Nikon Archers Choice range finder?

[MJH]

Anybody have one? Do you like it? My range finder took a crap on me and I am looking for a new one. Cabelas has the Archers choice on sale for $179. It gets some bad reviews on low lite and fog use! Any input would be greatly appreciated


Mike

[Mike F]

I have one, and I haven't had any trouble. It's been on two elk hunts out west, and I use it to double check myself when I'm shooting in the yard. I don't use it in the whitetail woods, just because I don't shoot any yardage with deer. The buck I shot this year was a long shot for me..25 yards.

[MJH]

Will it range farther than 100 yards? Want it for smoke pole season too!

Mike

[Mike F]

I do know mine went to 139 yards on an elk last year, and was wishing for something bigger than my bow. If I get a chance friday, I'll get it out and play with some yardages, and let you know how far it goes.

[Big_Holla]

Never had a problem with mine. Absolutely LOVE it!! I ranged deer last year out to 150 yards-ish. Often times I find myself using it more than my binoculars when I spot deer. The magnification is just right for most situations and switching back and forth sometimes doesn't make sense. My buddy just picked one up this year and decided on it over several other models because of the crispness of the view.

[Mike F]

Like Big Holla's, it would go out to the 150ish yards also.

[OHPA]

I have one that is about 4 or 5 years old. I like it. My only complaint is that it is hard to see in low light conditions. They may have improved this issue in recent years so you may want to check on that.

[bullseye]

I have one, it works fine.. I only used it out to 125 yards so far.

[mrbb]

well I won't try to talk you out of that, but many times you can find them for $99 bucks on sale closer to archery season, and in some catalog companys
MOST all range finders today work well out to 150 yrds on deer, some get fancier with angle and bullet drop info
but for archery hunting and gun work out to 150-200 yrds most will all serve you well
things to consider about a range finder,
1.) claimed distance on a reflective object as to a non reflective one, can be a BIG difference , but mostly on ones that claim to read past 600 yrds
2.)
power of maginfication on the range finder, and its objective size( most are at about 7x, and about 20 mm, some go bigger and smaller here so think about your needs)
lower power and bigger objective will allow for lower light work in bow hunting sets(higher [power, and smaller objective will work less)
Larger mag. makes for more accurate holdings on things farther out, something that really matters more to long range rifle work(past 400 yrds for sure)
3.) Batteries
pending what type they take, can make finding them an easy deal or a pain in the butt
and remember these things are electronic's
and they don't take a beating all that well some times, and again can work less or not at all in damp conditions , fog and extreme cold temps
but they are great tools to have
all the brand names make good one's for any archery hunter today!

[Stickbowcrafter]

I looked through one at the new Field & Stream store in western PA yesterday. I was impressed with it. I ended up buying the Bushnell Truth with ARC for the same money but got a bad one off the shelf. The display model worked great but the one I bought has a blurry display. Have to return it. It gets old dealing with the Chinese inconsistencies in hunting gear.