Since we are talking about optics here would it be the place to ask a question about scopes?? I have had many scopes over the years and never had a problem with any of them, so I am wondering if there is a sure fire,or preferred method, for being positive that your scope is not funtioning properly???? Mine seems to keep changing on me!!!

Vint, if I think the scope is the problem, after checking other potential problems, I'll swap scopes to see if the problem follows the scope or stays with the rifle.

"Shoot the box" & it'll show up any problems with the windage & elevation or RTZ of the scope.
If you use two shots at each corner, it'll show if there is any problem with the turrets "sticking" - I've seen people tap their scopes with srewdriver handles to "settle" them & this shouldn't be necessary on a decent scope.

On rangefinders: I have a Nikon Monarch Gold 1200 & am pretty happy with how it performs - needs to be held steady for extreme ranges on non reflective objects though.
All it does is give the range, which is what I bought it for.

Mike The Pom wrote:

All it does is give the range, which is what I bought it for.

WHAT !! You mean it doesn't even tell you the age, sex and condition of the critter mate ??? I think I'd be trading it in.

Cheers, Vince

Vince the woolyback wrote:

Mike The Pom wrote: All it does is give the range, which is what I bought it for. WHAT !! You mean it doesn't even tell you the age, sex and condition of the critter mate ??? I think I'd be trading it in. Cheers, Vince

I have a cell phone that's just a phone too.

English Mike wrote:

Vince the woolyback wrote: Mike The Pom wrote: All it does is give the range, which is what I bought it for. WHAT !! You mean it doesn't even tell you the age, sex and condition of the critter mate ??? I think I'd be trading it in. Cheers, Vince I have a cell phone that's just a phone too.

You old fashioned bugger...get with the program mate...you need everything electronic...even a pacemaker when you get a little older mate.

Cheers, Vince

Took my Leupold RXIII to a friend's today to measure distances from his stands for him. It was pretty enlightening! What some thought was 300 yds turned out to be 199. What some thought was 75 was 116. Judging distance is not an easy task without a lot of practice. But even I can press a button!

Playing "guess the distance" was one way we passed the time on this year's unsuccessful elk hunt.
Some were good at guesstimating between 50 & 300yds & others from 300 out to 1,000+

Interestingly, those good at the short ranges were poor at longer distances & vice versa.

English Mike wrote:

I have a cell phone that's just a phone too.

I think I am the only person I know under the age of like 40 with a normal no camera or music player or fancy full keyboard phone that doesn't want to get a fancy phone (and isn't saving for one) or already has one.

Dimitri

English Mike wrote:

Playing "guess the distance" was one way we passed the time on this year's unsuccessful elk hunt. Some were good at guesstimating between 50 & 300yds & others from 300 out to 1,000+ Interestingly, those good at the short ranges were poor at longer distances & vice versa.

This is not an unusual thing Mike. When I was in the Army it is something that we encountered often as well.

I have always found that it easier to use the "known distance" method of range estimating, and I think the reason that some can estimate short but not long or vice versa comes down to what they are used to. In my case I use a football field as a "known distance"...others might use the length of a paddock or field that they are familiar with. Another method I have used for shorter distances is the distance between two telegraph poles, but ask me to estimate looonnngggg range and I have difficulty.

By far, the best and easiest method I have used for estimating distance is to use an aerial photo map...makes life real easy.

But I digress....a quality Range Finder would make life even easier than a map...so long as the batteries don't expire.

Cheers, Vince

Leica CRF 1200 point push the button gives range out farther than you can shoot. Simple tells you one thing. Easy, fast, no menus or software to punch buttons to get to where you want to be in regards to finding range. Spendy though, right up there with the Swrao.

Welcome to HuntingNut eaglesnester. Grab a beer and pull up a stump to the fire mate.

Cheers, Vince