Range Finder?

[Mark Brendemuehl]

Well for those who don't shoot past say even 500 yds, I personally wouldn't worry about even owning a rangefinder.
Get to know your gun well and thats all you will need.
Not all that many years ago there weren't any small lazer rangefinders. Some of us had and some still do have the old military units that are not very easy to carry around. We took them to the remote locations one time usually during the off season, and marked different ranges and made a book of those for all the different locations we hunt. Weve done the same by just shooting at rocks and making note of the click information. The rocks, especially the larger ones rarely move around much. lol
Even though we now also have lazers, we still prefer using the old book because its much faster.
So consider all that before deciding that you cant live without one because you can, and even very well.
If you know how to use a scope, you can guess the distance, and be on target or very close with the second shot even at fairly long distances without any information at all, assuming of coarse you or someone saw the first hit.
So whats more important, a rangefinder or seeing hits?

While I get what you are saying, I can't afford misses on coyotes and hope for a follow up shot. They are in the next county (usually) after that first shot. I would rather have a good guess to start with.

 

[Pdvdh]

Well for those who don't shoot past say even 500 yds, I personally wouldn't worry about even owning a rangefinder.
?

You're better than me. If you changed the 500 to 300, now you've lowered the bar to me.

If you hunt the same stand every year, it's possible to just pace off the distances and record them to memory. Which I did before LRFs became available. With that method I made shots out to 760yds on big animals like moose.

No reason I can think of to not have a rangefinder capable to the maximum distance you've prepped for. Get a Leica 1600 and you're good to 1300 unless it's foggy, raining, or heavy smoke.

Go with something cheaper if you don't mind utter disappointment, after you've invested so much time, effort, and energy.

 

[yobuck]

You're better than me. If you changed the 500 to 300, now you've lowered the bar to me.

If you hunt the same stand every year, it's possible to just pace off the distances and record them to memory. Which I did before LRFs became available. With that method I made shots out to 760yds on big animals like moose.

No reason I can think of to not have a rangefinder capable to the maximum distance you've prepped for. Get a Leica 1600 and you're good to 1300 unless it's foggy, raining, or heavy smoke.

Go with something cheaper if you don't mind utter disappointment, after you've invested so much time, effort, and energy.

Well its very doubtfull id be even as good as, let alone better them most others here at anything. lol
What ive described works well for us where and how we hunt.
Which involves shooting across valleys to the opposite steep tree covered sidehills. Timing is everything, meaning the animal must be standing, not walking, and also standing in a spot offering a clear shot without trees in the way.
Now after following him in the scope for 5 minits he finally stops in a good spot.
So now were gonna range him maybe for the third time and redial? And by then he just might be moving again especially if he's pushing a doe.
Next thing you know he is over the top and gone and we never even got a shot off.
But we did get to use our rangefinder, and maybe even some other neat stuff. lol
Couda, shouda, wouda, and its gonna be a long year to think about it.
Best get some ranges on that hill and shoot at some rocks when the pressure isn't causing your hands to shake and make a record of it.
I have a 1600 B, after owning a Swaro and using lots of others. Bright sun can also cause problems for them so be ready for that also. My son bought a Sig a couple years ago for as I recall about $400, and it seems to work as well as mine. But regardless of what you get, be ready with a backup plan.

 

[Pdvdh]

True that different hunting conditions, methods, and the game being hunted all make a difference on the best preparatory methods. Whitetails I've hunted can be especially skittish and on the go.

 

[WyoHunter1]

I have a Sig 2000 and have had good luck with it.
I also have a new rifle coming (If it ever gets here) a 338AX. and was thinking of going with the Sig Kilo 2400. Are people still liking the Kilo 2400????

 

[Pdvdh]

Better research it. I've read both good and bad reviews in my Google researching on that model.

 

[yobuck]

I have a Sig 2000 and have had good luck with it.
I also have a new rifle coming (If it ever gets here) a 338AX. and was thinking of going with the Sig Kilo 2400. Are people still liking the Kilo 2400????

Is the 338 so you can shoot farther? or so you can shoot farther better?
I think id be sticking with what I had till I got that all sorted out.

