rageinthesage Report post Posted August 27, 2013 So this weekend I had an excellent time archery deer hunting minus the two misses one of which was due to my RF not gathering enough lite at dusk, this has always been an issue with all RF's I have owned and this weekend it cost me a 185+ buck. The RF I have is a Nikon laser 440. My question is which RF is the best in low light situations that is not a range finding bino, I definitely think it has to be the swaro or leica, any and all info regarding any rangefinder would be appreciated? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
123456 Report post Posted August 27, 2013 Swaro is brighter, but much larger and takes longer to give you yardage. I have a Leica CRF 1200 and love it. Very bright, compact and has a red display instead of black like the Nikons. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wildwoody Report post Posted August 27, 2013 i have leapold mark ix never a problem Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rcdinaz Report post Posted August 27, 2013 My Swaro is actually really fast. At first I thought it was slow as well but finally figured out that the button is pretty sensitive based on how you push or hold it to get a reading. Basically short distance just touch it and bang, longer distance (very long) you can actually hold it a little longer and get readings at some pretty crazy distances. Also I have ranged at night so I am not sure what the issue is with low light? One more thing for bow hunting I would buy the Leica, smaller and a couple of very cool features. I use my Bushnell for archery, small and angle compensation with no thought. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
More D Report post Posted August 27, 2013 low light has nothing to do with it. LRF dont require light to function...... 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rageinthesage Report post Posted August 27, 2013 low light has nothing to do with it. LRF dont require light to function...... My RF works fine but does not gather enough light to see what you are looking at. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
muledeerarea33? Report post Posted August 27, 2013 My bushnell arc 1000 actually works better in low light. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wildwoody Report post Posted August 27, 2013 mine has a desplay light in it Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rcdinaz Report post Posted August 27, 2013 If it is just light gathering I think it will be very hard to beat the swaro it just plain has a larger lens and all the swaro coatings from their binos. However as I said earlier for an all arounder with archery included the Leica is probably the best. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Viper Report post Posted August 27, 2013 My Leupold 1000i TBR does pretty good....a lot better than the older models. IMO, the best RF in the $400 range. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
More D Report post Posted August 27, 2013 "low light has nothing to do with it. LRF dont require light to function......" it will give you a distance reading even if you do not know what you are looking at! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PRDATR Report post Posted August 28, 2013 I have a Leica 1600 Rangemaster and seems to work fine most of the time. But, there have been a few times when it just refuses to give a yardage. I have found that this was when I was in the shade and tried to range the opposite hill that was in the sun in the early morning when temps were hovering around freezing. I could turn 90* and range something else, just not what I wanted to range at the time. They are fast and easy to handle ergonomically but definitely not infallible. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JLW Report post Posted August 28, 2013 leupold full draw rx. designed for archery and compensates out to 175yd after that line of sight. I get readings out to 780yds. I think it was 340$ lightning fast and consistent... my only complaint is when it's quiet the button sounds loud, but I think I'm paranoid cause the doe didn't seem to care or spook. LOL! James Share this post Link to post Share on other sites