Lazer reflective target

[flounderman]

Yesterday I killed a deer at somewhere between 300 and 400 yards. I was curious how far exactly and left the deer in the road and went back to where I had shot from. The range finder wouldn't give a reading. I picked the deer up and placed a bright yellow grocery bag on a weed. I couldn't get a reading from the bag. Thinking maybe the aiming square wasn't sighted right, I moved to the right and got a reading of 337 from brush and weeds on the edge of the road, but I think it was reading closer to me than the deer had been. Apparently a plastic bag isn't reflective. Just what is a reflective target, or can a rangefinder be looking somewhere different from the aiming square?

[Artful]

Reflective is metallic usually - road signs, Aluminum foil glued to cardboard, some of the reflective tape on vests.

[TCLouis]

Laser rangefinder works from my target area to my bench, but NOT from my bench to my target area.
I know it sounds like BS, but it is what it is.

It is in the woods and targets on the hillside, but still makes no sense to me.

[C. Latch]

There are two general types of reflective targets - the first being a mirror or other surface that will reflect light; the second is called retro-reflective; this includes street signs, reflective tape (available at harbor freight!) and whatnot. Retroreflective is full of tiny glass beads so that light hitting it reflects back in all directions, whereas a typical reflector such as a mirror only reflects light one way - usually NOT back towards the light source.

Because it reflects light back in all directions, a retroreflective target can be very useful in rangefinding. I have two commercial rangefinders that I use at work (not hunting or shooting related, though both of them have found their way to my stands before); one will hit trees and rocks out to 500 yards on a good day; the other will hit 800 on a good day. Point them at a street sign and they'll read out to 2000 yards very reliably.

Rangefinders for hunting are usually marketed based on the distance they'll read to a reflective target - which would be great if deer wore reflective coats, I guess. As a rule of thumb, figure any rangefinder you buy will give reliable readings to half the distance they refer to in their model numbers. Some more, some less, and it depends a lot on what you're trying to range. A smooth white car door is easier to hit than a cedar tree or, worse, a piece of tar-paper.

[williamwaco]

Mine is a Weaver and it will read a black celotex target frame or a dirt backstop? Neither of those seems to me to be "reflective"?

[Artful]

Mine is a Weaver and it will read a black celotex target frame or a dirt backstop? Neither of those seems to me to be "reflective"?

If only we could see in other bands of the spectrum of light.

[oldgeezershooter]

Carry one of these with you!

87707

[Artful]

Ah, sillywet target

[Love Life]

The hands down best LRF is made by Vectronix. Their baseline (Terrapin) will read sage brush at 1500 yds all day. It will read rocks, hillsides, and buildings at 4,000 yds (We've done this). It will read a coyote at 1600 yds. You pay for that though, which is why I don't own one.

The Leupold TBR DNA 1000 yd rangefinder is only good on animals to about 500 yds. It will read Big rocks out to 1,000. I am very underwhelmed by the Leupold.

The Leica 1600 is worth every penny.

[308w]

The best cheapest reflective target for a rangefinder I've found is the 1.99 red driveway reflectors sold at the local department stores. My laser range finder is one of the old bushnell 800's, you know the one thats about the size of a box of cereal. but it will instantly range the red reflectors up to 999 yards or meters, it only has 3 places for display, I try to always have one in my pickup.

[douglasskid]

I'l try the reflector placed near target stands.

[Artful]

The hands down best LRF is made by Vectronix. Their baseline (Terrapin) will read sage brush at 1500 yds all day. It will read rocks, hillsides, and buildings at 4,000 yds (We've done this). It will read a coyote at 1600 yds. You pay for that though, which is why I don't own one.

The Leica 1600 is worth every penny.

Jeez, Vectronix make one that ranges to 25 KM!
Have you seen that one?
http://www.vectronix.us/html/us/products/handhelds/long_range

[Love Life]

The vectors give range and also direction to the target and grid of target. Great stuff.

[Artful]

What's grid of target?