Range Finder Recommend

I am almost always a Leupold guy. Bought one of theirs, it lasted about 8yrs and died. Same thing happened with my brothers that he bought at the same time. Leupold sold me a replacement at a great price. Brother was more made than me and went with Vortex. I think I would look hard at Vortex in this space. If theirs die I think you get a replacement with no charge.

They all seemed to be made in China (Leupold sadly was/is) unless your get really up there in price and get one from the EU makers.

Sore subject with me. Went with a Swarovski ($1000) range finder and it worked great for about 9 years. Sent it in for repairs and was informed they no longer found it feasible to stock parts and repair out dated technology.....they have now moved on to better technology. Sadly it left my optic investment worthless. Buy the cheapest rangefinder you can get....they have a short shelf life and are basically disposable.

The sigs are good.
I'm currently using an athlon 1 mile, with my old Bushnell GeForce DX 1300 as a backup...
Would happily recommend either of those

I have the Bushnell Elite Mile Conc .... Works as it should, out to 1800m

As far as I've used it.

For 100-400, there’a basically no way to fail. EVERYTHING on the market is made to range typically twice that far, up to 10 times that far. A cheap Bushnell for $150 will get you there.

For longer range ranging, I use a Sig Kilo 2200 and a Leica 1600B.

I got the vortex ranger 1800 last year and I’m extremely happy with it.
I did a little research last summer while is was looking for a new one and I feel that I made the right decision.
Their warranty alone makes it a good decision, not to mention how well mine works for me.
I have no problem recommending thiat

Another Vortex Ranger 1800 here.

Works well, small/light enough for hunting. Had a Leupold it lasted 4 years and I got the same response as the others. Leupold offered me a discount on a new one, but the other reviews I read said the replacements also had a relatively short life expectancy.

I've also got Bushnell Elite Mile Conx. Like it for precision stuff because the Bluetooth talks to my ballistic program. It's a little large & heavy for hunting though.

Chuck R. said:

I've also got Bushnell Elite Mile Conx. Like it for precision stuff because the Bluetooth talks to my ballistic program. It's a little large & heavy for hunting though.

Click to expand...

I also have had a Bushnell Elite 1 Mile with ConX. Great LRF, and VERY fast with reliable reading hits. But the same sentiment, it’s a bit bigger than the other models I use, and frankly, I just don’t need 5 LRF’s in my life, so I passed it on to another local PRS shooter. Bluetooth connectivity with phone or Kestrel is a pretty cool feature too - albeit not really pertinent for only 100-400yrd shooting.

film495 said:

Was going to get the Bushnell and it didn't come with a case

Click to expand...

Which Bushnell doesn’t come with a case? I’ve had 3 different models of Bushnell LRF’s and all had at least a nylon belt pouch.

film495 said:

One feature I kind of wanted, since I don't really know how to use a range finder, but it seemed like a good idea, was the abiltity to seat it on a cheap tripod to make it easier to steady just for using for range shooting, but doesn't seem like a feature any of the manufacturers really list in their product details, so - I gave up on that and just odered one.

Click to expand...

For 100-400 yard ranging, you likely won’t have trouble engaging targets with the laser. Drawing your elbows into your body tight helps a lot, or resting on your elbows over the bench or prone, but even standing, 100-400yrd pings are pretty easy. There are also a few 3D printed or even aluminum tripod mounts for various LRF’s out there. I have a Blamm industries tripod Mount for my sig LRF. I’m not sure if the Kilo1000 shares the same footprint as the 2200/2000/2400, but you should look into that. Sig also sells an aluminum mount for the 2000/2200/2400, again, not sure if that fits the 1000 or not. Worth investigating.

MKMachining has a drop-down offering 4 options for Sig Kilo rangefinders so it appears the line is not universal in footprint. I have the Kilo 1800 which works far better than the older Leupold I own.

LoonWulf said:

The sigs are good.
I'm currently using an athlon 1 mile, with my old Bushnell GeForce DX 1300 as a backup...
Would happily recommend either of those

Click to expand...

