Laser Rangefinder Question...

[heiner39]

I'm very new to deer hunting and I'm going to be using a 30-06 Savage rifle. I'm just wondering if anyone is using a rangefinder when hunting with rifle/scope combo and if so what is the rangefinder of choice? Right now I'm only hunting deer but in the future may go to moose/elk. I know rangefinders are fairly popular in the bow hunting side of things but just wondering what you rifle guys think about it. I guess I'm sorta curious as to whether or not I should spend any money on a rangefinder or not. I am on a bit of a budget (thanks to my wife who detests me shooting animals).

Just looking for you $.02

 

[Moosie]

May advice is spend the money. If you're anything like me it's tought to say if it's 300 yards or 450 yards in different situations. That makes a difference. I have the Bushnell 600 (I think) and like them. There are more compact ones that go alot farther and I'm going to pick me up some new ones I've decided.

Anyways, I say "YEY".

 

[Steiny]

I'd agree on the Bushnell's.
They aren't a ton of money, and do the job.

 

[Oak]

It depends on how far you feel comfortable shooting at an animal. My guess, since you are new at deer hunting, is that you'll want to limit your shots to 300 yards or less. A 30.06 is pretty flat-shooting out to 300 yards. Unless you are really bad at estimating distance, you shouldn't have a need for a rangefinder. Since you say that you're on a somewhat tight budget, I'd spend the rangefinder money on more trips to the woods. Work on getting close enough that range is not an issue.

I do carry a rangefinder, but one thing that helps me estimate range is to imagine that the animal I'm looking at is standing on the rifle range I practice on. In my mind I overlay an image of my rifle range on the terrain that the animal is in, and it helps me make a "close enough" or "too far" judgement. Unless a person plans to take really long shots, that's all you really need to know. Most people shouldn't be shooting beyond 300 yards, so less than 300 is "close enough". The distance under 300 yards doesn't matter, because your rifle shoots flat enough that a dead-on hold is good, if you've sighted it in properly. It seems to me that people think too much about distance and hold on an animal, when they really just need to think about "close enough" or "too far". Just my opinion, of course.

 

[Jaeger22]

I agree with Oak. I'm older than most of these guys and have been doing this for a long time. I DO use a range finder, but that's for shots 450 and beyond. If you sight your 30-06 in to be three inches high, you won't have to worry about holdover or under out to 300 yards. That's a LONG way, until one has a lot of experience.

 

[Moosie]

I won't leave the truck without one......

 

[Dinkshooter]

Last Saturday, shooting the gong. Buddies Bushnell wouldn't read over 100yards. Both cheapie Nikon 440s were reading up around 420-430 yards. That was his second Bushnell, he sent the first one back.

Fun toy for rifle hunting, I wouldn't say you really need it. Archery, I never leave home without it.

 

[Calif. Hunter]

There are new ones that compute the angle as well as the straight-line distance, to give you a true reading of the horizontal range. This would help you hold correctly despite any up or down angle. The next one I buy will have this feature. Right now I use the Leupold combination binocular and range finder...or at least I will be using it on my next trip in a couple weeks. I haven't used it on game yet, just practice.

 

[Larry Landgren]

I have the leica geovid 10x42 binos with the built in range finder (1300 yards) So I always have fast access to it just to be safe. I think a range finder is just as inportant as a gun is when your hunting.

My dad missed a 90"+ lope this last september because he forgot to take his range finder with him. He missed judge the distance and it caused him to miss the lope.

Also if your new to rifle hunting I highly suggest you buy yourself a set of shooting sticks

 

[Idaho Ron]

My Bushnell Legend is very accurate on anything out to about 700 yards. I have ranged stuff out to and over 900 yards but it has to be the right conditions. I would get another in a second.. Ron

 

[mdcrossbow]

I am a bow hunter and I use a Bushnell. Usually I will get on stand and just range the area and then I will not use it again at that location. That's if I have it and one of my son's hasn't absconded it for my bag.

It's is something I don't really need but it's useful.

 

[mtmiller]

I bought a Leica 900 a few years ago and only feel comfortable in the field when it is on my belt. In the three years I've had it, it has helped me with archery hunting, but not with the rifle. That being said, I don't want to be in a future situation where I miss because I misjudged the distance. I picked mine up on ebay and got a great deal.

