Range finders
 

Can anyone tell me the name of a good range finder? Perferrably one that is good for at least 500 yards.

Bushnell, Leupold, Leica, Swarowski, Nikon, all make good rangefinders.

Best bang for your buck and simple to use? Leica LRF 1200. Around $700.

x2!!

I have a Bushnel Scout, but it doesn't range everything every time.

I bought a Leica 1200 in November. What a difference! I ranged a granary at 1100 yds. Much better.

I have not heard much good about the Leupold. Mostly people find them too hard to use. That is what I have heard, no personal experience.

Bushnell
 

I have a Bushnell Yardage Pro. It won't work at any useful distance with snow on the ground or when it's raining. I think that with the snow, there is too much ambient infra-red being reflected, and the rain diffuses the beam.

Leica is top of the line .:)

leica crf 900 or 1200:D


Got the CRF 1200... and not regretting it one bit

Ps. the LRFs are no longer available as the CRFs are replacing them... so the LRFs if any you can find them should be dropped in price.. at lease wholesale did a while ago.

x3!

SWAROVSKIS, a shameless plug :D.http://www.outdoorsmenforum.ca/showthread.php?t=29926

Thanks.
 

Thanks for the info. Now I have a really good place to start.

ive had this one since it was sold at a 'one dollar per yard!'
they have dropped alot.
i have ranged stuff to 1250...spruce trees on snow background

Lots of info regarding rangefinders on the internet, and the summary of just about every review I have come across is that the Leica CRF/LRF 900 and CRF/LRF 1200 models beat most hands down. Simple to use, actually WORK to near their stated ranges, have good optics, and are accurate. If you are in the market for a rangefinder, you're in the market for a Leica.

The CRF is their new model, whereas the LRF is the older model that's been replaced by the CRF. Apparantly, they are just as good, just bulkier. If you don't mind the extra packaging, you can find these used to save a bit of coin. Both come in a 900 and 1200 yard version.

I haven't heard to much about any others that may cost even more than the Leica, but at the Leica price point and below, nothing beats it.

I have read the Leupolds are overly complicated and cumbersome to use, cycling through the electronic menus to do simple tasks.

I have heard the Bushnells often do not work to near their advertised ranges. Eg. 500 yard models only working out to about 250 yards or so, condition dependent. While it is true that a lot of the rangefinders may not reach their max yardage given certain conditions, a lot of the rangefinders out there are worse for this than others. Once again, the Leica comes closest to its stated yardage under any conditions. There are many reports of people trying their brand X rangefinder, and not being able to get a reading, while their buddy clicks away on their Leica, and get a reading not 1/2 a second later.

Hope this helps!

[QUOTE=GeoTrekr;289576]

The CRF is their new model, whereas the LRF is the older model that's been replaced by the CRF. Apparantly, they are just as good, just a bit bulkier[QUOTE]

You got it reversied CRF is smaller Compact Range Finder, every bit as good as the LRF just smaller :D

I've used and tested a few.
I now use a Leica CRF 1200 and have been very happy with it. I've ranged gopher mounds out to 500+ yards, ungulates to 800+ and tree lines to 1200+ yds. Very compact (fits in my shirt pocket), accurate and easy to use.
If I could afford it I would have bought the Leica Geovids which gives you the same ranging ability along with a quality binocular. But at over 3 grand I settled for the CRF 1200.