Which range finder to purchase?

[rjohns94]

I bow hunt and I have never used a range finder. I"m wondering which would you recommend for bow hunting and rifle hunting too.

[madman4570]

Mike,
got to say have never been a Bushnell fan since years back having a 4X12 Bushnell scope on my .300 Win Mag,and shooting some fairly stout loads and having the crosshairs just disintegrate right before my eyes while looking through it.???????

But that Bushnell Arc 1000 looks pretty tempting! Like it's features for the bucks.
Since they were on the ground floor developing em for hunting and the features of switching between Gun/Bow Mode giving (actual distance/ARC aiming distance for Bow) and (actual distance/trajectory aiming distance with caliber/cartridge selection for gun)
Pretty cool stuff in one unit.
Also it wont be stuck on any .300 Win mag either.

[Old Ironsights]

If you mostly Bow Hunt, save your $$$ and stay with one that "only" goes out to 400yds or so. I picked up a used Bushnell for next to nothing because it wouldn't range to 1000+

As a matter of fact, I have a couple MECHANICAL/Optical Range finders (no batteries) that are good out to 1000 (+/- a few yards) but they are (unfortunately) collectors Items and hoarded/cherished by Survivalists.

[wilko]

When i scout an area and set up a stand, i first "measure" distances to trees, rocks etc.... this way i know how far a shot will be when i sit in my stand..

I hate bringing "stuff" with me when i hunt.... i am however not a very successful bow hunter so take it for what it is worth

[BobM]

I handled the newer Bushnell that combines binos and an LRF. It looked pretty good and ranged well over 1000 yards. It's been getting good reviews elsewhere on the internet.

[86er]

You know I've used them all. Leupold RX-1000 with TBR and DNA. It has a bow mode with 3 arrow velocities to choose from and 6 rifle trajectories. Gives the Shoots Like distance with one push of the button. You can also get angle degrees, actual distance and line of sight distance, and other info. It has the best glass and magnification clarity and outstanding LED technology.

[mav]

I've been thinking about getting a rangefinder myself. I'm considering getting this one.



I've heard some good reviews within it's price range.

[damienph]

My vintage 1998 Bushnell Yardage Pro 400 has been a good one but it is HUGE. I bought a newer Bushnell (smaller) one, can't remember the model but it wouldn't always give consistant readings at known distances. Took it back and got a little Nikon, around $200, the only Nikon model that our regional WalMart sells (we don't have a "local" WalMart). I am very happy with it and even bought a few for work so that we can measure powerline span distances.

My Nikon looks alot like the Leupold in mav's post.

[6pt-sika]

I've been thinking about getting a rangefinder myself. I'm considering getting this one.



I've heard some good reviews within it's price range.

I contemplated that one last year and opted for the Leupold RX750 in camo instead !

It does well from about 5 yards on out !

[6pt-sika]

You know I've used them all. Leupold RX-1000 with TBR and DNA. It has a bow mode with 3 arrow velocities to choose from and 6 rifle trajectories. Gives the Shoots Like distance with one push of the button. You can also get angle degrees, actual distance and line of sight distance, and other info. It has the best glass and magnification clarity and outstanding LED technology.

I got one of the 1000's a couple weeks ago for a friend !

Then after we got it we tried his 1000 against my RX750 that was a year old . And they were within a yard of each other out to 600 yards !
Woulda measured further but that was all we could get where we were at !

[JB]

If you mostly Bow Hunt, save your $$$ and stay with one that "only" goes out to 400yds or so. I picked up a used Bushnell for next to nothing because it wouldn't range to 1000+

Obviously you're not as skilled with a bow as some of us!

For bow hunting only, I'd go with one of the small light shorter range models. For all around use the long range models get my vote though. I've found that that maximum listed yardage is under ideal conditions. If you're ranging a less than super reflective surface or the light isn't the best, that maximum distance can go down a good bit.

[6pt-sika]

For bow hunting only, I'd go with one of the small light shorter range models. For all around use the long range models get my vote though. I've found that that maximum listed yardage is under ideal conditions. If you're ranging a less than super reflective surface or the light isn't the best, that maximum distance can go down a good bit.

The Leupold RX750 works very well as I said from 5 yards to start . I haven't tried it to 750 yards but at approx 600 it did fine compared to the Leupold RX1000 .

While it's nice to have extra yardage , in reality how many people are actually gonna take shots at living animals over 300-400 yards anyway .
The likelyhood of me taking anything over 300 yards in ALL the places I hunt is slim and the vast majority will be 100 yards or less .

[86er]

The TBR on the Leupold, ARC on the Bushnell, BCR on the Zeiss, etc. etc are very important when hunting from tree stands or shooting up or downhill, as the difference in angle could be 10 yards or more

[Blaine]

I have a bushnell, and I find the glass dark in the forest, and also, it tends to pick up trees that are close to your line of sight. It is a decent piece if you have absolute line of sight in a well lit area. For deer at bow range, a double image type might be quicker and more reliable.

[damienph]

The Nikon range finder that I have is a Prostaff 550 6x21. I bought several for our linemen to use; they can be pretty hard on stuff, all are still working.

[rjohns94]

damienph - that happens to be the one that was in stock where I tested a few and it followed me home. I have gone around taking readings, then measuring for accuracy. For archery, I really don't need the angle knowledge, since I will know all ranges out to 30 yards and I have never taken a shot with my bow longer than that on a game animal. for rifle hunting, I hunt from the ground and won't need to worry too much about angle.