Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Range Finder- best bang for buck?

Sheister: I love my Leica laser rangefinders (have two of them). Last year one of my Hunting partners bought a Leupold laser rangefinder and it worked well for us on an Antelope Hunt.
Good luck with whichever you choose.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

the sig Kilo I have is faster and smaller than the Leica it replaced, And was about 1/4 the price.....

Wait until you have to use their warranty. I’d also have to see that sig out do a Leica.

+1

While I’m a die hard fan of my Leica CRF the current crop of rangefinders is really amazing compared to the big brick of a Bushnell 400 that I started with years ago. I have see the new sig it’s very nice - my cousin just got one & couldn’t wait to show me. We compared looking & ranging neighbors place 1000+ yards away. His reticle is brighter & cooler but not faster and the glass isn’t as good. Oh this is his 2nd Sig in the time I’ve owned 1 Leica - the first wore out.

But if I couldn’t afford one & needed to buy the cheapest Athlon it would still be light years ahead of the rangefinders of 15 years ago. I thought my Nikon 800 was fantastic then & it’s not remotely in the league of new bargain rangefinders.

If my 19 year old Leica Rangemaster 1200 ever dies I will very likely buy another Leica. Money well spent. My other hunting buds have all had to buy several RFs over years. Rough use during long seasons every year. Rubber case is looking bad but it just keeps ranging every time.
Dont know if it matters but I take the battery out and clean it up after the season ends. Put a new battery in at the beginning of the season.
Never had a battery go dead during a hunt or season yet. Maybe I dont know what i’m missing not upgrading to a newer model.

I went through the same decision process and settled on a Maven RF.1 as the quality and price point I was comfortable with for a toy I won't use every day.

I’ve owned and used RFs from many brands, including Bushnell, Leica, Sig, Leupold, Zeiss, Swaro, Nikon, and probably others that I don’t recall at the moment. The RF performance of the Bushnell and Leica have been the best, followed by Zeiss and Swaro. My RF experience with Leup, Sig, and Nikon was mediocre. I owned a few Sig 2000 and 2200 units, and none of them would even come close to their ratings on objects in the field. Bushnell would range trees and rocks beyond their stated ratings, but the glass was not great. The Leicas, including the LRF 1200, a couple of Geovids, and a couple of CRFs have ranged reliably, including on trees and rocks beyond their stated ratings, in good conditions, and the glass is excellent. I did need to use Leica’s warranty service once, and while the experience wasn’t great, I did end up satisfied in the end.

I have a WILD M41 rangefinder that is Swiss made with no electronics at all and has worked perfectly for more than 25 years with no issues !!!!!
only problem is that it wont fit in your pocket or your backpack but will fit in the bed of your truck.