Ive got an old bushnell elite 1500 with ARC and it only cost like 600$ like 6 or 7 years ago and it works well. Trees lines and most objects to 800 yards no problem, reflective targets to 1200. It has bullet adjustable ranging compensation for different calibers and angle correction for shooting from hills/tree stands. It also features 7X fixed magnification. I like it, I've used other ones like low end leupolds and I think this was the best one bushnell ever made.
Can you get a decent rangefinder around 1000$? Anyone knows newcon?
- Thread starter Kryogen
- Start date
Just as a brief comparison to some of the other peoples results, I was playing around with a friends Terrapin yesterday and offhand ranged a house at 3392m, some treelines in the 2500-2700m range and some moving transport trucks on a highway 2892, 2741, 2620 then as it was moving away with similar results. Remember these were all offhand shots, I suspect with a tripod or window mount you could easily get to 4000m + as people as claiming.
Yes this unit is expensive but functions flawlessly even at ELR. I have no experience with the Newcon units so I can't compare. All I remember about the Newcon units is they had some cheap crap out a few years ago that nobody was impressed with.
Yes this unit is expensive but functions flawlessly even at ELR. I have no experience with the Newcon units so I can't compare. All I remember about the Newcon units is they had some cheap crap out a few years ago that nobody was impressed with.
I will try to report more with the newcon when possible. The targets were not the max it could range, they were the max I could see and range.
But, I am sure that it's not as good as the terrapin, I'm not arguing that.
It's a 850$ range finder, not a 2500$ one, so I expect it to range it to 1/3 the distance (one third the price) and that would be fair for the price.
I have not compared it to others in the same price range so I can't really tell, honestly.
But, I am sure that it's not as good as the terrapin, I'm not arguing that.
It's a 850$ range finder, not a 2500$ one, so I expect it to range it to 1/3 the distance (one third the price) and that would be fair for the price.
I have not compared it to others in the same price range so I can't really tell, honestly.
Sounds like the newcon doesn't match the ranging of the Leica 1600, keep us posted with more results.
Any comment on the glass quality?
Does it say anywhere on the unit itself where it's made? Is it actually built in Canada or is it off-shore somewhere?
I also see that Newcon is now offering a fairly pricey line of tactical rifle scopes as well.
Any comment on the glass quality?
Does it say anywhere on the unit itself where it's made? Is it actually built in Canada or is it off-shore somewhere?
I also see that Newcon is now offering a fairly pricey line of tactical rifle scopes as well.
They say that the product can range a nato target to 2.2km. No, it will not range to 4km like the 2500$ terrapin. I do not really see an issue there, lets keep the comparaison with the leica and swarovski that are priced similar.
Will let you know once I have done further testing.
From the specs, I would assume that the 1600 models can range to 1600 yards, and this one is supposed to range to 2400 yards. Will it? Will tell you once I test it.
What is the max range on trees? I do not know yet. Did not have time to check extensively and test while going further and further back.
- well how can you say that anyway? Not like I gave a complete review or anything. I just said that I ranged some stuff, not that I made extensive tests and that it did not range further.
Here is a review that some guy made:
http://www.longrangehunting.com/for...er-guide-vs-leica-crf-1600-rangemaster-73650/
At 1531 yards: The Swarovski ranged the object 9 out of 10 times. . The Leica ranged the object 1 out of 10 times.
At 1439 yards: The Swarovski ranged the object 10 out of 10 times. The Leica ranged the object 4 out of 10 times.
At 1252 yards: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Leica ranged the object 9 out of 10 times. (that means reliable on trees at 1144 meters)
These three specific tests were performed towards evening, with moderate continuous cloud cover (not bright sunshine). When the sun was shining earlier in the day, the Leica CRF 1600 never ranged a tree more than 1250 yards, while the Swarovski was pretty consistently providing distance readings out to 1450 yards.
Any comment on the glass quality?
- Seems good to me, but I cant compare
Does it say anywhere on the unit itself where it's made? Is it actually built in Canada or is it off-shore somewhere?
- made in canada
I also see that Newcon is now offering a fairly pricey line of tactical rifle scopes as well.
- no clue
Will let you know once I have done further testing.
From the specs, I would assume that the 1600 models can range to 1600 yards, and this one is supposed to range to 2400 yards. Will it? Will tell you once I test it.
What is the max range on trees? I do not know yet. Did not have time to check extensively and test while going further and further back.
- well how can you say that anyway? Not like I gave a complete review or anything. I just said that I ranged some stuff, not that I made extensive tests and that it did not range further.
