Laser Range Finder Questions

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broncoguy72

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I have been thinking about buying one but I have a few questions. I have tried a cheap busnell out and it didn't work worth crap . I want to use it for gopher hunting. Do they work on flat ground? Is a gopher at 300 yds big enough to reflect the laser back? When I played with on I could never get a close range report while using a fence post or a sloping hill at approx 600yds. Any advice would be apperciated and also what model I should consider!
Thanks
 
I can range dirt at 700 yards (furthest I have tried) with my leica, reflective surfaces well over 1200 yards. Spend the money and get a leica or swaro, you will never regret it.
 
reflective surface was a rock face at 1500 or so yards, the Swaro's can reach out further.
I went with the leica because it is small and simple. I haven't had a chance to test it out on deer yet, but I am imagining 800 to 1000 yards should be attainable.
 
My Bushnell works great for most of the hunting I do. It is lightweight, waterproof and tough enough to handle the spills and falls I normally go through in a regular hunting season. However, when it comes to hunting groundhogs it is totally and utterly outclassed by my friends Leica. On a perfect day I may be lucky to range one out to 300 yards. With the Leica ranging groundhogs past 1000 yards is routine. If you are serious about gopher hunting then just wait for the opportunity to buy a Leica. I assume the Swaro would be in a similar class but I have no experience with them.
 
I've used my friends Leica and really like it. However I was unable to get one when I was in the market and bought a Bushnell 1500. I'm not a big "bushy" fan but am really pleased with this unit. I've ranged buildings (over 1000 yds) trucks (800yds) and numerous other items beyond 500yds without any trouble at all. Try this, range an item (say its 497yds) then take 1-2 steps closer/farther and range again. See if it show the difference. Mine does and I'm happy with the results. I do like the more compact design of the Leica but the 1500 has done very well for me.
 
Get 1 on the scope.
Bushnell, Burris & Ziess all have scope's with laser range finders built right in.
 
Myself and Farlsincharge bought our range finders at the same time. Like he said, he went with the Leica and I went with the Swaro. In my opinion they are both great units. The Swaro will range a bit further but not a heck of a lot. Where the two units become equal is when you compare them to a Bushnell or even the Leupold RX IV. The Leica and the Swaro are both so much better it is not even funny. Farls traded his Leupold on his Leica and I traded my Bushnell 1500 ARC on my Swaro and have never regretted it.
 
The Leica makes the bushnell look like crap. The Swaro out-classes the Leica 1200, and hopelessly beats the 900s. My Leica ranging binos try real hard to catch the Swaro and don't. Since I own the 3 Leicas mentioned you'd think I'd learn, but I stubbornly refuse to do that.:redface:
 
My Lecia 1200 has ranged dirt at 1080 yards. Have tried a little farther and it has failed(just a little farther down the same slope on a hill) Way better than my 930 yard Bushnell Pro(Failed at 500 yards)! I hope to try it on gopher hunting when I get my new .223 sorted out and the stock replaced.:sniper:
 
Nikon is the way to go. Glass is all nice for a range finder, but electronics is what makes them "fast" and easy to use. Compare a Nikon beside a Leica or a Swaro or a Leupold and it is easier to use because the electronics do the math faster, and that results in shake mattering less.

Do a compare out side of the shop you buy and range a moving car. My Nikon 1200 will range to 800 yards on a mover, none of the others will do that, as it can't compute fast enough. In fact, I couldn't get the others to work past 450 or so.

Besides, Nikon glass is just as good anyway, if not better.
 
I started out with a Bushnell 1500 yard rangefinder that also calculated angles wrt to distance. Was not good enough so I saved up and looked at the Leica, Zeiss, and the Swaro - I got the Swaro.

I think those three are all very good and you would not go wrong with any of them. IMO I think the Swaro glass edges out the other two but that is a subjective view.
 
I use Zeiss and can consistently range across river valleys onto dirt banks at 1,400m. If the weather is good, or a large rock, I have seen 1,600m in the display. The bino is beyond amazing as a big bonus.
 
When Bushnell first introduced the 1000 yard model, I had a fellow come up to me at a show to tell me what a POS this thing is and how it wouldn't range a gopher at 1000 yards. he was serious. I kept a straight face and said that the design is for much bigger objects and asked him how he could possibly see a gopher at 1000 yards? FS
 
I have a Leica and love it. I will echo the comments of others and recommend spending the extra money for a Leica or Swarovski if you are going to use it seriously/a lot.

Regardless of what you buy, holding the beam steady on a gopher sized target at 300 meters is going to be challenging period. They are little guys to begin with...now stretch that out to 300 yards. It is doable, but you'll need to be at least prone or well supported to get reliable readings.

I've used mine reliably in the field on deer, unsupported, to just over 500 meters without any issue or significant amount of time to lase/range the animal. Like anything...practice and get to know your equipment and what it is capable of/what it's limitations are.
 
Lets compare apples to apples here.... I have a bushnell 1500 arc that I bought new for just over $300.00 and have never had a problem with. Have ranged sheds at over 1000yards with it free hand, and am very happy with it!!! The Leicas im sure are fantastic but are more then twice the price and the Swaros are almost 3 times the price.

I dont think you would find a thread on here comparings a Bushnell 3200 to a Nightforce or Schmit and Bender scope or even a Swarovski! These units are in a different class.

I thinks its a better we find out what price range the OP is in a compare the models within it!!

Just my opinion....
 
I think the last post was spot on, you definitely get what you pay for. Nothing at all wrong with the Leica's, Zeiss or Swarovski's at all but if your Mastercard can't hack it definitely take a look at the Nikon 1200. As mentioned above the acquisition is very fast and its still a relatively compact unit for the price.
 
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