I use the Yardage Pro Trophy and love it. I diodn't realize how off my guessed yardage was. I love it and it doesn;t cost a fortune. About $100. It has a laser and that is what you want.

I just bought leupold RX-IV Boone and crockett laser range finder , I love it. Its pretty spendy but its accurate within a 1/3 of a yard and has a 1500 yard capacity. the other cool thing about it is that it measures antler spread, not really important but something fun to play with i guess

I own a Leica. Expensive but I like the features or lack of. Just look through the 7X eye piece push the button and you have your distance. The display is red and self adjusts to the ambient light. No need to fiddle with different modes.

Distances are miss leading. If you don't have a good reflective surface you don't usually get the advertised distance regardless of brand you buy.

Hope this helps

I own a Bushnell and I've had it for 9 years and it still works great. I used it earlier today.

I have one that I use. Generally, I use it to range different points from my stand so I know the distances should a buck come in.

I think one thing is true is that there is the range that the rangefinder is capable of in ideal conditions and then there is the real range.

I have and use the Bushnell 1500 Elite.
Works great.
The Swaro's, Leica and Bushnell 1500's are top of the food chain for LRF's.

First ask yourself what you will be hunting with while using it.
If you are a bow hunter and dont need the extra yards then a less expensive 1 will work great.
If you do it all then I would get one that will do it as well.
I own a Leuopold RX III and it works great.
I wish I would have went with the RX IV though. it is a 8X magnification. This finder also tells you where to hold on the animal and makes adjustments for different ranges.
If you want to get spendy then you could always look at a finder that is a Bino/Range finder combo. Less to pack arround.
Good luck.

Russ

http://www.6mmbr.com/rangefinders.html

Good info on various models. I went with the Leica 1200 CRF for the type of hunting I do. Good luck on your decision.

I didn't realize they had bino/range combo deals. I'll have to check it out. That would help with gear load. I'm planning on using it for coyote hunting mainly, but if I get comfortable with it I'll use it for bear too. Thanks for all the advice! I'm planning on buying an Encore next year, and will be looking for a scope too. I've decided to go with the .308 for the various cartridges available. Looks like I can do a little of everything with it. It'll replace the 30-30. Sounds like the Leupold is really worth looking into. I've never owned an expensive scope.

Range finder are one of those things that after carrying in the field a few times you get real sick and tired of carrying it around. So here is what you do with range finders - use them all the time , except for hunting. Use them everywhere that you won't freak other people out. Train your eyes using the range finder to estimate distance of various sized objects (animals, people, buildings, hay stacks, etc) at reasonable shooting distances, anytime except for hunting season.

Now hunting season starts and you are ready to head out. Leave that range finder at home. Yup, you read this correctly, leave it at home. Your are not going to need it because you have spent that last year training your eyes to judge distance of vitrually everything that you've seen at every reasonable shooting distance.

Gee. Don't you feel more confident now and less burdoned with gear and gadgets. It seems that hunting and shooting today has become all about the gadgets and less about honed and acquired skills. That's such a real shame too!