Vortex Ranger 1000 vs other 1000+ yd Rangefinders

[BeWitty]

I'm sure this has been discussed but I thought I'd start a new thread. I will be buying a new rangefinder in the next couple months and wanted some input, good and bad. I am looking for a 1000++ yard rangefinder with a budget of $400. I like my Viper HD binos so I am initially leaning toward the Ranger 1000. The one I buy needs to be capable of angle compensation.

The others in that $$ range:

Leupold RX1000 or RX1200
Used Leica 1000 or 1200
Bushnell 1000- 1 mile ARC
nikon riflehunter 1000

If you have used 1 or more of these I'd like to hear your opinion. Thanks for the input.

 

[neverquit]

I've had the Bushnell 1000
A buddy has rx1000.
I currently have the ranger 1000. I'm very happy with it. The angle compensation works very well in close and at long range

 

[tipsntails7]

I would go with the leupy or the leica.

I personally can't stand the ranger, just the way it works bothers me, I'm constantly mashing the button it has a tuff time reading if anything is in front of what your aiming at(twig, branch, light rain). And the first 2 vortex sent me read 2 yards short. I love vortex but they need to redo the rangefinder.

 

[BackcountryMT]

For that price range I'm going with the Leupold.

Of the 5 you've listed only the nikon and leica will reach out to a true 1000 yards on an animal.

Leica- 1000 yards on soft target.
Leupold 1200- 700 on a soft target (IIRC)
Vortex- 500 on a soft target
Nikon- 1000 on a soft target
Bushnell- 200 on a soft target (total trash IMHO)

The vortex is clunky and very, very slow. It is the only RF with a lifetime warranty, though. That being said I own the Vortex as I got a great deal on it. I have hit trees to 975 with it.

 

[BeWitty]

Thanks for the input. So I think I can eliminate the Bushnell option.

Right now Cabelas has the following deals:
Nikon Riflehunter 1000 =$280
Leupold RX-1000i = $300
Vortex Ranger= $379 (normal price)

Or I need to wait for a used Leica 1000 or 1200 for $375-$400ish. Any more information that would help me determine which one is the best for me would be great.

 

[WRO]

I doubt you will get Angle Comp in the leica for under 400. That being said its the best rangefinder you have in your options list by far.

if angle comp isn't a deal breaker for you, I'd also look at the zeiss PRF.

 

[switchbckxt]

I was just shopping range finders for months and ended up buying the rx1000 from leupold. The red led readout is awesome for low light readings and the ballistics calculator is pretty bad as as well. I mostly archery hunt and that is the intended use but every now and then I find myself trying to kill a groundhog from 500 yards with my 300 mag so I figured it would come in handy. I looked through them all while shopping and neither the nikon or the vortex came close to the light transmission of the leupold for me...the glass was noticeably better in the luepold IMO. And I'm not a biased user, I have nikon monarch 7 binoculars and love them. I picked one up from cabelas for 249 two weeks ago on a door buster sale which was a bonus

 

[Nuke Man]

I have the Ranger also. It's just ok. Like others said it's slow has a difficult time hitting the target and you gotta hit the damn button too much. I upgraded from a 15 year old Bushnell to it. I kinda wish I had went with the leupold.

 

[Nuke Man]

Call Scott at Liberty Optics for quotes. I know he can beat Cabelas sale prices.

 

[dotman]

I also have the ranger, it may not be the best but it gets the job done in a consistent manner. The tipping point for me was the warranty which is unheard of on an electronic device. The Leica may be the best but man do they have a bad rap on CS and their warranty isn't that great, think 1 year or something.

The Leupold is nice and quicker in its display time. But I have yet to need to have my range any quicker then what the ranger will do.

 

[GibsonKuenzi]

Leupold may not have as great of a warranty on paper, but their customer service is awesome to deal with and I've never had any problems. Just sent an RX-1000i that had issues into them and they sent me a brand new RX-1200i. They did not need proof of purchase, warranty card or anything. They replaced it no questions asked. It was within the warranty period by 6 months but im not sure if they knew that.

