All around hunting/shooting range finder.

flyfisher117

flyfisher117

Professional Milk Jug Hunter
Full Member
Minuteman
Sep 25, 2010
753
376
Idaho
#1
Just looking for input but how important is it to get an $800 range finder? Do the high end ones really, truthfully do something that a cheaper one doesnt? While I try to buy the best scopes/binos I can afford, I cant afford the "best" I just want the "best for my money and intended uses." When college is over I can upgrade.

I am wanting to get a range finder that I can use for archery and rifle hunting. But more importantly I want one that I can use for shooting. I am still learning longer range shooting (sub 400 yards), my problem is that where I shoot I dont know my exact yardage. I dont have a nice range with berms set out every 100 yards. I live in the mountains of Idaho so a lot of my shooting is done on closed off logging roads or in some cases its me setting up a target on a far hill side and using the log landings as a shooting pad. I try to step off my distance as best I can but when you have to cross a near vertical ravine it gets tough.

I dont want to set a budget yet, There is no way I can afford an $800 Leica, but I would like to stay in the $300-$400 range. If for $500 I can get a stellar finder then I dont mind spending it, but $300-$400 is where I want to stay. I would like a range finder that will do at least 300-500 yards, but if I can get a decent one that will do more than that is great. I am not worried about the whole "bow hunter angle technology" that a lot of them have, I dont hunt from tree stands and in all honesty it will only be used hunting 30-40% of the time, so again if one comes with it then cool, but its not a need.

I was noticing Leupold makes their RX600,800, or 1000i models. Price falls into the $230-$400 point. My biggest curiosity is their accuracy, I havent heard much about them and cant find any good reviews.

Vortex I noticed made one

Just looking for oppinions on what works and what doesnt.
 
#2
FF, as a hunter the most important feature/function is rapid and effective ranging on soft targets at advertised ranges.

Many lower end LRF's claim 800 1000 or more, but this is on hard reflective targets. Leica states their LRF's will range soft targets at 75% of max range. Having owned a CRF1000, I can attest this statement is true.

For me all the gimmics, ballistic junk is not needed, that Is why I spend all summer working dope. I want fast, non-obtrusive numbers to display in a superior optic. Leica does just that. The CRF will do what you need for the ranges you stated and are on sale at Euro-optic. Leica Binoculars - Leica Rangefinder - Leica Scopes for sale - EuroOptic.com

The Leica, Zeiss, Swaro also retain a great amount of value, so if you decide to upgrade down the line you can sell it and get a large portion of your investment back. That can not be said about many of the domestic brands.
 
#4
roggom said:
FF, as a hunter the most important feature/function is rapid and effective ranging on soft targets at advertised ranges.

Many lower end LRF's claim 800 1000 or more, but this is on hard reflective targets. Leica states their LRF's will range soft targets at 75% of max range. Having owned a CRF1000, I can attest this statement is true.

For me all the gimmics, ballistic junk is not needed, that Is why I spend all summer working dope. I want fast, non-obtrusive numbers to display in a superior optic. Leica does just that. The CRF will do what you need for the ranges you stated and are on sale at Euro-optic. Leica Binoculars - Leica Rangefinder - Leica Scopes for sale - EuroOptic.com

The Leica, Zeiss, Swaro also retain a great amount of value, so if you decide to upgrade down the line you can sell it and get a large portion of your investment back. That can not be said about many of the domestic brands.
Click to expand...

+1 for Leica. Used it for about 2 years now.
 
#5
Soft is something that would not be a perpendicular surface, of a size not in relation to the yardage being ranged (a 3ft target at 100yds) or dense like hair, dirt or wood.
Reflective is just that, leaves on a tree with a high resin (buckbrush), a target painted white, or tin on a shed.
There is also something to mention. Sunlight plays a role in whether the laser is muddled or strong, dusk or dawn has a greater possibility for positive results.
 
#6
A few thoughts in no particular order:

Lasers ping hard reflective targets differently than soft targets like deer, or shrubs.

Consider what the maximum effective hunting range is for you, your rifle and your ammo. That range dicates how good your laser is. If you'll only engage critters out to 400 yards, you'll only need a laser that can reliably ping soft targets out to 400 yards.

For target shooting where YOU set up the target, you can just put a couple bicycle reflectors (or similar) by your target which will make a "so-so" laser work NICE. That same laser that will ping a deer at 400 will probably be able to ping a reflector at 750-800 yards.

A budget of ~$400 or so should get you a Leica 1000.

