laser range finder

[BigMagShooter]

got an add in the email about Natches having range finders on sale.

don't know much about them, want a "decent" one to play with to try out.

(IOW, don't want a piece of junk that will break after 6 months)

saw this one for sale

LRF600 tilt intel SIMMONS for $80

anyone have any experience with it?

[mtnman31]

My experience is with the couple I have. The one I've personally used most is a Leupold RXB-4 (now discontinued). It is a full size binocular with rangefinder. I got it at just above dealer cost and the thing was expensive but, I love it. I have read reviews about it having some battery life issues, but I have never experienced a single problem with mine. It will do a variety of ranging and ballistic calculations, has multiple reticles, and is very accurate. It's only drawback is that it doesn't fit in your pocket. But, I wanted the binoculars and was willing to make the size trade-off. The optics quality is great and it worked very well hunting and hiking the mountains of Colorado. It is also waterproof and will range out to a 1000ds. I also have an older military surplus rangefinder that I picked up at a swap meet. It is a beast. While it actually works, I never use it because it is big, heavy and takes a proprietary battery.

It all boils down to what you plan to do with it. If you just need it for ranging from your tree stand to the deer that is 45yds away, any old rangefinder will work, probably even some of the cheap ones designed for golfers. If you are doing long range shooting at unknown distances in mountainous terrain, a model with a ballistic calculator will be more suitable. Prices are all over the place. For the models under 200, you're getting a basic range finder that will show you range and maybe calculate for some angles. Their construction will be cheaper and probably not waterproof. Better models incorporate features like a compass, ballistic calculator that can compensate for angles when shooting up/down. The better quality rangefinders also have a greater range and are more accurate in their readings. Some have really nice quality optics that you pay a premium for. If money is no object, then I'd recommend the Vectronix Vector 23 range finding binocular. They run about $25,000. That's not a typo - they are over 20 grand! They'd be perfect for when you need to range a deer that is 15 miles away.

Going back to your original question, a month or so back, I found a cheaper Simmons Volt 600 rangefinder along the side of a gravel road where I go running. The area is frequented by deer and turkey hunters. The rangefinder had most likely had fallen off someone's truck. It was broken and water damaged so I took it apart to examine it. It was really cheap quality. The lenses were poor quality and the construction was toy-like.

I'd recommend you stay away from a cheaper model unless it has some decent features that you need AND a good warranty.

[NSB]

Simmons, TruGlo, etc are all very low end quality optics. At a minimum, get a Bushnell range finder. They're "decent" and will last a very long time. I had one for about fifteen years and gave it away after I got a new Leupold with ARC feature (for bow hunting....not necessary, but nice). You'll pay under two hundred bucks for the Bushnell most places. FWIW, they are accurate to within +/_ one yard at 200 yards.....I checked.

[MUSTANG]

Select a range finder that uses "Common Batteries" such as AAA or 9 Volt batteries. Mine is a Bushnell Elite 1500 in Camp Pattern and works great. I am almost ashamed at what I paid for it at the Kalispell Gun Show a couple years ago - It was Sunday afternoon and the guy was packing up his table of items and I saw it in a box, had a $40.00 tag on it, checked it out and it worked indoors, asked if he would take $15.00 and he said "SOLD". Use it often when in the field and when fishing from the boat as it's light weight and the monocular optics are pretty good.

My back up range finder is a set of Binoculars from West Marine that are waterproof, good optics, a Compass feature, and a range estimation bar where I can do some math and estimate ranges. Large and heavier, thats why they are backup/truck bound option.

[Omega]

I will fall into the other camp, if it does what you want it to do, get it. I have used everything from high end laser range finders to the very basic units and have found many of the cheaper ones up to the task I needed them for. Most times, I range my area before I hunt to get a basic idea of the range and elevation to land marks so I can have an idea of the distance a deer may be at. I seldom shoot beyond 100 yards, but have checked distances beyond 300 yards with some of the cheaper ones. I never range a deer, I always get my distances before they show up because I seldom get enough time to do so. For setting up a range, there I will range a target, and with these cheaper models don't expect to go more than 300 yards, they just don't have it in them. But having said that, I don't target practice at more than that anyway, if I want long distance shooting, I go where the range is already marked for that. I always read the reviews on any product I am looking to buy (Amazon is a good place for that), and pick my way through them looking to see if any of the reviews mention a problem I can't live with. Most times you will see many who dislike a product for some things that the product was not really meant to do, such as going out beyond 200 for a deer with this one.

[ole 5 hole group]

My suggestion would be to purchase a fairly good one, as you'll probably use it for the rest of your life, unless you feel the need to upgrade at some point in time. It can also serve double duty, acting as your binos as well.

Having said that, there are some "good" ones on the market, you just have to know what your needs or wants are and go from there.

Here's basically want you probably want to know when looking around.
1. A range finder uses laser beams, which travel at the speed of light and works by projecting hundreds of laser beams in far less than a half-second time period and that's going from the finder's laser diode to your target, getting reflected back and read by your range finder and the distance is immediately displayed. That's pretty fast!!

