Decent LRF options

[Eurodriver]

I am looking at getting a LRF that is reliable, durable, and inexpensive for hunting.

I would like it to work at least out to 500 yards on game animals. It will be thrown in the bottom of a pack and dropped, get damp in misty conditions, and mostly be used from elevation stands (So true horizontal distance would be nice) so durability is at a premium, but I'm not trying to drop a stack on it either.

I've got loads of time behind a G Seven, but I'm not trying to snipe elk from 1,200 yards away during a snow storm...while on top of a mountain...being pursued by wolves...with rabies...way overkill.

Does anyone have any first hand experience with something that will work for this use?

[masan]

The Busnell Elite 1 mile.

Even better if you do the Conx package with the Kestrel.

If you qualify for their Public Safety/Mil Discount you can get the LRF or the package direct from Bushnell for a good price.

[masan]

I know you said inexpensive for hunting, but not sure what your price point is. From a durability standpoint my Elite has been great.

[Eurodriver]

Which one? There appears to be a broad spread between $470-$700 of bushnell elite one mile LRFs.

[Blackhalo]

Sig kilo.

No first hand experience, but I'll be grabbing one when I get the cash. Can be had for around $400, look it up. Seen and heard a lot of good things about them.

[masan]

I would choose the Conx, as it gives you the bluetooth pairing option if you plan to get a Kestrel with bluetooth in the future, I have found it to be a really nice setup.

The Sig Kilo has had a good reception as Blackhalo saysl, but I cannot personally speak to its quality, still probably worth a look.

[taliv]

tough question. i picked up a cert for free sig kilo off a prize table this year but haven't sent it in. so i couldn't say how durable it is yet, but it sure is getting good reviews for the money.

i ran a swaro laserguide for years that was $600-700ish i think. it was durable except for one problem... in super high elevations, the button would stick down rendering it useless. i did eventually have to send it back to europe for repair, but to be fair, i was pretty rough with it. on the positive side, it was pretty nice and wow, the glass was fantastic and could maybe replace binos if you're carrying those as well.

if you are using the bolt rifle you're setting the peq up on, you can QD that dude off and put the silencerco radius on the same mount (it also QD on and off). it works great so far and is super fast so would be very useful in a hunting situation where an animal gives you limited exposure. msrp is $999. maybe more than you're wanting to spend but it would do double duty. I bought one so i could range targets at night with the NV. it does a fantastic job of that. (I have a youtube vid showing the LRF beam as seen through my PVS-27s)
I've carried mine in a pouch on the outside of my pack through 5 PRS matches and a couple airports this year plus daily range use and it's survived that beating no problem.

i like bushnell scopes, but i'm not a huge fan of their LRFs.

[Eurodriver]

Given that this is for hunting, and not having the balls to really try a shot beyond 600 yards I think my limit is around ~$500. I am all about overkill for my toys, but I really don't see myself needing all the bells and whistles right now. On the other hand, I don't want to spend $400 and get something that breaks after a year or gives unreliable readings if $700 would have prevented that.

Also, I looked into the radius and saw this:

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/FlkbN3XFkQg/maxresdefault.jpg

That mount looks perfect for the PEQ, but unable to find any info on it...

[Primus Pilum]

The leica 1600B has been king of sub $1k LRFs for a while. The new sig kilo reports to be very good as well, but time will tell how they hold up. I would look for a demo 1600B. The rest of the cheaper lrfs are to inconsitant from model to model to sample to sample. One will range to 1k in dust conditions the other will only range to 500 in clear sunlight but will be 10% off value for the same model. Buy a leica and have cobfidence in getting very reliable returns out to a mile in most conditions.

[pyrotechnic]

I highly recommend the Sig kilo 2000 for under $500. A friend of mine has one and it compares favorably to my leica 1600B.

[Primus Pilum]

Given that this is for hunting, and not having the balls to really try a shot beyond 600 yards I think my limit is around ~$500. I am all about overkill for my toys, but I really don't see myself needing all the bells and whistles right now. On the other hand, I don't want to spend $400 and get something that breaks after a year or gives unreliable readings if $700 would have prevented that.

Also, I looked into the radius and saw this:


That mount looks perfect for the PEQ, but unable to find any info on it...

Thats a Larue mount. http://www.larue.com/larue-tactical-lt845-qd-scope-mount

[taliv]

sweet thanks! i looked and couldn't figure out who made that. looks like it has the height it needs

[Eurodriver]

It looks like it only comes in 34mm :(

[Primus Pilum]

It was most likely made for .mil contracts where everyone who is anyone is using a 34MM optic (S&B, NF, MK8, Razor,ect).

IIRC it was made so they could mount the wilcox raptor with built in LRF/LED display. It allowed them to have a IR laser and Laser range finder in the same footprint, and gives the snipers real time distance data without breaking out the Vectronix.


The future in optics (already starting to happen with S&B) is going to electro optical scopes with built in range finders, ballistic comps , digital zoom, ect. Going to be a long time before it becomes main stream and affordable, but there is a lot of R&D out there trying to work this problem set out.

[trinydex]

i don't have a cheap recommendation for a laser range finder, but what i would highly recommend in addition to any laser range finder purchase is a way to carry it around. the supplied pouches generally aren't the best (surely won't be color matched to your hunting gear), or the easiest to use (generally not fast attach to belt), or the most stealthy (some are velcro enclosure).

i got an x harness style chest rig and i cinch it high on so i can get into prone unencumbered. on the chest rig i have 1 magazine pouch (probably not at all really needed for hunting), an admin pouch that will fit the laser range finder and a kestrel and hold a map or a dope wheel.

i've seen hunters use those bino chest rigs, wonder if a pouch can be affixed to one of those deals.

[Macht]

I've used the Leupold RX-1000 for a couple years, it seems to do okay. Even though it's supposed to be a 1000 yard LRF it's best inside of 600. It's main attraction is the price point. I'm planning to pick up the Sig Kilo at some point to replace it.


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[DevL]

I have a Sig Kilo 2000. Cant beat it and it was under $400. Super pleased with it out to 1000 yards.