Here is a review that some guy made:
http://www.longrangehunting.com/for...er-guide-vs-leica-crf-1600-rangemaster-73650/
At 1531 yards: The Swarovski ranged the object 9 out of 10 times. . The Leica ranged the object 1 out of 10 times.
At 1439 yards: The Swarovski ranged the object 10 out of 10 times. The Leica ranged the object 4 out of 10 times.
At 1252 yards: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Leica ranged the object 9 out of 10 times. (that means reliable on trees at 1144 meters)
These three specific tests were performed towards evening, with moderate continuous cloud cover (not bright sunshine). When the sun was shining earlier in the day, the Leica CRF 1600 never ranged a tree more than 1250 yards, while the Swarovski was pretty consistently providing distance readings out to 1450 yards.
Any comment on the glass quality?
- Seems good to me, but I cant compare
Does it say anywhere on the unit itself where it's made? Is it actually built in Canada or is it off-shore somewhere?
- made in canada
I also see that Newcon is now offering a fairly pricey line of tactical rifle scopes as well.
- no clue
Did some more testing today, under clouds, I ranged trees at 1400m, and got a range measurement to 2200m on distant stuff (cant really tell at 2.2km, tree line, buildings).
I have not tried to measure trees and then go further and further back to test it. Maybe I can do that on sunday.
Having a hard time getting reliable hits past 1400m though. But now I have gotten a dead battery warning after just 100 measurements, so either the battery that came with it was already dead, or it's eating batteries.
According to newcon, battery life is 5000+ shots. (tested battery, it's 8.71 volts and the unit is supposed to work until 6.2v and warn at 6.5, issue with the voltage reading circuit?) I emailed newcon.
Oh well, technically, it works.
Is it worth it over the swarovski? I don't really think it is so far, considering the swaro is said to range trees to 1500 yards, so far, I am getting approx this with the newcon.
I have not tried to measure trees and then go further and further back to test it. Maybe I can do that on sunday.
Having a hard time getting reliable hits past 1400m though. But now I have gotten a dead battery warning after just 100 measurements, so either the battery that came with it was already dead, or it's eating batteries.
According to newcon, battery life is 5000+ shots. (tested battery, it's 8.71 volts and the unit is supposed to work until 6.2v and warn at 6.5, issue with the voltage reading circuit?) I emailed newcon.
Oh well, technically, it works.
Is it worth it over the swarovski? I don't really think it is so far, considering the swaro is said to range trees to 1500 yards, so far, I am getting approx this with the newcon.
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I can say that based on what you reported thus far and the fact I owned a Leica 1600 and am well aware of how it ranges. At no point did I say "case closed, Leica trumps the newcon", hence me saying "Sounds like the newcon doesn't match the ranging of the Leica 1600, keep us posted with more results.". And that was a completely accurate statement by what you had reported up to that point.
Thanks for the review.
Will report more when I can, but what I dislike about it is that
1- it looks cheap plastic china made
2- Optics arent anything spectacular
3- Doesnt seem to range much more than the swaro or leica
4- Eye relief is bad. You have to completely press your eye against it to see properly.
I have not tested any other rangefinder it this class, but so far, I can't say that I am astonished.
Now, technically, it does range to 2.2km, so it "works", but how does it compare to others? Cant say.
It's rather bulky also.
1- it looks cheap plastic china made
2- Optics arent anything spectacular
3- Doesnt seem to range much more than the swaro or leica
4- Eye relief is bad. You have to completely press your eye against it to see properly.
I have not tested any other rangefinder it this class, but so far, I can't say that I am astonished.
Now, technically, it does range to 2.2km, so it "works", but how does it compare to others? Cant say.
It's rather bulky also.
Kryogen,
When you change out the batteries, you may want to consider going with lithium opposed to alkaline like most people usually do(my self included) as the lithium batteries don't normally leak due to their seals(lithium being very toxic). There was an update a while back from Kestrel that you may know about recommending all of their units be switched to Li batteries due to the leaky alkaline batteries negative effects on sensitive electronics. I have since changed out all of my batteries to lithium as a result.
Being able to range 2200m with any unit is impressive, a friend of mine has the G7 BR2 that won't range past 1900y. As far as the Swarovski goes, I had one of the first units in western Canada and I can't recall it ranging to 1500m on its best days. It was an early production unit and was sent back to Austria once for repair but it never was capable of any ELR type of ranging. The Swaro unit, as one would expect, had phenomenal glass and I think they had the right idea making the unit 8x magnification. I ended up putting my binoculars away permanently after using the Swaros in the field a couple of times.
