On Glass: Ranging Targets

Have you ever played the game with your buddies where you try to guess how far away something is? Some people can get pretty close within 300 yards, usually within 10 yards or so. But “pretty close” won’t cut it for shooting at longer distances. 

One of the most common causes for missing a target at distance is an error in range estimation. If you were trying to engage a 800-yard target with a 6.5 Creedmore and misjudged the range by 20 yards (an error of just 2.5%), your holdover would be off by roughly 8”. If you made a 20-yard ranging error at 1000 yards, the holdover would be mistaken by 11”. Getting an accurate range on the target is a key part of shooting at longer ranges. 

But how do we know how far away something is? 

Analog Rangefinding - “This ‘stuff’ is your history”

While laser rangefinders are a great modern solution, there are several ways of determining a target's range via analog means. Some of these old methods have begun to see a resurgence in military circles after the start of the Ruso-Ukraine War in 2022, where the proliferation of laser warning receivers has made use of laser rangefinders a risk of revealing one’s position. 

Many readers likely won’t be deploying to the defensive of Kyiv in the near future, but it’s still good to know what analog options exist for the times when a laser range finder is not an option due to weather, battery or mechanical failure, event rules, or anything else. If you have no interest in analog ranging and just want to know what kind of laser range finders to look at, feel free to skip to that section. 

Mapping

One of the oldest methods is simply using a high-quality map and measuring the distance from one point to another. Those who are skilled in land navigation can use this technique to great effect if a potential target is near a point of interest or notable piece of terrain, often getting the range accurate to within 5 yards or less. If given time and opportunity, a skilled rifleman can use this method to develop a range card of an area, with various terrain features and distances marked for quick reference. One can even use a smartphone (online or offline) with different hunting or mapping apps to simplify the process. 

Unfortunately, all this takes a significant amount of time. If you are at all uncertain about your location or your target’s location, the margin of error can balloon very quickly, especially in areas that are relatively flat or heavily wooded, making this an impractical method in most matches or hunts.

Rangefinding Reticles

Rangefinding reticles and optical rangefinders date back to the 1700s, with some of the earliest being used for surveyor equipment. Optical range finders were used to great effect for artillery and naval gunfire during WWI and WWII, and optical rangefinders installed on the US’s Iowa class battleships during the 1940s stacked up well against targeting radars during tests in the 1980s. If you ever get a chance to visit one of the Iowa class battleships, you can try one of these vintage rangefinders and corresponding analog computers yourself. You will probably be surprised at how fast and easy to use they are (when you’re not being shelled/kamakazied/torpedoed). 

Unfortunately, it’s one thing to mount an optical range finder to a 45,000-ton warship, and quite another to develop a more compact solution for a rifleman to carry in the field. To sidestep the weight and complexity of the moving parts in an analog ranging computer, many vintage and modern optics have a range estimating tool etched into the optic’s reticle. Simply put a dear, target, or enemy soldier into rangefinding section of the reticle and the reticle will tell you roughly how far away the target is. 

The trouble is that this can be a rather inexact science. What size deer or enemy soldier was your reticle calibrated for? What if that particular target your reticle is calibrated for isn’t what you’re shooting at? What if you have a bad presentation to measure against, such as if the enemy soldier is lying down or crouching rather than standing? The ability to get an exact range can fall apart very quickly in these circumstances, and even in ideal circumstances, its usefulness for precision rifleman fire outside 500 yards is limited. 

Target Milling (math alert! Skip if not interested!)

A more versatile version of a ranging reticle is target milling. Target milling uses a standard mil-based reticle to measure objects of known size to determine a range. That was a dense sentence, so let’s look at it in the simplest possible terms. 

Remember how we talked about MILs and MOA are both ways of measuring angles? This means that your reticle is essentially a calibrated ruler. If you know exactly how big an object is (like a stop sign, traffic light, license plate, wooden pallet, etc), you can use algebra to figure out how far away it is. 

Don’t have a stroke, it’s about to get easier, but here’s the formula if you want to try it the hard way: 

Distance to target (yards) = Height of target (inches) / Image size (mils) x 27.77

If that sounds like a tough way to figure out a range, it is. For field use, there’s an analog computing option you can use called a mildot master. A mildot master is essentially a weaponized slide rule. Many snipers and long-range shooters used to keep these in their databooks, but there’s an online version you can play with if you want to try it out. The Mildot Master does the math for you, just input the object size and measurements in mils to get your estimated distance. 

How accurate is this? In theory, it’s algebra, so if you enter all your variables correctly, it will give you a completely accurate result. In practice according to older US Army studies - an error margin of 5% is considered exceptional, with 10% considered common among trained scouts. The errors appear when we either, a. don’t measure the object perfectly or b. we are wrong about the object’s size. 

For instance, if we mismeasure an object at 1000 yards, by .2 mils, it will induce an error in target estimation of 100 yards. If we are wrong about the target size by 2” at 1000 yards, it will induce an error of up to 50 yards. Either of those would likely result in a miss by several feet for precision rifle fire. 

