Primative Range Finder

maple leaf

maple leaf

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I received an email from Track of the Wolf today and was interested by an item they are selling, a Primitive Range Finder patterned from an antique circa 1869. Does anyone know how this work, accuracy etc? I have an older optical range finder that works awesome, but this is something totally new to me. Check it out and let me know you thoughts: http://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/PartDetail.aspx/883/1/RANGE-FINDER-B
 
Well I got an answer from Ethan at Track Of The Wolf. Here's what he said,

"It is based on looking at a 6 foot tall object. You hold the end of the string in your teeth and the range finder out with the string taught. Looking through the range finder place the top edge of the inside "window" on the top of the 6ft tall object, then raise the elevator until it touches the bottom of the 6ft tall object. That will give you the range. We tested one with a 6ft tall staff member in our parking lot at 50 and 100 yards and it worked correctly. It is not a very fast process, so I don't know how useful it would be in a hunting situation."
 
If you are hunting use your reticle to rangefind. The math is (can be) quite simple and that way you are already looking at the critter while figuring out the shot.
The technique you posted is just a variant of that.
 
That should work based on a 6 foot object, and it is simple. I might get one.

Here is a way to make a home made range finder from Field & Stream.

Take a 3/8" Dowel rod about 8-10" long and a piece of board about 3 feet long (that is about how tall an average deer stands in this area). Stand the board up against something. Walk away from the board 50 steps then hold the Dowel rod out at arm’s length. Line the top of the Dowel rod up with the top of the board. Then make a mark on the Dow rod at the bottom of the board. Then step of another 50 and repeat the process. Repeat the whole process until you have walked 3 or 400 yards. You should have 6 or 8 marks on your dowel. The when you are out hunting hold the Dowel rod at arm’s length, place the top to the deer’s back and count up from the bottom mark to the mark at the bottom of the deer’s feet multiply by 50 and that will be the yardage to the deer.
 
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walk 30 yards from your tree stand. Mark a tree. Walk 50 yards from your tree stand, mark a tree. Return to tree stand.

If deer is near the second tree,it's about 50 yards away :). I might've actually seen that in pics on this forum....
 
waterwheel said:
walk 30 yards from your tree stand. Mark a tree. Walk 50 yards from your tree stand, mark a tree. Return to tree stand.

If deer is near the second tree,it's about 50 yards away :). I might've actually seen that in pics on this forum....
Click to expand...

That's probably the fastest most efficient way. :) Better yet is to practice estimating distances.

Grizz
 
use a mildot scope

Werm rule formula:

(Width/height of object in Meters) X( 1000) / (# of mils [H or W] observed in scope) = range in Meters

Example:

(person 1.8 meters in height [ 5'9"]) X(1000) / (8 mils as viewed in scope head to toe) = 225m

simplified:
1800/8= 225m
 
Use the front sight bead for a subtension rangefinder and bullet drop compensator. I don't do a lot of iron sight shooting anymore but know that the bead of my .458 covers a bit over 8" at 100 yards. Sighted with my loads so that the bullets impact at the top edge of the bead, they drop down to the bead center at longer distances. In this case it is quite usable to 250 yards. Hows this a rangefinder? On a deer sized animal if you can fit the bead on its chest you can pull the trigger. At powder burn ranges the difference between aiming with the top of the bead and the center doesn't amount to much.
 
maple leaf said:
Well I got an answer from Ethan at Track Of The Wolf. Here's what he said,

"It is based on looking at a 6 foot tall object. You hold the end of the string in your teeth and the range finder out with the string taught. Looking through the range finder place the top edge of the inside "window" on the top of the 6ft tall object, then raise the elevator until it touches the bottom of the 6ft tall object. That will give you the range. We tested one with a 6ft tall staff member in our parking lot at 50 and 100 yards and it worked correctly. It is not a very fast process, so I don't know how useful it would be in a hunting situation."
Click to expand...

Artillery gun captains of the civil war were issued two of this type of rangefinder, one calibrated for a six ft man, the other for a man on a horse. they were comonly used out to 1500 yrds or more
 
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