Rangefinder help

joelpresmyk8

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Oct 16, 2014
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179
Hey everyone, just needed some opinions on rangefinders from first hand experience. I am looking for a rangefinder that will hit up to 800-900 yards consistently and does the angle compensation distance to about 800. My ballpark price would be 400.if it's possible with that price range what one would you guys suggest. Thanx in advance
 
Take a look at the Vortex Ranger 1000

I was looking at that originally but have heard it's hard to hit 800 with it? Don't know this to be a fact though. I don't really care for how they do the angle compensation on theirs. To 800 it has to be 15 degrees or less and then 15-30 degrees out to 400.
 
I would sure take a hard look at the lieca1600 B. For the simple reason I don't think you will be able to find a range finder to do what your asking for the price you wanting to pay. I bought a Leupold RX IV several years ago very disappointed, it was suppose to range out to a 1000 yds. 600 was all it would do on the best of days. Bought the Lieca 1600 B and have never looked back.Very pleased.:)
 
I have owned 7 or 8 rangefinders looking for what I want. As a rule of thumb they will not range a deer at more than 1/2 of their rated distance. For the small stick in your pocket range finders the Leica 1200 is the best I have ever owned, but falls far short for my needs. I now use a Bushnell Fusion 1600 in 15 x magnification. They do a far better job than anything I have ever used, but they are very large, heavy and bulky to carry, I put up with that for the ability to range targets far beyond the ability of any other range finder I have ever used.
 
The Leica 1600B is a little more than what your price range is but in my opinion it works. My younger brother bought a Leupold (I don't know the model) and the last time we got out hunting together he broke it out and was ranging different things. He had trouble out past 600yds on non glaring targets on the overcast weather we were in. My Leica didn't have that problem. I have ranged reflective targets out to 1900+yds with it. On over cast days I have ranged targets out to 1200+. We ranged a herd of elk at approx. 850yds with it while out hiking.

If you can save up a little more money I would suggest the Leica. "Buy once cry once". That's what my friend has told me when it came to buying the range finders.
 
+1 for the Leica 1600. I'm very happy with mine.

$400 puts you in a golf course rangefinder, not a long range hunting rangefinder
 
Another vote for the Leica 1600b.

I have ranged deer out to 780 yards, a tree at 825 yards and a water tower at 1960 yards. Plus the glass is ultra clear which is one thing a lot of guys don't mention when talking about a rangefinder.

Can't ask for much more for around 600 bucks.
 
I contacted Vortex when they first released the ranger 1000. The told me it would range Huge reflecting objects (lets say an 4 floor mirror building) @ 1000 yds, but reallistically I could expect around 450 yds on deer sized targets.
I ended up buying a Leica 1600-b and I´m very pleased with it. Awesome rangefinder, very reliable and ranges beyond I can shoot. My farthest reading is 1250 on a 3´X3´steel plate
 
Bushnell elite 1mile 440bucks shipped from amazon. I bought 1 about a month ago after reading every thread I could find on it, from what I read almost everyone is very happy with them considering the price. The farthest I have been able to range was a house at 1745yd there is a shop building that has to be about 1900 from my house and it will not range it. Other things I have ranged raven 318, 4 deer 760, black cow 923, tree 980, car sized rocks 1100. House and the like are no problem to about 1300 after that it's a bit iffy. 750 is not easy on deer and the 923cow took a bit. Tha display is kinda dim in bright conditions. Over all I'm very happy.
 
I have the Leica 1600b and it's great at consistently ranging out to about 1500 yards in the mountains.

But the 1600b does not do angle-only range compensation. I've been through this in another thread and it is a common mistake that pretty much everybody makes. I'm not going to get into it in full detail, but read the directions. Very simply the 1600b provides angle-temperature-pressure compensation and there is no way around that. For everybody that uses it thinking they are getting angle-only, take a 2nd look at the directions and do some quick tests outside ranging and doing some basic math.

The only way you get angle-only out of a 1600b is if the measurement is taken at 68 degrees F and 29.92 inHg. which is what the pre-set ballistic curves are set to. any deviation from the default temp and pressure and the 1600b also accounts for those differences in the EHr calculation.
 
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