck or doe very easily as the image was very clear out to 45x.
However, it took some fine tuning to get it in it’s sharpest focus @ 45x, which is where the dual focus knob came in handy.
I think you could also count points at that distance which is something I couldn’t do with the 30x magnification of my Vortex 50mm.

There is a noticeable difference in FOV between my Swaro 65 & the Kowa 55 but it doesn’t bother me because I just use my spotter for a closer look. And, obviously you are not going to get the light gathering capabilities of a larger objective lense spotter. But this spotter performed pretty darn well for me at morning light before the sun hit the ridge.

IMO, if you are looking to glass out beyond a mile and want to be able to easily count points, you should probably get the Kowa 77.
For me, (at this point) the little Kowa fits my hunting style & set up perfectly and fits right in my guide lid. I run 10x42 bino’s and will run the compact spotter with them this year. With the weight savings my 65mm Swaro will most likely stay at home (not selling my Swaro) this year.

I usually don’t have deer just standing out in the open for me. In less than ideal situations (most) I am glassing behind and through thick brush and trees. With what I feel is my effective range (with my bino’s) to see a body part or slight movement behind those objects, the Kowa 55 should be sufficient to reach out/through and give me the look that I need. And with the quality and clarity of the glass the deer pop out very especially while they are out feeding in shorter brush on the ridges.

 

[mtnrunner260]

I just got the 77 a couple weeks ago as an upgrade from a 60mm vortex.
If you are planning to use the scope at distance, first and last light, trophy judging I would get the 77.
If you just want to confirm a deer has antlers or not when the binos dont do it the 55 should be enough.

 

[murf45]

Thanks for the reply’s. I’m thinking I’ll be going for the 77mm Kowa. Where did you guys buy your kowa’s?


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[mtnrunner260]

Doug at cameralandny cant be beat

 

[mthillrunner]

Agree with above, I purchased the Kowa 664 last week with a tripod. His price couldn’t be close to beat & he was great to do business with.

 

[murf45]

Thank you for the info. I’ll be heading to cameraland.


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[Rhansen]

I think the 77 with the TE-11wz is hard to beat. I’ve looked through all 3 and ended up with the 88, but it’s a beast to pack lol. I’m
A fan of bigger optics though.

Also the guys over at S&S archery hunt and have spent a bunch of time behind the Kowas, so it might be with giving them a call.

 

[gr8fuldoug]

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