Rangefinding binoculars for elk.

[36wil]

Hello all, this is my first post on rokslide so please cut me some slack if I commit some kind of fng mistake!

Trying to keep this as short and sweet as I can im looking for a pair of rangefinding Binos capable of giving moa solutions out to 1000yds for elk hunting. Yes I know ethically you shouldn’t shoot at an animal that far and I’m not trying to spark that debate. I currently have a pair of the sig sauer kilo 3000’s which at the time of purchase were the top of the line from sig sauer. Quickly let me say that if these Binos gave moa holds out to 1000yds they’d be going on another trip but they cap out at 800yds due to being the applied ballistics lite. I took a shot at a bull at 875 yds on the last day of the season and missed about a foot high. The shot was at a 21* angle up the mountain and 75 yds out of range of the kilo3000’s so I took a guess on the hold off. I would have covered ground but the terrain of the mountain separating me from the Bull would have taken 20-30 minutes to get into a different position to take a shot. Needless to say he would have been long gone. I will not be in the same situation next year so here I am.

I’m looking at the sig kilo 10k’s but I’m not in love with the blue tint in the glass. The other option is Leica geovid pro 10x32. I’m looking for opinions of which Bino or recommendations of another set that I haven’t named. I have no hang up on a particular brand but they must get me out to 1000yds. Thanks ahead of time.

 

[Wrench]

I have the 3200.com and have it paired to a kestrel. IMO, unless you are elite level shooter, the idea of going 4 digits without accurate environmentals is begging for trouble.


My buddy runs the AB watch and against the kestrel it's no contest.

 

[Weldor]

Zeiss 10x42 lrf ballistic program works as advertised. Practice practice practice, like the old man said.

 

[36wil]

thank you for the responses I’ll check out the zeiss I think cabelas has a pair I can go look through.

I probably should have mentioned this in the original post. But by no means do I consider myself an elite level shooter but at the range I’m hitting a 10x10 plate at 1000yds about 7/10 times. The other 3 rounds are near misses within an inch or two with box 300prc 212gr eldx ammo. I understand steel and a living animal are 2 very different things but at the hunting height of 10,000 ft. That bullet is well within its means of delivering the necessary energy. Now with that being said I’m not going out in search of the long range shot I’d much rather find a bull pushing timber. I’m merely looking for the proper tools to extend my effective range out to 1000 yds knowing full well the likely hood of me being in the same position is slim to none. The only reason I even sent a round is because ground could not be made up, there was absolutely zero obstruction in the bullet path, and the wind was all but non existent. I have the highest level of respect for the bulls we chase and as much as I wish that shot would have come together If I’m not going to make a good hit I want a clean miss. In my world there is no middle ground between the two I either want a good fatal shot or no impact at all.

 

[36wil]

I have the 3200.com and have it paired to a kestrel. IMO, unless you are elite level shooter, the idea of going 4 digits without accurate environmentals is begging for trouble.


My buddy runs the AB watch and against the kestrel it's no contest.

Is there any reason to go for the 3200.com over the geovid pro?? A couple of the guys I’m out with use the 3200.com and I’ve played with them out in the mountains and they seem to be nothing less than incredible glass wise but I don’t have any first hand experience with the ranging part of the Binos. I don’t want to come off like why wouldn’t I buy the new ones I’m just looking to buy once cry once and want to explore every inch of all available options to spend my money correctly the first time around. Well…. I guess the second time around…..

 

[Formidilosus]

thank you for the responses I’ll check out the zeiss I think cabelas has a pair I can go look through.

I probably should have mentioned this in the original post. But by no means do I consider myself an elite level shooter but at the range I’m hitting a 10x10 plate at 1000yds about 7/10 times. The other 3 rounds are near misses within an inch or two with box 300prc 212gr eldx ammo. I understand steel and a living animal are 2 very different things but at the hunting height of 10,000 ft. That bullet is well within its means of delivering the necessary energy. Now with that being said I’m not going out in search of the long range shot I’d much rather find a bull pushing timber. I’m merely looking for the proper tools to extend my effective range out to 1000 yds knowing full well the likely hood of me being in the same position is slim to none. The only reason I even sent a round is because ground could not be made up, there was absolutely zero obstruction in the bullet path, and the wind was all but non existent. I have the highest level of respect for the bulls we chase and as much as I wish that shot would have come together If I’m not going to make a good hit I want a clean miss. In my world there is no middle ground between the two I either want a good fatal shot or no impact at all.

How many rounds a year are you legitimately shooting at 1,000 plus yards not on a range, from field positions, in the mountains and novel places you have never shot before?

