The Latest in Rangefinders

Recently I had the chance to test Leupold's RX 1000 TBR (True Ballistic Range) and came away really impressed. It's a trim unit that's perfect in the field, measuring just 3.8x1.3x2.8 inches and weighing a mere 7.8 ounces. But don't let its size fool you; the unit is packed with high-powered features: a 6X eyepiece, high-quality glass, three different reticles and three ballistic modes.

After using the unit on a hunt in Texas, where it proved itself handy but where the flat country wasn't a true test of its capabilities, I took the rangefinder to some bluffs near my house for a better workout.

First I set the unit to ballistic group C, which includes "workhorse" big game rounds of similar ballistic characteristics such as one of my all-around favorites, a 140-grain .280 Remington. I set it to the reticle I liked best--four bracketing bars with a dot in the middle--and commenced to ranging various targets at a variety of angles in three modes: BAS, which gives line-of-sight distance to the target at the bottom of the display and equivalent range to target at the top; MOA, which gives range to target and an "Up" or "Dn" (down) reading that tells you how many minutes of angle to adjust your scope to compensate for range and angle; and Hold, which does the same thing except it gives a "Hi" or "Lo" holdover figure in inches. Below are a few highlights.

Look at the difference in the Hold figures: a change in angle of just seven degrees and distance of just 10 yards changes your point of impact by five inches (or nearly a full minute) at 600 yards. Sure, that's longer than most of us will ever shoot, but in mountain country we can be faced with long shots where the angles are much steeper than 10 degrees. And in the end, making good shots in the field is all about controlling as many variables as you can. The Leupold RX 1000 TBR is a huge help in that department.