I just got back from Kodiak and I was surprised how bad my judging was in that country. This one didn't need to be lasered before the shot, but was interesting to see how far it was after the shot.

Glad I didn't hold over at 98 yards.

 

[noharleyyet]

heiner, I borrowed a Lupe RX-II...should've read the instructions more carefully...spent much of the time while using it trying to get it off rainbow....or was it 'rain' and 'bow'?

Seriously, the RX II worked fine for my purposes...I would probably spring for the III model if buying though.

 

[Oak]

Wow, what a great spot to shoot a goat!

Like Miller, I seem to use the rangefinder much more after the shot than I do before the shot.

 

[Gunner46]

Honest, hard core answer.

Not knowing your marksmanship background/ abilities, and your admission of being new to the hunting scene...spend time on the range 1st. 30/06 ammo comes cheap, even if it's not the stuff you're going to be hunting with. Just shoot a bunch of rounds and get your feel of the rifle.

Learn to basics of woodsmanship, game habits, and stealth!

You'll be suprised at the amount of gadgets you DON"T need.

I had to qualify out to 500 yds everyone of my 23 years when I was in the Maines. That is a long long long d@mn shot!

Find a reasonable load for your '06 with a good 165 -180 gr bullet ......then stick with it like a good F'in wife! Then practice, practice, practice. (like with the wifey!)

Money & gadgets don't put game on the ground. Confidence and skill does.

Take the money a range finder will cost you and spend it in rounds down the range !

MY $0.02

 

[snake river rufus]

I mostly agree with what Top says but not all of us spend enough time on the K.D. range and a laser is a good learning tool. If you get good at range est. in the spring and summer.
On a stand I like to laser a few landmarks but if I'm walking/stalking I generally use the laser after using the rifle. Too many gadgets can spoil the shot.
I use the Leupold now and would recommend it. I used the simmons before and would not recommend it.

K.D. is Known distance

 

[A-con]

OK, I can't leave that one hanging any more.

I won't leave the truck without one......

Moosie, since when do you leave the truck ?

I'll go with Oak on this one. For someone new to hunting, you shouldn't even consider shooting at an animal over 300 yards. Heck, most vetern hunters with 20 years under their belts shouldn't try a shot over 300 yards.
Remember, 300 yards is a long way away. Learn to estimate 300 and practice, practice, practice.

 

[pa mt man]

Gunner46 said
"Find a reasonable load for your '06 with a good 165 -180 gr bullet ......then stick with it like a good F'in wife! Then practice, practice, practice. (like with the wifey!)"

That's why Gunner can't keep a wife. He wears them out like his gun barrels.

Let that bore cool down between shots.hump

 

[Dangerous Dave]

Now that I've started hunting muleys in "Big Country" again, I'm embarassed at how far off my range estimations are when I get around to rangefinding them. There's a hell of a lot of difference between 550 and 300 yards.
I've hunted a piece of property on the coast here since I was a kid, and whenever I guess the range out there, I'm hardly ever off by more than 20-25yards all the way out to 800yds or so. The only reason for this is because I'm used to the topography and know the size of comparable features.
That all changes for me whenever I get up into the mountains. Everything's so different to the point that it throws my perspective way off. That's when a rangefinder is worth it's weight in gold.
If I'm stillhunting or sneaking into a productive-looking area, I'll whip the ranger out and "test" myself to gauge just how far my normal ranging ability is off. I like to scan and range productive-looking areas BEFORE a buck is sighted or jumped so there isn't any last second flurry of rangefinding as he trots over the ridge. I've heard way too many stories of guys frantically mashing the "range" button on a sneaking buck and just as he tops out over the ridge, the number 325yds flashes on the screen.
In your case, (in ALL our cases) a rangefinder is always a good idea. They help prevent us from blazing away at 880 yards when we THINK its only 325yds.

 

[Wazzu_Cougar]

I think you can use them for other things than just long range shooting. If you range a deer and it's 800 yards away, then you know you have to get 400 or 500 yards closer (or whatever your limit is) to even think about a shot. Then you can start ranging thigs 400 or 500 yards away so that you know where you need to be, i.e. " That big spruce is 400 yards and I need to get to there to take the shot". With that info you decide a lot of other things, what's the best route to that spot, maybe it's getting dark and I can decide if I have enough time to move that far, etc. Do you need one when you go hunting? No, but I think they are useful for more than just how far above the back you aim.