Best hunting rangefinders in 2023[Buying Guide]

If you are a hunting enthusiast or an avid hunter, or just someone who takes up hunting as a hobby, you definitely know that a decent rangefinder is a hunter’s best buddy.

Hunting without a proper range-finder will leave you bewildered and facing difficulties in locating the exact location of the prey, plus the calculation of the distance between them. This will seriously hamper the precision and accuracy of your shot resulting in a lot of missed opportunities, and you sure don’t want that!

Hunting range-finders will be your perfect hunting assistants and this way you will not have to worry about getting your shots missed. A lot of details about the distance between targets, weather conditions and many more can also be known about from these, so these are definitely worth the purchase.

But there are plenty of options in the market, and that’s why in this article, we will give you the top picks for the best hunting rangefinders in 2023.

Buying Guides for the best hunting rangefinders

Distance and Area of Hunt

Staying on an elevated platform or a higher ground, will make it easier for you you to locate targets. This is even more reinforced with the hunter’s scan area featuring direct sunlight, visible ridge area, and also the visible tree trunks. Normally, the animals rest or graze on pastures, and it is usually beneficial to stay near herbaceous areas.

If you are in a look-out for a deer or an elk, you might want to stand around  and look around in trunks and ridges of mountains. Select your spot, with faces more blind areas and faces of hills even above tress.

Angle compensation

It is very often that as a user, you are going to approach your prey at an angle when shooting long range. Regardless of whether the angle is incline or decline, surplus horizontal distance makes taking shots even more difficult, and thus make inaccurate range readings plus a missed shot.

Today, a lot of modern rangefinders feature an auto-angle compensation system systems, that substitute for a lack of angle helping users ensure the hunters get the true ballistic range.

Stability of the Rangefinder

Someone who has been on a hunt before definitely knows that, this is one of the most important factors for consideration. When pressing the button, the reticle present on the screen of a range-finder shakes a little. If this particular switch is hard, it is liable to move even more with thus deviating from the target and then gives a false reading. This makes it very important to choose one with an easy-to-click, soft button to make the gear stable.

Tripod Mount

If the range-finders are from short to mid-range, a tripod mount is not exactly necessary. Most of the hunting range-finders have the maximum range of up to 1000 yards, and hunting beyond 1000 is generally considered to be a long range shooting, and requires range-finders of similar nature.

Here is where using a tripod stand comes in handy. Using a tripod stand, will definitely increase your load but definitely stabilizes your range-finder.  

Accuracy

Like mentioned above already, precision and accuracy is everything when it comes to hunting and shooting. The farther you move from the target, the more difficult it is to consider accuracy.

This makes it very important to take in a high-quality laser range finder, and thus their great popularity. When it comes to buying rangefinders with the greatest accuracy, it is always beneficial to test the product beforehand and read a lot of reviews online. One of the most accurate ones on the market right now, are the Class 3R, that are very reliable.

Magnification and Power

There is a general misconception on range finders for long range shootings, that the greater the zoom feature, the better. But that is not always true!

With the degree of zoom, you also want to make sure that the object you see via zoom is very clear. And, in the absence of the right magnification, spotting objects at a distance is next to impossible. Buying the range finder with the best magnification can be very tricky, since the hunter needs to vary magnification too much. In case the rangefinder zooms in too much, staying on target and on-track can be very difficult. It is ideal to pick one with the magnification value ranging from 7 to 10x, for hunters.

Quick looks at the best hunting rangefinders in 2023

#1. Sauer Kilo 2400 7X25mm Advanced Ballistic System Laser Rangefinder

The Kilo 2400 rifle rangefinder boasts Sig Sauer’s infamous BDX technology, proving itself to be a stunning ballistic rangefinder.
Featuring a Spectra Coat anti-reflection coating on it, ensuring great optical clarity from the rangefinder, it also provides a high level of light transmission.
Additionally, this particular gun rangefinder also boasts the Lightwave DSP, along with HyperScan technology: both of these helping to make the product even more accurate.

Usage of BDX technology implies that it is more convenient to sync the rangefinder to other advanced sniper scopes available in the market, functioning as a built-in rangefinder. With all these, comes the Kilo 2400’s maximum range featuring 3400 yards, which is pretty cool. Plus, it is able to zoom in 7x with an object lens diameter of 25mm.

 

#2. Vortex Ranger 1800 Hunting Rangefinder

The Vortex Ranger 1800 Hunting Rangefinder is also a terrific rangefinder, that is loved by archers, bow hunters and rifle hunters all over the world. Providing HCD, which is basically the corrected angle for slope, since the LOS or the line of sight doesn’t provide the angle rather just measures in a straight-line length distance. Plus, the integration of fog and water resiliency with an easy-to-handle rubber grip is what makes this rangefinder really stand out, making itself one of the best rangefinders in 2023.  

The Vortex Ranger 1800 is also undeniably one of the most in-demand and popular rangefinders online, famous for its amazing rubber based rugged built quality. Equipped with a belt clip and waterproofing nature, it also features a tripod mount option and has the maximum range of about 1000 yards, which is a great option for a general hunting range-finder.

