Rangefinders: We Pick The Lytespeed 400 and Laser 70

For hunting use, Bushnell’s $250 laser unit and Brunton’s short-range laser product outshine Brunton’s $790 Electronic Rangefinder Binocular.

Bushnell's Lytespeed 400 laser rangefinder proved reliable, easy to use, and accurate to distances of 400 yards in ideal conditions.

The use of accurate rangefinder units is a relatively new pheomenon for hunters, simply because affordable units that were also precisely accurate were not available. All that has changed in recent years as optics makers have discovered how much hunters want these units, and the companies have developed products that have caught the buying public’s attention.

Rangefinders are a definite aid in big-game hunting when shooting occurs at the far end of a given rifle or handgun cartridge’s range. Personally, I found a rangefinder to be very valuable on an Alaskan Dall sheep hunt in 1995. On that hunt in the rugged peaks of the Wrangell Mountains, I used a borrowed Bushnell Lytespeed 400 to get an accurate reading on a ram 405 yards distant. By adjusting the crosshairs of the 3.5-10X Leupold Vari-X III mounted on my Brown Precision Pro Hunter .300 Win. Mag. accordingly, the trophy-class ram was hit perfectly behind the shoulder on the first shot. A miss would have sent him into inaccessible terrain, where he would have been gone forever.

Like computers and other modern electronic gadgetry, rangefinder development will certainly improve in coming years. Manufacturers will no doubt continue to better their products by making them more user-friendly and reducing their cost. The units we evaluated for this report—the $250 Bushnell Lytespeed 400 Laser Ranging System, the $319 InteliOptics Laser 70 Rangefinder from Brunton, and Brunton’s $793 Electronic Rangefinder Binocular—are three products that already meet the pricing criteria.

The Evaluation Process
We first took each of the three units out of the packaging and read the instructions completely. In the case of the Electronic Rangefinder Binocular, we also watched the included instructional video, which we found most helpful.

Since the Laser 70 is a short-range unit, it was tested alone. The two long-range units we tested together on both a measured rifle range for precision, then in the mountains of Alaska to simulate actual field conditions. We also had the opportunity to take each unit hunting.

When evaluating all three units, we used two different media. The first was a life-sized McKenzie Natra-Look 3-D whitetail deer target, like those used in 3-D archery tournaments. This allowed us to use a target the size of a common big-game animal. The second was available flora, such as trees, rocks, the sides of buildings, and other obstructions, which simulated those instances where conditions do not permit a reading to be taken from the animal itself. The last test was on a hunting trip, where we put the units to the test under harsh field conditions.

The Laser 70 Rangefinder
The Brunton Laser 70 is compact, light weight, and easy to carry in the Cordura nylon belt pouch that comes with the unit. The unit measures 1.5 by 4 by 5 inches and weighs 9.7 ounces. The Cordura belt pouch snaps shut securely with a heavy-duty hard plastic snap which can be opened and closed with one hand. The unit is powered by a single 9-volt alkaline battery, which is advertised to operate for 10 hours or a minimum of 500 shots. The operational temperature range is advertised to be 32 to 104 degrees F.

To operate the unit, the user simply raises it to his eye, sights the target through the viewfinder, presses the range button, and watches the red laser dot appear. The red dot must be placed on the target, when the distance reading can be taken on the LCD display on the back of the unit. Like all laser ranging units, distance is measured when the laser light is bounced back from the target object to the range finder.

We found the unit to be very accurate in terms of reading distances to 75 yards. The instruction booklet states that readings of up to 250 yards can be taken from a “highly reflective surface.” Since virtually all game animals and most flora are anything but highly reflective, we chose not to test the unit past the 80-yard mark.

In this short-range scenario that would encompass most handgun hunting distances, Laser 70 has a lot going for it. We tested it on small rocks, tree trunks, and our deer target and found its readings to be very accurate. To test the unit under extreme conditions, we took it with us on a musk ox hunt in the Northwest Territories in April 1996. Temperatures were somewhere between -30 and -40 degrees F, with strong gusty winds. The battery was kept warm by carrying the entire unit in a coat pocket along with a small chemical heat pack. Despite the frigid temperatures, the unit gave precise readings off several musk ox bulls at distances from 30 to 60 yards.

