range finders

jay.b

hi lads. whats your opinion on range finders? do you take one out every time or is this another gadget i've convinced myself i need? ive never even held one let alone use one. whats your thoughts? cheers.

pugw

If going lamping I find you have enough gear to be carrying so either give it to the lampman or leave it in the car! Its easier to range a few landmarks on the groung you shoot during the day and have an idea then how far away from the target you are! What I find it great for is going out with .22 or a hmr where bullet drop is an issue gives you an idea how much farther you have to sneak in on rabbits or the exact distance to a long range crowe!

poulo6.5

jay.b wrote: »

hi lads. whats your opinion on range finders? do you take one out every time or is this another gadget i've convinced myself i need? ive never even held one let alone use one. whats your thoughts? cheers.

i have a range finder and use it all the time otherwise you are just guessing.

before i use the range finder i guess the rang to see how close i am. some times i am there or there abouts other times i am out by loads as the landscape can change your perception of distance.
for example, trees and ditches in the foreground will give you perspective but open ground is harder to read as you have nothing to gauge your estimation on.

i carry mine all the time and i would recommend that you stay away from the cheep ones. i had them and they are a waist of time

session savage

I was like you, convinced myself I needed one but I never got the cash together. So I started working out the range with my mildots. now I have the money for one i wouldnt bother. Yeah working out the distance with mil reading might be a lot slower and less accurate but when you get it right and you hear the crack......thump. AAAh! its so sweet.

Gonzor

Depends on what your at to be honest.

If your after deer I reckon its essential.

If your after rabbits and crows you will do just grand out to maybe 60-70 yards without one.

Anything after that distance and yeah you will probably start "needing" it... but dont forget, anything after that distance and not only does range become an issue but so does wind, bullet drop and a whole host of other things.... so you may get the pen and paper out :pac:

If your after foxes (Im guessing your doing it at night) then my experience suggests that middle of the road range finders are quite crap during low light. Which means I never take it. I never had a top of the line range finder but Id imagine a swarvo or zeiss would do a good job in low light.

My own expereince is this.

If Im going out just to pass an hour or two on a Sunday then I wouldnt be bothered with it. Its just one more bit of equipment to worry about.... the bullet shoots flat enough out to about 80 anyway.... so even the roughest guess should get you on target.

However saying all that, its a very nice bit of gear to have. It does make life that bit easier.

Just thought Id add... I often thought about buying some big name binos with built in range finder.... you could kill two birds with one stone. Zeiss do some very nice stuff in this department.

Vote 4 Pedro

jay.b wrote: »

hi lads. whats your opinion on range finders? do you take one out every time or is this another gadget i've convinced myself i need? ive never even held one let alone use one. whats your thoughts? cheers.

I was going to ask the same question so very interested in the replies.

Gonzor

Sorry to double post, but some people (not saying you OP) but I think a lot of people would benefit more by getting a few private lessons from a target shooter and learn how to hold the rifle properly, proper trigger control, breath control etc would be far more valuable than a lot of the gadgets marketed towards us hunters. I was shooting for about 2 years when I finally got some lessons. Just wish I had of got them sooner

Constab2

If you can stretch your budget the Leica is a fantastic bit of kit,can be bought for reasonable money on this site & Ebay.I myself have got some great deals on the Canadian ebay site not long ago got the Leica RF FOR LESS THAN €200 delivered.Really top notch piece of kit ,as already stated by other posts stay away from cheaper makes only wasting money,buy German buy once? best of luck with it.

johngalway

Leica here too. I did have a Nikon Prostaff 440 a few years back, it was junk for low light or night time, and not great for over cast days either!

The Leica is just a different beat altogether, bright image, very reliable.

No point in rushing the purchase of an expensive item, when that happens one comes up significantly cheaper next week

I always bring mine. I don't always use it. But, I'd much rather have it than not.

Tackleberrywho

Next christmas.
Leica 1600.
I have a Nikon 800. Good in the summer, not good in winter or low light
Anything over 200 is so much easier with a range finder. Takes some of the guesswork (and misses) out of it

Vote 4 Pedro

Has anyone any experience with the Leuplod RX600, It's around £200
I was thinking of getting this with any Christmas money I might be lucky enough to get.
In that type of budget you only have a limited choice, Roughly speaking
Leuplod RX600,
ANT 800,
Deben LRF1200,
Nikon 550,
Redfield Raider 550,
or the Bushnell Scott 1000.

Tackleberrywho

Vote 4 Pedro wrote: »

Has anyone any experience with the Leuplod RX600, It's around £200
I was thinking of getting this with any Christmas money I might be lucky enough to get.
In that type of budget you only have a limited choice, Roughly speaking
Leuplod RX600,
ANT 800,
Deben LRF1200,
Nikon 550,
Redfield Raider 550,
or the Bushnell Scott 1000.

