Is a laser rangefinder something that you all use very often when hunting varmints like yotes? Or is it something that I can pass on for equipment? Although I am just looking for an excuse to purchase one lol

But will I be using it much on yotes and bobncats? Or is it just a waste of money and time on smaller game?

For what it is worth I carry mine all the time-no matter what I am hunting. It helps a ton for yote hunting. I usually take several readings b4 beginning to call so I have an idea of how far places are if a yote comes and I don't have time to range it.

"GET TO THE HILL"

Dog

I just got one after arguing against them or at least trying to avoid the new device. Like Mark I carry mine all of the time. In fact I use it in place of binoculars as it has a 7X monocular.

Once I got this I started planning on shooting varmints at long range. To me the laser rangefinder is what loran and gps were to boating. It's a reason to do more.

It should work well with the .22 LR also as that one drops like a stone after 75 yds.

Now I carry runoffs of the ballistics from Pointblank. Get one. I paid about $4XX for a Lieca LRD 1200 scan at www.dnrsports.com

Which one would you all reccomend? What range should I get it to? I wanted the 1000 yard one, but I will never be making a 1000 yard shot on anything living so I would only want that for taregt ranging for a 1k shoot. But for Varmint hunting, what would be the best range to get? 400? or more?

Highly recommend the Leica....One needs a very steady rest to properly range with any of them, especially at the longer distances. Leica's 1200 is cutting edge and only a few dollars more than their 900........The 900 is plenty though.....for me , at least....

I'm glad someone asked a question about range finders. I'm also in the position of trying to find a good 'excuse' to buy one. I don't think I can hold out much longer .

I have never had the opportunity to try one under any conditions and I'm hoping that maybe this thread will shed some light on how these things work out in the real world.

Say for example I have a laser range finder rated to 1000 yds. Will the RF be able to pick up a very small animal (squirrel for example) at anywhere near that distance.

I have a feeling there are a lot of 'it depends' involved in answering such a question. Time of day, reflectivity of the target, brush around or near the target, weather (fog, rain, snow etc) will surely come into play. I remember way back when walkie-talkies claimed to have a 1 mile range. That turned out to be far from true regarding the real performance of these radios. they were eventually forced(?) to qualify that claim by printing in the literature and usually on the box also, that the 1 mile spec only applied under the most ideal conditions.

If anyone has time to post their experience(s) with a laser range finder I would really appreciate it and I have a feeling there are quite a few other folks that would really benefit from some real word stories.

Thanks in advance for any info you can provide and I hope everyone has a safe Holiday. Please don't forget what this Holiday represents and may God Bless America until the end of time.

Cheers,
XWind

Check all the specs before you buy. When they say it is rated at 1000yds, that doesn't mean you'll be able to range a groundhog in the middle of a field at that distance. The laser needs something to "bounce" off and return to the unit. At those distances, there is much greater chance for light dispersion, thus the target has to be much larger (i.e. a tree or large bush). The type of target also contributes to how accurate they are and at what distance you can use them. A car, for instance can be easily ranged at long distances because it reflects the laser quite readily. A tree during winter time is much more difficult. Usually, they will tell you what relative sized targets you can range at max distances. The 1000yd targets usually have to be somewhat large. I highly recommend one, but just know what you are getting so that you aren't disappointed when it doesn't do exactly what you thought.

The Leica Scan works like this. First of all it will work with just one "scan" like the older ones must be. With this one you just aim the red circle on the area you want to range. I doubt it will return a reading on a small object but it will on the ground or grass around it. The thing though with just one scan is that your moving all around and although you have a reading your not positive where it was aiming.

With the Leica Scan model you hold the button down if you wish and it keeps giving readings. You can hold it on one spot and confirm that the reading is from that area to make sure or you can just hold it down and scan a wide area.

This one returns frequent readings from grass or trees out to at least 700 yds almost all of the time. Sometimes it will read to 900 and once I got 1000 yds.

In this particular situation I suggest just spending the money and getting the Leica 1200 Scan. While this is just my first one I am pretty sure about this but not positive. Sure enough some competitor may bring out something cheaper. The Leica 1200 does not scan below 10 yards however so bow or air rifle hunters beware.

Buying a rangefinder? Suggest you stay away from the Nikon (800). Have had nothing but trouble having sent it in twice to have the "finder" replaced. Also, as I've stood next to a hunting partner and he's gotten readings with his Leica and I've failed with my Nikon. I'm a coyote hunter and carry mine with me all the time. More often than not, though, I range a dead coyote to confirm the distance for my log. This past season, I missed a number of opportunities at coyotes because I simply could not get a reading in the 350 to 450 range (again, with my Nikon).

