Functional archery hunting rangefinder

[Texasbuckeye]

Looking for my son, he is almost exclusively a bow hunter. I currrntly have a Leica but we have several new set ups this year and I don’t really want to bow hunt without it myself, so told my son he might need one for himself this year. Not looking for something that would range a mile plus, only be functional for archery hunting. Quiet, ease of use/stowage, accurate, good reticle....

was looking at the bushnell line prime 1300 or even the bone collector model. But those have black reticles from what I can see. Wondering if that’s a concern for lower light and might not be able to read yardage. Though I told him he probably isn’t shooting if it’s that dark anyway...
Then today saw a bow mount rangefinder from Leupold on campfire...anyone with experience with that?

what range finder are you guys using for bow hunting?

 

[4rcgoat]

Getting ready to retire my old bushnell 850 arc with a vortex ranger 1800,illuminated reticle in red. Not sure if that helps any. Got it at a good price on Amazon. We shall see.....

 

[Desk Jockey]

I started with A vortex ranger 1000, the first gen model, it worked fine and then started having some issues. TheY replaced it and their CS was top notch. However, I decided to upgrade to sig kilo. It is fantastic. Super fast too which was an issue with the vortex.

Sig Sauer KILO2000 Rangefinder | Cabela's

One of the easiest-to-use rangefinders is also one of the most advanced. The Sig Sauer® KILO2000™ Rangefinder provides near-instantaneous downrange readings, powered by the industry's fastest...

www.cabelas.com

 

[Billy Goat]

Currently using a vortex ranger 1800. So far so good.

Had a good experience with Nikon. A young Archer is still using it, I just figured it was on its way out and replaced it.

Had a not positive experience with Leupold.

Edited to change what I had, thought it was a 1500 but it's an 1800.

 

[Sobrbiker]

I think illum reticle is a must, that said I had an off brand Amazon for a minute that I picked up from a guy at the range for cheap, and I ranged great. Point is-the technology is such that almost all RF’s will do their job, selection is dependent on features.
That said, I run a Sig 1600 (non bdx)-checks the boxes for me.

 

[BugleMeTimber]

I've been running a Nikon for years and it has been very dependable. Only issue I find is when fog sets in it's hard to get a reading and sometimes heavy snow but I'd assume most would have that issue.

 

[JDZ]

Nothing wrong with the Leupold you saw on camofire.

 

[NMframed]

I just bought a vortex ranger 1800 a few weeks ago and really like it. I looked at the Sig 2000 but wanted something with and illuminated red reticle. Also looked at the Nikon monarch but it only had a 5 year limited warranty and that made it easy to spend another $50 on the Vortex with the lifetime warranty

 

[Rob5589]

My Vortex Ranger 1000 has been perfect for several years now. I believe it has been replaced by a newer unot, however. I read lots of good about the Sig line. I had a Nikon for a year or two. It was junk in anything but full sunlight. It is in my golf bag now.

 

[Nillion]

I find an illuminated reticle invaluable, so that eliminated most cheap options but one: Sig Kilo 1600. I got mine for just a little over $200. 5 year warranty on it also, so I’m not too concerned about durability.

 

[cuttiebrownbow]

I have had black reticles and red ones. A black reticle never prevented me from shooting at last light but it certainly is nice.

I have friends that use the cheap halo ones and for whitetail they work well enough.

Only reason I have more than a cheap one is for spot and stalk hunts with longer ranges.

My Nikon 3000 stabilized is new this year to replace a Nikon monarch that I had used the previous 7 years with zero issues.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[PurpleDriver]

Just retired my bushnell legend arc 1200. Picked up a vortex ranger 1300 for $100 and couldn’t pass it up. The bushnell was over 12 years old and had become sporadic, but I used it that way for the last year. I only ranger shooting lanes. I don’t stop to range each animal.

the vortex is awesome. The red reticle is a really nice feature I never want to be without again. The vortex is amazingly fast as well. But this was a decade jump in technology.

 

[caesAR15]

x2 on the Sig Kilo 1600. Red reticle and all the features I'll need, including ballistic solutions for my rifle in the RF viewfinder (I've got the BDX model). Would recommend.

 

[nastynick]

Another vote for Sig Kilo. I also had great customer service with them. Dropped it in a creek. Obviously my fault. Called them up and they sent me a brand new one. They didn’t have to do that since it was my fault entirely. But they did.

 

[RCL]

Been using Sig Kilo for last couple of years with no complaints.

 

[Zac]

I would just stay away from the halo reticles, I've had some nightmare ranging situations with those.