My experience with the Leicas is they'll ping deer, dirt piles and trees at about 2/3 their rated range. They'll hit stop signs or similar out to ~110% of their rated range.
 
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#7
Huge fan of my Leica CRF1200. Great glass and quick ranging. I've ranged black cattle out to 1000 yrds with it no problem in poor weather conditions (fog and light rain).
I'm also not big into the internal ballistics calculators that some range finders come with....I find they are more trouble than they are worth and add more time to the ranging process.
 
#8
For the money you can not beat the Leica. I have used others for archery which is fine but for deer or coyotes at the 350-400+ range you really want the higher end rangefinder. I have a relative who has an older Leica that is light years ahead of my domestic 600 yd rifle rangefinder
 
#9
For the OP's shooting/hunting needs, I'd sure go with the Leica 1600B for all of the reasons posted. It has the smallest divergence beam of any of the LRfs mentioned, which means it will hit smaller objects and not be fooled by intervening brush or rocks. However the OP also mentioned needing a range finder for archery. I'm not sure that the higher end LRFs will range well at distances less than 100 yards. Hence he may be needing a different RF for that purpose.
Skip
 
#10
Unless there is a trick to finding Leica's for less they are sitting a little outside of my price range. They are starting at about $600. Cheapest they make is their "pin master" but its made more for the golfing crowd.
That being said, maybe it would be better for me to get a nice but inexpensive archery range finder for now and save up for a nicer one. After reading up on the Leupold RX-1000i it sounds both good and bad. It sounds like it has a nice archery "mode" and after reading/watching a bit about it it sounds like it will range deer out to about 500 yards. But it also sounds like it has a lot of other modes, functions that would be unnecessary. Some being just plain annoying, I dont really want to be sitting on stand and pushing the mode button getting it to work.

Yes, it will be used for archery, not a whole lot, I am not a major archery hunter but it will get used a fair bit. It will also get used on the 3D range a lot.
Rifle hunting It will be used on deer/elk sized game out to 400 yards very max. Doubt it would get used on coyote sized game, but it may come in handy for ranging signs on fence posts when whistle pig hunting.
 
#12
I've got a nikon (monarch I think) range finder that's pretty good. It's supposed to be accurate out to 1200 +/- 3 yards or something. I've used it to 700ish on a steel target and it was correct. Trying to ping off the dirt and rocks around it gave me about a 15-20 yards variance though. If I recall correctly I paid about 300 from midway a couple years ago. Just did a quick price check and they were about 450. For what I paid it's been good though.
 
#14
Binos are way to spendy. $1,000 for the bottom of the barrel range finding binos and $2000+ for the high end ones.

Maybe I should I just get an archery dedicated finder for now, use it, and get something nice later on. I dont really want to get something iffy that doesnt do well with archery and doesnt really do well with my shooting plans. Get one that I can afford and will excel in one field.

Heres the kicker now.

The Leupold Rx1000i TBR says 1000 yards for reflective and advertises 600 yards for game animals. It has angle compensation, and a dedicated archery or long range mode. 6x magnification. Minimum range is around 10 yards. Sells for $400

Leupold Full Draw (more bow hunter dedicated.) Claims 800 yards reflective, 600 non reflective, angle compensation, 5x magnification, minimum range around 6 yards. Sells for about $320.

Nikon Archers Choice, 100 yard max range (cousin has one and we were getting measurements out to 150 yards off of the tractor in the field. Angle compensation, 6x magnification, cant find a minimum range. Sells for $250

All 3 look pretty equal, what would you chose? I would prefer one of the Leupolds, I like Leupold and have been a little dissapointed with my Nikon rifle scope. Leupold 1000 sounds like a better choice, but I dont know how it would work at close range (have to go to a store and try it out.) Leupold full draw sounds OK but I cant believe they would make an archery range finder that trully works out too 500-600 yards. Nikon, 100 yards is not much, I know it will work for archery but it is pretty well a dedicated archery finder.
 
#15
FF: You don't need a high dollar range finder for archery at less than 100 yards. Get the cheapest one you can find and save up to buy a good one for hunting and rifle targets.
Skip
 
#17
I use a Bushnell bowhunter Chuck Adams for archery, It is $200. And for long range rifle hunting and shooting I bought a Vectronix Terripin, $2,000(I have ranged elk at 2,953 yards). For bow hunting you can get by with a cheap one but when you are ranging animals out at a distance you can't beat the Leica 1600 or 1200 for the price.

