What's a good rangefinder?

gmac405 · Post by **gmac405** » Mon Jun 22, 2015 10:27 pm

I am in need of some advise again. I'm looking at range finders and there's so many to choose from! I'm gonna be using this for hunting with a crossbow and a rifle. So do I need a rangefinder with "bow" mode and or angle compensation?

I'm leaning towards the Vortex Ranger 1000 and the Bushnell G-Force Dx 1300 arc.

Anyone got a good suggestion? Price range is $500ish so a Swarovski is out of the question

one shot scott · Post by **one shot scott** » Mon Jun 22, 2015 10:56 pm

I really like my leupy 1200i tbr. Had a older bushnell before that and it puts it to shame.

The biggest pet peeve of mine with the bushnell was its inability to range in low light. The leupold has no such problems. I also found that the bushy wouldn't range my rhinehart. I would have to aim at the ground just before the target and hope it would read. Again, not a problem at all for the 1200i. Its taken falls and never skipped a beat

I guess the only downside is the expensive batteries that it takes. I have nightvision monocular that takes the same type iirc, the batts were close to $20. BUT I have not had to replace it yet and it went thru all last season (turkey~deer) no prob

edit: whoops, mines the 1000, not the 1200. just checked.

colty31 · Post by **colty31** » Tue Jun 23, 2015 12:43 am

I bought a used Simmons on eBay for $60, works great, so don't feel like you need to spend a lot

flightattendant100 · Post by **flightattendant100** » Tue Jun 23, 2015 5:27 am

Best bargain on market. Used Leica " old style" LRF800. You can buy them on eBay if you watch, very clean for approx. 200.00 US. They are spot on dead nuts! Not close...... Spot on. You will be amazed.

xcaliber · Post by **xcaliber** » Tue Jun 23, 2015 9:46 am

The Bushnell sport 450 for around $100 is all an Archer needs. I had mine for 5 years, finally gave it to the apprentice, and bought another Bushnell next one up. Very happy!

drkeenan · Post by **drkeenan** » Tue Jun 23, 2015 10:14 am

I use a Laser Link RH2 golf rangefinder (accurate to several hundred yards) while golfing in the summer and bow hunting in the fall/winter. Easy and accurate and very appealing to my "shanty" Irish side which hates tools which don't have multiple uses.

8ptbuk · Post by **8ptbuk** » Tue Jun 23, 2015 10:53 am

I used a Bushnell 450 for years and still have it , But its pretty big ! Bought a Leupold 1000i last year and love it ! So small you can drop it into a front pocket .

Seafermiles · Post by **Seafermiles** » Tue Jun 23, 2015 1:58 pm

colty31 wrote:I bought a used Simmons on eBay for $60, works great, so don't feel like you need to spend a lot

Same here, dittos. 9 volt battery. Arc compensation 20-50yd, not needed for my eyes.

Bones · Post by **Bones** » Tue Jun 23, 2015 2:15 pm

Run a nikon ranges everything I point it at , only downfall I found was in thick fog it'll give you all kind's of neat/ flawed reading's. I'm keeping and using it till it die's then go to a Leupy !

IronNoggin · Post by **IronNoggin** » Tue Jun 23, 2015 2:48 pm

I would strongly suggest that if you are going to use the rangefinder for both archery & rifle hunting, you collect one that has both Bow & Rifle settings, and the ARC system.

I used to run a Bushnell 850 Sport (still have and still trying to figure out just how to mount it on my 380). It definitely served it's purpose well (chiefly bow hunting), but as technology improved, I found myself desiring a rangefinder with the built in ARC system...

Picked up a Bushnell G-Force 1300 a little more than a year ago now. Mine is the model that immediately proceeded the DX you mentioned. Overall I have been very pleased with it. It is very Fast, easy to use, and right accurate. Furthest I have ranged a deer (Mulie) was 780 yards, although their literature suggested 600 would be about it for those targets. Have ranged structures, trees etc out to over 1,000 yards. Clear optics, 6 power magnification. I really love the ARC function, both for bow hunting and rifle work.

We tested the ARC with the crossbows when out target shooting as soon as I picked this unit up - Placing the the target on steep slopes uphill and downhill from our selected shooting position. We then compared readings between my two rangefinders (the 850 has no compensation program) and the results were quite startling - In pretty well all occasions, there was sufficient difference between the two that relying on the readings without the ARC would have resulted in poor shot placement, or a complete miss.

The other feature I like is the ballistic compensation system. You enter your rifle's caliber and information, and the unit provides a reading of hold-over for that cartridge at any given range. We tested this feature also, and found it to be very accurate out to 1,000 yards (shooting 300 & 270 Weatherby Magnums).

The only thing I can find fault with is that the digital readout under very low light conditions will sometimes "wash" the screen - making it difficult to see the intended target. Minor issue if you centered the crosshairs on the target properly - a bit of an inconvenience if you have to find the target and re-aquire rapidly.

Overall I'd rate this one as a 9 out of 10. Suspect with the "improvements" noted on Bushnell's website, the latest version (DX) might well suit the purposes you are looking for...

Cheers,
Nog

bubba · Post by **bubba** » Tue Jun 23, 2015 3:11 pm

X-2 on the simmons, spent 100.00 and is + or= 1 yard out to 500 yards. Does all i want or need.. And leaves a lot of change in my pocket. What ever floats your boat......

maine hunter · Post by **maine hunter** » Tue Jun 23, 2015 7:16 pm

bubba wrote:X-2 on the simmons, spent 100.00 and is + or= 1 yard out to 500 yards. Does all i want or need.. And leaves a lot of change in my pocket. What ever floats your boat......

X3 have one and works great!!

DuckHunt · Post by **DuckHunt** » Tue Jun 23, 2015 9:50 pm

one shot scott wrote:I really like my leupy 1200i tbr. Had a older bushnell before that and it puts it to shame.

I have to agree on the Leupold 1200i with TBR. I own two of the prior generations. I have a Leopold RX-II which is supposed to be a 600 yard model and a RX-750 both with TBR. I have had no issues with either. Regarding battery life, I use mine religiously during bow season. I range several hundred times a season in scan mode with it constantly updating. I've never ran a battery dead. I replace the battery at the beginning of every other season. My personal favorite is my camo RX-II which is a couple versions old but it still works perfectly and takes a single button press to provide a quick reading.

DuckHunt

gmac405 · Post by **gmac405** » Wed Jun 24, 2015 1:10 am

Thanks for that good review Nog. I have to admit, I'm leaning more towards the Bushnell now.

jd4223 · Post by **jd4223** » Wed Jun 24, 2015 8:46 am

X4 on the Simmons 600.Paid an extra $15 dollars for an extended 3 yr warranty.Never used it.Going on 8 years now.If you're only going to use a range finder for bow hunting,buy the cheapest price.You won't be shooting past 40 yards max.Now if you're going to also shoot rifle,then any range finder that measures 400 yards is plenty unless you're into super long distance target shooting.

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