That being said I have used the Vortex Ranger 1000 for a while and recently got this leupold. The leupold has awesome glass and really excels in low light. I can already tell that it reads much more consistently than the Ranger did. I love vortex products but the Ranger 1000 did not work well for me.

 

[JNDEER]

For that price range I'm going with the Leupold.

Of the 5 you've listed only the nikon and leica will reach out to a true 1000 yards on an animal.

Leica- 1000 yards on soft target.
Leupold 1200- 700 on a soft target (IIRC)
Vortex- 500 on a soft target
Nikon- 1000 on a soft target
Bushnell- 200 on a soft target (total trash IMHO)

The vortex is clunky and very, very slow. It is the only RF with a lifetime warranty, though. That being said I own the Vortex as I got a great deal on it. I have hit trees to 975 with it.

Exactly. My only comment is my Ranger has never worked past about 750 yards.

 

[Outwest]

The Vortex was my first and current rangefinder. I have had no issues with it other than what others have already said regarding ranging sticks or grass in front of the target, the scan function works well though. Other than that, it has been very consistent for me and I don't see a need to upgrade anytime soon. Believe it or not, I have gotten it to read 1050 once on a group of trees. Whether or not that was accurate, I don't know, and it has never gotten past 800 again after that. Maybe just a fluke in the system.

My experience is limited with rangefinders so my opinion should be taken with a grain of salt. I have tried the leupy in a sportsmans and it was noticeably faster than the vortex.

 

[Justin Crossley]

The Leupold kicks the crap out of the Vortex imo. But, it is really only reliable under hunting conditions to about 6-700 yds consistently. That is the reason I upgraded to the Leica 1600B for rifle hunting and kept the Leupold for archery. It is a good thing Vortex has a great warranty too, because you will need it. I have personally seen the Vortex fail (stopped ranging accurately on a hunt). Also remember that the warranty doesn't help you out in the field.

 

[dotman]

The Leupold kicks the crap out of the Vortex imo. But, it is really only reliable under hunting conditions to about 6-700 yds consistently. That is the reason I upgraded to the Leica 1600B for rifle hunting and kept the Leupold for archery. It is a good thing Vortex has a great warranty too, because you will need it. I have personally seen the Vortex fail (stopped ranging accurately on a hunt). Also remember that the warranty doesn't help you out in the field.

They all fail from time to time. My vortex has been going strong since the initial release, another guy above posted that he had to send his leupold in for warranty work within 6 months. Plenty of negative experiences with Lecia. It can happen to any of them and being they are an electronic device issues are probably even more common on all of these then their other optics. The vortex is a good product and I highly doubt he would need it but atleast it is there, 3 years down the road let us know how Lecia handles your issues if you have any.

 

[wapitibob]

The Leupy 1000i has been discontinued, $300 seems high knowing that.

If you really need 1000+ then it's the Leica 1600B or G7, but be aware that the 1600B is not an archery rangefinder. Neither will be had for $400.
If you want a 700 yard version, then the Leica 1000R is the one to get. Angle comp from 10-600 and uses cosine only for the calculation.
My no. 2 would be the Leupy 1200i.

 

[Justin Crossley]

I have experienced Leica customer service and I have no complaints whatsoever. I have also personally owned and used Bushnell, Leica and Leupold rangefinders for a lot of years without a single failure. I have also used the Vortex rangefinder on at least a dozen hunts. And while I think Vortex does make great products, I personally know a lot of people who have had to use their warranty on everything from rangefinders, to scopes, to binoculars and even their spotting scopes.

 

[dotman]

Well then I'll count myself lucky .

 

[Elkfitness]

I've had good luck with my vortex rangefinder in various seasons for the past several years. I use it for rifle and archery. It seems consistent enough for me.

 

[BeWitty]

I appreciate all the opinions. Maybe my best bet for $400 would be the Leupy 1200i. I will be using this for high country Mule Deer. The last couple years I've been in situations where my rifle is capable of shooting further than my Bushnell 550 rangefinder and it was frustrating.