Ok gang, looking for advice on my first rangefinder purchase. Want to keep the price tag under $300. These are the 3 I've narrowed it down to. Does anyone have experience with these? Any other suggestions? Will be used mostly for target shooting and ranging trees/ landmarks in shooting lanes during deer sg season. Bow hunting isn't out of the question though - but that angle compensation feature isn't a priority. Thanks in advance for your input.
rangefinder advice - Nikon 3i vs leupold rx650 vs bushnell 850
- Thread starter tbell_1
- Start date
I have an older Nikon 800. It works great out to 400. With lots of effort sometime 500. ( ranging on hills, large rocks ) My friends Leica 1000 does 1000 each and every time. Lots of brands of rangefinders out there these days, don't know if they are really very good. ( Like my 800 ) I will get a Leica someday, but this cheaper Nikon will still be used for archery, gophers, and the muzzleloader, that way the real rangefinder ( $$$ ) will have less wear and tear. Good luck on your search.
I would jump on the Nikon 7i. It's a little pricier, but literally twice the distance of ranging. I just purchased one this summer and I absolutely love it. Has the ARC technology built into it, and lightning fast calculating and acquisition capabilities.
Nikon Travis M.
Regular
- Location
- Alberta, Canada
Yup, the 7i has a new laser and processor in it. However the 3i is a capable little brother. Both of these are new for this year and even soft target the 3i will be reaching out just shy of 500 now. Thanks for buying Nikon!
Nikon Travis M.
Regular
- Location
- Alberta, Canada
Unfortunately no tripod mounts at this time, nothing with MOA as we use our BDC reticle and Spot On in lieu of this. Of note I've been told the Spot On app is now free in the app stores.
Thanks for all the info. Does the Spot On app list optics other than Nikon?
Awesome price. Anyone aware of similar online deals on the i7?
Nikon Travis M.
Regular
- Location
- Alberta, Canada
I'm sorry in advance, I had a little chuckle at that one. No, its our own proprietary system and only lists Nikon scopes.
(However it will give you standard clicks on our Nikoplex scopes which you should be able to match up 1/4, 1/8 to any other scope if you want do some playing around)
I've got to say...(and I hate coming off as a fanboy)... the spot on system was a huge factor in me buying a Nikon scope and since then I've put my 7mm remmag thru it's paces with a 4-16x42Nplex monarch3 and it has totally changed my hunting game. Spot on has taken the guess work out of transitioning from 100 yards to 500 yards in the field. I'm working on memorizing the click values for the load I'm using and am now looking for a decent range finder as well. I've got an older bushnell and it's just not suitable any more, that and it's pretty banged up LOL
gonna take a good look at this Nikon 7I
interested in more user feedback on these as well as the wife asked me what I want for Christmas and I told her another Nikon scope(for her) and a range finder(for me) would be nice to see under the tree
gonna take a good look at this Nikon 7I
interested in more user feedback on these as well as the wife asked me what I want for Christmas and I told her another Nikon scope(for her) and a range finder(for me) would be nice to see under the tree
If you want an app that lists every reticle check out STRELOK on apple or android, its an amazing ballistic app that does everything.
I purchased mine at Cabelas when they had their last employee discount days it was $214 then used a $20 off coupon. They have these sales every few months.
Sorry, had no idea that Spot On was a proprietary Nikon app. Thought it might have been another piece of software that Nikon simply re-branded. What does deserve a chuckle is the notion that I'd replace a few thousand dollars worth of optics for a free phone app.
Awesome, thanks. I missed this one. It does look like a very full featured ballistics calculator.
Hard to justify purchasing an i7 for a little under $400 retail when people are reporting deals closer to $200. Sounds like the value has been determined; it's a $200 rangefinder, not a $400. Will keep this in the back of my mind throughout the coming holiday season.
Sorry typo, I paid $314 on cabelas discount days with a $20 rebate coupon. Ended up being $294 plus tax.
Cheers!!
Hahaha whoops - Thanks Dr Islay - read that a bit to quick. My bad.
Yowsers. Don't get on Islay's bad side. He'll strip you a new one. Maybe just had a bad day.
NIKON'S SPOT ON app is for Nikon scopes only. However, like Travis said, you could match up to the 1/4 and 1/8 on other scopes.
The 7i is an awesome rangefinder for the money. I'd buy one of these before jumping onto a Bushnell. Very fast target acquisition, and very fast read out at close and long distances. I really like the actual distance/horizontal distance feature as well.
I also love the Distant Target Priority mode. This displays the range of the farthest subject, so if a deer is behind brush, the laser will range the deer and not the branches and leaves in front of it.
Lot of features and great quality without breaking the bank.