 

[36wil]

How many rounds a year are you legitimately shooting at 1,000 plus yards not on a range, from field positions, in the mountains and novel places you have never shot before?

not on a range? 0-5 a year when I’m actively hunting? I live in the east brother our hunting and shooting is vastly different from out west. All the long range shooting is done at 1 of 2 ranges which are both a 2 hr drive each way. But the one range hosts multiple prs matches a year and I almost exclusively shoot off of branches, my pack, those 36” concrete culvert pipes, etc. I try my best to simulate as best I can but I can’t simulate the extreme angles or unknown ranges like the real deal. Hence why I’m looking for a range finder that will get me to 1000yd hold offs.

 

[Dobermann]

I have the highest level of respect for the bulls we chase and as much as I wish that shot would have come together If I’m not going to make a good hit I want a clean miss. In my world there is no middle ground between the two I either want a good fatal shot or no impact at all.

I might be misunderstanding you ... but if a shot is so off as to be a 'clean miss' then it could just as easily be a bad shot on the animal ...

 

[36wil]

This is exactly what I was trying to avoid here. Guys I’m looking for “I chose this Bino because this.” “I chose this over this because of this.” I’m not looking for a should you take the shot or shouldn’t you take the shot. If I feel confident in taking the shot I’m going to take the shot it’s as simple as that. I understand some may have some moral issue with taking a shot at whatever range and that’s great! But I truly do not care about your ethical opinion, nor did I ask for it! If you don’t have a comment about a range finding binocular with ballistic capabilities out to 1000yds please save us both the time and find some another thread to grace with thou holiness.

 

[JGRaider]

OP, I have owned and used the Sig3000, several samples of the Geovid 3200.com's, the Fury 5000 AB, and was loaned a buddy of mine's GPO Rangemaster 10x50. Even though the GPO is the best combo of glass and RF capability, since it doesn't offer a ballistic readout I'll put it aside.

The 3 samples of 3200.com's would not range anywhere near the specs even on large, reflective targets more than 700 yards. Glass was great, ergos ok even though they are very large, and the Leica ballistic app and user interface is beyond pitiful. It is absolutely terrible and Leica's customer service in my experience was poor. The 3200 doesn't offer readouts past 800 yards, none of my 3 samples worked correctly, and I'll never own another Leica bino/rf. The Sig 3000 BDX had average glass, had wandering diopters that wouldn't stay set no matter what I tried, and the circle reticle was not aligned properly with the actual laser used to get a range. The actual POI of the laser was at 6:30 outside of the reticle completely. That's too bad because the actual RF capability was fantastic. Sig told me that was "within specs" so I sent it back to the seller and said "no thanks". Also, Sig's warranty is 5 years from date of manufacture, which is also ridiculous.

I'm not necessarily a Vortex guy, but I decided to try the Fury AB about a year and a half ago, and I have been very pleasantly surprised with it's performance. They must have tweaked the glass a bit because they are sharp, contrasty, and you can successfully glass with them well past legal shooting light. They are not the brightest optics around, but much more than adequate. The Vortex ballistic app is very intuitive and easy to navigate, the binos pair easily and the ranges are very quick out to 3900 yards which is as far as I've tried. You also get a ballistic solver/readout for any distance you can range. Being it's a Vortex, I'll never worry about customer service or warranty work, which if you're going to own electronics you will eventually need it.

Good luck, hope this helps some.

 

[Kimber7man]

OP, I recently purchased the Gunwerks Revic range finding binocular, and the range finding speed and ease of use with it is outstanding - once you program your ballistics into their app on your phone, and pair it with the binoculars, you get the range and the amount of elevation to dial your turret.
I liked them so much I got rid of my Leica HD-B 3000's.

 

[digger]

I have it on good authority that Sig will have new Kilo binos out by shot show. No blue tint
and a button to take you directly to wind call

 

[Bubblehide]

I have it on good authority that Sig will have new Kilo binos out by shot show. No blue tint
and a button to take you directly to wind call

Will they be upgrading the warrenty too?

 

[digger]

They sent me a new set of Kilo 10k that had an eye up issue.8 day turn around

 

[chav0_12]

Personally, I'd go with the Leicas AND a Kestrel. I have the 2800.com and a Kestrel and it's an amazing combination. I'm really wanting to get the binoculars too for a better rifle set, but at the same time I like my Swaros for glassing...someday maybe I'll add a set of binoculars, and they'll be Leicas (unless someone else comes out with something with as good of glass with the ability to pair the Kestrel to) but at this time I don't think I NEED them.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

Misses “about a foot high” at 875 yards and then asks about ranging and shooting at animals at 1,000… Then complains when guys ask him if he’s even close to qualified to take these shots.

