[Mossy Bloke]

I'm considering buying one of these little peices of technological wonder and I'm wondering who uses one already and how much do you like it? Benefits of actually using it out in the field as opposed to being just an expensive thing to brag about around the campfire.

[700ltr]

I have the leica 1200.I think they are well worth the money.I use it archery hunting and rifle hunting.I lve in the mountains and I can get out on a point and look across the valley at a clear cut and have time to range deer and determine if it's a shot I can make.I have a scope with target turrets and can make the adjustments according to the yardage and shoot with confidence.No more guessing is that 300 or 400 yards and not taking the shot because because of not knowing the yardage.Now I know the yardage and it 's only the weather condtions that determine if I will take the shot or not

[Lee Woiteshek]

700ltr speakth the truth. If you know the range, the ballistics of your load in your rifle, then all you have to worry about is the wind. With a range finder that gives you two out of three. I have a cheap Bushnell, nothing as nice as a Leica and it gives me a decided edge. I even use mine for bow hunting. I rank the laser range finder right up there in importance as a scope, and binocular for any kind of shooting past 100 yards. With a range finder, you will also quickly learn what your limits are.

[dakotasin]

i have one, and use the tar out of it.

i am on my 3rd one now, and am ready to get a new one - want the leica 1200.

very handy little devices. i have my binos on a shoulder harness, and the lrf in a pocket. i get tons of use out of it for rifle and bow hunting, and the amount of use i get out of it for range and prairie dog work makes it a real bargain. no other hunting accessory i have gets used as much for so many different activities. binos get used as much for hunting, spotter gets used almost as much for range work, but even combined i think i get more use out of the laser.

i replace the battery every labor day. i have yet to have a battery go bad on me, but i think of it as a preventative measure.

[P95Carry]

Just the Bushnell 600 ... intermittent use but - always glad as heck I have it when required. Would hate to be without it.

Tho limited range by the standard of many now on market - I have rarely needed anything better.

[cola8d8]

I too have a Leica 1200. I use it alot. You will be surprised (at least I was) at how bad I was (am) at guesstimating distances. If you hunt out of the same stand/area all the time and really dont want to spend the $$$ on one. Try borrowing one, take it to your stand/area and range various objects and write those distances down. You will then be able to estimate the range of animals in that area more accurate.

[Rhinodogg]

I have the Bushnell yardage pro trophy. I like everything about it but the black readout. Hard to beat for $199.

[hillbilly]

I used to think the Mildot system was horribly complicated until I went to a shooting school and found out how easy it was.

Remember, they teach Marines to use this thing.....

I've got a Leupold with a Generation 2 Mildot system in it. Doesn't use batteries, never gives false readings and won't fail because the target isn't reflective enough.

You can also get a handy little device called the "Mildot Master" which is basically a slide rule for Mildots.

No batteries to worry about.

Here's the forumla.

Target size in inches multiplied by the constant of 27.77 and then divided by the mildot reading.

Soooo.....a Target 20 inches wide times 27.77 is 555.4.

You look at that target in your scope and it is about 1.5 mildots wide, so 555.4 divided by 1.5 means right at 370 yards to the target.

The Mildot Master basically does all the calculating with the constant for you.

You just figure out how big the target is (say you research average whitetail deer in your area and find out, on average, how tall at the shoulder, how wide at the brisket, typical distance ear-tip-to-ear-tip, etc) and then just slide that size in inches to the number of Mildots wide or tall it appears in your scope....voila....the range in yards.

hillbilly

[Harve Curry]

I use the Lieca 800, also is a good 7x monocular.

[ClarkEMyers]

Eyeball the distance, judge and confirm, with a little practice learn to judge distance better and better. I'm not sure I want to shoot game where I need to take clicks though.

Very useful for ground squirrel shooting with range and bearing information for swapping off shots as a social activity, and there I will use a scope with target knobs and take clicks both elevation and windage.

Not sure how I feel about the Swarovski rangefinder scope combination makes the elevation adjustments for you - I can't afford one so it is not as tempting, sour grapes may be why I'm not sure it's fair chase.

[Robertesq1]

Anyone using the range finding binos?? It seems to me they have got to be great.

[browningguy]

I use a Bushnell, not very good beyond 300 yards or so, but I don't shoot farther than that anyway. When I'm stand or still hunting I use the rangefinder to check several landmarks around me. That way when dinner comes walking out I already know where to hold.

I also use it when stalking if I have time. I was on a hunt last week in the hill country stalking sheep. We had spotted them way across an open field, I used a creek bed to get closer and would stand up and get a range on them, fianally managed to get a good shooting position at 130 yards and took the shot.

Here's the pic.

[Kinsman]

You know, the parallax kind? They work great, cost a fraction of what the digi ones cost, and don't have any of the problems associated with the digi ones: mostly, reflectivity problems like rain or snow, leaves, furry critters that don't fit the standard.

Ok, maybe they are not accurate to .00047 meters; neither am I.

[Art Eatman]

I bought a Bushnell 800 a few years back. It's quite accurate. I haven't had any particular hunting use for it, although I can see several hypothets.

It can help establish range limits, if you're working from a blind. Or, if you see that once-in-a-lifetime critter at a rather long shot away, and know you can't stalk closer, it can help avoid a crippling hit.

But they can certainly help you train yourself in range estimating when hunting-walking across rough country...

Art

[Rhinodogg]

There's a pretty good article on the pros and cons of laser ranging in the Oct. 2004 issue of Bowhunting magazine. It makes alot of pretty good points, in my opinion. I'm still gonna use mine though :D

[H&Hhunter]

Given the fact that at longer ranges your bullet drop starts to become expoenetial. An accurate range to target is one of the single most important factors in long range shooting. The difference in drop between 400yds and 450 yards is enough to cause a complete miss on a target.

So if one has the need to shoot at long distances a range finder of some type is a critical piece of equipment..

I carry a Lieca 900LRF. It is a fantastic range finder. But i usually only carry it when either guiding or when hunting in canyon/mountain country where a long poke may be the shot you get. I also find it quite nice for Pronghorn hunting.

Most of the time though if it's so far that you need a range finder to accuratley get your range it's probably to far to be shooting at it.;)

Now for bow hunting I always use a range finder. The way i tend to use it for either bow or rifle hunting is when I sit down and start glass I'll range several prominent land marks and that will calibrate my eye as to how far thing really are around me. that way when an elk walks out by that crooked old tree over there i know he's about 200yards. Same goes for bow hunting but now I know exactley where 20, 30 ,40 yards are and what pin to use where.

[mhpoole]

Next to a good rifle and scope its my most used items. Nothing special just a nikon 800 but i wouldnt leave home without it. I use it to mark distances in fields so i have an idea how far the animal is. I dont persay use it when i see the animal just before to get an idea. I also downloaded a progam called shoot.exe and i have bullet drop for my caliber out to 750 meters not that i would take the shot but atleast i know.