When you change out the batteries, you may want to consider going with lithium opposed to alkaline like most people usually do(my self included) as the lithium batteries don't normally leak due to their seals(lithium being very toxic). There was an update a while back from Kestrel that you may know about recommending all of their units be switched to Li batteries due to the leaky alkaline batteries negative effects on sensitive electronics. I have since changed out all of my batteries to lithium as a result.
Being able to range 2200m with any unit is impressive, a friend of mine has the G7 BR2 that won't range past 1900y. As far as the Swarovski goes, I had one of the first units in western Canada and I can't recall it ranging to 1500m on its best days. It was an early production unit and was sent back to Austria once for repair but it never was capable of any ELR type of ranging. The Swaro unit, as one would expect, had phenomenal glass and I think they had the right idea making the unit 8x magnification. I ended up putting my binoculars away permanently after using the Swaros in the field a couple of times.
LordEvilPepper
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
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+2 for Leica 1600 B (the one with the angle calibration)
Excellent optical quality on the monocular glass and excellent electronics.
the next runner up goes to the Leupold 1000 TBR
and third place to the Vortex 1000 (glass and range finding is as good as the leupold, but the computer is a hair slower popping up the range for you)
bushnell... piss on bushnell
They have the worst non reflective ranges, and the glass is dim and its not like they are much cheaper then the actual good ones.
Excellent optical quality on the monocular glass and excellent electronics.
the next runner up goes to the Leupold 1000 TBR
and third place to the Vortex 1000 (glass and range finding is as good as the leupold, but the computer is a hair slower popping up the range for you)
bushnell... piss on bushnell
They have the worst non reflective ranges, and the glass is dim and its not like they are much cheaper then the actual good ones.
Based on my past reading on the topic, non-reflective target ranging distance limit tends to be about half
of the reflective target rating/capability of LRF units. So if you want to range non-reflective targets
at say 1000meters, get a 2000meter rated LRF. Surfaces with maximum infrared reflectance give the best signal return.
(Like the finish on highway signs which typically have glass beads embedded in the base layer paint structure).
Another technique for measuring distance between fixed locations where you can access both spots is to
use differential GPS. Get a full multi-reading "averaged" GPS fix for each location within
a few minutes of each other, and then calculate the distance between the two using the GPS itself
or mapping software. Most of the GPS system errors cancel out if the readings are taken a few minutes apart.
That will get you to around 3 meters resolution.
n.b. there are GPS products used for accurate surveying that use technology like WAAS but that's normally beyond the
price point of casual users.
ht tp://www8.garmin.com/aboutGPS/waas.html
On Newcon production:
ht tp://www.newcon-optik.com/about.html
Take a tour with us of our sprawling headquarter and manufacturing facility in Toronto, Canada!
Since 1992 it is the home of innovation in research, design and manufacturing excellence. A Canadian hi-tech success!
Although most of our R&D, manufacturing and assembly is done in Canada, globalization allows Newcon Optik to source high-quality, competitively priced components from acknowledged leaders in the optical industry throughout the world.
of the reflective target rating/capability of LRF units. So if you want to range non-reflective targets
at say 1000meters, get a 2000meter rated LRF. Surfaces with maximum infrared reflectance give the best signal return.
(Like the finish on highway signs which typically have glass beads embedded in the base layer paint structure).
Another technique for measuring distance between fixed locations where you can access both spots is to
use differential GPS. Get a full multi-reading "averaged" GPS fix for each location within
a few minutes of each other, and then calculate the distance between the two using the GPS itself
or mapping software. Most of the GPS system errors cancel out if the readings are taken a few minutes apart.
That will get you to around 3 meters resolution.
n.b. there are GPS products used for accurate surveying that use technology like WAAS but that's normally beyond the
price point of casual users.
ht tp://www8.garmin.com/aboutGPS/waas.html
On Newcon production:
ht tp://www.newcon-optik.com/about.html
Take a tour with us of our sprawling headquarter and manufacturing facility in Toronto, Canada!
Since 1992 it is the home of innovation in research, design and manufacturing excellence. A Canadian hi-tech success!
Although most of our R&D, manufacturing and assembly is done in Canada, globalization allows Newcon Optik to source high-quality, competitively priced components from acknowledged leaders in the optical industry throughout the world.
Well, that leupold has a range on reflective to 1000y, trees 700 and animals 600 according to leupold website. Pointless in this thread. Not in the same class. Same for the vortex 1000.
