rangefinder

[duncan61]

I thought my rangefinder was broken and decided to have a look at it and the battery was in backwards.Happy days as the batteries are an odd size and I had ordered 2 new ones on Ebay.I have just been down the street taking range findings 250 metres is a fiin long way

[tom604]

yeah i did the same when i got mine (ebay cheapy) i even took it to work and ranged everything i could about 350/400 mtr is about as far as she go'es and it has to be the size of a car as well now i just range trees/rocks or cliffs to give me an estimate of how far the critters are

[albat]

Yep real hard to estimate range when your out in the bush thats why i dont shoot much past the 200 mark im pretty good to there usually after that your playing the pokies for holdover

[Oldbloke]

So, what do you blokes recommend for a usable but cheap range finder?

[Pythonkeeper]

I've got the range finder in the first link (400 model) and it is simple to use, quick and accurate out to any distance I'll ever hunt to, it's also small and light so it's easy to carry around in your pocket etc.. Have compared it side by side with my mates Bushnell bone collector and another mates Leupold and the readings on my cheapy were the same and just as quick as the brand names. Have had it out in the rain and didn't have any drams with fogging up or water getting inside.
The second link is the Bushy that the mate has, it's nice also, just a bit more expensive being that it is a brand name and all that, probably has a better warranty, doesn't really perform any better though for what I want but may last longer, time will tell I guess.

http://www.apexhunting.com.au/p/gamecha ... INDER~4024

http://www.apexhunting.com.au/p/laser-r ... -BSH202208

[bladeracer]

So, what do you blokes recommend for a usable but cheap range finder?

Mine is an unbranded Kogan Chinese piece but it works well. Cost me $125 in 2014.
https://www.kogan.com/au/buy/800m-laser-rangefinder/
Six-power and good to 800m. Only has two buttons. One cycles through three modes for "Rain", "Reflective" and ">150m".
Use could not be easier. Bring it to your eye, press the button to turn it on, press it again to range your target...and that's it. It switches off in fifteen seconds on its own.
Like binoculars, the hardest part is holding still enough to get an accurate reading at range.

[1sikxt]

So, what do you blokes recommend for a usable but cheap range finder?

I'm gonna be selling a bushnell 1500 range finder shortly

[happyhunter]

.

[bladeracer]

Kogan stuff is always good, cheap and sold out

I would assume it's superceded, probably better ones around now.
Mine is the same unit as the Apex Gamechanger unit, but for half their price.

GoogleEarth is pretty accurate too

[duncan61]

mine is a nikon and it was bought for me for golf.man I am glad it is working

[deye243]

I thought my rangefinder was broken and decided to have a look at it and the battery was in backwards.Happy days as the batteries are an odd size and I had ordered 2 new ones on Ebay.I have just been down the street taking range findings 250 metres is a fiin long way

yep for a .22RF it is .

[Oldbloke]

So what's the difference between the cheap golf range finders and the hunting range finders. For ocassional use the cheapos look attractive.

[bigfellascott]

I've got a vortex 1000 rangefinder I bought 2nd hand about 4 or 5trs ago - its handy and small and lightish, I just put it in my shirt pocket with the lanyard around my neck. I have ranged houses out too aprons 700m but it normally tops out around 450-500m on trees etc which is generally what I use to get a reading from or the animal itself depending on how big it is etc.

They have a no fault warranty for life so if I drop it and it gets damaged it will be replaced free. Most of the high end euro stuff has a short warranty on the electronics so not worth considering in my mind - not the cheapest on the market but seem well made the battery has been in it since I got it and seems to be working fine. I've compared it to a Leica from memory and image quality was much a muchness and it was better than the leupy of my mates image wise - haven't felt a need to replace it yet so good enough for my needs.

[on_one_wheel]

Iv'e got a Bushnell Scout 1000 arc

It has 6x magnification, a 21mm objective lens and takes one CR2 battery. It's has a battery power display which is handy.

It claims to have a range from 5m to 1000m but I can only get consistent ranging out to about 600m, perhaps in more open country with something large to aim the laser at, it might be good for it's 1000m claim.

It's very easy to set up and use as it only has 2 buttons. That's just how I like it, I'm not a fan of complex operating systems.

[tom604]

So what's the difference between the cheap golf range finders and the hunting range finders. For ocassional use the cheapos look attractive.

you may not get the angle measurement with the golf one but if it can see a flag at a par 4 it should have no problems seeing a goat/deer/rabbit

[albat]

Are these rangefinders any good in the trees or do you have to have a clean line of sight?

[bladeracer]

Are these rangefinders any good in the trees or do you have to have a clean line of sight?

I don't know the size of the laser beam, but it does need to be able hit your target and reflect back to the device.

[Baronvonrort]

So, what do you blokes recommend for a usable but cheap range finder?

