Range finders that display a ballistic solution

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Chingas

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What are you using for a Rangefinder that will display a ballistic solution? I would like to get one for hunting that would eliminate the need to consult a dope chart after ranging. I see that there is a sig 2200bdx on sale for $350 that might be sufficient. I am also intrigued by the new Razor but I am not that impressed with how chunky it is. Also for the same money or less one can buy the Leica 2800.com. Not sure on the warranty of the Leica or the ranging capabilities vs the higher end Sigs which I have heard are the best at actually ranging in difficult conditions.
What do you use and or recommend? I don't mind spending more if I get a unit that will work for years.

I am currently using a Leupold 1600 tbr/w and am very happy with the size, ranging speed and ability of it. I just wish that it would provide a solution as well.
 
Upon further research into the unit I already own, I see that it will indeed provide a mil or moa readout for 25 ballistic groups. I am now going to do a little testing with it and see how accurate it is with the limit of 25 groups with a couple of my rifles.

However my question still stands as I think that I will still be in the market for a Rangefinder with a true to my load ballistic solution in the not so distant future.
 
Vortex makes rangefinders that do it, both the single eye style and binocular style. As does Sig.

Then if you go up market more, you have Leicas and Swarovskis that do it.

Basically, everyone does it above a certain price point.
 
I have the 2800.com and it works great, the read out is very fast. It will also link with a kestrel which is a huge bonus (kestrel will be way more accurate)

I would recommend Going for the Bino version over the range finder version for stability sake. I plan on swapping mine out soon for that reason
 
I have sig 3000 binoculars and a 2200 rangefinder. They both work well and as long as you set the temp / altitude in the app it matches my kestrel almost exactly. The 3000 binoculars especially work well. Mine will range buildings to 3500 yards and trees to 3000 no problem. It will only give you a ballistic solution to 800 yards though. That shouldn't matter much for hunting but could be a dealbreaker if you're into ELR shooting or something.
 
I have the Leica 2700B. As a hunter, I keep it simple and operate with the True Ballistic Range function on while in the field. The unit does allow for the input of ballistic data for several rifles or loads but I have not needed this function as I keep my shots under 600 metres and the reality is that most of my field shots were under 200 metres and did not require a laser. The unit also allows for the addition of altitude and temperature. The Leica is a great little unit with more features than I need.
 
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Jon87 said:
I have sig 3000 binoculars and a 2200 rangefinder. They both work well and as long as you set the temp / altitude in the app it matches my kestrel almost exactly. The 3000 binoculars especially work well. Mine will range buildings to 3500 yards and trees to 3000 no problem. It will only give you a ballistic solution to 800 yards though. That shouldn't matter much for hunting but could be a dealbreaker if you're into ELR shooting or something.
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good info, that 800 yd fact is especially good to know thanks
 
Yea, the sig 3000 limits your ballistics, I believe unless you add a kestrel to it. Then it becomes unlimited. I have a set up for my wife with the bdx scope for her use.

I also run the new leica geovid pro. Most of the top end units now read temp, barometric pressure, and use a ballistics program to show you the required dope. Again, like most, you need to have the proper inputs for it to all work seamlessly. The added ballistics software was a no brainer for the cost. I ran the previous model of swaro range bino before they added the ballistics, of the newest models. I think I enjoy the leica pro more. Plus I ended up with the 10x32 model, so it is a smaller/ lighter package as well.

I was able to hold the swaro 10x42, leica's 10x32 side by side before purchase for comparison.
 
wallz said:
Yea, the sig 3000 limits your ballistics, I believe unless you add a kestrel to it. Then it becomes unlimited. I have a set up for my wife with the bdx scope for her use.

I also run the new leica geovid pro. Most of the top end units now read temp, barometric pressure, and use a ballistics program to show you the required dope. Again, like most, you need to have the proper inputs for it to all work seamlessly. The added ballistics software was a no brainer for the cost. I ran the previous model of swaro range bino before they added the ballistics, of the newest models. I think I enjoy the leica pro more. Plus I ended up with the 10x32 model, so it is a smaller/ lighter package as well.