Embalmer's questions about rangefinders have resulted in replys mentioning Leica's 900 and 1200. Where do I get information on these two models and others out there? Thanks!!! Michaeljcanoe (Mike Johson)

Several weeks ago I aquired a Bushnell Yardage Pro courtesy of Dave Watson. The previous one I had was a Ranging 1000. This little Yardage pro is really something else. It is what I have been looking for(without realizing it) ever since I had my long range 308 built. Go for it,no matter which one you pick these new laser rangefinders are great. derf

I've run the gamut of lasers since they came out. The best of the lot are the Leica's unquestionably. I had an 800, sold it and got the 1200. These gizmo's are the long-rangers dream come true. They are without question responsible for most of the game we have taken beyond point blank range of whatever load/target size we are shooting. There is an excellent writeup on laser technology in one of the more recent issues of Precision Shooting (or maybe it was PS's sister publication The Accurate Rifle) by Bob Jourdan. Call Precision Shooting mag. for details.You would not believe what these things will allow the accomplished marksman to do-- you can make connections beyond the effective range of the bullet you're using-- be careful.

I'll add one extra comment here. I've recently met a guy that is using Leupold's range estimating system on the power ring of the Vari-X III models to range coyotes (by recalibrating it), and he's done very well with it out to 500 yds. or so. Pentax, and Burris also have this system available as well, although any scope that has a 2nd reference mark on the vertical x-hair can be calibrated to use as a rangefinder.

[ 07-05-2003, 10:41: Message edited by: sscoyote ]

I have seen the Liecas, but they are a litle out of my price range. So I was considering the Yardage pros or similar model from Bushnell.

Anyone else have any specifics on this line of rangefinders? As this is probably what I will end up with?

My main use will be about 90% Yotes. So please take that into consideration when making reccomendations. If the Bushnells are not good enough to range these little critters then I have no choice to choose the Lieca 1200!

I don't think any rangefinder is going to return a laser from a coyote at say 450 yards. But the one I have will return signals right away from the area that your looking at. This seems good enough for me and then it's time to calculate, hold over and shoot!

As others have said they range the area first and are prepared.

Perhaps some other range finder would work fine for a lot less money. One thing for sure is that knowing the range opens up a new world of rifle shooting and to be honest I don't think one needs a Lieca. Many Bushnell products satisfy me just fine.

Terrain, weather conditions, width of the beam and amount of light play a large role when using range finders. My buddy has a Leica Geovid and I use my Leica 1200 LRF.

By terrain I mean is the field flat or hilly? It is much easier to get repeatable readings on hilly terrain. On flat terrain you move the LRF a slight amount and you could get a reading of 100 yards or more from a previous reading or not get a reading at all.

Some makes and models have difficulty on real bright sunny days. I have never had this problem using the Leica 1200 LRF but a buddy has a Bushnell 800 and he has experienced problems on sunny days.

The narrower the beam sent out will provide more pin point accuracy and allow one to shoot between objects more so then a wider beam. The Leica has a very narrow beam, unlike the Bushnell 800. I don't know about other brands since I have only used the Bushnell and Leica models myself.

Some makes and models have trouble on rainy days. I have used the Leica 1200 LRF when it was raining and shot targets at known distances to see how they worked. I received accurate, repeatable readings.

When I am set-up for varmint hunting (woodchucks) I have my Leica 1200 LRF sitting on my bench right next to my ammo box. I use it before almost every shot. The exception is when I know the woodchuck is less then 200 yards. While long range deer hunting, again my Leica 1200 LRF sits right next to my ammo box.

If it was me, but it isn't, I would definately save a few bucks more and get the Leica 1200 model. My buddy, with his Leica Geovid and myself have ranged billboards to 1198 yards and we received repeatable readings within 1 yard of each other. We did this to check the units against one another not because there was a woodchuck on the billboard

Hope this info helps in your decision making.

Don

When range finders first came out I waited quite a while for them to work out the kinks and the price to drop. Finally I bought a Bushnell Yardage Pro 800, it's worked well and was a big help---BUT!!! It's limitations are notable and annoying. In particular it hates bright sunny days and featureless terain. That, by the way, is prairie dog hunting (one of the main reasons I bought em). I had a chest forward buck antelope facing me they wouldn't range, (bright sunny day, light color target) the buck turned sideways it picked em up, he was 369yrds. A prairie dog mound in a flat at 350, forget it. so long story short they were definately better than nothing but definately had short comings. than I heard about the Leica's , another long story short, I now have a set of 1200 LRF's with scan. I like them about a gazillion times better. Smaller, lighter, better optics,(much) and most importantly they are way more sunny day friendly. Held still enough I think they would definately pick up a dog at 450 yards. For the money I love em, wanna buy some used Bushnells?---Shoot Safe---montdoug

I found that a rongefinder is not like some other gadgets. For example a satelite nevigator in your car, it will make you lazy and you won't learn your way around anywhere in a hurry.

