A rangefinder is an essential piece of gear for today’s hunters and shooters. The new Nikon Monarch 2000 will get you ranges from 8 yards all the way out to 2000 yards and it is going to do it for less than $300, which makes it an affordable piece of gear for just about everyone.
You might expect a piece of equipment at this price to be lacking in features. However, Nikon has delivered a quality product with all the necessities to get you on target out past a mile. It has a 6X zoom which allows you to see targets well out to about 1,000 yards, but past that a deer-sized target is pretty small. It delivers half-yard precision up to 700 yards, 1 yard up to 999 yards and 1.5 yard accuracy when ranging 1,000 yards and beyond. Ranges are displayed in a highly visible red OLED display which has five different intensity levels. Intensity levels can also be set to automatic mode for self-adjusting intensities if desired for maximum contrast in virtually any lighting condition.
Nikon has integrated advanced technology into this unit which includes Hyper Read which calculates distance measurements in approximately 0.3 seconds regardless of distance. It will do this with a single push of the range button. The rangefinder will continue to measure automatically until it succeeds or for up to four seconds. You can also activate the scan mode by holding down the range button, which will generate you ranges for up to 8 seconds as you track a target. It also has what is called ID Technology, which measures and corrects for incline/decline at +/- 89 degrees. You also have the ability to set the measurement for straight line of site. It also has what is called TruTarget Priority which allows the user to choose between first target and distant target when ranging. This works well when hunting herd animals that might be mingling in and out. At long ranges or with a bow, a few yards count.
This is a fairly small and compact unit that fits in the palm of your hand. Its rugged rubberized housing makes for an extremely durable unit which is also waterproof. The Monarch 2000 weighs just a hair over six ounces and operates on one CR2 battery. It is backed by Nikon’s full 5-year warranty. Check it out at your local Sportsman's Warehouse.
