Rangefinder question

mister gullible

Thinking of getting a basic rangefinder for rabbit shooting (and golf) shooting rabbits at up to c.150 yards. My question is do you have to focus the laser on a specific object - such as a rabbit or a raised piece of ground - which will 'reflect' the signal back or can you take the distance by focusing on flat ground at the distance required.
Thanks for any advice.

Cass

Usually it needs to be something that will "reflect" the beam. I've seen top end R/Fs fail to range because the angle was obtuse. So the beam hits the item/object/area, but does not send back enough to give a reading.

Some R/Fs have a signal strength indicator. This tells you the quality or strength of the return signal, and will give you a reason why there is no reading.

Same as most rangefinders will actually range further than they state on the box, however as the surface it needs at these longer distances would not be readily available the manufacturers play it safe, and give a distance of half. IOW a range the rangefinder will work on no matter the object being ranged.

alalkovitch

Depends on the quality of the unit... I have bought them all and to be honest you get what you pay for... I returned all the previous ones that I purchased including the Leopold. Have had 3 Leica including my present 1600 and they are all superb and even the ones I sold on to friends are still working as good as the day I bought them... Only time I have seen poor results was in a heavy mist when the moisture in the air plays tricks on the beam... If you are only doing close up stuff you might get away with the cheaper models

mister gullible

Thanks for the info.

6.5 tikka

mister gullible wrote: »

Thinking of getting a basic rangefinder for rabbit shooting (and golf) shooting rabbits at up to c.150 yards. My question is do you have to focus the laser on a specific object - such as a rabbit or a raised piece of ground - which will 'reflect' the signal back or can you take the distance by focusing on flat ground at the distance required.
Thanks for any advice.

i love rabbit shooting , but i dont use a range finder, theres a side wheel on the side of my scope well its like a range finder , but when i get on a rabbit i turn the wheel untill the view is sharp have quick look at the yards on the wheel and then blow its head off lol not sure if the helps you, but thats my way of getting the distance right

alalkovitch

Well might work for the rabbits at close range but I'd imagine they would arrest you if you start pointing the rifle around on the golf course...I'd get the range finder

6.5 tikka

alalkovitch wrote: »

Well might work for the rabbits at close range but I'd imagine they would arrest you if you start pointing the rifle around on the golf course...I'd get the range finder

lol good point,

OUTDOOR MAN

i have a Bushnell give them a try,its done ok for me,

eireshot

Take a look at the Nikon Riflehunter 550,i use one and it is very accurate.

alalkovitch

there is a Leica 800 just gone on sale, beautiful kit and great price

bravestar

The only prob using it for rabbits is pointing it at the rabbit/ground is going to give you varying results.

You are better off learning how to judge distance yourself with some experience and working it from there. That wont be a problem out to 150 yards.

Also as was already said, heavy fog or mist will make a rangefinder useless.

My advice, get a cheap enough one. Judge your distance at something reflective. Then verify your guesstimate with the rangefinder. Eventually you won't need to use the finder. Even the cheap ones will work out to 3/400 yards when held steady/ rested on something.

I got one on ebay for 80 lids and found it very useful.

alalkovitch

Don't agree with that information, you'll get very accurate readings off of rabbits or ground regardless of weather out to around 3-400 yards depending on the quality of the unit you have. I am using the Leica 1600 and in heavy mist or rain the range is down as I pointed out in previous post however I have never failed to read out around the 400 yard mark. If you buy a good unit you'll only buy once, pay pennies and you'll get what you paid for, poor quality...

bravestar

alalkovitch wrote: »

Don't agree with that information, you'll get very accurate readings off of rabbits or ground regardless of weather out to around 3-400 yards depending on the quality of the unit you have. I am using the Leica 1600 and in heavy mist or rain the range is down as I pointed out in previous post however I have never failed to read out around the 400 yard mark. If you buy a good unit you'll only buy once, pay pennies and you'll get what you paid for, poor quality...

Do you really think you need to spend that amount of money on a Lecia 1600 in order to shoot rabbits at 150 yards? C'mon...

alalkovitch

No bud I'm not suggesting you need a 1600 for rabbits I'm just making the point that if you buy a good range finder on day one it will work for you in any conditions out to reasonable ranges. I hunt deer and target shoot so that's why I bought my one and I have had a lot of the basic models many years ago and my experience with them was very poor. I just feel buy something good day one and be finished with it, if you move on to shooting at greater distances then your not stuck with a range finder that won't do the job, buying cheap stuff is false economy...as you can see from boards good quality range finders come on the market second hand from time to time, better to buy a good make second hand than an inferior brand new...

ace86

whats the best Rangefinder out there for €600 roughly??

Cavan duck buster

I bought a hawk 600 range finder, works the best with good batteries, i also lost it for about 3 weeks to find it under the soare wheel of the car in a puddle of water now i thought that was the end but i cleaned most of the shi#e off of it and it still worked :O this was when i fell in love with the rangefinder for its small orice tag (£120) and able to withstand water for such a period of time
Hope this helps on your decision

FISMA

ace86 wrote: »

whats the best Rangefinder out there for €600 roughly??

At that price, why not get a Leica? That's about the going rate of a 1600 in the States.

alalkovitch

You should be able to pick up a Leica for that money...1200 or 1600 model, either new or very little used.I have just bought the G7 BR2 from the states, incredible unit reading out to beyond 2000yrds and has the full ballistic programmable capabilities you may need in the future for up to 5 calibres however have a Leica 1600 at present and find it superb... As you will see from previous posts be wary of the cheaper brands...

mister gullible

I ended up buying a Bushnell V2 golf rangefinder. It's a very nice instrument and is great for golf and shooting. Has worked very well for shooting rabbits with 22 subs and with HMR and is also handy for getting exact range when sighting in at longer distances. Handy too as a monocular for spotting rabbits against a hedge.
Better, in my opinion, than a 'Golf Buddy' when playing golf and the 'pinseeker' function works well.