Mike
 
#18
I have a Bushnell 1500 Elite and for what I have needed it, it works awesome.
The Leica 1600 works better though; at a range a guy showed me up with his haha. My Bushnell was having a hard time ranging a target at nearly 1100yds while the Leica was having less problems getting it done but they both came within 4 yards of eachother when we both finally got a range on it.
I only paid $280 (hardly used).
 
#19
Cvarney said:
I've got a nikon (monarch I think) range finder that's pretty good. It's supposed to be accurate out to 1200 +/- 3 yards or something. I've used it to 700ish on a steel target and it was correct. Trying to ping off the dirt and rocks around it gave me about a 15-20 yards variance though. If I recall correctly I paid about 300 from midway a couple years ago. Just did a quick price check and they were about 450. For what I paid it's been good though.
Click to expand...

+2 I've ranged out to 900+ off 4x8 plywood sheets. On soft it's good to about 800 in lower light.
 
#20
For archery save the money and grab a RXII (I Think) It has the ballistic crap and other functions that are useless, but the rangefinder itself works great. I use it strictly for archery work, and have never had it malfunction. I finally put a battery in it last bow season for the first time in 5 years. I have taken it to hell and back hanging from my safety harness and it has stood the test of time. I would highly recommend picking up a "cheaper" LRF for archery and saving for a good LRF for long range work.
 
#21
#22
redhooker said:
Is anybody using the Bushnell Elite 1600?
Bushnell Elite 1600 ARC 7x26 Black Laser Rangefinder FREE S&H 205110. Bushnell Range Finders.

I am curious if it is a decent product, I have searched here and around the web a few times and info is scarce. I have been pleasantly surprised by their new elite scope line and was wondering what the verdict was on these LRFs. The price point seems good as I have found them for $499.
Click to expand...

They are a decent unit for inside 1000 yards on game size targets but after that they really need a big target to get a reading. I had one but sold it and got a Vectronix PLRF as I was tired of the Bushnell falling short past 1000 yards.
 
#23
The very best thing(if allowed where you live) for bow hunting is the Leupold vendetta. It is a dedicated bow range finder but hands down way better than having a separate piece of equipment that requires you to range, put it down, pick up and draw your bow and fire.

I've done it both ways and would never use anything but the vendetta for bow hunting. Raise the bow and draw, hold the button, read the range and put the correct pin on the target, game over.

It has inclination compensation which makes treestand use a no brainer

$218 on ebay new free shipping. Then get a cheap handheld for other activities until you can get a better handheld.

Leupold rx600i new on ebay for $200
 
Last edited:
#25
varmint slayer said:
They are a decent unit for inside 1000 yards on game size targets but after that they really need a big target to get a reading. I had one but sold it and got a Vectronix PLRF as I was tired of the Bushnell falling short past 1000 yards.
Click to expand...

I was curious how it would compare to the leica, not a vectronix. 90% of the time my needs are well under 1k, stretching out that far would be more of an event than a regular occurrence :) The bushy is selling for $300 less
 
#26
For inside 1000 yards the Bushnell is not a bad unit really. If I was going to stay within 1000 yards then I would have stayed with the Bushnell but I regularly shoot 1K plus and even 2K plus so the Bushnell had to go.
 
#27
I currently own the following:
Swarovski 8X30 dedicated rangefinder
Swarovski EL Rangefinder binoculars
Leica Rangemaster 1000
Newcon 3000
Vectronix Terrapin

If you are looking for a great hunting/general shooting rangefinder you will be hard pressed to beat the Leica’s. Don’t get me wrong, they don’t range the furthest; however, they are small enough to fit in a shirt pocket & super hand to carry when hunting. I think if you shop around you could find a used pair of Leica’s close to the price range that you are looking to be in.

Better to save your money and buy what works best for you and your situation the first go around; otherwise you end up owning 2 Swarovski’s, a Leica, a Newcon, and a Vectronix
 
#28
jdr724 said:
The very best thing(if allowed where you live) for bow hunting is the Leupold vendetta. It is a dedicated bow range finder but hands down way better than having a separate piece of equipment that requires you to range, put it down, pick up and draw your bow and fire.

I've done it both ways and would never use anything but the vendetta for bow hunting. Raise the bow and draw, hold the button, read the range and put the correct pin on the target, game over.

It has inclination compensation which makes treestand use a no brainer

$218 on ebay new free shipping. Then get a cheap handheld for other activities until you can get a better handheld.

Leupold rx600i new on ebay for $200
Click to expand...

I wanted the Vendetta but Idaho doesnt allow anything electronic on bows. =[ I cant even put my go pro on it.
 
