How to Choose the Best Hunting Rangefinder

Rangefinders are a must have for hunters as they tells the distance between the user and the target. With a rangefinder, no need to guess the distance any more, making hunting much more easier and accurate. But most hunters especially the beginners find themselves in a pickle when it comes to choosing the most useful rangefinder. There are a few factors you need to take into consideration when buying the best hunting rangefinder.

Price: Price is an important factor to consider for budget conscious hunters. We all want to find a high quality rangefinder at a cheap price. There are numerous models on the market, while the price of the most popular budget rangefinders fall in the $100 to $199 price range.

Magnification Power: The magnification power dictates how far you can see through it, and how much you can enlarge the image of your target compared to what you can see with your naked eye. High power magnification is always preferred in long range hunting. Most popular rangefinders like Nikon Aculon and Leupold RX-650 comes with a 6X magnification which seems to be good to provide enough precision and field of view for easy locating to the target. There are a very small part like Sig Kilo 2000 and Leica CRF 1600-B claims to have a 7X magnification. 7X is pretty much the limit, but 8X is even much better. Currently on the market rarely but Uineye rangefinder with 8X magnification. The 8X optics are a huge help at distance.

Maximum Range: Ranging capability is the most significant feature of a rangefinder. In the market, maximum range of most rangefinder falls in the 550 yards to 1500 yards range. The popular Bushnell Sport 850 have a listed max range of 850 yards, Simmons Volt 600 have a listed max range of 600 yards while the Nikon Aculon is rated at 550 yards. However keep in mind that most maximum ranges are calculated on highly reflective targets in good weather conditions. So if you are going on long distance shooting, you should probably consider a longer range hunting rangefinder like Vortex Ranger 1500 out to 1500 yards or more.

Angle Compensation: Rangefinder with an angle compensation feature can tell the true horizontal distance to the target, the actual yardage you would want to hold for when shooting. In practical hunting, there’s slight difference between sight yardage and horizontal yardage. But it helps a lot if you hunt from a tree-stand.

Size and Weight: Size and weight is a vital factor when it comes to hunting rangefinders. Hunters may take a whole day outside hunting, so a lightweight pocket size but compact rangefinder would be preferred, portable yet easy to hold and use. You would never want to carry a heavy rangefinder all day along with you.

 

Hunting Rangefinder Comparison Chart
Full Review >>	Nikon 8397 ACULON	Bushnell 202442	Vortex RRF-151	Uineye HK1500	Sig Sauer Kilo 2000
Picture
Estimated Price	$129	$159	$429	$149	$419
Magnification	6x	4x	6x	8X	7x
Weight	4.4 oz	5.9 oz	7.7 oz	6.7 oz	7.5 oz
L x W x H	3.6″ x 1.5″ x 2.9″	3.8″ x 1.4″ x 2.9″	3.9″ x 1.6″ x 3″	4″ x 1.6″ x 3″	4.2″ x 1.3″ x 3″
Max range	550 yds	850 yds	1500 yds	1600 yds	2000 yds
Angle Compensation	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes

 

Editor’s pick

In our opinion, Uineye HK1500 laser rangefinder has great advantages towards the famous brands rangefinders like Nikon, and becoming a more preferred choice for hunters.

Price

Price is of course one of the most important factors for most conscious hunters when buying a rangefinder. Nikon 8397 Aculon is the cheapest about $129 with minimum ranging scope. Compared with Vortex RRF-151 and Sig Sauer Kilo 2000, the price of Uineye HK1500 is pretty affordable, while the features and functions stood out from the market.

Magnification & Range

The Nikon 8397 Aculon and Vortex RRF-151 all have a 6x magnification which seems to be a good overall rangefinder magnification for most applications, Sig Sauer Kilo 2000 has a 7x magnification which seems to be ideal while Uineye HK1500 has a superior magnification of 8x. 8x magnification indicates the further distance you could see through it and the larger image you could enlarge your target. Bushnell 202442 has a listed max range of 850 yards while Nikon 8397 Aculon is rated at 550 yards. Vortex RRF-151 and Uineye HK1500 have a similar max range, 1500 yards and 1600 yards. Sig Sauer Kilo 2000 has an impressive max range to 2000 yards.

Angle compensation

Bushnell 202442, Vortex RRF-151, Uineye HK1500 and Sig Sauer Kilo 2000 all have the angle compensation feature while Nikon 8397 Aculon doesn’t. Models with angle compensation features can tell both direct distance and horizontal distance. This function is widely used in hunting especially if you hunt from a tree-stand.

Conclusion

Uineye HK1500 is a nice choice of hunting rangefinder considering the price and ranging performance. It’s 8x magnification x 25mm objective lens provides a crystal clear view of the target and surroundings. It also has a outstanding accuracy of +/- 0.33 yards. It not only measure slope distance, height and horizontal distance, but also measure all the angles between -90°and +90°with +/- 0.35°accuracy. Overall, the main thing of a reliable rangefinder is to tell you the actual distance to your target, therefore you should choose the rangefinder that meets your specifications and offer the best price.