Rangefinder recommendation

[Car Doc]

I have an older Bushnell 850 and its been great. I have my doubts about how accurate it is on a prairie dog patch at over 600 yds but anything out to 400 yds has been pretty much spot on and repeatable, the reflectivity of whats being ranged is a huge factor ymmv.

I know how tricky it is even with a good scope to judge distance as is but other than that its something I would buy again and recommend the brand to others.

 

[mojoinco]

I had good pricing at cameraland. Bought a Leica being discontinued. Good folks to deal with. I waited so long I decided to get a one time machine versus my usual upgrade path (start small and cheap). Long distance is usually measured on best conditions, so not so perfect conditions should still give you a good response.

Leica supposedly has a different shape to the beam/target input.

 

[radman1]

I have a Leupold RX-1000 TBR. Used it for 2 seasons. It has performed as advertised. It is amazing how compact rangefinders have become over the years and more feature laden. Leica is top notch but I am just a casual, seasonal, weekend hunter. I have Leupold scopes on my hunting rifles and just hard not to go with Leupold. The Leupold is still nearly $400 and few shots are easily made that far or should be made that far. If shooting under 200 yards, don't need a range finder and the vast majority of shots are under that. Didn't think I needed to buy one. However, had a weak moment with some discounts in my hand and bought one. I did a 430 yard shot this year that I would not have done without the rangefinder. 0 wind. My gun was really on at 200 yards where I sight it in. You need to know your ballistics for those longer shots and I write them down on paper under my flip up scope lense cap for reference if I need them. Nice 5x5 buck. I would have definitely passed on that shot in prior years. Get a rangefinder that has more range than you will shoot. A 1000 yards on my Leupold is under ideal conditions with a big reflective target. It picks up small trees easily at 500 yards. I would get a finder rated for at least 750 yards, knowing the practical range on a small target will be half that.
Range finders are also nice for target practice. Set up target, walk back until you find the right distance and set up the table.

 

[ultraglide62]

You have very good taste choosing Leupold. You will not be disappointed. I know a little bit about the company since I just retired as President/CEO of that fine 104 year old family owned business. If you are like are many customers you will be impressed with the product and the service that Leupold provides it's customers.
Make sure you get your son to a gun safety class and the range as much as possible so he feels very comfortable behind his rifle. Thanks for bringing new shooters and hunters into our fine sport.
All the best
ultraglide62

 

[LD1]

For a rangefinder, for what you are wanting, I'd reccomend saving your money and getting a bushnell sport 450. They usually run between $130-$150 but a lot of places have sales where you can pick them up for 99.99.

I agree with getting the best quality optics when you are dealing with rifle scopes, binoculars, spotting scopes, etc. But this is just a range finder. Quality of the image doesn't have to be top notch IMO, just as long as I can make out what I am aiming at. And it doesn't have to be accurate to withing .000000000000001" either. If its 5 yards off on a 200 yard shot, that is NOT going to make me miss. And if you arent doing archery from a treestand or mountain hunting, you dont need the fancy ARC features either that calculate straight line distance based on incline.

And they will usually range farther than rated. The sport 450 has a 450yard range. But I have range it to over 600 before. But around here, groundhog hunting is the longest I shoot, and you can rarley get a shot beyond 350yds due to terrain.

This is just my opinion. Save your money and spend the difference on shells/bullets, saftey gear, etc.

 

[Sigarms]

For a rangefinder, for what you are wanting, I'd reccomend saving your money and getting a bushnell sport 450. They usually run between $130-$150 but a lot of places have sales where you can pick them up for 99.99.

I agree with getting the best quality optics when you are dealing with rifle scopes, binoculars, spotting scopes, etc. But this is just a range finder. Quality of the image doesn't have to be top notch IMO, just as long as I can make out what I am aiming at. And it doesn't have to be accurate to withing .000000000000001" either. If its 5 yards off on a 200 yard shot, that is NOT going to make me miss. And if you arent doing archery from a treestand or mountain hunting, you dont need the fancy ARC features either that calculate straight line distance based on incline.

And they will usually range farther than rated. The sport 450 has a 450yard range. But I have range it to over 600 before. But around here, groundhog hunting is the longest I shoot, and you can rarley get a shot beyond 350yds due to terrain.

This is just my opinion. Save your money and spend the difference on shells/bullets, saftey gear, etc.

+1

Another thought is going with a mil dot recticle and learning how to use it. One simple aid which I bought my nephew some time ago which he really liked was thankyou

 

[forgeblast]

Before you buy one from a catalog, go to a store and see and try to use them. I would take a pair of gloves too to see how easy it is to use/fumble with.
Also look at the modes, point and shoot is the easiest, there was one i looked at that you had to take three reading to compensate for the arrow drop, big pain.
for the rifle ones, i would look at the all inone scope combos.

 

[zaynkarim]

I have a Halo XRT62 Rangefinder. It's 105 on Amazon. It grabs ranges fast, and so far has been accurate at known ranges.

 

[skipperbrown]

I have a Leica 1200 I bought around 2005. Works great and fits nicely in my front shirt pocket. It sometimes doesn't range well in a fog but I don't think any of them do. There is a new 1600 model that all the long range precision shooters think is the bees knees. You can get one from Cameraland in NY which is a reputable company. I have bought several optics from them. Ask for Doug and see if you can get a discount on a new demo.

 

[5030]

Probably way to rich for your blood but I own a pair of Swarvoski EL Range range finding bino's. Fantastic and spot on to 1500 yards plus Swaro glass is the best available. Of course for almost 3 grand, they better be good.

My hunting forays aren't cheap so I want the best.

For local banging, I just use my first focal plane scope that will get me pretty close distance wise using the side parallelax adjustment and reading the distance on the turret.

As a rule, I don't put price limitations on firearms or optics or hunting gear. I buy the best available because it lasts basically forever. Like my camo. I only wear KUIU and KUIU Super Down jackets and pants and I sleep in a KUIU mummy bag, good to 30 below.