I'll echo this. I have a Sig Kilo 1800 that I managed to get for $190 when they were being clearanced out. I've ranged out to 1600 yards with it. Mind you that was a white pole barn on a clear day, but still impressive. The biggest steal for me on it though is the illuminated display, that comes in SUPER handy if you don't have the best light. Where I've been able to find them online they're running like $350 now I think, which I think is still a decent value though not a steal like I got.

As far as the Athlon, I've never used one of their rangefinders but if they're anything like their binos and spotting scope I own, it would be a great value.

Their Talos rangefinder is under $150 (I found one on Amazon for $103 just now) and good to 850 yards according to them. With rangefinders in non-perfect conditions I assume half the range, which still puts you well within your uses. Their Midas 1 Mile that Loonwulf has is under $300 on Amazon and would definitely provide more range than you'll ever need.

Might be getting one of the Vectronix PLRF models soon, or just settle for the Terrapin X.

The thing is, I'm not that sure I'll be moving to a locality with nice, wide open spaces...

Job takes priority

I like my SIG KILO 2000.

I've ranged stuff with it in bright daylight over 1k yards.

I have a pair of Leica range finding binos. They are expensive but very handy when hunting as you can glass and range at the same time.

film495 said:

I was looking at a relatively cheap night vision binoculars. Don't really need them, but thought to myself, if they also had a range finder feature - then i would probably just have got them on the spot.

Click to expand...

Be careful about that if you're using them hunting. Every state has its own game laws, but I don't know of anywhere that allows NVGs for hunting game (perhaps for predators and nuisance species). Simply being in possession of NVGs while hunting is quite possibly an offense in many states.

film495 said:

I was looking at a relatively cheap night vision binoculars. Don't really need them, but thought to myself, if they also had a range finder feature - then i would probably just have got them on the spot.

Click to expand...

I have a cheap night vision monocular and aftermarket IR illuminator, it's pretty nifty. Planning to use it for coyote hunting, but it's also fun to scan the back yard and fields behind our property. I can see out to 350+ yards with it, which isn't bad for a setup that ran me $160 everything included.

If it was for more serious purposes I would have spent more, but its mostly just a grown up toy to experiment with.

For most cheap night vision, the illuminator is what will be your limiting factor. With the monocular, you can't see past 75 yards or so with the built in illuminator. Attach a decent aftermarket one, and it extends the range immensely. Same with my Wraith NV scope, with stock illuminator it can see out to 200ish, with a better illuminator I can see 500+.

I have an older Bushnell but don't remember the model and am too lazy to go find it and check. I know it works to 500 yards if my hands are steady enough to hold it still or I can find something to prop up on. It has been trouble free up to this point. It's cost was some in the neighborhood of $150.

I just wanted to add regarding my KILO 2000, just walking around standing free handed getting returns at up to and just over 1kyrds, in bright sunlight I was getting returns very quickly and easily.

I read alot of reviews of people saying their LRF's would reach out that far but would need to be rested, and only on a overcast day and would take multiple attempts. The scan mode on the SIG unit works very well and gets hits back very quickly.

I'm very happy with my choice and would highly recommend it. I'd buy it again in a heartbeat if I lost it.

Varminterror said:

For 100-400, there’a basically no way to fail. EVERYTHING on the market is made to range typically twice that far, up to 10 times that far. A cheap Bushnell for $150 will get you there.

For longer range ranging, I use a Sig Kilo 2200 and a Leica 1600B.

Click to expand...

They do fail though. I have a simmons and its supposed to be a 600 or 800 yard rangefinder. I am lucky to get it to read woods or houses 300yards away.

My buddy has a Vortex and says he would rather have the sig. I just purchaed this one and so far pretty happy. I was messing around with it and got it to read a little over 1k yards hitting a stop sign. https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/leupold-rx-1400i-tbr-w-rangefinder