Despite this performance, three improvements would make the Laser 70 more user-friendly in the field: adding a neck strap, armoring the exterior with rubber to protect it from the inevitable bumps and bruises of serious field use, and adding a sighting system in the viewfinder. No neck strap was available on our unit, nor was there a provision for adding one. The unit’s relatively slick, hard-plastic outer shell is slippery when wet, is noisy when banged or rubbed up against brush or rocks, and provides little protection against hard knocks. And without a sighting system and no magnification in the viewfinder, we found it was easy to initially miss the target when taking a reading as close as 30 yards. Also, because the unit is designed for short-range use at distances where unnecessary noise might spook game, an optional belt pouch made from polar fleece or a quieter nylon fabric, like Stealth Cloth, would be beneficial.

PFS Recommends: Even with its field-use shortcomings, the Laser 70 is a unit well worth considering if you are a .22 rimfire or revolver shooter for whom knowing precise distance-to-target data at extended ranges for your weapon might make the difference in the field.

Bushnell Lytespeed 400
Production problems plagued the introduction of the Lytespeed 400, a unit heavily promoted by Bushnell a year ago but hard to find due to limited numbers of units being made. Bushnell spokeswoman Barbara Mellman told Performance Shooter that unit production has been stepped up, but delivery delays persist due to heavy demand.

Like the Brunton Laser 70, the Lytespeed 400 emits an invisible, eyesafe laser energy pulse that is reflected off the target back to the unit’s receiving optics. Sophisticated circuitry and a high-speed clock instantaneously calculate distances by measuring the time it takes for each pulse to travel from the unit to the target and back.

The Lytespeed 400 weighs about 18 ounces and measures 63/16 inches by 47/16 inches by 25/8 inches. It is powered by a single 9-volt alkaline battery. Battery life is advertised to be around 300 hours. To help prolong battery life, the unit is programmed to shut itself off after 30 seconds if no buttons are pushed. The unit is encased in a hard, water-resistant plastic case which has a binocular-like design. It is relatively easy to grip and hold, both with and without gloves. It comes with a neck strap and soft nylon carrying case with belt loops.

The user sights through a 4X monocular eyepiece ringed with a hard rubber border piece that can be rolled down to accommodate eyeglass wearers. To operate the unit, you sight through the eyepiece and center the target with the aid of the crosshairs located in the center of the viewfinder. In the center of the crosshairs is a small square, which is helpful in centering the target object. Once the target object is in the center of this square, you press the large round button found on the top right-hand side of the unit to fire the laser. The distance to the target is displayed immediately in the bottom of the viewfinder in large, easy-to-read numbers. The unit can be programmed to give this distance in either yards or meters.

One feature we liked about the Lytespeed 400 is the ZipThru targeting mode. To activate this mode, the user presses the oblong button found on the top left-hand side of the unit. This helps the unit disregard feedback from secondary targets while still providing an accurate reading to the primary target. For example, when set on the RAIN mode the unit will “shoot through” light rain, sleet, and snow to a main target at least 65 yards away. When set on the >115 mode, the unit will disregard any feedback from objects less than 115 yards away—ideal when targets must be ranged from behind heavy nearby cover. And when set on the REFL mode, the unit can accurately target extremely bright, reflective objects like metal gates and signs out to advertised distances of 999 yards.

Our testing found the Lytespeed 400 to be highly accurate at distances to 400 yards when taking readings off our 3-D deer target, and 550 yards off a bright building side. Just as important for hunters, we found the operation of the unit to be both easy to understand and simple to use under field conditions. Accurate readings can be taken quickly under a variety of conditions. Because the unit recycles itself almost immediately, if the user inadvertently fires it while trying to take a reading off a specific object and misses, or simply wants to take two or three quick readings to confirm the data, he can do so quickly. And since the unit uses a laser, it is not dependent upon available light, making it easy to use in critical dawn and dusk periods.

As on the Laser 70 unit, we think the Lytespeed 400 needs to be rubber armored to dampen noise and protect the unit from the bumps and bruises of heavy field use. PFS Recommends: We recommend the Bushnell Lytespeed 400.

Brunton Electronic Rangefinder Binocular
Unlike the other two units, the Brunton Electronic Rangefinder Binocular uses stadiometry to measure distance to the target—not a laser. Two models are available. The $793 4010W has 7X magnification and is the unit we tested, while the $833 4001W has 10X magnification. The units are, in fact, full-sized binoculars. The inside of each objective lens has received 15 layers of Brunton’s StarFire multicoating to reduce UV and IR light, which in turn reduces glare, and every air-to-glass surface has been multicoated, an important feature in any binocular, spotting scope, or firearms scope sight. The unit comes in a hard plastic case complete with a useful instructional video, instruction booklet, and small tripod.

