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Rangefinders

2K views 11 replies 11 participants last post by  Mark G 
#1 ·
Ok Gents I Am Looking To Buy A Rangefinder Done A Bunch Of Internet Research And For The Money It Looks To Me Like The Bushnell Yardage Pro Scout Looks Like A Good Unit Anybody Have One Or Give Me Some Input On Which Unit You Have!!!!
 
#2 · (Edited by Moderator)
#3 ·
I own a bare bones Bushnell that I've had for 3 or 4 years. Can't remember the model, they've discontinued it. But it was like $175 or so at the time.

Mine does what I need it to do. I primarily bow hunt, so I use it to range marker points.

If I had to do it over again, I would not buy the one I have. I would spend more money, not necessarily for more range or bells and whistles, but for better glass. Something I never thought of when I bought the one that I have. I have a great pair of Nikon binos, so I figured why would I need good glass in a range finder? The glass in my range finder sucks. In the first and last half hour of light it is nearly impossible to see an object to range it. On top of that, even in good light, objects are not as clear as I would like. Also the field of view is very small and it is easy to get lost trying to pick up what you are looking for.

I've played with the Nikon 600 and 800's and they seem nice. One bell and whistle they have is scan mode which is real nice.

In the near future I'll be buying a new range finder.

Like I said my low end Bushnell gets the job done, but it is marginal at best.
 
#4 ·
It Works For Me.

I`VE GOT THE BUSHNELL MODEL THAT YOU HAVE REFRENCED. FOR ME, HUNTING IN THIS STATE IT WORKS FINE. I USE IT ONLY DURING ARCHERY SEASON AS THATS THE ONLY TIME THAT I REALLY NEED IT. YEA, I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE A $400.00 MODEL, BUT FOR HOW I USE IT IT WORKS FINE. I`LL SPEND THE DIFFERENCE ON OTHER TOYS.
 
#5 ·
i've talked to several people that have the bushnell yardage pro and don't care for it. they say it only works if your target is in the open. i've heard some good reports on the nicon 440. i've been pondering getting one for awhile i'll probably do a little more research before i commit.
 
#6 ·
i have a bushnell yardage pro scout also, and i haven't been very impressed with it. it is very hard to find a deer or other object in the lens in low light conditions. it also doesn't like to give a yardage reading in low light, even if the deer is in an open field. last winter i took it with me coyote hunting and tried to use it and the display wouldn't come up on it even though it had a fresh battery. i sent it back to bushnell, and it cost me $100 bucks to repair it. they actually just sent me a new one. when this one goes bad i'll probably buy a Leuopold. hope this helps.
 
#7 ·
i have the nikon 440 works great for bowhunting the only thing that would be a problem with it is ranging past 200 yds in the woods wont pick up your target because of the clutter. open field or open hardwoods its great. it works great for me cause i only bowhunt. i also think the optics are better than bushnells i paid 200 dollars
 
#8 ·
i have the nikon 440 works great for bowhunting the only thing that would be a problem with it is ranging past 200 yds in the woods wont pick up your target because of the clutter. open field or open hardwoods its great. it works great for me cause i only bowhunt. i also think the optics are better than bushnells i paid 200 dollars
I am getting this very one for next season. I can't shoot past 200yds anyway.
 
#9 ·
Range Finder Optics and How they work

Hey guys:
Good thread here. Glad to read the comments from you guys before I actually buy one of these things. I have been looking at them at Walmart for the last two years. It's on my list of things to buy someday. I was going to use it for a different purpose though.

I have a question that you all may be able to answer. Do any of these or all of them use Laser beams to get the ranges?

Thanks in advance for any and all responses. I'll be researching these a while longer.

Think I'll stay away from the Bushnell brand and go for the more expensive ones when I save enough money. Also do you use these when you play golf or for finding fishing spots? With a Garmin eTrex Vista GPS unit you can project out a way point from your current position. Say you are at spot X and you are looking 45 deg and at a spot that's 100 yard away at 45 deg. You can then program into the gps unit that new spot as a new way point. Say you are fishing and the guy down the lake is catching fish like crazy. simply get a bearing on this guys boat and range his boat and you can program his spot into your gps unit. Accuracy will depend on how well you get the bearing and range right. But it will get you pretty close to the spot without the guy ever knowing what you are doing. I know it's sneaky but who's going to tell you where the good fishing spots are? Not many will do that! LOL People get my spots all the time when they watch me fish. I had one guy circle my boat when I was fishing and catching lots of crappie in this one spot. I mean he and his fishing partner came all the way over to my boat and went around me looking at their depth finder trying to figure out the spot I was fishing. Now I don't really care as anyone can fish this spot as it's not mine. But that day I was there first and was catching some nice crappie. Heck I found the spot by watching someone else fish it one winter day. I found two other spots by observing others fishing this lake. But I think it would be easier to just get a range on their boat from yours and then figure the angle from true north to their boat and then project the new way point with the gps unit. That sure beats going over to the other guys spot and circling their boat.
 
#10 ·
#11 ·
I started out with the busnell 400 years ago, it gone ok. The lenses fogged up in it ( used it for 6 years with no problems ). Now I have the nikon 440 and love it. I don't even take binos with me any more because of the 8x optics in the 440. It does take a little getting used to compaired to the 400. I would say get the nikon for the money. Oh yes, I bought mine off ebay for $150.00.
 
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