It depends on what you call cheap, I use a Nikon Prostaff 7i around $300- $400 depending on who sells them

I saw these on special for $28 delivered, I have ordered stuff from these people delivery can take up to 4 weeks everything I ordered has arrived, the only whinge I have with them is the time it takes to deliver products with this $1 postage deal.
No Idea on the quality-
www.shoppingsquare.com.au/p_400900_Digi ... added_case

[Oldbloke]

So what's the difference between the cheap golf range finders and the hunting range finders. For ocassional use the cheapos look attractive.

you may not get the angle measurement with the golf one but if it can see a flag at a par 4 it should have no problems seeing a goat/deer/rabbit

That's sort of what I mean. Some are under $100 and if it's fairly accurate to 300 meters that's all I need. And my guess is it would be OK in most hunting situations.

[Oldbloke]

At this price you have to wonder....

https://www.google.com.au/search?q=golf ... p0QgjYInAY

[bigfellascott]

The other thing to look for with rangefinders is to get one with illuminated reticle and readout, the ones that only have the black displays are useless in low light conditions, very hard to read at times I've found, much easier to read the illuminated info.

[albat]

Looked through atn x sight with built in rangefinder auto adjusts your reticule with 2 clicks on the button plus a load of other features decent glass as well costs a grand but if you are buying a half decent rangefinder for $400 etc might be a good option saves carrying more stuff around

[bigfellascott]

So what's the difference between the cheap golf range finders and the hunting range finders. For ocassional use the cheapos look attractive.

you may not get the angle measurement with the golf one but if it can see a flag at a par 4 it should have no problems seeing a goat/deer/rabbit

That's sort of what I mean. Some are under $100 and if it's fairly accurate to 300 meters that's all I need. And my guess is it would be OK in most hunting situations.

Buy a half decent one mate, cheapy ones are sure to s**t emselves eventually and generally don't work that well and can be a bit limiting in some ways, will it work in low light or night? - you don't have to go over the top price wise but leave the $20 ones where they belong, in someone elses kit broken and useless. Personally I'd just save up some $$ and buy a decent 2nd hand one for around $400 say, should get you something decent and reliable and you'll probably have it for life.

This one would probably be ok, not sure what the features are on it but might be worth further investigation but definitely get one with illuminated readout, better to use IMHO.
https://www.usedguns.com.au/Product.aspx?p=92999

[bladeracer]

Looked through atn x sight with built in rangefinder auto adjusts your reticule with 2 clicks on the button plus a load of other features decent glass as well costs a grand but if you are buying a half decent rangefinder for $400 etc might be a good option saves carrying more stuff around

I like what the ATN stuff is claimed to be capable of, but I don't like all the bad reviews about their quality - don't waste your money until they get them properly sorted.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pGUcpda64M

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sftftACwa0c

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V00EDw7OV0U

[wade06]

I picked up a Simmons LRF 600 tilt range finder from the US for about $110 delivered last month (refurbished model but looks brand new). Accuracy is great out to about 300m or so. Took a good month to get here.

[1sikxt]

I got a bushnell elite 1500 and I've ranged out to 900 metered

[Oldbloke]

So, what do you blokes recommend for a usable but cheap range finder?

It depends on what you call cheap, I use a Nikon Prostaff 7i around $300- $400 depending on who sells them

I saw these on special for $28 delivered, I have ordered stuff from these people delivery can take up to 4 weeks everything I ordered has arrived, the only whinge I have with them is the time it takes to deliver products with this $1 postage deal.
No Idea on the quality-
http://www.shoppingsquare.com.au/p_4009 ... added_case

Yeah, not really looking to buy one but tempting to try one at that price.

[bigfellascott]

Looked through atn x sight with built in rangefinder auto adjusts your reticule with 2 clicks on the button plus a load of other features decent glass as well costs a grand but if you are buying a half decent rangefinder for $400 etc might be a good option saves carrying more stuff around

I like what the ATN stuff is claimed to be capable of, but I don't like all the bad reviews about their quality - don't waste your money until they get them properly sorted.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pGUcpda64M

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sftftACwa0c

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V00EDw7OV0U

I was using one of there https://www.atncorp.com/x-sight2-hd-day ... cope-5-20x on the weekend, it was ok but honestly for the $2k it cost to buy and then upgrade the other bits plus the batteries that aren't cheap and the night blindness I got everytime I looked through the view finder and the difficulty in finding the animals you knew were there I certainly won't be rushing out to buy one, this one had Wifi Capability, so you could watch the action on your Iphone as someone was taking the shot etc which was good and much better than looking through that bloody viewfinder and the image quality was a lot better too I found, it also had GPS so tracked everywhere you went and it also had a rangefinder thing built in but it was a dick around to use to my way of thinking basically you had to put in the height of the animal and it would work it out from there from memory.

I know of 2 people who have the same setup and they love it and It definitely has some advantages over the spotlight (being stealth and animals unaware that you are there and even when they are they aren't overly concerned and tend to hang around)

I reckon in 5yrs these things will be very good but for now it's not something I'm interested in at all, I'd rather use the good ol spotlight until such time as this gear improves.

[brett1868]

My favourite is the TruPulse 360R but they are expensive....

[sandgroperbill]

Apparently, the hdII has sorted the firmware issues the original had. However, this is from retailers, so grain of salt and all that. I find it quite tempting. I reckon it would be great for fox whistling at night.