I have a Sig 2000 and have had good luck with it.
I also have a new rifle coming (If it ever gets here) a 338AX. and was thinking of going with the Sig Kilo 2400. Are people still liking the Kilo 2400????

 

[WyoHunter1]

Is the 338 so you can shoot farther? or so you can shoot farther better?
I think id be sticking with what I had till I got that all sorted out.

Both - Long range target practice and long range hunting if the circumstances are right at the time. So with the capability of the rifle I want to shoot farther and better.

 

[Greyfox]

Ran. a Gunwerks G7 Gen1 for 5 years, Gen 2 for the last 3. Both performed flawlessly regardless of conditions with a few dozen game animals and numerous coyotes to 1200+yards. Ballistic outputs always nuts on, and bullet-proof.

 

[yobuck]

Both - Long range target practice and long range hunting if the circumstances are right at the time. So with the capability of the rifle I want to shoot farther and better.

And you will. You will find that you will shoot more consistently well with the 338 at the longer distances than you do with smaller cartridges.
The key word being (consistent), but not necessarily (better), as in better ability to shoot smaller groups.
But, and it is also a key word, shooting at targets, and shooting while hunting, aren't really comparable. And the reason for that is (conditions) which are the controlling factor, and not the gun we choose to use.
We can choose to go or not when target shooting based upon the conditions being favorable or not. But not so when hunting due to seasons.
Location also plays a large roll as in East vs West as for conditions due to air quality.
By and large, at least in the east, the larger cartridges dont play much of a roll in how far we hunt.
Beyond that, in PA at least we need to count points on bucks.
As for the G7, ive only had one experience with one. On a nice sunny day we were shooting at steel targets at a friends place and he had his G7 on a tripod. I tried to range a 2'x4' yellow steel target at 1600 yds and it wouldn't do it with repeated attempts. The owner tried and he couldn't either, but said he had done so on other occaissions.
I did range other targets at closer distances with it.
Ive also had my Leica 1600 B fail to read a rock at 800 on a sunny day, and my friends Bushnell wouldn't read it either. But they both read a different rock about 20' away from it.

 

[Pdvdh]

I've found spruce trees and some types of natural vegetation often are good items to range off with my laser range finders. Rocks? Not so good.
EuroOptics is currently listing the Leica 2000B LRF for $400.
I've never owned that model. So do your own research. It may be a discontinued item. I do not know as I'm not shopping to purchase.
But the two other Leica's I've owned and used - no complaints here.

 

[Danehunter]

I'm using 10x42 Bushnell ARC 1 Mile rangefinder binoculars. (I set mine for mil holds B/C my scope reticles are in mils.) I can scout and range with the same instrument and it is very accurate in most conditions. The glass is decent. Maybe not ELD grade but good. Good coatings.

At the time I got them they were considered "very good for the money". Mine were a warranty replacement (plus me paying a few hundred dollars difference) for a tits-up Bushnell Yardage Pro 1000 they no longer made.
**The Bushnell ARC 1 Mile has no angle hold compensation for rifle and gives you only general cartridge and bullet weight categories for it to figure your hold.
Ex.-> My setting for .300 Win mag 180 gr. Federal cartridges and 6.5 CM 143 gr. Hornady ELD-X cartridges is the same.

BUT... were I to do it again I'd definitely spring for the newest version of Leica's HD-B 10x42 rangefinding binoculars with all ED glass lenses. They have everything but a wind meter. You can load your exact load into their Micro SD card on your computer, stick it back into the binoculars and the binoculars' sensors do the rest for temperature, compass direction, spin drift, angle of shot (up or down), barometric pressure, etc.

They are priced similarly to Swarovsky's LRFs but do a lot more. Both brands have about the same quality, but my choice in this department still goes to the Leica. Leica has been making laser range finding binoculars longer than anyone else.

My reason for buying range finding binoculars is that it is a two-in-one instrument. Less crap to carry and, with good LRF binoculars, you are often not paying much more than a good LRF monocular and decent, non-ED glass binoculars.

Eric B.

 

[lif2fsh]

leica great glass as well.

 

[CoachChris]

Sig Kilo 2000