Do you generally prefer using a laser range finder, or doing the math in the scope to find range?
I was looking at laser range finders and noticed a number of things, first good ones, meaning ones not geared towards hunters that rarely shoot beyond 300 yards, are stupid expensive. Second, that even the good ones kind of suck when you realize that their quoted maximum range is based on a reflective target under ideal conditions and that the actual maximum range is maybe half of that. Third, most are comparatively low powered magnification and aiming precisely with one can be challenging and at long range can easily give ridiculously incorrect readings because it ranges off of the wrong thing. Fourth, even if you aim it perfectly the range finder itself tends to give inaccurate measurements because at very long range multiple targets are actually reflecting back to it and it takes a best guess which one you are actually aiming at. Fifth, even the expensive ones tend to have issues of not being weather proof. But when they do work they are simple and precise.
Scopes have none of those issues, but take more time and require you to manually do math and be reasonably good at estimation.
So what method do you do and why?
I was looking at laser range finders and noticed a number of things, first good ones, meaning ones not geared towards hunters that rarely shoot beyond 300 yards, are stupid expensive. Second, that even the good ones kind of suck when you realize that their quoted maximum range is based on a reflective target under ideal conditions and that the actual maximum range is maybe half of that. Third, most are comparatively low powered magnification and aiming precisely with one can be challenging and at long range can easily give ridiculously incorrect readings because it ranges off of the wrong thing. Fourth, even if you aim it perfectly the range finder itself tends to give inaccurate measurements because at very long range multiple targets are actually reflecting back to it and it takes a best guess which one you are actually aiming at. Fifth, even the expensive ones tend to have issues of not being weather proof. But when they do work they are simple and precise.
Scopes have none of those issues, but take more time and require you to manually do math and be reasonably good at estimation.
So what method do you do and why?
