Laser Range Finder...Bushnell Or Nikon...?

[SteyrAUG]

Looking to get a laser range finder for general use.

Seems Nikon and Bushnell are what is available from most of my suppliers. Is one going to be preferable to the other in any meaningful way?

[Nightvisionary]

I would check out Leupold RX range finders. They have a ballistic ranging system that ranges the target and also give the true ballistic range that accounts for differences in angle and elevation relations between you and the target. Top notch customer service also.

[JSantoro]

Lean toward the Nikon, between the two.

Something about the Bushnell LRFs, they don't seem reach out and touch to the distances they claim for a given model except under VERY specific atmospheric conditions. Maybe the beam divergence on the laser is pretty wide at the start, and therefore the return is more diffused than it would otherwise be, or the receiver is of lower quality/precision. That's probably more likely, I really don't see the lasers themselves being significantly different.

To be fair, that's going to be a factor with ANY of the civilian models, but Bushnell is prety horrible, by comparison.

Agree with the idea of considering Leupold. I use one of them when I can't get my hands on a Vector21. Good features, all of which can be adjusted or turned off, easy menu navigation, somewhat more compact than their competition, I think.

[ICANHITHIMMAN]

Neither Leica 1600 or Swarovski are the only choices. All others will leave you wishing you had bought one of these. The Swarovski is the top of these two.

Jon

[rudy99]

Looking to get a laser range finder for general use.

Seems Nikon and Bushnell are what is available from most of my suppliers. Is one going to be preferable to the other in any meaningful way?

You might check out the following review: http://www.6mmbr.com/rangefinders.html

I have a Leupold that is a lower model than what is presented in the review. I've found ranging things beyond 300 yards to be rather difficult, unless it is a large tree or some other object like that. It is also very difficult to hold the device steady long enough to get a reading at that distance. Sitting in a deer stand I couldn't get a reading on cows that happened to be in the field I was in beyond 250 or 300 yards.

[SteyrAUG]

Thanks guys, I'll check into the Leupold, I didn't know they made laser range finders.

Not gonna do Swarovski or Leica as they aren't carried by my wholesalers and my needs don't justify it.