Hugging the tree line and hunkered down in some tall grass, we had managed to stalk down one side and into the back of the cove without the big black bruin noticing. My buddy, Cory, and I were hunting black bears in Alaska with muzzleloaders, and this particular bruin was too busy feeding on spring grass to notice. We quickly ran out of terra firma and had to settle for a long shot across a beautiful patch of Alaska.

Rangefinders were shock tested by dropping them onto concrete from eight feet, three times each. A small piece of cardboard was used to inhibit the marring of finishes.

"What's the range?" Cory asked.

I reached into my pants pocket to retrieve the rangefinder only to find it missing. I mumbled some choice words and replied that I thought it was around 225 yards. Cory looked at me puzzled and inquired as to where the rangefinder was located. I told him the bad news, and we further debated the range for a few minutes before settling on 225 yards.

The Bushnell Elite 1500 ARC is shown with its rigid carrying case. The unit has some great features, including a function that compensates for extreme angles up to 60 degrees.

The shot was a clean miss, probably a foot or two low because the range was closer to 350 yards, and my only saving graces were finding the rangefinder on the way back to the skiff and Cory's later success on a huge bear. Without a reference, the big bear and Alaska's bigger spaces had fooled our eyes into shortening the distance.

SPECIFICATIONS Bushnell Elite 1500 ARC
DIMENSIONS:	1.7x5.1x3.7 inches
WEIGHT:	10 ounces
RANGING ACCURACY:	+/- 1 yard
RANGE:	5 to 1500 yards
MAGNIFICATION:	7X
FIELD OF VIEW:	340 feet @ 1000 yards
OBJECTIVE DIAMETER:	26mm
EXIT PUPIL:	3.7mm
EYE RELIEF:	19mm
OPTICAL COATINGS:	Fully multicoated, RainGuard
DISPLAY:	LCD
POWER:	9-volt battery
WARRANTY:	two-year limited
FEATURES:	Waterproof, case and strap included, tripod mount
PRICE:	$499
TEST RESULTS
RANGING:	Nilgai hide, 800 yards; white target board, 1000 yards
HEAT TEST:	Pass
FREEZE TEST:	Pass
SHOCK TEST:	Pass
WET TEST:	Pass

How Far?
For years, the big question facing hunters and shooters was, "What's the range?" Knowing the exact range is a necessity for any marksman who ventures out from behind the comfort of a shooting bench on a known-distance range and into the world where yard-markers are not an option. Whether you are a varmint hunter, big-game hunter, or just like plinking at long-range targets, that simple question of exactly "how far" is often the most important determinant of a hit or miss.

The ability to accurately judge distance was what separated exceptional marksmen from good shots. It was no easy task under the best of circumstances, and even the most competent rifleman could be fooled from time to time by lighting conditions and circumstances like cross-canyon shots.

A number of solutions came along through the years--scopes with calibrated reticles, for instance--but none offered a to-the-yard-accurate solution that had a wide range of applications. Prairie dog shooters could not use a reticle that measured the depth of a deer's body, unless a deer happened to be standing by the prairie dog.

When laser rangefinders appeared, most range-associated problems disappeared. If you could get a reading, you knew the range and could dial in the drop or compensate with holdover. Now, the biggest problem is navigating through all the new models and features that are available.

Like everything else today, rangefinders are firmly in technology's grip and have gotten smaller and smarter. Shooting Times procured four different models--Bushnell Elite 1500 ARC, Leica Rangemaster 900 CRF, Leupold RX III, and Nikon Monarch Laser 800--and put them through a battery of tests that emulated common hunting scenarios and field conditions to determine accuracy, ranging ability, toughness, and field function. The units vary in price from just over $300 to nearly $600 and have a wide range of features that may or may not be applicable to your shooting situation.