#29
flyfisher117 said:
Just looking for input but how important is it to get an $800 range finder? Do the high end ones really, truthfully do something that a cheaper one doesnt? While I try to buy the best scopes/binos I can afford, I cant afford the "best" I just want the "best for my money and intended uses." When college is over I can upgrade.

I am wanting to get a range finder that I can use for archery and rifle hunting. But more importantly I want one that I can use for shooting. I am still learning longer range shooting (sub 400 yards), my problem is that where I shoot I dont know my exact yardage. I dont have a nice range with berms set out every 100 yards. I live in the mountains of Idaho so a lot of my shooting is done on closed off logging roads or in some cases its me setting up a target on a far hill side and using the log landings as a shooting pad. I try to step off my distance as best I can but when you have to cross a near vertical ravine it gets tough.

I dont want to set a budget yet, There is no way I can afford an $800 Leica, but I would like to stay in the $300-$400 range. If for $500 I can get a stellar finder then I dont mind spending it, but $300-$400 is where I want to stay. I would like a range finder that will do at least 300-500 yards, but if I can get a decent one that will do more than that is great. I am not worried about the whole "bow hunter angle technology" that a lot of them have, I dont hunt from tree stands and in all honesty it will only be used hunting 30-40% of the time, so again if one comes with it then cool, but its not a need.

I was noticing Leupold makes their RX600,800, or 1000i models. Price falls into the $230-$400 point. My biggest curiosity is their accuracy, I havent heard much about them and cant find any good reviews.

Vortex I noticed made one

Just looking for oppinions on what works and what doesnt.
Click to expand...

I went with the Bushnell G-Force 1300 arc and with Bushnells ballistic program set up by Sierra it very accurite and fast to I just ranged something at 660yds in very bright sunlight and it said come up 16.2 moa and at that distance it was within .12moa which is beyoned 99.9% of most shooters and you will Get it for under $400 and its all metal construction it will range trees out past 1357yds, I'm sure this will put meat on your table and a smile on ya Dial,

good luck John
 
#30
I use the Bushnell elite1600 arc, and I love it. Hell of a rangefinder for the money. I have ranged out to 1k on fairly small items with no problem. I have yet to get it out further, but I'm saying that you would definitely need a tripod for any chance of ranging.
 
#31
flyfisher117 said:
Binos are way to spendy. $1,000 for the bottom of the barrel range finding binos and $2000+ for the high end ones.

Maybe I should I just get an archery dedicated finder for now, use it, and get something nice later on. I dont really want to get something iffy that doesnt do well with archery and doesnt really do well with my shooting plans. Get one that I can afford and will excel in one field.

Heres the kicker now.

The Leupold Rx1000i TBR says 1000 yards for reflective and advertises 600 yards for game animals. It has angle compensation, and a dedicated archery or long range mode. 6x magnification. Minimum range is around 10 yards. Sells for $400

Leupold Full Draw (more bow hunter dedicated.) Claims 800 yards reflective, 600 non reflective, angle compensation, 5x magnification, minimum range around 6 yards. Sells for about $320.

Nikon Archers Choice, 100 yard max range (cousin has one and we were getting measurements out to 150 yards off of the tractor in the field. Angle compensation, 6x magnification, cant find a minimum range. Sells for $250

All 3 look pretty equal, what would you chose? I would prefer one of the Leupolds, I like Leupold and have been a little dissapointed with my Nikon rifle scope. Leupold 1000 sounds like a better choice, but I dont know how it would work at close range (have to go to a store and try it out.) Leupold full draw sounds OK but I cant believe they would make an archery range finder that trully works out too 500-600 yards. Nikon, 100 yards is not much, I know it will work for archery but it is pretty well a dedicated archery finder.
Click to expand...

Get the Bushnell rangefinging binoculars. The new model is out now (the Mile) and the original one is widely available at about $600.
 
#32
i have the bushnell elite 1600 arc (not the bino), and it has been great for a couple of years now. i haven't ever really had the need to range anything much past 1000 in the real world, but it has hit a metal building consistently at 1835 on different days in differing weather conditions. battery life has been great. always comes on, and ranges consistently. i am thinking it was a tad over $400 when i got it (i waited for one of midway's email "coupon" deals). i am sure there are better rangefinders out there, but it was affordable, and has done everything i have ever needed it to.
 
#33
my only advice is dont get a leupold. i had one a while back and ended up selling it to a bow hunter, then picked up a zeiss prf that was a floor model demo for a little over $400. im WAY happier with it and it was only about a $100 more then i paid for the leupy.
 
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