My Bushnell XE Rangefinder

[Briar Lee]

I own two twenty year old cheap rangefinders and another one about ten years old, a little better than the others. My son has a high dollar Leopold range finder that puts all of mine to shame.

In the Ozarks a rangefinder is mostly used to set up targets, not for estimating range to game. But on game my rangefinders are not even comparable to my son’s, his is so much better.

Today after court I perused the used merchandise at a local gun shop and there was the absolute best rangefinder there is, except for it’s recent upgraded replacement.

If this was a pipe, it would be a Five Star Lee.

My new Bushnell XE ranges from 5-1,300 yards, has 7 times magnification, fully multi coated optics, a confirmation buzz for multiple target acquisition, uses temperature and barometric pressure and inclination to calculate slope, and is waterproof with a magnet to stick it on a golf cart.

The newer model adds altitude to the equations, otherwise is about the same.





It’s not everyday you buy a $550 toy for $150 cash out the door, but some days you do.



I had to download a manual to figure out the geegaws and whiz bangs on it, but it should give me the best bragging rights on a rangefinder around Bug Tussle.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

I use a much cheaper range finder, that works out to around 700 yards, for golf. It works with very comparable accuracy to much more expensive units like the one you purchased. It does not match your units distance though, nor does it need to unless I got drunk and hit 2 or 3 shots in the opposite direction I should have. Given I don't drink and only smoke cigars while playing, that is very unlikely. The reality is, at my age, I only care about getting distances inside 200 yards.

 

[Zack Miller]

I found a free app called Grint for my phone. You enter the golf course you are playing on, and it gives you the range to the green from where you are standing.

 

[jpberg]

Damn. Thought we were talking



Never mind. Carry on.

 

[bullet08]

If I spit and it doesn't hit it, I won't need range finder. I'm not gonna walk to get it.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

I found a free app called Grint for my phone. You enter the golf course you are playing on, and it gives you the range to the green from where you are standing.

It does but not that accurate and not to the pin.

 

[warren]

I usually use the lens on my camera. Range finders were prohibited when I golfed, cameras weren't.

 

[Briar Lee]

My new Bushnell XE isn’t the only high end laser rangefinder, but what the better ones have advantages over the cheapies is:

1. Better consistency. My cheapies send a different reading at the same yardage each time you hit the range button, unless visual conditions are perfect. The good ones sample readings and “jolt” when they lock on. They don’t lie.

2. It’s not so much longer range (although the good ones do have more range) but a good one “sees” less reflective targets at longer ranges. They are more reliable to read out a range. They work better.

3. Far better optics. My new one has an adjustable diopter, seven times magnification and is fully multi coated.

4. Pride of ownership. My oldest rangefinders are cheap plastic and my better one is nicer plastic. The good ones are mostly metal and have the look of a high end pair of binoculars. This matters if you want to settle an argument about te distance of something, and you can say let’s laser it, and be proud of your toy. It’s the same reason we like nice pipes.

5. A good one is a lifetime purchase, especially for folks our age.

 

[mawnansmiff]

Damn. Thought we were talking

View attachment 187147

Never mind. Carry on.

I fell for that too, the only range finders I've ever come across.

Regards,

Jay.

 

[Briar Lee]

Today I had the chance, on a gray and cloudy December day, to really play with my new toy.

Where I was, by a city park, there was a large tree on the horizon 529 yards away.

There was no solid object closer, absolutely nothing, that I could not range with a “jolt” confirmation if there was anything else solid within the field of view. I could range on trees, fence posts, mailboxes, signs, cars, people walking, everything I aimed at.

The optics rival my German binoculars.

Wow.

You always want your toy to be the best among your friends and family, and mine really is the best. This beats my son’s excellent rangefinder all hollow, and mine are only going to be used for setting up targets now.

If you don’t have a rangefinder and want one, skip the others and buy a used Bushnell XE. It will just spoil you, for another one.


The switch on the side turns off all the gee gaws and makes it a pure “how far away is that fence post” tool. If you’d like to know slope and golf play information it will do that, too.

I ordered a hard shell case for this fine gadget, only $15.



Merry Christmas to old Dad, from old Dad!.