Range finders, anybody use them?

[Anduril]

Are they as good as the manufacturers say?  

I am thinking of getting one to use when antelope hunting as I have a hard time estimating distances on the "lone prairie".  Is that a big buck at 450 yards (too far) or a small one at 275 (within range, but let's get closer to the bigger one)?  

Antelope are pretty small as far as big game goes.  Can these things really pick them out from the clutter of sage brush and rocks way out there and give an accurate distance?  Maybe one of you have tested one out at a measured "silly wet" range and can tell your results.

One more thing.  I had a N*kon factory rep tell me Friday that these devises operate with sound waves, not laser or light like everyone thinks.  Zat right?

Thanks.
..

[Ka6otm]

Whether they're as good as the manufacturers say is a tough question.

I've got a Bushnell Yardage Pro 1000 but I've only used it out to around 350 yards so far.

How do you know if it's actually 350 yards as the device indicates?  Unless you've got a loooong tape measure or a known measured distance, you can't know.  I do know that using it at our rifle ranges, both 100 yard and 200 yard, it correlated fine.

As far as the Nikon guy saying that they operate with sound instead of lasers, well, it's pretty obvious he doesn't know squat about his own company's products or any others either.

Here's an URL from Nikon http://www.nikonsportoptics.com/group.php?group=16&subgroup=13 in which they describe their "Laser rangefinders".

Here's one from Bushnell http://www.bushnell.com/products/tech_talk/rangefinders.cfm in which they tell you how they work and even what kind of laser they use.

I get real tired of all the incompetent people in the world who think they know what they're doing and they don't...like the Nikon guy.

Ka6otm

[longwinters]

I have had several different brands and found them all to be accurate.  But if you read the manufacturers booklet on them, if you get say an 800 it is only accurate to +/- 1 yd out to about 400 yds.  then the accuracy falls off a little.  It also makes a difference with weather ie rain etc.. plus the target that you are ranging.  But especially out west, when I hunted antelope a couple of years ago it was helpful.  It is also helpful in bowhunting since you can sit in your stand and range different trees etc... without having to pace things off or measure.

Oh, I know the ones that I had were accurate because I would range a target, for archery , and then shoot it for that distance and the arrow would go right where it was supposed to.  I also know they were accurate for longer distance because of doing the same thing, out to 300 yds, with my rifles.  Also in having several different rangefinders and ranging the same target with all of them and getting the same distances.

Long

[victorcharlie]

They are much more accurate than guessing......I was playing around with mine while several of my hunting friends were around........What I found out is none of them, or me for that matter, could guess range very well.....When the range is longer, the guessing errors get bigger........I think they are one of the best pieces of technology for the hunter to come along in several years.......