 When it comes to reflective and shiny surfaces only, the maximum range can extend up to 1800 yards. Similarly, for dark surfaces like deer, elk, etc. it might be till 900 yards. And, for even darker and low light conditions, the range is up to 700 yards. It works absolutely best alongside rifle hunting gears.

Alongside great features, this range-finder also comes with a life-long warranty making you able to change and replace it anytime anywhere. It has a 6x magnification, 17mm eye relief, and is very compact and strongly built. It also features a lanyard, tripod mount options, alongside belt clip features to make it a perfect device.

Pros and Cons

#3. Leupold RX-2800 TBR/W Laser Long Range Rangefinder

The Leupold RX-2800 is very similar to its predecessor, the Leupold rangefinder 1200, but with a few improvements, to be one of the best 2000-yard range-finders for long-range shooting.  

The Leupold model is very easy to use and versatile gun mounted rangefinder, that makes use of the Alpha IQ digital technology managing lightning-quick results accurate to a ½ a yard.  

Giving the maximum range of 2,800 yards, in fact the ideal shooting range. It also features an easy-to-read OLED display, that is feasible under every climatic and weather conditions. Besides this, it also has other lucrative features including the True Ballistic Range technology.

Making use of this technology, this range finder is definitely able to track small targets better than a lot of range finders in the market. Most of the range-finders will track deer easily, but this gear will track even the smaller ones.

On top of that, the device is fully waterproof, fog proof, and is always ready to tackle any possible situations. Backed by its 2-year warranty, this is truly a steal.  

#4. Leica RangeMaster 2800.com

Leica is basically a household name in the shooting and hunting arena, with their products basically being the market dominators for over 20 years. It also features a personal mobile app that world alongside the gear, pairing via Bluetooth.   

Leica RangeMaster 2800.com is a  very elegant monocular rangefinder, featuring a glass with such a great optical clarity that you could almost replace binoculars with these. It also has an commendable range-finding ability, however the speed is a little questionable. For an around $800 price in the market, it features great target-acquisition abilities paired with an extremely functional ballistic app is just what you need. It will let you shoot range accurately at a target, and then get a precise holdover value corresponding to their load’s precise ballistics.  

Pros and Cons

#5. Maven RF.1

 

The Maven’s RF.1 is a great and pretty solid range-finder featuring catering to almost all the features required for a pro-hunter. It’s external mode selector lets you toggle between Field and Forest functions; Field for acquiring small, precise targets and Forest for acquiring targets behind veiling branches and rain.

The particular rheostat dial controlling display intensity, is also a useful feature for hunters aiming to get a full display intensity mid-day. However, the subdued red LED is equipped in it for low-light conditions, and the users can also choose between line-of-sight plus angle-compensated viewing preferences.  

Pros and Cons

#6. Nikon Laser Force Rangefinder Binocular

Nikon Laser Force Rangefinder Binocular

 

Giving 1900 yards range for shiny targets, 1100 yards for deer and 1400 yards for trees, the Nikon Laser Force Rangefinder isn’t just a range-finder but a little of binoculars and a spotting scope, is a well-designed weather resistant piece, alongside a red OLED display and four brightness levels.

The Nikon Laser Rangefinder binoculars are a great gear to start off with your hunting venture and is even more great if your are a beginner. It combines a rangefinder, binocular, and a limited version of a spotting scope, all in one making it very versatile and one of the best hunting rangefinders in 2023.

The advanced laser force rangefinder binocular is equipped with a crystal clear view, thanks to it’s high degree optical clarity. Having the maximum range of 1900 yards for reflective targets, it has the range of about 1000 yards for non-reflective targets, including deers, buck, elks, and others. The rubber eyecups available in the gear also provide a good eye relief. Coming with objective lens caps attached, keeping the optics clean and dry. The both left and right eye diopters, are able to be focused on the image easily in accordance to the user’s eye which is a really great feature.  

The Nikon Gear comes as a 10/42 binocular, which is fog and water-proof, equipped with a  thick rubber coating, plus with a body armor single CR-2 battery power. It has a red OLED display, that shows accuracy within 10 yards, commencing from 10 yards till 1900 yards. Coming with incline, decline technology that calculates angle accurately for long-range shots, it however, requires a pre-determined elevation figured to make an accurate strike under long distances requirements.

Usually all kinds of rangefinder binocular, are heavier than ordinary ones, because of the used lens and technology. However, among its market peers,  Nikon is quite ergonomic, portable and light-weight. It also features a great range, with the range-finder shows reading up to 8 seconds, and then saves battery you’re your next click. This range-finder is truly one of a kind and one of the best hunting range-finders you will find in the market in 2023.

Final Thoughts

All in all, a hunting range-finder is honestly, one of the best investments a hunter and shooter can make. It helps with target detection, range calculation, and even to ensure precision between the target and the shooter. Not just hunting and shooting, range-finders are great for playing golf or archery and much more too.

From the reviews above, Sig Sauer 2400 is seen to be the best hunting rangefinder. We have curated this list after reading hundreds of reviews online, and understanding the needs of people wanting to buy a rangefinder. If you have any queries on this topic, please feel free to leave then in the comment section below.

Check Also: Best rangefinder for long range shooting 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)