Vortex’s VIP warranty means you’re essentially buying one range finder for life. (I’ve personally used this range finder and ranged objects in the 900s.)įor less than $200, you get decent range, decent optical quality, and some higher-end features such as Line of Sight mode, Angle Compensation mode, hold-to-scan for constant distance readouts as you move across different targets, and more. Vortex states that the Impact 1000 can accurately range a deer at a maximum of 500 yards. For hunters who aren’t shooting beyond 500 yards, a 1,000-yard capable range finder is plenty. Most rifle hunters want a range finder that’s easy to use and works when they need it to, at mostly modest distances. Our selections are largely available both online and in sport-specific stores locally. I tested several of the range finders recommended below hands-on in the field to compare performance side-by-side and in real-world conditions.

I have also used about a dozen range finders-from the cheapest you can get to the top-of-the-line-in the field hunting both archery and rifle in the Rocky Mountains for bighorn sheep, elk, moose, and deer over the past decade. My selections here are based on conversations with optics brand representatives, shop owners, hunters and golfers, as well as salespeople in big-chain outdoors stores. You might not shoot at the elk you see 2,000 yards across the valley, but it’s helpful to know how much distance you need to cover to get into shooting range. Which begs the question: Why do you need a range finder that can give you distances upward of 4,000 yards? While range finders certainly are most important when preparing for a shot, hunters also use them to gauge distances. It’s worth pointing out that most hunters aren’t capable of taking an ethical shot on an animal beyond 500 yards, and even the best long-range hunters with the best equipment are limited by ballistics to a little over 1,000 yards. Likewise most archery hunters don’t take shots beyond 70 yards (and most much less than that), so they are mostly ranging distances within a few hundred yards at most when deciding on whether to take a shot. For example, most golfers can’t drive the ball farther than 300 yards, so there’s not much use in paying for a golf range finder that can range out to 4,000 yards. Keep in mind the distances you will most often be ranging and try to pick a range finder that’s suited to the task-ideally one created specifically for whatever it is that’s brought you here to look for a range finder. While price and performance often improve with rated distance, more is not always better. Nonreflective items in the field, such as trees and smaller items like game and putting-green flags, are much harder to range accurately for these laser devices. The number listed by companies is often a best-case-scenario number based on the device’s ability to get a reading from a large, bright, reflective surface. The stat that most shoppers searching for a range finder focus on is the maximum distance a given range finder can accurately detect. For longer distances, a tripod may be required to ensure effective, accurate ranging higher-end range finders that can range more than a mile usually have a standard ¼-inch tripod mounting-plate hole. While you might think it would be difficult to look one-eyed through an objective lens as small as those on range finders, the small form factor (most are designed to fit comfortably in one hand) makes them easier to keep steady for quick target acquisition. For comparison, most binoculars have 40 to 50 millimeter objective lenses and spotting scopes will be 50 to 100 millimeters. Most range finders fall in the 20 to 25 millimeter range. An objective lens diameter is basically the size of the viewing field created by the exit lens on your range finder. The viewing scope of the range finder is monocular like a telescope or spotting scope but generally has a much smaller objective lens. The same could be said for most riflescopes, but it’s not a good idea to use a firearm’s optics to scan an area for hopefully obvious reasons, so a range finder makes a better alternative. If you hunt only densely treed areas such as Eastern hardwood forests, a decent range finder may allow you to leave the binoculars at home. It also makes it easier to transition from binoculars to range finder since binoculars are likely somewhere in the 8x to 18x range of magnification. Being zoomed in a bit makes it easier to range a specific target in your field of view, which might be more than a mile away. Range finders usually feature a small amount of magnification: between about 5 and 10x.

Golf viewfinder