Range finder?

[222]

I have never used a range finder. I never had much of a problem knowing where to hold with my high power rifle. Since taking up traditional muzzleloader and training a couple young kids how to hunt I feel a range finder maybe be a help. I know nothing about them but price ranges from under $100 to several $xxxx.xx I have little in way of finances and cannot waste any on useless products.  Thanks for the help.

[Silvertp]

Unless you intend to get serious about "Long Range" shooting I would recommend using the money for ammo and Learning the trajectory of your weapon out to say....300 yards. 

I hunted many years without a range finder.  Finally bought one and found it most useful for "calibrating" my eye to estimate distance in the areas I hunted.  My rangefinder was a battery eating monster.  Never did use it to take a game animal.  It is "at the shop" now where I hope there is a fix for its short battery life.

Silvertp

[ironglow]

  Get an AO scope..it will help a lot, certainly good for hunting..

[Lloyd Smale]

I think for most people ranging is the most difficult out past 300 yards and at less its easy to learn to judge distance with a bit of practice.

[222]

My problem is figuring out how far close range deer with muzzleloader. When I started using bi focals  my depth perception is off in low light.  My son asked how far is the deer I said 150 yrds and was closer to 80yrds. With my 6.5 I know how to hold but to tell my son how to shoot his muzzleloader or my self with my .54 I struggle. I have shot pdogs most of my life and in good light no problem knowing how to hold.

[Sourdough]

If you are shooting no farther than 300 yards, a low end one like Bushnell Scout would do.  What you don't want to do is shoot at something out at 400 yards and not realize it till after the shot.  Distance can be hard to judge as we get older. 
 
I use a Lupold with trajectory correction, I shoot at long range, and need that advantage.

[pastorp]

Rangefinder...for traditional muzzleloader hunting.  Come on get real. Those two items don't go together. 300 yd shots have no place in  traditional muzzloader hunting. 

Regards,

[Catfish]

I know alot of guy that hunt with muzzle loaders, and almost none still hunt with traditional muzzle loaders, CATCH UP WITH THE TIMES! Pastorp    My longest shot with a muzzle loader was 289 yrds. I lazered a bush and the deer came up and stood right beside it. I like it when they try to corporate. I am on my 4 th. range finder, it a Leica 1200 and I`m still not happy with range I can get out of it. A deer at 400 yrds. is not easy if your rangeing off handed so always get the best rest you can. If you can get them to range they will all read within a yrds or so, so getting the reading is the hard part.

[ole 5 hole group]

That Leica 1200 is probably the best on the market for the price.  What you're looking for in a range finder is the size of the lazer - the Leica has the smallest followed by Zeiss and Swaro in that order.  There's others that throw a smaller beam but their price starts in the area of $2.5K.  The 1200 and the Zeiss Victory 8X26 can be had for right at or under $500.00.  They can also double as small spotting scopes/monocular sp? which is good. 

[Savage_99]

The Leica 1200 rangefinder that I have is useless as a monocular.  It has a dull weak picture.

Also its just heavy enough that its in the way when around my neck to carry it.

I keep it in a knapsack and I hardly use it.

If you must have one find one less expensive than the Leica.

I got by pacing off yardage for a lifetime just fine.  Then I got the bucks for the fancy Leica and the money is gone.

[ole 5 hole group]

I'd send that Leica back to the factory for some R&R.  I've got and use the Zeiss 8X26 and I use it at the range a lot to spot my targets.  I don't carry mine around my neck either but it's useful to me once I get to where I'm going to look around and measure the distances to where I think my querry may come from. 
 
I use it a lot for ranging prairie dog mounds when shooting with a handgun - helps getting that 1st shot somewhere on the mound and if that dog will give me another sighter or two, he could be in trouble.
 
It's nice to measure animals at 800 yards and then just hunker down and hope they wander over to ya, as you sip coffee or whatever - but it seems like they can "feel" that lazer beam and wander the other way.    
 
 

[Empty Quiver]

At ML distances I think you could get by with some of the less expensive ones. I have a pretty simple base model from Cabelas that is going on 12 years old. Experience has taught me it is decent and reliable at 200 yards. It will read off of most targets at that distance and it seems to do a pretty far job. The further it goes the better target you need and at 300 yards it is just about done unless you are ranging pole barns (I'm not exactly joking).


If you are going to be shooting in mountains I would save for the angle calculating models otherwise I believe they are mostly hype. I have used mine in conjunction with a GPS to verify both units. In serious mountainous terrain the difference can amaze. Treestand and rolling country not so much.


Lastly I will leave you with this. After you buy one, carry it and use it, you will find you get better at ranging in your head and need it just that much less. That practice and the instant verification though comes at the price of owning the rangefinder. I will carry and use it quite a bit for the first few days of a hunt at which point I have a pretty good feel for the area, and my senses have been re tuned.