Nikon Rangefinder?

[GunDog72]

Hey guys, I've been looking into buying a range finder (crow, coyote, and deer hunting). I've been looking at some and so far the best one I like is the Nikon Prostaff. I don't want to spend a lot of money and I don't need a real fancy one with lots of bells and whistles. I just wanted to know if yall have any input either on this rangefinder or any other. Thanks

[bman940]

Well you picked a great time to need one. Nikon has a big PROMO going on right now for Rangefinders. Who doesn't like to save some $? I do like the i/d technology, especially when I am hunting out West where there are more real hills then here in tx. I also like the LED display for ranging landmarks with little light.
Check out your Authorixed Nikon Dealer for specials and let meknow if you have more question's?

http://www.nikonpromo.com/id_tech.php

[stomp442]

I had one of the Prostaff ones and really liked it. I sold it recently over on another forum but only because I was wanting to upgrade into a longer range unit. The Prostaff is a great little unit though I never had an ounce of trouble with mine.

[davemuzz]

If your looking for a shot range one, (short range being under 500 yards for a reflective target) then if memory serves me, your probably going to get the best bang for your buck out of the Nikon. I'm assuming your looking at the Nikon Rangefinder 3? IMHO, buy the black one and not the camo one. Camo won't kill your deer any dead-er. Besides, if you set your cammo one down in leaves, you may never find it again. (True…..don't ask me how I know this)

Longer ranges require bigger $$$. But if your not going for longer ranges then it's a good value.

MHO

Dave

[J.Baker]

I won't be publishing my review of the Leupold RX-800i TBR here for another week or two, but I can tell you it's laser is dead-nuts on out to 600 yards or better (haven't tested beyond 600yds yet). Google Earth's measuring tool makes it real easy to verify long LOS measurements in both yards and meters, and so far the Leupold has been within 2 yards of what I've measured on GE every single time.

One thing I don't like about the Leupolds though is that they use an odd sized battery (not AA or AAA). Instead it uses a photo sized battery that's about the same diameter as a AA but about half as long. Not going to find one of those at the local convenience store or gas station at 6 o'clock in the morning on opening day after discovering yours is dead.

Like you though I'm not keen on all the bells and whistles and the RX-800i TBR has a lot of them. Leupold does however have more basic models that use the same laser and ranging components. The RX-600i (no TBR feature) runs around $230 and the RX-800i (no TBR feature) runs around $280. The TBR is nice (true ballistic range) if you live in an area where you'll be taking a lot of up and down hill shots, but with me being in the flat-lands of the mid-west that's not an issue I need to worry about.