9 replies to this topic

[nomadsurfer7]

wondering if anyone had good or bad experiences with nikon 550 rangefinders

[fakawee]

Nope! I've had Bushnells and a Leica range finding bino. I hear the new Redfield range finder is great for the money!

[BullsEye]

I have the 550 with the arc compensation and it works great. I wish the glass was a little clearer but I've noticed that when you start to add LED's into the optic, low light situations make it harder to see. But it has worked great for archery and rifle for me so far.

[D-Man]

The Redfield is nice for the money. The new Nikon Rifle 1200 is just awesome, played with it at the SHOT show and fell in love with it. The reticle changes from black to red depending on what you are lasing. Going to pick one up once I have the money, plus it has the arc compensation built into it as well.Darren

[Hipshot Percussion]

I don't have that particular model but have found that my nikon range finder to be just right for my needs. Mine has good battery life and seems to do the job and takes up very little space.

[fakawee]

The Redfield is nice for the money. The new Nikon Rifle 1200 is just awesome, played with it at the SHOT show and fell in love with it. The reticle changes from black to red depending on what you are lasing. Going to pick one up once I have the money, plus it has the arc compensation built into it as well.Darren

D-Man, hold onto your money till you get to look thru the new Bushnell Fusion 1600 ARC range finding binoculars. I have a set of Leica Geovid range finding binos that have been in use for just over 3 years now. I paid $2300 for them and they are still one of the best, if not THE best range finding binos on the market. You pay the price though. I just looked thru a set of Bushnell Fusion 1600's that my buddy just got in on Monday. Man, I can tell you the difference between them is not much. The clarity edge to edge has to go to the Leica but the Fusion is pretty darn clear itself. The weight difference is minimal with the advantage going to the Fusion. Here's where the BIG difference is-my Leica does not have any sort of ARC technology whatsoever. If you shoot in various steep terrains, then the ability to get the corrected trajectory is a huge plus. The other nice thing about the Fusion 1600 ARC is that it's price ranges from $800-900 depending on who you get them from. If I didn't already have my Leica Geovid, I'd have gotten one of these Busnell Fusions. It's great to have bino's and a range finder all in one. One less item to carry and use.....my .

[D-Man]

Worth considering, but I do love my Steiner binos. I can get the Nikon for under $300 though which is hard to pass up!Darren

[sportyg]

I have the Nikon Monarch 800 great unit. Doesn't have the ARC that type wasn't out yet when I got mine.

[204destroyer]

I use the nikon 1200 and the dependability is great, 3 years now heavy use and still has the same battery. Started to buy the new rifle 1000 but finally got nikon to tell me (after 20 calls ) that it will only range deer out to 300 yards, which is fine for the bow hunter but not much good for long distance rifle hunters. as far as the Bushnell fusion binocs I had a pair and sent them back, they were very clear, easy to operate, very quick on the yardage, and reached out to 1400 yards on green trees and I had them work out to 800 on black cows but if you are looking for a rangefinder that gives you true ballistic range they do not give it to you in rifle mode---only in bow mode and only out to 100 yards. I dont want a rangefinder that tells me to hold 24 inches over the target, just give me the true ballistic range and I will take it from there. I have looked for months now and cant find one that goes out to 800 yards, takes incline into consideration and just gives you the true ballistic range. If you here of one let me know.

[Desert Fox]

Nikon was my first rangefinder. I believe they were called the Buckmaster 800. It served me well for a couple of years. I sold it after I acquired the Swarovski Laser Guide.