So far the newcon has given me 2200M (2405y) on reflective, and 1450m (1585y)on trees. Probably max range on reflective, but I still need to test it more on trees. Hard to get a spot to test it. 1450 meters is pretty far to get a clear LOS here.
Now, the leica 1600 sure is a good unit, but it seems that the swaro has better reviews and range.
I would love to be able to test the newcon side to side with a swaro or leica but I don't know anyone that has that. I can test it next to a terrapin but it's pretty pointless other than to confirm the measurements because the terrapis will range probably twice as far.
So far the newcon has given me 2200M (2405y) on reflective, and 1450m (1585y)on trees. Probably max range on reflective, but I still need to test it more on trees. Hard to get a spot to test it. 1450 meters is pretty far to get a clear LOS here.
Now, the leica 1600 sure is a good unit, but it seems that the swaro has better reviews and range.
I would love to be able to test the newcon side to side with a swaro or leica but I don't know anyone that has that. I can test it next to a terrapin but it's pretty pointless other than to confirm the measurements because the terrapis will range probably twice as far.
The battery that came with it is a discharged lithium non magnetic 9v.
I replaced it to a regular alkaline. To prevent leak, just do not leave the battery in the unit when not in use. Discharged alkalines can leak.
I don't mind if I have to replace it more often, I don't use the unit that often anyway. And I don't use the compass feature anyway.
As for the kestrel, I use a non magnetic lithium battery because It has to act as a compass.
I replaced it to a regular alkaline. To prevent leak, just do not leave the battery in the unit when not in use. Discharged alkalines can leak.
I don't mind if I have to replace it more often, I don't use the unit that often anyway. And I don't use the compass feature anyway.
As for the kestrel, I use a non magnetic lithium battery because It has to act as a compass.
Tested it some more today under bright sunlight vs mush terrapin.
It ranged trees to 1150m, but after that it would not do it reliably. Got a hit at 1450m on rocks and/or trees but it took like 15 tries.
You have to hold it very steady at those ranges to range a specific target, or you will miss. We used a tripod.
The laser hits just above the aiming box bottom line, centered left to right. If you aim "in the middle of the box", you will hit above target. After finding this out, it ranged the same as the terrapin +- 1 yards.
The terrapin has a much tighter circle reticle, and is easy to aim on a 60x60cm target at 1000m. With the newcon (and other consumer rangefinders I guess), you have to "guess" where the laser will hit exactly, otherwise you will range something else than the target.
Could not test the terrapin further because the max we could see was 1450m and the terrapin ranges it easily.
So that pretty much sums it up. It works, but it's nothing to get too excited about I guess. For the same price, I guess you could get a swarovski that would range approx the same, have better glass, better construction, and have a better resell value. And I think the swaro is smaller.
I'm done writing about it. Technically, it works for my needs. It will range reliably under bright sunlight to 1100 meters approx. I don't shoot that far with the 308 anyway.
It ranged trees to 1150m, but after that it would not do it reliably. Got a hit at 1450m on rocks and/or trees but it took like 15 tries.
You have to hold it very steady at those ranges to range a specific target, or you will miss. We used a tripod.
The laser hits just above the aiming box bottom line, centered left to right. If you aim "in the middle of the box", you will hit above target. After finding this out, it ranged the same as the terrapin +- 1 yards.
The terrapin has a much tighter circle reticle, and is easy to aim on a 60x60cm target at 1000m. With the newcon (and other consumer rangefinders I guess), you have to "guess" where the laser will hit exactly, otherwise you will range something else than the target.
Could not test the terrapin further because the max we could see was 1450m and the terrapin ranges it easily.
So that pretty much sums it up. It works, but it's nothing to get too excited about I guess. For the same price, I guess you could get a swarovski that would range approx the same, have better glass, better construction, and have a better resell value. And I think the swaro is smaller.
I'm done writing about it. Technically, it works for my needs. It will range reliably under bright sunlight to 1100 meters approx. I don't shoot that far with the 308 anyway.
tested again today, towards the end of the afternoon. ranged 1400 meters max on trees
before sunset, ranged 1800 meters max on trees.
So bright sunlight it gets approx 1200m reliable, less sun 1400m, and before sunset 1800m, all on tree lines.
Works for me.
before sunset, ranged 1800 meters max on trees.
So bright sunlight it gets approx 1200m reliable, less sun 1400m, and before sunset 1800m, all on tree lines.
Works for me.
