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Range Finder

3K views 53 replies 22 participants last post by  miles58 
#1 ·
Just picked up the Excalibur Twin Strike and it's awesome, I'm fairly new to crossbows so I can't compare it to others, Can someone recommend a decent range finder that's worth the price they are selling for, don't want to go bankrupt but don't neccessarily want to cheap out either
 
#4 ·
I second the Vortex recommendation. I got the 1400 model last Sep and it has given this new crossbow user a boost in confidence to know when a deer is within 'my max distance'. I ranged several objects from my blind to identify my 40 yard limit that I determined from time at the range. This link between the range and the field will let me know when I can confidently extend my max distance.

As i researched rangefinders, the lifetime warranty was the biggest reason I went with Vortex.

 
#5 ·
Vortex makes great products but I recommend that you bust your piggy bank to get the best range finder you can make yourself buy. Out of 5 range finders I’ve own, I kept a Leica. It’s smaller than most, uses a red led, scans and is optically superior. I can easily use it as a monocular to scan my hunting area. I’ve owned it for 10 years now and it in no way feels inadequate.
 
#6 ·
Leica are definitely among the best in my opinion. Little more expensive than some, but quality & clarity that will outlast the others. Well worth the investment!

I've had my Leica Geovid binos w/built in rangefinder for about 15 years so far, still as good as the day I bought them. Also nice to have all in 1 unit, as opposed to having to lug around 2 items (binos & a rangefinder). The red lit display is the easiest to see & read in any lighting conditions, unlike others with black display which are difficult to read in low light.

I have a backup Nikon rangefinder, but rarely use because they are inferior in every way imaginable.. (poor display in low light, less accurate, less light gathering, less clarity)

Friend of mine found a used Leica 1200? handheld LRF on fleabay last spring for $300-$350, there are some affordable deals out there if you are patient.
 
#9 ·
I have ... an ancient Leica CRF 800 that flown all over the world and done yeoman service in the heat and humidity of the jungle to the bitter cold of winter by the Great lakes. In rain, fog, snow and blinding sun. Just as clear and vivid as the day I bought it.
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#13 ·
Truth there ... I had the original cigarette box Leica for years and years. I came into some mad money burning a hole in my pocket and was looking for something to spend it on. Decided to replace the box with a modern ergonomic Leica because the thing was a pain getting out of my pockets. Gave the box to my golfer brother and I think he's STILL using it!
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#16 ·
They all work pretty well these days. I do like the Vortex. But I have I light cheap one I bought on Amazon that has resided in the bottom of my target arrow bucket for a year now. Seems to be holding up and accurate.

Lately I have been trying to buy used ones that come up on the board. Those are working great too. I’ve become a bit of a rangefinder hoarder since I have misplaced a few (which show up later in last season’s pocket or were somehow repurposed into my sons pack) so I keep a stash of them available. So I like the used ones the best!
 
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#18 ·
I am using a leupold RX 1000 TBR it is a older range finder and in there day they were at the higher end , like most have said
get a good one and it will last for years , also make sure it has the red LED readout .
 
#19 ·
I use a Vortex Ranger 1000. For my purposes it works great.

If I was spending tens of thousands of dollars to go on an African Safari or after bears in Russia I would spare no money on a range finder. So it really boils down to what you can afford and what you need it for. Extreme conditions require exceptional gear!!
Bill
 
#20 ·
I guess I am a cheapskate and lack understanding in the world of rangefinders. I can’t help but ask myself why anyone would pay $550 and more dollars for a thousand yard rangefinder to range 45 yard deer for their crossbow hunting, and then shoot it with a crossbow fast enough they could hold a high kill shot with a 20 yard pin and still peg the vitals at near 50 yards… No disrespect to those who are willing to do this at all. If that’s what makes you happy, then by all means it’s your hard earned money to spend as you wish. I also realize some here use their rangefinder for rifle shooting and other things as well, too. To be 100% honest, I have an old Bushnell I’ve been using for over 20 years. It replaced an old rangefinder that used a prism/reflector that merged two images. Turning the dial aligned the images. Once aligned, you read the number on the dial as the yards to target. It worked by triangulating the left and right eyepiece with the target object. I can see replacing something as archaic as that one with a newfangled electrical powered unit, but short of replacing the newer one for a longer range capable unit, I’d see it as wasting money. For me, even the units with the ability to adjust yardage based on inclination seem unnecessary since everything I shoot is fast enough to negate any need for that feature.
 
#22 ·
I guess I am a cheapskate and lack understanding in the world of rangefinders. I can’t help but ask myself why anyone would pay $550 and more dollars for a thousand yard rangefinder to range 45 yard deer for their crossbow hunting, and then shoot it with a crossbow fast enough they could hold a high kill shot with a 20 yard pin and still peg the vitals at near 50 yards…
{/QUOTE]
Here's why...
I have a Nikon 440. It's a handy size, works great most of the time. But it only has a black display. Can't be read in poor light that still is within legal shooting hours. It suffers badly in rain, fog, show and it will frequently not range accurately, often enough in decent weather, and especially so at or near max range. The Leicas are much, much more tolerant of weather adversity and much more readable in low light. Most if not all of us also shoot rifles, and a rangefinder can be very helpful if it works well, and worse than useless if it does not.
 