I am all about long range shooting and usually always defend guys when the boot stomping bow hunters come in with their tired arguments… But OP, I’m sorry to say, based on your comments and responses, you seem to need a reality check on long range killing. There’s a reason @Formidilosus asked the questions he did. You seem to not even want to put in the work to do what it takes to effectively and ethically kill at long ranges.

Sorry to say this, but “hitting a 10 inch steel plate 7/10 times” at a range bench does not even come close to a long range hunting shot. You “feeling good about a shot” has nothing to do with how it actually works.

I think it’s great that you are putting in work to become a long range shooter and maybe one day a long range killer. It takes dedication, time, and actually shooting your rifle and verifying real world hits from field positions in hunting terrain.

To answer your question… I just posted up a quick review on using the Meopta Optika LRs. I use these in combo with a kestrel for a fantastic hunting combo.

Keep up the shooting and let us know how field position practice progresses.

 

[Wrench]

This is exactly what I was trying to avoid here. Guys I’m looking for “I chose this Bino because this.” “I chose this over this because of this.” I’m not looking for a should you take the shot or shouldn’t you take the shot. If I feel confident in taking the shot I’m going to take the shot it’s as simple as that. I understand some may have some moral issue with taking a shot at whatever range and that’s great! But I truly do not care about your ethical opinion, nor did I ask for it! If you don’t have a comment about a range finding binocular with ballistic capabilities out to 1000yds please save us both the time and find some another thread to grace with thou holiness.

I fed you some useful information. A hit on a 1moa gong is great, but show up on 5 different days and your dope isn't going to fly. Accurate environmentals is critical to making the trip. In my experience somewhere after 6 to 700 things get very dependent upon accuracy of data inputs.

 

[Dmoua]

I run Leica Geovid Pro with a Kestrel 5700 elite. Glass is great and the rangefinder is very fast.

 

[Dobermann]

Misses “about a foot high” at 875 yards and then asks about ranging and shooting at animals at 1,000… Then complains when guys ask him if he’s even close to qualified to take these shots.

I am all about long range shooting and usually always defend guys when the boot stomping bow hunters come in with their tired arguments… But OP, I’m sorry to say, based on your comments and responses, you seem to need a reality check on long range killing. There’s a reason @Formidilosus asked the questions he did. You seem to not even want to put in the work to do what it takes to effectively and ethically kill at long ranges.

Sorry to say this, but “hitting a 10 inch steel plate 7/10 times” at a range bench does not even come close to a long range hunting shot. You “feeling good about a shot” has nothing to do with how it actually works.

I think it’s great that you are putting in work to become a long range shooter and maybe one day a long range killer. It takes dedication, time, and actually shooting your rifle and verifying real world hits from field positions in hunting terrain.

To answer your question… I just posted up a quick review on using the Meopta Optika LRs. I use these in combo with a kestrel for a fantastic hunting combo.

Keep up the shooting and let us know how field position practice progresses.

@36wil: know that @mxgsfmdpx and I haven't always seen eye to eye, so I'm not backing what he's saying here out of some kind of dogpiling solidarity ... and the points he raises can't be dismissed because you don't care about others' "ethical opinions".

The point is that *we* care about *you* taking ethical shots - because it reflects on all of us. Ethical shots relate to proficiency. Your post suggested you had some struggles with this, as well as knowing that this was the case.

Sure, you'll find advice here on RF binos. But Rokslide is also about the 'why' as well as the 'what'. If you're asking for something in a context that suggests you're likely going to wound animals, expect to get some questions.

Bring an open mind, lose the defensiveness, and folks here will help you. (Many of us here, including myself and, I'm sure, @mxgsfmdpx will attest to this.)

If you do want an objective assessment of your skills, there are three drills you could try:

• The hunter proficiency drill posted by @Formidilosus on this board (just do a search)
• The Kraft Rifle Challenge by Chris Way (many "one MOA all day long" hunters find they are closer to 3 or 4 MOA)
• The @THLR Long Range Proficiency Test (cold bore, cold shooter, one round only at 500 metres - on demand, and under time - pass/fail only).

I invite you to give those a go, see what you learn, and then reflect on your posts in this thread.

​

 

[bozeman]

To the OP, you will learn that some people here just can't help themselves when it comes sharing opinions and you quickly learn which ones to ignore (its a great feature if you havent found it yet). Its either a reading comprehension problem or a major insecurity where they feel they must be 'heard'. Now, back to your original question about a rangefinding bino and not ethics of long range shooting.

The newer Sig model, if released, would be the choice as their target acquisition is top notch (friend has one), but I do believe a Leica/Kestrel combo would be a close second (based on what I have read). Best of luck in your search!