2. What gets reflected back is your only concern, so when purchasing a unit you probably should consider the range finder's beam size, as you want the smallest/narrowest beam for your money, so you can minimize false readings.

3. Good glass in a range finder is expensive as are the coatings. I think the better ones out there right now are Leica, Zeiss, Swarovski, Sig Sauer and probably a few others and when we talk "better" it's beam size, lens quality and unit durability.

4. Beam size used to be Leica was smallest, followed by Zeiss then Swarovski. I had a Zeiss, which performed really great but a guy wanted it real bad for a hunting venture out west and offered me more than I paid for it, so I let it go and purchased the Sig Sauer 2000. I recently looked at the Cabela site and saw the new Sig 2400 and it's price is really up there - hard to believe it can be that much better than the Sig 2000.

5. The fly in the ointment is usually the "target circle" in your range finder. It's big and holding steady and trying to center your target sometimes is a PITA - at least the Zeiss was and the Sig is. If you can use some sort of rest, everything is golden.

I purchase most of my optics used from individuals on Sniper's hide - An example of prices are I paid $350 shipped for the Zeiss and $400 shipped for the Sig - I've seen the Swarovski for $400 to $500 and the Leica 1200 for a good price - that number escapes me right now but I think it was in the $350/$375 range, could be wrong, but some prices are real good and most will come down from their asking price.

Wish you the best on your quest finding the right range finder for your hunts.

[Tackleberry41]

Your not going to get much of a laser anything for $80. I went with a Nikon and it was $250. A range finder is just like a scope, you can't go to cheap.

[Smoke4320]

Your not going to get much of a laser anything for $80. I went with a Nikon and it was $250. A range finder is just like a scope, you can't go to cheap.

well you can go cheap....... and you will have issues

[mtnman31]

FYI - Monmouth Reloading currently has the Sig Sauer Kilo line of rangefinders on sale.

[ole 5 hole group]

I haven't looked at range finders since getting my Sig 2000 but that Sig 2200 is an upgrade of sorts and that price seems very good. I've never seen any Sig 2000 for sale by owner, except mine, so if the Sig line is of interest, that 2200 is priced right. Here's a picture of my Sig 2000 in my hand.


Attachment 192263

[Hick]

Check out Golf stores

[Sur-shot]

I have a Nikon 800, it reads to 800 meters with an 6X magnification. It has an under 250 setting for close, a rain and a fog setting for reading through the elements. Rain and fog reflect giving you a false reading otherwise, plus you can use the setting for looking through leaves on trees or brush. It also reads very fast and uses AA batteries plus it has a belt holster. If using a shooting position or house, I lase points in open fields when I first set up. Once in a while you will find them as refurbished for about half price, regular retail is about $300. Mine is 10-15 years old and still like new. Like has been said , you will probably own it for life so buy a decent one.

Oh, combined with a ballistics program and a chronograph, it makes a first shot quite accurate and one shot kills at distance quite doable.
Ed

[hd09]

free app on a smart phone but probably not all that accurate

[Artful]

well you can go cheap....... and you will have issues

Unless you find a good buy on a used one! -

[Love Life]

My Leupold RX-1000 TBR w/DNA is overrated and not worth the money I paid. It has issues ranging beyond 600 yards. The best part about the thing is it already factors in the angle and gives you distance based off that for your firing solution. I ended up upgrading to a to Vectronix a guy was offloading during a rather nasty divorce. Now that thing is the bomb.

[NSB]

Getting back to a range finder that won't break the bank and works very well: http://www.opticsplanet.com/bushnell-rangefinders.html
Like I said, the one I had worked very, very well and after about fifteen years or so I gave it away and it was still working great. Ask for 5% off and they'll simply give it to you for asking.....plus free shipping and no sales tax. There's nothing "lower end" about their lower priced models. They'll do everything you need for hunting and target shooting out to several hundred yards. As I said, they're spot on at my range at 200yds and I've checked it against longer ranges and it was still spot on. You can actually take one step forward or backward at 250yds and it will show up in the reading time after time. Good luck.

[quilbilly]

I have had a low end Nikon for a couple years and use it all the time. It has worked well and has been very handy. It is supposed to be good to 800 yards but haven't tried it out that far but I have used it to 600 yards and the ballistics calculations I used from it were right. I think it cost about $180 at the time.

[jcwit]

well you can go cheap....... and you will have issues

Ain't that the truth. It's why I only drive a Rolls Royce! No issues!

[dragon813gt]

Check out Golf stores

I don't think any of them calculate for the angle of the shot. This is a big deal when taking an elevated shot.

I have one of the Nikons. It didn't break the bank and I've been using it for a few years w/ no issues. Trying to use it through brush is tough but I expect others to have the same issues.

[Love Life]

You don't have to have a range finder that calculates the angle. There are other devices available that will give you the angle and you can do the maff from there.