Best Rangefinders for the buck?

[Dust270WSM]

I'm am shoping for a new set of rangefinders and am wonder what is the best range finders for the buck? The Leicas are suppose to be the best but they are 500 and 600 bucks. I have been looking at the Leupolds.

Any help will be appreciated.

 

[Ernie]

I'm am shoping for a new set of rangefinders and am wonder what is the best range finders for the buck? The Leicas are suppose to be the best but they are 500 and 600 bucks. I have been looking at the Leupolds.

Any help will be appreciated.

Dust,
What kind of distance do you want to get from your LR?

 

[Broz]

For between $500 and $600 bucks you should be able to buy a new Leica 1200 CRF. In my opinion it can't be beat for the price and quite possibly might even be the best for under $1000. I say this as I own both the new Leica and the new Swarovski. Plus I have had a very small amount of time with the Zeiss in the field. If your limit is $600 I feel very confident in telling you go for the Lieca CRF.

Jeff

 

[Pdvdh]

I'd recommend Swarovski if you want to range past 1400 yds, and are prepared to pay $750.

If you want to range to 1000 yds and pay 1/2 the price of the Swaro, buy a Bushnell 1500.

If you want a piece of crap, buy a Leupold LRF.

 

[royinidaho]

I'd recommend Swarovski if you want to range past 1400 yds, and are prepared to pay $750.

If yiou want to range to 1100 yds and pay 1/2 the price of the Swaro, buy a Bushnell 1500.

If you want a piece of crap, buy a Leupold LRF.

I'd recommend against the Bushnell 1500. It may lure you into a false sense of confidence. I "think" the beam is too wide thus not ranging what you "think" you are ranging. This is/was/could be a problem when ranging an animal in sparse trees on a flat part of the mountain. The further away the larger the possible error.

I have a Leica 1200 LRF which is finally at a point where it won't range as far as I am confident I can shoot. However, the Swaro has the same limitation.

Also don't neglect the importance of a range chart!

 

[Pdvdh]

Yes, I wouldn't buy the Bushnell either if money wasn't a constraint. I didn't mean to imply it was a steal, and in re-reading my post, it could be taken that way.

But it seems like Dust270WSM is looking to spend substantially less than $500, and if I had to purchase one for substantially less than $500, I would probably settle for the Bushnell 1500. Some of them will range to 1400 yds. Some will only range to 900 yds. I've read a lot of varying reports. The Bushnell 1500 Arc I had would reach just shy of ~1000 yds when it was having a good day. But many others have posted of reaching greater distances.

I wouldn't buy a Leupold LRF unless I was content ranging 400 yds from the majority of the feedback I've seen on them. I'd buy their scopes, and own a few, but I'd stay away from their LRFs.

 

[Broz]

Another thought... If your buget is under $500 , Me personally, would be looking at used Leicas. You could probably get a used 1200 LRF for about $350 to $400. Even if they are older and the risk of no warranty is there, I think they are probably " The Best Bang for the Buck" and will probably hold that used value for a long time.

Jeff

 

[bigbuck]

Phorwath were can I buy a swaro for $750 ? I have an older leica 1200 that has never given me a problem . I would sell it though if I could find a swaro for $750.

BIGBUCK

 

[Dust270WSM]

REALLY, Leupolds are that bad? HUH? I figured as good as there scopes are there finders would be as good. Guess not.

So all of the bad reviews I have read on Cabelas are true.

The thing to do is just save up and buy a Leica sounds like. What about the Zeiss? Looks pretty good but $699.00.

And what about this ARC thing everyone has. Like bushnell and Lupy. Does it make that much difference. I will be using it a lot during bow season?

 

[Pdvdh]

Phorwath where can I buy a swaro for $750?
BIGBUCK

Incoming PM.

 

[NJS]

I have been using a Leica 1200 LRF for years and it has given me wonderful service. The new Leica CRF has a faster processor, is water proof and will fit in your shirt pocket. I think my kids will be getting my LRF to use and old Dad will get the newer Leica CRF... <wink>

 

[Michael Eichele]

IMHO, for the best all around performance/cost you will have a hard time beating the Leica 1200. I sold my Leica for a Swaro and even though the Swaro is great, I dont feel it was so much better that I needed to trade up. Yes the Leica is a bit on the expensive side but it is much cheaper than the Swaro and is MUCH better than any of the Lupy's or Bush's etc.....When I had my Leica 1200 I got consistent readings in all lighting conditions so long as it wasent trying to read through rain, snow or fog and would do so out to just over 1200 yards. It would get about 1225 and never any more. But hey, it is a 1200 yard LRF afterall. I have known quite a few guys to use the Leicas and they all share similar experiences. This shows that I am not in the minority when it comes to having a positive experience with them. Try getting a 1200 yard reading out of most Elite 1500's on a dull target in mediocre light. Yeah right.

You will pay a few extra bucks for a premium LRF such as the Leica but it will work EXACTLY the way you need it to and when you need it to. What is that worth?????

 

[Pdvdh]

I sold my Leica 1200 Scan after two years of use when it failed to range a hillside 600-700 yds away where some dall rams were feeding. It provided hit or miss performance exactly when I needed to know the range. I pointed and ranged the surrounding ground until I finally obtained some readings and then extrapolated those readings to obtain a distance to the sheep.

The Swaro 8x30 I replaced the Leica with has not yet failed to read sub-1000 yd distances for me, so the Swaro has proven to be the more reliable rangefinder for reading distances past 700 yds in my experience of field usage. The glass is quite a bit better in the Swaro also, such that I have been content to use it as a monocular on spring bear hunts.

My Leica 1200 Scan would generally read out to around 950-1000 yds. It would not usually read past 1000 yds with any consistency. And as stated, it didn't read 650 yds when I really needed a reading.

 

[Tikka Lover]

Just one more post telliing you to stay away from the Leuplods LRF's. I have owned two, an RX-ll and RX-lV. Before the sun would come up the RX-ll would range a hillside to 787 yards never a yard further but it's rated at 750 yards so I thought, upgrade to the RX-lV and I'm golden. NOT, it ranged the exact hillside at 787 yards and never a yard further. Then when the sun did come up neither one could range pass 400 yards and that took pushing the button a hundred times.

You can get a Swaro on Ebay almost any day of the week for $750 and less. I got mine on there for $625, no worries they have the best customer service on the planet and the warranty is for the unit not the person that originally purchased it. I sent mine back to Austria just to make sure everything was perfect before hunting season, never cost me a cent, they cleaned it inside and out and aligned everything even replaced a few small parts. If you want the Leica look on Ebay for those also.