Leupold RX-1000 review

Greyhunter

New member
I have asked about the new Leupold RX-1000 rangefinders and so have others so I thought I would put up a quick review. Leupold rangefinders generally dont get good reviews (the RX1000 is the only one I've seen get decent reviews) but I'm a Leupold fan so I thought I'd give one a try. I've only played with the RX-1000 for about 15 minutes so this is just a quick impression comparing it to my 4-5 year old Bushnell Yardage Pro 700(a POS imo).
Conditions: 30 degrees, overcast and a little hazy, visibility about 1 mile.

My first impression is that it is well made. The optics are nice and clear and it feels very rugged. I like the OLED readout, better than a black LCD, but it really isnt all that bright. I suspect it might be hard to read over snow on a bright day. Low light or over a dark background it is sweet. For some reason the numbers are brighter than the reticle?

Performance: There were no critters around but below are some objects I could range from the front yard consistantly. It might go farther but this is what was available.
Utility wires: 225yds
Utility pole: 335yds
Snow covered field terrace: 400yds
Snow covered hillside w/corn stubble: 480yds
Small bushes/trees: 500yds (seemed to be max)
Neighbors house: 680yds (close to max I'd guess)
Medium sized tree: 618yds (also close to max?)
Hillcrest (bean field - no snow) @ 300yds: I could occasionally hit this but not dependably.

The RX-1000 works much better than my old Bushnell, which would only do about half the distance, and the new price of each was comparable. I did notice that after about 15 minutes the battery meter was already showing it down to 2/3 battery. Not sure if that was a fluke or if its a battery eater.
For $350 it seems like a pretty good unit that would probably work for 95% of my purposes and I suspect it would do better on a clear day. I dont think you will ever hit 1000yds with this unit unless your ranging a mirror at dusk. Leupold rates them for 500 on deer and 600 or 700(?) on trees.
I would really like to have the Leica but I dont know if I can justify another $200 for the additional performance.
 
i just bought mine maybe 3-4 weeks ago as a replacement to an ancient bushnell 800 (that was discontinued about 7 years ago).

the leupold is quick to range, but the oled is hard to read in hunting situations.

i have managed readings to about 980 yards so far. however, i have yet to get a reading on fur - the unit must be held super still, and that is tough to do while actually hunting in the cold while having an adrenaline dump.

it is much more finicky than my bushnell, a little quicker, a lot smaller.

the leupold is made in china.

overall, i haven't used it enough to know how i like it, but i have a sneaking suspicion i will be picking a leica up after my first prairie dog shoot. i hope i'm wrong. i think my ancient bushnell was a better, more forgiving laser. but, having seen about 10 hard years of use, the bushnell finally quit on me.

i look forward to more impressions from you as you put some miles on it...
 
I spent some more time with the Leupold today, bright sun and fresh snow. I was still getting 500+yds on trees but performance suffered even more on snow covered hillsides. Max repeatable ranges seemed to be around 300 on pure snow. The OLED display, while great in med to low light, is almost invisible against snow on a bright sunny day. It is still outperforming my old Bushnell 700, but I'm afraid the RX-1000 will be taking a trip back to Cabelas.

Ranging on bright snow is one of my highest prioritys and I'd like to get to 500yds dependably. It sounds like the Leica's have trouble on snow as well, so I'm open to any suggestions. I may try the Bushnell Elite 1500, price is reasonable and its supposed to perform well, just a tad on the bulky side.
 


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