Range finder

[drachenboot]

i am getting back into shooting longer distances. would you be able to give advice on range finders? quality, accuracy, price range

[Divernhunter]

Not sure how long a distance you are talking about but the Leupold 1000 yard rangefinders work very well. I have a Bushnell 800 yard one that is so-so and another brand that is pretty good out yo 1500 yards

[IEShooter]

+1 on the Leupold out to 1000. I really like mine. It is accurate and fast. Mine's the one with the built in ballistic calculator, but since it's not caliber or bullet weight specific, it's of limited use.

[Iloveguns]

Vectronix Terrapins are nice! Depending on your budget those would one of the better ones out there as far as accuracy and quality. Question is whats your budget?

[as_rocketman]

+1 on the Leupold out to 1000. I really like mine. It is accurate and fast. Mine's the one with the built in ballistic calculator, but since it's not caliber or bullet weight specific, it's of limited use.

+2

I have a Leupold RX-1000i. It has been very fast and accurate, and exceeds its rated distance -- mine claims it's good for 800 meters on a non-reflective target but I've gotten that and more even on things like moving helicopters.

It gives you two choices of crosshairs, one open in the middle and the other a basic "+". I use the open crosshairs, but it's easy to switch. With the 6x built-in monocular you can miss your target and get a fake reading, but they all do that. Practice. You'll figure out how to tell whether you have a solid reading after only a few tries.

Mine has no built-in calculators. Just outputs range in feet or meters, which is exactly what I want. Simple and hard to screw up.

[drachenboot]

thank you all for your responses. B.

[ExtremeX]

I would look at the Bushnell Elite 1600 ARC or the Elite 1-Mile ARC

Depending on the quality of the glass... I would also consider the Fusion 1-Mile ARC Binocular/LRF.

[teflondog]

If money is no object, I'd recommend the Leica 1600B. Under the right conditions, I can range cars at 1600 yards. I was even able to range buildings past 1700 yards.

If your budget is a few hundred dollars, the Bushnell Elite 1600 ARC is a really good choice in that price range.

[barrage]

I've also got the leupold 1000 yard with ballistic computer. Great little range finder that I've found myself using more as a scouting monocular while hunting since it has a fixed power 6x zoom and some pretty impressive HD glass.

Super fast on range acquisition though and good out to about 800m on a sunny day and reflective target (concrete or glass).

Expensive for what it is, but worth every dollar.

[RR.44]

If money is no object then a G7 is the way to go it does 4 calculations including distance, angle, wind direction, temperature, price is around $1500

[Ethon1]

Range fingers are similar to other optics where the general price range dictate performance/accuracy. It's difficult to offer you suggestions without knowing your requirements and expectations. I found the link below to be very informative and may provide you with clarity in refining your search.

http://precisionrifleblog.com/2013/11/25/rangefinder-binoculars-reviews-field-tests-ranging-performance-results/

It should be noted that some of the more expensive range finders are being discontinued or phased out - SWAROVSKI Laser Guide, Vectronix PLRF 10(c)/15(c) and the Terrapin.

[brando]

I wasted a lot of time and money with rangefinders over the years. I generally shoot farther than most folks (>1000yards) and that's the area where the vast majority of range finders start to fail. If you're going to stay inside of that distance you'll find a wide array of LRFs available for a variety of budgets. In my case I tried half a dozen different models, all that claimed to range to distances like 1400 and 1600 yards or more. The sad reality is that most were completely unreliable beyond 1000 yards and often couldn't even get a return at the distances I needed data for. I had tried to avoid spending the money on mil-grade solutions from the likes of Vectronix (PLRF-10 used to go for $3700), but when they came out with the PLRF-05 Terrapin for $2k, I jumped on it. In the end this was the best solution for me because while all of the other commercial LRFs would claim they could range to distances beyond 1000 yards, in practical terms that was only true in the rare best case scenarios. The Vectronix on the other hand ranges beyond 2000 yards all day, any day. Yes, it's in the process of being discontinued along with the rest of their PLRF-10 and 15 lines (they're over 10 years old anyway), but you can still find Terrapins at places like Mile High Shooting, Ashbury International and PRG Defense. But again, if you're shooting inside of 1000 yards, you can save a LOT of money with a budget LRF.

The very data-driven review Ethon1 posted is worth a read and can really help you narrow down what you get for your money.

[as_rocketman]

Yeah, if you're ranging past a kilometer, that's a whole different story. Even with a 100% reliable sensor lined up perfectly with the crosshairs, I doubt I'd be able to hold the finder on a man-size target beyond a klick without some kind of tripod or other mechanical rest. And if the crosshairs aren't perfectly aligned...

Personally, I'm not likely to take a shot in anger beyond about 600-700 meters that doesn't have someone pulling targets for me, so my little Leupold does just fine. Nice writeup above, though -- good testing and plausible results, for those who need much more performance.

[brando]

This how I line up my LRF