#21 ·
I second the Vortex recommendation. I recently picked up a Vortex Crossfire HD 1400 and it blows my old Halo range finder out of the water. Great glass, illuminated reticle with 5 brightness settings so it isn't too bright at dawn or dusk (like the Leupolds are) and the 0.1 yard (or meter) readouts are lightning fast and bang-on repeatable. It also has first/last settings that you can turn on to get readings through grass and brush, and the angle compensation option as well, like most all of them have these days.

Truth be told, I have never held a Leica range finder, but at $199 for the Vortex I'd bet my lunch money that the Vortex has it beat in ultimate value when considering the huge price point difference. I'd actually bet both my lunch money and my beer money ;)

Photo of the reticle for reference. Reticle and reading are much more crisp in real-life. Hard to get a good photo through it. Just an example of what it looks like.

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#24 ·
Your response makes sense to me. While I do shoot rifles and such, I’m not hardcore about it and rarely get to shoot at a place where there are any long range opportunities where a better rangefinder would be necessary for me. I have also ran into instances where I was unable to see the display on my rangefinder, but was also too dark to see the reticle of my scope or the target beyond once the reticle was illuminated, which is ok because it was still before legal shooting hours anyhow.
i guess I just am not as serious about things as a lot here are. I’m completely unwilling to be upset that I couldn’t rangefind a deer. I’m not bothered to let one walk because something just wasn’t perfect. It’s all part of the love of archery hunting for me and the challenge to outsmart that beast next time around. Once I think about it, I’m not sure I have ever actually ranged a deer that I shot. Ever. I practice judging yardage visually and confirm with my rangefinder throughout the year. When I see a deer I simply have an estimate of the range that’s more than close enough to be handily within the zone. I just can’t be so serious about it that it becomes frustrating and loses its joy.
 
#25 ·
Your response makes sense to me. While I do shoot rifles and such, I’m not hardcore about it and rarely get to shoot at a place where there are any long range opportunities where a better rangefinder would be necessary for me. I have also ran into instances where I was unable to see the display on my rangefinder, but was also too dark to see the reticle of my scope or the target beyond once the reticle was illuminated, which is ok because it was still before legal shooting hours anyhow.
i guess I just am not as serious about things as a lot here are. I’m completely unwilling to be upset that I couldn’t rangefind a deer. I’m not bothered to let one walk because something just wasn’t perfect. It’s all part of the love of archery hunting for me and the challenge to outsmart that beast next time around. Once I think about it, I’m not sure I have ever actually ranged a deer that I shot. Ever. I practice judging yardage visually and confirm with my rangefinder throughout the year. When I see a deer I simply have an estimate of the range that’s more than close enough to be handily within the zone. I just can’t be so serious about it that it becomes frustrating and loses its joy.
I dont always use the rangefinder to range a deer either. I usually range my area & have positions memorized by the time deer start moving.
Varmint hunting, not so much lol. Little pigs pop up anywhere from 20 yards out to 800 yards where we go.
 
#26 · (Edited)
From my experience range finders fail in these ways hunting.
You can't see the read out because it's black or you can't range the deer or gobbler because the read out is to bright.
You can't range the target because of weather most of the time its fog that gets you. Or you can't see the target/deer because of glass in the range finder. And a few at least back in the day wouldn't range anything black. Or you get false readings. I had one rangefinder read a spider web once. It didn't last long :).

All the range finders except one has failed me in one or more of the examples above.

So lets build a rangefinder. First we got to be able to see what we need to range. So let's give it some good glass. Next let's give it a red read out but not to bright we don't want it washing out are target. Next let's give it a narrow beam. We will get less false readings. Now let's give it strong beam we want to penetrate fog for example, and last let's make it simple. Push a button the aiming point comes on push it again we get the range. Self adjusting brightness is great too.That way we didn't range something midday then the buck of a lifetime steps out the next morning 10 mins after first light and all we see is a big red blob because we forgot to turn it down.

We just built a Leica rangefinder.

pouring the rain.
 
#30 ·
For another aspect your range finder is a little spotting scope. So the better the glass the better. Leica is probably the best. I still have my old "box" model going strong at 20+ years (when I can find it).
So buy the best glass you can afford. Leica, Nikon and Vortex have the best glass in my opinion. Second factor is size. For me the smaller/ligher the better. I used to have a halo which was really compact. But that one made its way into my son's hunting gear.
 
#31 ·
I used a Simmons 600 I paid about $70 for back in the dark ages until I bought a Sig Sauer BDX scope/RF combo. I usually just range objects around my stand and put the RF away. Where I hunt it is rare to be able to range a deer then get a clear shot off also as you see a deer and shoot in in less than 15 seconds or so usually and 98% of shots will be inside 35 yards.
 
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