I was able to hold the swaro 10x42, leica's 10x32 side by side before purchase for comparison.
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Yeah, that's correct. I forgot that the 3000 will link to a kestrel. I just tried it on mine and it works past 800. It is a little slower to give the hold though in this mode. Not sure if that will work with every model of kestrel.
 
Sig Kilo 3000 has the Applied Ballistics Ultra Light installed.
The internal AB light is good to approx 800 yards/meters.

However it will link via Bluetooth to the Kestral 5700 to allow you to have ballistic solutions out much, much further.........

I just picked up a set of the Kilo 3000 binos and linked it to my Kestral 5700.
Looking to get out in the next little bit to play with the combo.

My buddy has the same combo and it has been accurate out to 1500 meters.
 
The Sig Kilo 2200BDX is a great value at $350. I used to have one and it would reliably range to about 2000 yards. Like all the BDX rangefinders, it has AB Ultralite built in and that will give you dope out to 800 yards. Also, like all the BDX rangefinders (including the Kilo 3000 binos, which I have) it will pair to a Kestrel 5700 with Link and will then give you dope out as far as the Kestrel will (which varies based on which model of Kestrel you have, Sportsman, Elite, X, etc). To get the most out of the 2200 monocular, I'd suggest getting a tripod adapter for it, there are a few options.

The Kilo 3000 BDX are a great option as well and have come down a lot in price as of late. I've had a pair for years now and paired up to my Kestrel 5700 Elite I've got dope out well past 2000 yards. They reliably range farther than the 2200 BDX did and have the added benefit of much better glass than the monocular and 10x mag which makes it easier to find targets/game compared to the 7x mag of the 2200 BDX.

Another fantastic options, albeit more expensive is the Vortex Fury 5000AB binos. They are very similar to the Kilo 3000 BDX but have all the atmospheric sensors of a Kestrel (minus the anemometer) as well as the full Elite suite of Applied Ballistics built in so no need to pair to a Kestrel to get dope out much farther than you can shoot. You can upload 3 ballistic profiles to the binos via an app after which point, the binos work as an entirely standalone device, which is quite convenient. The dope I get from them is identical to what I get from my Kestrel and I've verified that out to well past a mile. They can also pair to your Kestrel, if you want, which can be practical in a static environment for building a range card.
 
For local guys, Abbotsford Cabelas has the SIG Kilo 3000 rangefinding Binos on sale for $1339.98. Regular price is $1649.99.
You get a $300.00 savings and it includes a bino carry chest rig.
 
The other plank of this solution is technologies like Burris Veracity PH where the scope has been uploaded with your particular ballistic information and you can also request and upload location-based meteorological data to the scope via the app. You range your target, then just dial the elevation turret to the value obtained from your rangefinder. They will likely merge their laser range finder Eliminator brand scope with the veracity to make some one-stop solution as well.
I don't see that they have a way to connect a Kestrel 5700 to the Burris solution yet, but they likely will.
Other companies will be evolving these technologies and we will soon see their results.
 
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VORTEX FURY HD 5000 AB 10X42 LASER RANGEFINDING BINOCULAR

I used a set of these today. I was impressed with the glass and the rangefinding ability. The owner was able to get the internal ballistic calculator matched up to his other standalone calculator in relatively short order. They also have a feature to adjust wind speed via buttons on the binos - note that Kilo 10k do not have this feature.

I'd have to have them both side by side for a while to evaluate in more depth, but I would tend to say that this is a better product than the Kilo 10k.
 
adamg said:
VORTEX FURY HD 5000 AB 10X42 LASER RANGEFINDING BINOCULAR

I used a set of these today. I was impressed with the glass and the rangefinding ability. The owner was able to get the internal ballistic calculator matched up to his other standalone calculator in relatively short order. They also have a feature to adjust wind speed via buttons on the binos - note that Kilo 10k do not have this feature.

