nikon or busnell or simmons rangefinder----which one???????

[30-06 boy]

i'm looking at the nikon monarch1200,the bushnell yardage pro elite1500,and the new simmons 1000 yard model.which one would you pic.or what do you have.jason

 

[Ian M]

Nasty question. I would go with either the Nikon or Bushnell, they are excellent performers. The Nikon is a bit smaller if size is important. I use them both a lot, tough choice!

 

[Guest]

I paid about $350 for my Bushnell Elite 1500 a year ago. I can range over 1,400 yards. That's about double the longest shot I've ever taken at a critter - so I'm very happy with it. I bought the range finder from our own UT Don at longrangesupply . Don personally tests each unit. He also sold me a backup unit for much cheaper that would only range to 1,200 yards.

Laser range finders get better/cheaper every year - so why buy more than you need?

 

[30-06 boy]

how well does these models pick up deer in wooded terain?i will be using one in the nothcentral pa mountains.rangining the sides of steep wooded mountains up to around 900 yards?

 

[davewilson]

i bought a bushnell last year and used it probably not far from where you'll be hunting.couldn't realy get any readings on the mountains over 1k. others on here said they could get readings a little past 1k. under that it usually gave me a number and was very consistant at repeating a distance.i'm looking to get one that will go farther, might let this one go for a fair price if you're interested.

 

[remingtonman_25_06]

I would go for the nikon 1200. I have the nikon 800 and it will range on nice days out to 850 on deer and elk. I believe the nikon 1200 would range to a legit 1200 yards. I will also say that my nikon has gone through some very hard falls (including falling off the truck at 45 mph) and is still working like the first day I got it.

 

[zingdingo]

I've got the Bushnell 1500 elite, had it for over a year. I've had it range 1500+ under ideal circumstances, can almost always get 1000 if I demonstrate a little tenacity (even on a pretty shallow grass hillside, hardly an ideal reflector), and get a reading every time at 800.

I don't believe anything out there is dramatically better until you get to the Swaro $ range. I haven't used the Nikon although I don't doubt it could do what you ask as well.

 

[30-06 boy]

dave, is the rangefinder you have a elite 1500? if so how much deniero????????????.jason

 

[davewilson]

yes it's a 1500. i'm still debating if i want to get rid of it. if i remember right, you live around raystown? i'm below chambersburg, we could meet half way and you could try it. i'll try to make up my mind and let you know.

 

[30-06 boy]

i live in gardners.half way would be around newville on i-81.we could meet at the park and ride?

 

[grit]

I chose the bushnell because they offer the ARC version, basically it has an inclinometer. You have to choose rifle mode, and a ballistic group. The display than shows the ranged distance, incline, and a bullet drop for some ballistic group (useless info, unless someone here knows better). I wish they would show the line of sight distance, incline or cosine, and the corrected distance. But, it does at least have the angle so you can put it in your program, or do the math yourself.

I'm happy with the optics. I don't know why they called the unit a 1500. The furthest reading I've ever got is 1200 and something. However, it is very reliable out to 800 or so, and with a little patience (not something I have when a buck is walking across a clearing), it does well out to 1000.

All things considered, I'm happy with the unit. It's too bad Leupolds RX's didn't perform. I also have the Nikon 440, I carry bowhunting. It will consistently range to 500 yards, however the optics are simply too small. I am a fan of Nikon, and believe the 1200 would posess better ranging ability than the bushnells (at least they would be labeled consistently with thier performance). However, they don't offer an inclinometer.

 

[justgoharder]

well not to throw a wrench into your decisions but I just spent the past 6 weeks trying to find a new rangefinder for myself.

In the end i went with the leica scan 1200. It has worked amazingly well! and it actually ranges out to 1190+ yards with good consistant readings. plus the glass on it seems to be very good. i was able to use it where my spotting scope would fail to find some animals in very low light conditions.

 

[remingtonman_25_06]

I'm very curious as to how the nikon 1200 would perform. I have the nikon 800 and it does well out to 700-800 yards, and I've got readings on elk and deer still out to 850-900 on very good days. This was all using my knee as a rest. The nikon 1200 should do at least 1200, with the advent of still being a little cheaper then the leica 1200. I know I wouldn't buy Leica anything, there customer service was very poor with my uncle and there 800 unit. He dropped it 1 time and it wouldn't range past 200 yards, so he sent it into them and they said it was non-fixable, but they would give him the newer 900 unit for $100 less then what they were going for. Needless to say, he told them to stick it. As far as my Nikon goes, that thing has survived more careless falls from my carelessness then I can remember. The more recent one is falling off my truck going 45 mph down a gravel road. once I figured it was lost, I turned around and found it in the middle of the road. I figured it would be toast, but to my surprise still working and lazing great to 800 yards. I think I'll stick with a Nikon untill I'm rich enough to afford a Swarovski.

 

[Tom Brush]

I am looking for a rangefinder too. I have a Bushnell 400 and a 600 compact. The problem that I have with them is that on a bright sunny day it is impossible to get a reading past 350 yds. I do not believe that I have ever had a 600 yd. reading from the compact in any conditions. I need a longer range unit that will work out to 1000 yds. in all light conditions. Any suggestions?