A good range finder takes the guesswork out of the shot. Whether you're confirming the distance on a woodland roe or reading the gap on a long hill shot, a compact laser range finder earns its place in the roe sack. We stock models from Hawke, Kahles, Vortex, Wulf and Muddy — from simple point-and-read units to models with ballistic calculation that read angle-compensated distance out to 1,500 m.
Choosing a hunting range finder
- Range. The maximum figure is usually measured against a reflective target. On a deer's coat in poor light you will get less, so buy more range than the longest shot you plan to take.
- Angle. Shooting steeply up or down a hill, bullet drop follows the horizontal distance, not the line-of-sight distance. On the hill an angle-compensated reading is worth having, so check the individual listing for it.
- Size and magnification. Most of the Hawke models are 6x21 monoculars that live in a chest pocket; the Kahles Helia RF-M is a 7x25. The Wulf Arrow mounts on a Picatinny rail.
- Display. Stalkers range at dawn and dusk, so check how the display reads in low light; an OLED display such as the Wulf Arrow's is generally easier to read than a black LCD.
Range finders in the range
- Hawke: Vantage LRF 400, 600 and 900, Endurance LRF 700, 1000 and 1500, and the LRF 800.
- Vortex: Triumph HD 850 for hunting, and the Blade, Blade Slope and Anarch OIS for golf.
- Kahles: Helia RF-M 7x25 monocular.
- Wulf Arrow 1200m (Picatinny mount) and the compact Muddy 450.
Many thermal riflescopes and binoculars now include a laser rangefinder: see HIKMICRO (Stellar, Condor and Habrok LRF models) and Pulsar. For daylight glassing, see binoculars and our guide to 8x vs 10x binoculars for stalking; for a steady shot once you have the range, shooting sticks. New to stalking? Read deer stalking equipment: what you need.
