Laser Rangefinder Out to 1200 Yards

[Rack]

Not sure if this should go in here, but since it's for rifle shooting...

Looking for a first LRF. Would a Vortex be a good one for 50-1000 yards or so? Would be primarily for both target shooting and hunting.

Any other good options? I saw the Vortex Fury 5000 LRF binoculars online, but read the optics are not as good for binoculars. Would be great to have a combination.

Thanks for any advice.

[secondstoryguy]

We have had bad luck with Vortex for Range Finders. Their warranty is great but after two failures of one of their higher end models my sense of humor wore off. Although these were used for LE sniper work they were treated well with minimum time in use. I'd go Leica or Swarovski if I had the coin.

[Duelist]

I realize there are higher-end range finders, but I have been using a Bushnell 1200 Arc for about ten years as a hunting range finder. It is supposed to be a 1200 yard tool, but I have been able to use it for ranges much in excess of 1200 yards when conditions are perfect. When conditions are less than perfect, like most of life, it effectively ranges less, and sometimes it just cannot come close to its full rating. Under poor conditions, it might make 600. That is the nature of range finders, and was one reason why I wanted one rated far in excess of what I will ever need to shoot under normal circumstances: so that when conditions are bad, I’ll usually be able to range the distances I want to be able to shoot.

It has been entirely satisfactory for how I use it hunting deer and elk in western mountains where sight lines can be much longer than the 1200 yard rating.

[BobM]

I have a Leupold RX2800 I bought a couple years ago. It’s vastly superior to the Bushnell units I was issued in the 90s.

[DamonL]

https://precisionrifleblog.com/2019/05/09/best-rangefinder/

Here is is article that might help. The cool ones will talk to a Kestrel, have integrated ballistics, or are integrated in binoculars.

[Rack]

We have had bad luck with Vortex for Range Finders. Their warranty is great but after two failures of one of their higher end models my sense of humor wore off. Although these were used for LE sniper work they were treated well with minimum time in use. I'd go Leica or Swarovski if I had the coin.


That's surprising, but I'm not real familiar with the rangefinder world, yet. I would have expected the Vortex models to be better than that.

[Rack]

https://precisionrifleblog.com/2019/05/09/best-rangefinder/

Here is is article that might help. The cool ones will talk to a Kestrel, have integrated ballistics, or are integrated in binoculars.

Thanks. It's interesting that a Sig model is at the top. I would have assumed the Sigs were lower-end Chinese stuff, like their red dots.

[Clusterfrack]

The top end Sig RF was designed in consultation with a tier 1 sniper I know. Lots of testing and thought went into it. It’s a good unit for the money.

[fatdog]

I got the Bushnell 1600 unit profiled there, and his test results are spot on, unlike its claimed capability, it is not really useful past 800 yards most of the time. I cannot even range an unobstructed painted white USPSA target size steel plate at 1000 on a clear day. But it was a bargain....:p

[Lost River]

I have a Sig.

It replaced my older Leica, and is a very impressive piece of gear.

[entropy]

I have the Sig as well. Very happy with it.

A few things to keep in mind:

1. Much depends on atmospheric conditions. Fog, dust, drizzle, etc has an effect on performance at long range. It’s something that may not be apparent to you on a daily basis either. In other words, although today’s “foggy day” may seem like “yesterday’s foggy day”, the actual atmospheric conditions and air density may be different and have an effect.

2. The reflectivity of the object you’re zapping has an effect too. I’ve had successful hits on highly reflective targets (cars, grain elevators, A500 coated with reflective paint) but don’t think you’re gonna tag that fence post at 2000yds. See #1 too.

3. Get a tripod and a decent swivel head. Don’t go crazy cost wise, but get something that will allow you a stable, adjustable platform to aim the thing. Even pressing the button when the object is far away is a skillset.

Once you get one, the entire neighborhood will be mapped out the first day. Lol

[Rack]

Thanks for all the good feedback. Sounds like I'll look for a Sig.

Thanks.

[Malamute]

A bump to ask for up to date suggestions, this time for someone on a modest budget. Can a reliable and accurate unit be had in the $300 price range?

Reliable in the sense of not expiring before its time. I seem to be hard on electronic things.

[ECK]

I have an older monocular style LRF with a 4x which got me thru shooting comps for the last few years. That said, I much prefer a binocular LRF with higher magnification. So last fall I went on the search for something I could glass with, LRF, and also spot hits on steel out to 900-1,000+ yds.

I looked at three models and got to play with them at the range:
Leica 10x42 (can’t recall the model number). Had the best glass by far, but the slowest and most questionable ranges.

Sig Kilo 3000, 10x42 with decent glass, kind of a blue tint, can sync to a Kestrel or use the on-board BDX ballistics software out to 800 yards. Good form factor, felt good in the hand. Has the best price point of the three but is being discontinued by Sig.

Sig Kilo 10K, 10x42, about the same blue tint on the lenses, and better on-board ballistics software, weather gauges, choice of ranging reticle, and the BDX software can go beyond 800 yds. I will say that you don’t notice the blue tint unless you are going back and forth between optics. Similar form factor as the Sig 3K, but with some upgrades and supposedly can range objects further than most people would shoot at.

I went with the Sig 10K, but I will say that if you’re a glass snob stick with Leica, Zeiss, or Swarovski.

[Rack]

A bump to ask for up to date suggestions, this time for someone on a modest budget. Can a reliable and accurate unit be had in the $300 price range?

Reliable in the sense of not expiring before its time. I seem to be hard on electronic things.

I'm not an expert, but just as a data point, I ended getting a Leica CRF-2400. It's simple to use, but I get false readings. I should read the manual and see if I'm getting something wrong. I measured a target the other day that was at 35 yards. It read -10. (It puts a "-" in front of the readings.) I don't know if it had to do with some reflectivity or not.

However, it's about $250 more than the range you're looking for.

I did find out something, though - it's extremely difficult to keep it steady. Impossible when hand-held for me.