Want another reason? Cuz it is fun to range things! Seriously, sitting somewhere glassing and you will soon pull that sucker out just for fun and range that doe or bear or funny looking tree just cuz it is kinda fun! I ranged a grizzly 2 years ago with my Vortex at 1,236 yards. Without the range finder, my story isn't as fun to tell as all I could say is that it was way out there.
Purpose of Long Range Finders?
- Thread starter Sytes
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ThunderNocked
Well-known member
Totally true... when I get bored one of the ways I entertain myself and work on my terrible eyeballing skills is ranging things. I've found I'm really bad at eyeballing distance - alot worse then I would have thought. It helps to know and it is hopefully helping me get a little better!
R
rwc101
Guest
Man, I can barely keep my rangefinder steady on a pronghorn at 400 yards much less 1,200.
Your not going to range and animal much beyond 4-500 with a handheld. Try and hit something big reflective near it.
The handhelds arent really adequate for LR comps either. At longer distances there is just too much movement and your prep time is very limited. Something fast and accurate is required. Most are using a tripod mounted unit like the Vectronics, or range finding binos. If I was going to try and use a handheld, it would be one of the Sig Kilos. They have been more accurate than anything else I’ve tried.
The handhelds arent really adequate for LR comps either. At longer distances there is just too much movement and your prep time is very limited. Something fast and accurate is required. Most are using a tripod mounted unit like the Vectronics, or range finding binos. If I was going to try and use a handheld, it would be one of the Sig Kilos. They have been more accurate than anything else I’ve tried.
Don Fischer
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- Jun 27, 2017
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Ya know, it is kinda fun to range things just for the heck of it. Years ago living in Montana I got together with a friend hunting and shooting. Weren't any range finder's to speak of back then. We went to a range just south of Kalispell some and shot at the 100yd range. We'd step offthe range from the bench to target holder's and eventually figured out pretty much what 100yds looked like and how many steps it took to get there. next thing ya know we were guessing ranges away from the range and out to about 300 yds got awfully good at guessing range. Seeing as how I never shot at big game beyond about 300yds, even if range finder's had been around then, I probably wouldn't have had one. But at that age, I probably would have jumped for no good reason I can think of now!
Completely true! In all honestly, that bear could have been plus or minus a few yards as who knows if the rangefinder picked him up or the hillside he was on. But it was close....and 1,236 yards does make for a good story!
RobG
Well-known member
Get a better one, you will like it. What finally made me ditch my cheaper one was that it was iffy at 3-400 yards even though it was rated for that much.
A few years ago I was sneaking up on an elk and was having trouble getting a range on it. I finally got a distance of 350 yards so I shot it expecting that range. I was sure I hit it because it stood there while the others left. I shot again and it still stood there so I ran up another 100 yards and ranged it again. It was still 350 yards away! Obviously I ranged on a bush or something, but it was the only reading I was getting back since the rf wouldn't return anything beyond that. If I had a better rangefinder I would have gotten solid reads on the elk. Get one way beyond your shooting range.
I finally put it down. It turned out the reason the elk just stood there was that I blew out the close knee and disabled the other knee. Dead on, but because it was so far away the bullet hit way low!
I love my 1300i TBR. I'd probably like better ones more. The only drawback is that it has a couple modes that you can accidentally get into and I never remember how to get out of them.
A few years ago I was sneaking up on an elk and was having trouble getting a range on it. I finally got a distance of 350 yards so I shot it expecting that range. I was sure I hit it because it stood there while the others left. I shot again and it still stood there so I ran up another 100 yards and ranged it again. It was still 350 yards away! Obviously I ranged on a bush or something, but it was the only reading I was getting back since the rf wouldn't return anything beyond that. If I had a better rangefinder I would have gotten solid reads on the elk. Get one way beyond your shooting range.
I finally put it down. It turned out the reason the elk just stood there was that I blew out the close knee and disabled the other knee. Dead on, but because it was so far away the bullet hit way low!
I love my 1300i TBR. I'd probably like better ones more. The only drawback is that it has a couple modes that you can accidentally get into and I never remember how to get out of them.
WNC2500
Well-known member
I agree to the "fun to range things". Hunting the majority of the year in SC, I don't even need a range finder. When I go out to Montana, my brother in law and I both quiz one another. "How far are those speed goats? How about that buck on that skyline?" Keeps us both sharp on distances and whether our feel is right?
SomeJackassOnAForum
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First, a more powerful laser gives you more reliable readings under worse conditions. Heavy snow on the ground with bright sunlight creates light pollution which will affect returns. Snow/fog/rain can also hamper a reliable read at longer distance.
Beyond that, you're clearly only thinking of a rangefinder as a tool to give you a distance to target for the purpose of calculating a ballistic arc. Hunting on public land, a rangefinder paired with GPS can tell you whether that buck is about to be on public or whether you're wasting your time, and you may not want to have to wait until you're 800 yds away to make that determination. Likewise, if you see a herd you want to go after, you can range the herd and range a potential shooting position in front of it to determine whether it's close enough for you to feel comfortable.
A reliable rangefinder helps you to understand the distance relationships of the environment you find yourself in.
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