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What range finder do you use and how do you like it.

Nikon prostaff 550. Does a great job for what I need. My backup is a really old Bushnell that my brother uses when he bow hunts with me, but has a really hard time ranging if its windy.
 
Got a good deal a few years back on a Leupold RX-1200i TBR. Does everything I need it to and then some. Works great for the bow and rifle.
 
BigAl said:
Also, electronic recommendation.......bag of rice and in conjunction with it use a hair dryer on low and let it blow for at least a half hour directly on the unit. No battery. Had this work before but it's not 100 percent
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Rice is an urban myth. It doesn't really do anything.

Your best bet with electronics, if you can get to the PCB level, is isopropyl alcohol. You need to drive away any water that is there, and, if any has formed, remove corrosion.

I have a cheap Halo XL450 rangefinder. It works, but that's all I can say.
 
Does anyone else have issues in foggy conditions?


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Aeds151 said:
Does anyone else have issues in foggy conditions?


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Click to expand...

In early morning fog I tend to not get readings

It will work about the same time I can get a decent view thru my binos & scope so no big deal

During archery, if it’s close enough that I can see it without binos then it’s close enough to shoot & not need range finder



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I don't carry a rangefinder, rather I modified the concept "Tagged Out" rangefinder. This was something that I originally thought was a gimmick, but it works well in the flat woodlots in Eastern US.
I'll caveat this by writing that I seldom have the opportunity to shoot 'longer distances' due to the thickness of vegetation where I hunt.

Step 1: Figure out the height of the game animal's chest cavity in your area. As an example; Florida whitetail deer are considerably smaller than whitetail deer back in my home state of Ohio. I use 16".
Step 2: Determine the longest shot distance that you would shoot at a game animal; this differs for everyone, for me it is ~40 yards.
Step 3: Set a piece of cardboard that is 16" tall out in your range, walk back to your max yardage and draw your bow. Make a small pencil mark that corresponds with both the upper and lower edges of the 16" piece of cardboard on the part of your riser that faces you. Verify these marks multiple time and make them as exact as you can make them.
Step 4: Cover these pencil marks with a thin (1/16") strip of white electrical tape.

To use this - When you draw on an animal, put the bottom strip of tape exactly along the belly line of the deer. If the top of the deer's back is visible between the two pieces of tape that you applied to your riser, the deer is further than your max range. If you put the bottom strip of tape on the deer's belly and the deer's back is visible above the second strip of tape you applied to your bow then it is at a closer range than your self-imposed max range.
I hunt with a single pin slider that is fixed at one range for bowhunting. I'm comfortable holding over/under with this single pin if necessary so long as it is a shot within my self-imposed max range.

This concept only takes fractions of a second to use and is a surprisingly fast and accurate.
 
I have an expensive Leica, and a cheap Simmons. Simmons works just as well. If I were to do it over again I wouldn't spend the $ on the Leica.
 
Apex7 said:
Nikon with out arc. Never needed arc my shots are usually close. I use a pendulum sight zero it in
at 25 yards and I'm good out to 35 yards . But like I said my shot are usually 20 yards and in.
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I used a pendulum for a long time. Which one do you use? I had one from impact archery and the company went out of business. I loved it.
 
Wow ! Quite a few different rangefinders and most answers contain a reference to ARC. Great posts. I use a rangefinder on most hunts to range objects mostly. I have found on earlier sits that being up higher in a saddle presents different opportunities for shots than the lower 20 ft stands I have used in the past. I have shooting lanes cut down lower but those turn into scattered opportunities or openings in those lanes from higher up so the rangefinder becomes more necessary for me. The ARC feature ,I`m not really sold on yet but from 25/30 ft height I feel like it makes sense. I bought Bushnell G-Force DX ARC 6X 21mm Laser Rangefinder . It`s small enough to pocket carry in and has unbelievable target acquisition claimed to be 5 x`s faster than anything comparably priced. It is also waterproof .
 
SloMo said:
Wow ! Quite a few different rangefinders and most answers contain a reference to ARC. Great posts. I use a rangefinder on most hunts to range objects mostly. I have found on earlier sits that being up higher in a saddle presents different opportunities for shots than the lower 20 ft stands I have used in the past. I have shooting lanes cut down lower but those turn into scattered opportunities or openings in those lanes from higher up so the rangefinder becomes more necessary for me. The ARC feature ,I`m not really sold on yet but from 25/30 ft height I feel like it makes sense. I bought Bushnell G-Force DX ARC 6X 21mm Laser Rangefinder . It`s small enough to pocket carry in and has unbelievable target acquisition claimed to be 5 x`s faster than anything comparably priced. It is also waterproof .
Click to expand...
You’ll also see tbr mentioned by several using the Leupold. It’s pretty much the same as arc.
 
Thanks. I was wondering about that. Do you use the arc or tbr for high angle shots. Is anyone totally confident using this feature . This is supposed to eliminate the guesswork ? I think I might have to just shoot at a few targets with the new one and see where each hits the target . Normal hold low, rangefinder only , then with the ARC. All three should be hitting the target in different spots I would think . At least in theory.
 
NikoTheBowHunter said:
I purchased a Nikon Aculon Rangefinder. Have had it a little over a year but seems to work great. I've used it a few times at practice ranges to ensure its accurate and up to 50 yards and all have been spot on.

https://www.cabelas.com/product/NIKON-ACULON-RANGEFINDER/1745134.uts?slotId=0
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I bought this at first , then cancelled it and bought the Bushnell for 20 bucks more.The big reason was I found it (Nikon) was only rain resistant but the lightest and most compact rangefinder I saw without ARC. I learned my lesson. The Bushnell is water proof. They are both great choices .
 
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SloMo said:
I bought the at first , then cancelled it and bought the Bushnell for 20 bucks more.The big reason was I found it (Nikon) was only rain resistant but the lightest and most compact rangefinder I saw without ARC. I learned my lesson. The Bushnell is water proof. They are both great choices .
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I carry it along with my binoculars in a Badlands Bino D-Mag

http://www.badlandspacks.com/gear/optics/bino-d-mag-1-1

Haven’t really ever pulled it out in heavy down pour. Usually just wait for a calm in the storm or I just go without. But now hearing your experience I’ll be sure to take a bit more caution with it.
 
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