I'd have to have them both side by side for a while to evaluate in more depth, but I would tend to say that this is a better product than the Kilo 10k.
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After setting up a profile with an app, is there any other need for another device besides a cheap anemometer? Or can a guy sell the Kestrel 5700AB and non-AB Vortex rangefinder binos to find a single bino purchase? The custom curves along with CalDSF have been perfect with my Kestrel, but less pieces make a simpler process.
 
emerson said:
After setting up a profile with an app, is there any other need for another device besides a cheap anemometer? Or can a guy sell the Kestrel 5700AB and non-AB Vortex rangefinder binos to find a single bino purchase? The custom curves along with CalDSF have been perfect with my Kestrel, but less pieces make a simpler process.
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I can't answer that, I didn't use the binos extensively enough. I can give you the number of the owner of the ones I used today, he can probably answer some questions.

I will say that he did mention a limitation that I thought was pretty massive, and would prevent me from abandoning a standalone calculator. He said that it only gives ballistic solutions for distances that it ranges with the laser. So if you get a match book and want your calculation for a target at a certain distance, you first have to range it to see the solution.
 
adamg said:
I can't answer that, I didn't use the binos extensively enough. I can give you the number of the owner of the ones I used today, he can probably answer some questions.

I will say that he did mention a limitation that I thought was pretty massive, and would prevent me from abandoning a standalone calculator. He said that it only gives ballistic solutions for distances that it ranges with the laser. So if you get a match book and want your calculation for a target at a certain distance, you first have to range it to see the solution.
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That is a no go there.
 
emerson said:
After setting up a profile with an app, is there any other need for another device besides a cheap anemometer? Or can a guy sell the Kestrel 5700AB and non-AB Vortex rangefinder binos to find a single bino purchase? The custom curves along with CalDSF have been perfect with my Kestrel, but less pieces make a simpler process.
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You can totally use them as a standalone device (my Fury 5kABs give me the exact same dope as my Kestrel 5700 Elite) provided that you range the targets. Like Adam said, you can't access a dope chart via the binos (and I don't see how you could ever really integrate that into a binocular). I still carry my Kestrel with me but I never use it in field matches. It's there as a backup and to check what the atmospherics are pre-match (or between stages, depending on the match format) in order to select which hard copy backup dope chart to have visible in my wrist coach.

What you could do, to fund the purchase of a set of Fury 5K ABs is sell your current LRF and your Kestrel Elite, buy the Furys and a cheap Kestrel to use as a weather station (I believe the best option is the 2500) and get the AB app on your phone. Build backup hard copy dope charts for different DAs that you keep in your wrist coach to as a backup or if the range is provided and use the binos to range anything. Personally I'd rather have the Kestrel and the Furys but cost is certainly a factor.
 
rugbydave said:
You can totally use them as a standalone device (my Fury 5kABs give me the exact same dope as my Kestrel 5700 Elite) provided that you range the targets. Like Adam said, you can't access a dope chart via the binos (and I don't see how you could ever really integrate that into a binocular). I still carry my Kestrel with me but I never use it in field matches. It's there as a backup and to check what the atmospherics are pre-match (or between stages, depending on the match format) in order to select which hard copy backup dope chart to have visible in my wrist coach.

What you could do, to fund the purchase of a set of Fury 5K ABs is sell your current LRF and your Kestrel Elite, buy the Furys and a cheap Kestrel to use as a weather station (I believe the best option is the 2500) and get the AB app on your phone. Build backup hard copy dope charts for different DAs that you keep in your wrist coach to as a backup or if the range is provided and use the binos to range anything. Personally I'd rather have the Kestrel and the Furys but cost is certainly a factor.
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I do have a cheap Kestrel, the 2500 I think. I just ordered another $2.5K of ammo, so I guess selling the base 5000 binos and upgrading wouldn’t be the end of the world.
 
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