A rangefinder will make you BETTER at judging distance when you don't have it with you.

The original question was for use on coyotes and bobcats. I think that one poster commented that no rangefinder will do this size animal (the animal itself) past a few hundred yards. I agree with that, because a 25 lb coyote is just not large enough to provide the reflection necessary at more than possibly 300 yards. For distances longer than this, you must range something near the coyote (and that can be decieving). For prairie dogs, it is impossible to use a rangefinder on the dog itself beyond maybe 100-150 yards, but sometimes if the mound is prominent, you can range that. One of the problems is that the rangefinder must be held on the target for a long enough time to send and receive the return signal for several cycles before it solves for the distance. It is VERY hard to hand-hold a rangefinder on a small, distant target for enough time for the chip to solve for distance. I enjoy playing with rangefinders, but if you haven't used one, don't think that they will do anything and everything.

try to get a leica i had a bushnell before mine and it was not a patch on my new 1200 model build quality and lens quality far better on leica aswell.

On the wobble and finding the exact range to a small animal with a scan laser RF.

The scan feature allows you to get multiple readings right "on" or very close to the target. I feel confident that with any decent elevation or angle if you would that I am getting the right number. The ground or grass around the target can be so flat however and your angle so flat that readings in front or behind the target can occur.

It seems that pushing the button on the Leica for just one reading does disturb the aim and you can't be positive that you were on the exact target. But to use the scan feature you just hold the button down and then your wobble goes to almost nothing. This means that the scan feature is quite valuable.

In general I would pay the $425 or whatever for the Leica scan if the alternative was $250 or more. I think it's worth it then. But any rangefinder is really cool. I say this without having used the others but now I can see how they open doors to long range hunting, black powder, archery, handgun and rimfire shooting.

For what it's worth,the Bushnell booklet that came with my Legend states that inclement weather or bright sunlight will affect the effective distance that it will range accuratly at. The Legend is about the newest unit available and is light,handy,works in either Yards or Meters,and has Scan mode. One thing for darn sure,it's a heck of a lot better than a "Rangeing" product.lol derf

I have a pro 1000 my freind has a Leica 1200 the lecia is well worth the extra money. I have use both quite a bit. I use mine all the time when p dogging bow hunting ect. They helped the two of use make one shot kills on elk last year at 273 and 329. I also use mine for bow hunting really take the guess work out of rangeing. The farthest I have ranged has been the back end of a vehicle at dusk. 1500 plus yards that was with the pro 1000. I find on critter it is a lot easier to range the hill or tree then the critter its self.

ok, I finally did it. I used the info above about the natchez sale and bought the Bushy 1000. So I will have it for an upcoming hunt. I know I should have bought the leica, but I can always sell this one off and get it later. I just wanted to get my feet wet with one!!!!

Where is that damn brown truck anyways?

ok, the Bushy 1000 is here! I have to say I am amazed with it. I ranged a car up the street at 748 then a plane above head at 748 while moving before it went out of range. I also was able to range one of those small brown little birds at 46 yards. So it is capable of ranging smaller animals. I dont know how consitantly, but it did it on the first try for me. So all in all it was money well spent. I am happy as hell with it.

Embalmer: I am so happy that the Bushnell is working for you! I had two of the Bushnell's - one the 400 yard and one the 800 yard size. Both worked very well for me! Do not overlook this - it is not absolutely necessary to get a reading off of the animal or other small intended targets you want a ranging for. You can take the reading off of the ground that the animal or the target is on! I constantly see people asking can I get an accurate reading off of a Prairie Dog at 600 yards? I do not know - but I always get readings off of the ground the Prairie Dog is standing or lying on! Use patience and a steady hold or rest for the longer readings and click for them again if in doubt at all. The steadier the rest the quicker I get readings! I always have my laser ranger along while Varminting - I probably only laser 10% to 25% of my intended targets. Some I visualize as being the same distance as a previous shot and some are shots at Varmints that are scurrying away or heading for cover, den etc.
Like some of the other posters I take readings or "A" reading before calling in open country. The main reason is to establish the "point blank range" for the Rifle I am using at that time! I like to know where 350 yards is in a couple of directions so I mark it with the laser!
I have the Leica 800 now and it fits nicely in most of my shirt pockets! It is called the 800 because it reads or is supposed to read to 800 meters! Which, in my mind set, is 880 yards! I am not going to be shooting at Varmints or Big Game past that range so I hope this is the last laser rangefinder I will be buying! I hate chasing advances in technology with my hard earned money!
Good luck with your rangefinder!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Just got my new Leica 1200 scan, and i'll tell you right now that it IS state-of-the-art for affordable lasers, period. Beats all of the others by quite a margin.