I'd pick Nikon out of your limited budget.
Easy to maintain and service if required. Most others are disposable in that price range.

Gonzor

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=68005798

FISMA

jay.b wrote: »

hi lads. whats your opinion on range finders?

jay.b,
Are you new to the game and still getting in to hunting and/or shooting? If so, I would leave the rangefinder alone and concentrate on getting the skills honed, shooting, stalking, and all.

Also, what do you shoot and what's the range you want to be shooting out to?

I love my rangefinder and would recommend something like the Leica 1200.

I bought a Leica not too long ago and had the same question as yourself. However, it is one of those bits of kit that I will not leave home without.

It is also great for those times when you're bored out of your gourd in the field. It is nice to scan the area. More importantly, when you "think" you see something, it is crucial to have that extra magnification.

jay.b

thanks everyone, i'll get one in the new year. tac i'd like to hear more about the nikon 800 i was looking at them (monarch 800) online. i have the nikon monarch bdc scope and love it.

Tackleberrywho

jay.b wrote: »

thanks everyone, i'll get one in the new year. tac i'd like to hear more about the nikon 800 i was looking at them (monarch 800) online. i have the nikon monarch bdc scope and love it.

I'll show you it one evening this week if that suits, after 7pm

4200fps

I got loan of a bushnell and it was a piece of dung. max range it would pick up is 320 yards,it was blurry,not too user friendly and even at close range struggled to give a reading but it done the job and just about

declan1980

I upgraded to a leica lrf 1200 scan a few months ago, and I find it to be a deadly piece of kit. I never go out with the rifle without it. It give me great confidence on longer shots, especially when lamping. I shot a fox at 320 yards the other night with it's help. I just ranged it, dialled up, put the crosshairs where I wanted it to hit and crack thump.
I know you don't always get time to use it, but when you do it can be a game changer

jay.b

Tackleberrywho wrote: »

I'll show you it one evening this week if that suits, after 7pm

thanks tac but dont think i can an evening this week,anytime over the xmas break if your free? oh and thanks.

Tackleberrywho

jay.b wrote: »

thanks tac but dont think i can an evening this week,anytime over the xmas break if your free? oh and thanks.

Be around 30th 31st. It's always in the back of the car.

Glensman

declan1980 wrote: »

I upgraded to a leica lrf 1200 scan a few months ago, and I find it to be a deadly piece of kit. I never go out with the rifle without it. It give me great confidence on longer shots, especially when lamping. I shot a fox at 320 yards the other night with it's help. I just ranged it, dialled up, put the crosshairs where I wanted it to hit and crack thump.
I know you don't always get time to use it, but when you do it can be a game changer

I have the CRF 1200. I got a look thru JG's 900 and new I HAD to have one.
I have def got a few foxes that I wouldn't have without it.

I got a 230yard headshot about 8 weeks ago, I would have guessed he was about 350 until the Leica told me the truth

arrowloopboy

Vote 4 Pedro wrote: »

Has anyone any experience with the Leuplod RX600, It's around £200
I was thinking of getting this with any Christmas money I might be lucky enough to get.
In that type of budget you only have a limited choice, Roughly speaking
Leuplod RX600,
ANT 800,
Deben LRF1200,
Nikon 550,
Redfield Raider 550,
or the Bushnell Scott 1000.

I've an RX 1000 tbr,great bit a kit,not that much off your budget if you can get someone to pick it up in the states.

Vote 4 Pedro

If only i had someone in the states.... I wish.

clivej

I keep my Leica CRF 900 in my hunting trousers all the time, that way I'm not looking for them. Great bit of kit and cost me £200 secondhand.

I use them for ranging rabbits when out with the .22lr and then dial in the clicks on the scope, target turrets on the scope are a good help.

I just cannot estimate a distance, and I have tried on many outtings. Its a great help when sat up in one place to then range the different points in a clearing say, then you know roughly what the drop will be.

I have my .308 stalking rifle ranged at 180y and therefore know my Point Blank Range on a 5" target is good out to 225y

My advice is get the better models secondhand rather than buy a cheap new finder. The quality will allways last.

kakashka

jay.b wrote: »

hi lads. whats your opinion on range finders? do you take one out every time or is this another gadget i've convinced myself i need? ive never even held one let alone use one. whats your thoughts? cheers.

I'm shooting a long time now and never used a rangefinder,thats not to say i would not find it usefull.I've just got used to land i shoot,if i came across good value i'd go for it