The 4 Best Long Range Rangefinders – 1000 Yard Finder Reviews 2023

best long range rangefinder, best 1000 yard range finder

Photo by Program Executive Office Soldier / CC BY

Rangefinders are all the rage and for good reason. They are a portable, affordable way to precisely determine the range of a shot. Used in hunting, tactical, and sporting applications, a rangefinder will quickly pinpoint the distance you must engage your target at, even at very long distances, which makes dialing in your scope much simpler. Some rangefinders will even include bullet drop compensators and other tools to help dial in your shot before you even take it.

There are a plethora of rangefinders on the market, many using lasers and advanced digital tools to precisely calculate range, trajectory and bullet drop. Others will simply measure distance. Either way, a long range rangefinder is something that should find its way into any hunter’s kit, and has an important place with law enforcement and security professionals as well. There are a lot of products on the market, and these are the 4 best long range rangefinders we found.

Vortex Optics Ranger 1000


When we looked for the best long range rangefinder, we really wanted to find an American made one, and we did. Vortex Optics builds the Ranger 1000 in Wisconsin, and brings American ingenuity and quality to the market with this rugged, waterproof rangefinder. Built with the hunter and sportsman in mind, the Ranger 1000 (see full specs) measures up to 1000 yards, has adjustable six power magnification, and can provide measurement to accurately calculate bullet drop and angle to target. For this price, f you want a rock solid piece of gear for your next hunt, there is no reason at all to not buy the Ranger 1000. Best of all, with its Lifetime Warranty, the rangefinder will always be fixed if something bad happens to it.  Surely, this makes this one of the best 1000 yard range finders period.

Mule Deer Gets Taken Out with the help of a Vortex Ranger 1000

Bushnell Tactical Rangefinder


Bushnell’s Tactical Elite is one of the best long range rangefinders we’ve found for its price point and feature set. The Elite (see full specs) featuring 7 power magnification, the ability to measure distances up to one mile (yes, I repeat: up to one mile), a built-in bullet drop measurement, magnetic and tripod attachment points, waterproof construction and water resistant lens coatings, as well as several built in sighting modes. As an added bonus it comes with Bushnell’s 100% money back guarantee, which ensures you’ll be completely satisfied with your purchase one way or another. This is one of the best long range rangefinders, bar none.

Bushnell Elite 1 Mile ARC - Unboxing

Nikon ACULON Laser Rangefinder


For this price, why not? Sometimes the best long range rangefinder is both affordable and simple in function. The ACULON lives up to its name by providing reliable, accurate measurement displayed in meter or yard increments. It is lightweight, compact, and features multicoated optics for optimal light transmission and protection against moisture. Capable of measuring and displaying multiple distances as it pans across an area, the ACULON packs a lot of advanced features into an affordable, easy to use and easy to carry unit. And because it’s made by Nikon you know it will be a rugged, long lasting product.

Simmons Laser Rangefinder


The best long range rangefinder for not much dough? Here it is. Simmons is well known for its line of budget-friendly, yet reliable optics (my Krag sporter has a Simmons scope on it this deer season), and their 600 yard (that’s 1800 feet to your math-challenged forks) rangefinder is no exception. While not feature-packed like other, more expensive rangefinders, this will do the job quite nicely if you just need to accurately find the distance to your target or measure out a shooting range. Water-resistant construction, 4x magnification, and a compact construction all come together to make this rangefinder an easy to use, easy to carry and indispensable piece of equipment.

Rangefinders are Awesome

The days of using pure optical rangefinders to calculate distance are over. Now, we use lasers and onboard computers to give anyone a precision measurement that was difficult to attain not that long ago. Now, with the push of a button, you can get a precise measurement to your target displayed on a digital readout screen. Push another button and you can measure the angle to your target, and maybe another button will let you start measuring all sorts of targets or distances around you.

The physics behind a modern laser rangefinder is simple. The onboard computer measures the time it takes from the laser hitting a target and then bouncing back, then uses that to calculate the distance. My math wizard friends assure me that the calculations are simple, and I assure them I am not interested in seeing the numbers, just the results. And that’s why I carry the best long range rangefinder with me when I go hunting, instead of a telescope and a mathematician (the latter of which can get heavy).

The obvious utility of a rangefinder is limited only by your imagination. They are popular with hunters who want to ensure they can make a critical shot but they have a myriad of other sporting uses. I use one on backyard rifle ranges to make sure I am actually dialing in my scope at the correct range. Golfers use them to do whatever it is golfers do (I think golf should be played with .22 rifles, but that’s another story). They can even be used for impromptu land surveying, timber cruising, measuring utility poles, or pretty much any other task that requires accurate a long range measurement.

Picking the best 100 yard range finder (or farther) means first figuring out your needs. If you just want to measure point A to point B, then almost any will do. Buy one that is affordable and reliable and call it good. For more demanding use, better quality rangefinders will provide multiple measurement modes, including angle, and will have higher power magnification. Some may be designed to mount on tripods for even more precise and stable measurement, while the best will, of course, be built to exacting waterproof standards and be capable of regular and sometimes rough use. Most folks want a solid, affordable rangefinder they can put in their jacket pocket, and we made sure all four of these reviewed would cover price and feature ranges suitable for all types of use.

A long range rangefinder makes hunting a bit easier and more reliable, and can be a rather useful bit of gear to own. There is little reason to not enjoy owning one, unless you can fit a mathematician in your pocket. And with that corny joke out of the way, we wish you luck!

  • Owner of Reloaderaddict.com, Boyd Smith is a major handgun enthusiast, and although he owns Glocks, he prefers the revolving wheel type. His go-to guns are a Smith & Wesson 642 Performance Center for carry and a Ruger GP100 in the nightstand biometric safe (he has kids). He loads both revolvers with old-school 148-grain Federal Gold Medal .38 wadcutters. It’s OK if you think he’s a wimp. Email him.

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