What Rangefinder??

[goose7856]

I am looking into buying a rangefinder, but I dont have an extreme amount of money to soend. I have looked at the old model Bushnell 400 rangefinders, the Pro Sport model, as well as a few Nikon's. I have also looked at the new models made by Bushnell such as the Compact 800, Pro Scout, Legend, Yardage Pro 400, 500, 600, 800, 1000. Does anyone have an opinion about which rangefinder is the "best bang for the buck". Further, I will not be shotting long distances. Maybe the farthest will be 400 yards. But I will be shotting the laser at a deer so that makes a difference............

[stubblejumper]

One thing to be aware of is that the maximum ranges given for rangefinders are for highly reflective targets.Game animals are not highly reflective so you will need a rangefinder rated for longer distances than you plan to range game at.My 800 yard bushnell would only give readings to about 500 yards on deer and about 400 yards on pronghorns.I have owned the bushnell 400 and the bushnell 800 and I now own a leica 1200 which is far superior optically to the bushnells and is easier to read in poor light due to the led readout.It also uses a narrower beam which makes for less false readings due to multiple objects being in the beam at the same time.

[trailer]

I haven"™t had the opportunity to own as many range finders as stubblejumper but I would say that the Leica is the way to go. I have the Leica 900 and find the optics are excellent and as stated the read out is very nice for low light conditions. They are allot more but well worth it.

[Highpower]

I've owned 2 Nikon 800's. Quality has been great and they seem very accurate. If someone steals my second one, (like my first), I'll buy another Nikon. I've noticed too that the prices are starting to come down lately. Don't know if that's due to competition, or if the technology is finally paid off. But whatever, it's a plus for us! As stated above, accuracy comes with the higher power, so even if you're shooting closer distances, I'd recommend starting with the 800 series.

[Popere]

So, are you guys saying not to buy the Bushnells? Are they that bad? The reason I ask is that I am about ready to buy one of the Bushnells but if they are that bad I won't waste my money. Anybody out there have anything good to say about the Bushnell range finders?

[dep214]

all work fairly well. many are affected by the weather.they can become extremely hard to see in darker weather.i went with the leica 800 for clarity and the read out is red.

[skeeter 7MM]

So, are you guys saying not to buy the Bushnells? Are they that bad? The reason I ask is that I am about ready to buy one of the Bushnells but if they are that bad I won't waste my money. Anybody out there have anything good to say about the Bushnell range finders?

Pop, I have a Bushnell Scout which has been excellent. However let me qualify I use it primarily for bow hunting and set up distancing, not rangefinding game persay. I have ranged deer out to 377, even though I believe it is spec'd for 300. I like the fact it is small, light, excellent battery life and fits my requirements.

Dislikes; fading light is hard to read the digital yardage(black colour) & I find the small size to be a deterent when holding at long distances for deer sized game.

If I were looking for more out of my rangefinder I would buy the Lieca. Having used all the brand names mentioned (Bushnell, Nikon and Leica) by far the Lieca is tops in quality. It comes with a higher price tag and more bulk, but worth it if your situation dictates. In my case the scout is more than adequate.

[goose7856]

Thanks guys and gals. I just bought a Nikon Buckmaster 800 rangefinder off ebay for $99. thanx for the help

[halcon]

I have the Buckmaster 800 too and its been great . My first rangefinder was the old Bushnell 400 and it didn't give me a reading about half the time . I have never had that trouble with the Nikon . good luck with the new toy .