In terms of the binocular itself, we found our 7X unit to be a good performer. Ocular lenses feature roll-down rubber eye cups for ease of use by eyeglass wearers, and the center focus knob is large enough to be used easily while wearing gloves. Also, it rotates smoothly and works precisely. A diopter ring, located on the end of the left barrel, helps adjust the optics to your own individual eyes. And while we did not put the unit’s optics through laboratory testing, we found them to be crisp and clear under both clear and cloudy skies.

Using the unit’s rangefinder system is more complex than operating either of thelaser rangefinder units. All told, there are seven operating buttons on the top portion of the right barrel. Two sets of +/- buttons are featured; one operates the scale height, the other the target height. There are also mode, auto, and units buttons. The unit is powered by two AA alkaline batteries housed in the right binocular barrel and accessed by removing a pair of small screws.

Stadiometry has been used for generations to measure distance accurately with minute-of-angle triangulation calculations. Triangulation calculations require a known object height or width to determine distance. In this unit, the InteliOptics microcomputer is used to calculate distances once the user tells it the object you wish to range to. To that end, the known average heights of popular game animals (deer, moose, elk, sheep, antelope, bear, and dog/coyote average heights are stored in the InteliOptics memory, along with heights for automobiles, humans, horses, and doors. There is also a custom function, which allows the user to program in specific target heights. A stopclock is also featured in the unit, and can be used under the Mode feature. Brunton’s instruction booklet also notes that many animals have the same basic size. For example, they recommend that using the “elk” mode will also give an accurate distance reading when measuring moose, kudu, musk ox, buffalo, black rhino, and water buffalo.

Two basic steps are required to determine the correct distance to the target. First, the target height must be set, and then the scale height must be set. Target height is set with the left-hand set of +/- buttons, with the user able to scroll through the complete list of pre-programmed target heights using the +/- buttons. The adjacent set of +/- buttons are used to set the scale height. When this system is activated, the vertical ranging stadia display appears in the view finder. To determine the distance to the object you must place the base of the object (the hooves or feet of the animal) on the horizontal baseline. Once this is done the user then depresses the + scale height button until the numerals on the upper right side of the display equal the number on the vertical display, which is read at the top of the object. (Top of the object is defined as the top of the animal’s shoulder.) The distance can be given in either yards or meters, depending on the user’s preference.

In our field use, we found this unit was impractical for most hunting situations. On the rifle range, where the user can take his time and use the unit under controlled conditions, accurate distance readings were achievable. However, in the field we found the unit to have several disadvantages.

First, the unit is slow to use. While the unit’s internal workings performed both as advertised and fairly quickly, manipulating the manual operations took too much time, in our opinion. Because a precise reading is achievable only when the object is placed precisely within the stadia lines in the viewfinder, using the unit on a deer, elk, or other moving game animal at longer ranges is virtually impossible.

That’s because holding the unit steady enough by hand to take an accurate reading was not possible for us due to the inherent wobble used when hand-holding a binocular. The same was true when resting our elbows on a concrete shooting bench and trying to take a reading off the McKenzie deer target.

When we tried to use the included tripod as a means of steadying the unit, we found that the tripod itself was too small to provide solid support, especially in the wind. Also, because the unit’s tripod is mounted on the front of the center focus ring between the two barrels and not on the bottom of the unit, the position of the threaded mounting hole on the unit didn’t help in its use.

PFS Recommends: In general terms, we see no reason for serious big-game hunters to use anything but a laser-type rangefinder in the field. Laser units are extremely accurate and simple and quick to use. By raising the unit to the eye, centering the target in the view finder, and pressing a single button, the user will have a to-the-yard accurate reading to the target. As all serious hunters know, it is not unusual for there to be lots going on when it comes to time determine the range and set up a precise shot. The ability to use a unit quickly, with a minimum of fuss, is a big plus. Thus, we can’t recommend the Brunton Electronic Rangefinder Binocular.

Also With This Article
Click here to view "What We Would Buy."
Click here to view "Contacts."

-By Bob Robb