This isn’t to say that milling a target is worthless. Quite the opposite, it’s incredibly useful in certain conditions, especially at closer distances (600 yards and in). It’s just important to know its limitations and not to expect the same precision as with a laser rangefinder. 

Laser Rangefinders - easy mode

By far the easiest and most reliable way to get an accurate range on a target is by using a laser range finder (LRF). Most modern laser rangefinders are accurate to within 1/10 of a yard with near-instant results and can be used effectively in many circumstances with minimal training. 

A great place for most people to start is with a basic dedicated handheld laser rangefinder. These consist of a laser rangefinding unit with some sort of built-in monocular magnification and internal display, and range from basic and inexpensive (sometimes as little as $350) to more elaborate and expensive. 

Most modern options usually have Bluetooth connectivity to sync with phone ballistic apps, but this is a necessity. Higher-end models will give you more powerful lasers, better onboard weather and atmospheric sensors, more sophisticated ballistics software, and better magnification and glass quality. 

Basic LRF’s have come a long way in the last decade, and many of the entry-level ~$350 models are far better than the high-end thousand-dollar models of the past. If you’re just getting started in stretching your rifle’s range, and aren’t planning on shooting a field or sniper match in the near future, I recommend just getting an entry-level LRF, like the Sig Kilo 3k. I run a Sig Kilo 3k as my backup in case my LRF binos go down because of how light and easy to use it is, but there are lots of good options out there. 

Just remember, manufacturers tend to be rather “evangelastic” when giving advertised ranges on laser rangefinders. The specs they give are on huge reflective targets, on a clear day, with no interference, ideal lighting, and perfect angles. In the real world, the reality is usually half of the projected range. The Kilo 3k’s, for example, project a 3,000 yard range on a “reflective target”, but on a deer or non-reflective target (like cardboard), list a best-case scenario range of 1,500 yards. This means the realistic range is probably closer to 1,200 yards, which is plenty for 99% of realistic engagements. 

If you plan shooting field matches or spending a lot of time looking through your LRF to find targets, then I recommend stepping up to LRF binoculars. 

Laser Rangefinding Binoculars

Binoculars with built-in laser range finders are worth their weight in gold when trying to locate and range hidden targets while under time pressure. Binoculars are far superior to standard LRF’s in field of view, light transmission, and overall glass quality, making the trade-off in weight and cost well worth it in certain circumstances. 

LRF binos shortcut the target location process. Before binocular LRF combos, many shooters would use binos to locate targets, and then range them with their LRF. This took time, and the number of times I got lost and forgot where the target was when swapping between the two was truly profound (and humiliating). I used a standalone LRF and separate binoculars in my first field match, and by the halfway point in the match, I had ziptied the two together and sworn to buy a pair of LRF binos as soon as I got home. 

Binocular LRFs range in cost from ~$700 to over $3,000. The higher quality models have more powerful lasers, more sophisticated environmental sensors, better displays, and (occasionally) built-in mil reticles. The prices may seem exponentially higher than a stand-alone LRF, but high-end binoculars without built-in LRFs can run north of $2k, so when you include the necessary hardware to laze targets and calculate firing solutions, the cost makes more sense. 

Much like stand-alone LRF’s, the market for LRF binos has advanced dramatically in the past decade and there are now lots of good options. Most bino LRF come with some form of ballistics computer built into the system, and can often display your firing solution on a HUD inside the binoculars. This may sound incredibly useful, and it can be when time is unlimited. But when you’re finding multiple targets on the clock at a field match, it’s often faster and easier just to read off the range and mark your firing data on an analog armboard. 

The Vortex Fury HD’s have good glass quality and a decent laser. Their biggest strength is that they are almost comically durable. I’ve dropped these from embarrassingly tall ledges into dirt, mud, gravel and snow across multiple shooting seasons. Never once did they fail to work when I picked them back up. The onboard computer of the AB edition is a bit lackluster, and the laser can struggle to get ranges in fog, snow, and rain (this is common with LRF’s in general). But the basic model is still an ultra-durable and relatively budget-friendly option, backed by Vortex’s world-class warranty. 

Sig’s Kilo 6k Gen 2’s are a good alternative to the Fury’s. They have very good glass, a powerful laser, and fast returns. They lack sophisticated onboard software but have decent onboard environmental sensors and can pair to external wind readers, kestrels, and phones with Bluetooth. They are also on the lower end of cost for LRF binos. I have not tested these as extensively as the Fury’s, but my teammate is running them in NRL Hunter this season, and our initial impressions are promising. 

Sig Kilo 10k Gen2’s are what I’m currently running in NRL Hunter. These have a great laser, excellent glass, great onboard sensors (including a HUD compass), an almost excessively customizable display, and provide a lightning-fast return. They are far from the cheapest game in town, but they can punch through snow, fog, and rain to give returns in conditions that best most other rangefinders. They also have a useful set of fast wind buttons, where you can set wind direction and speed on the fly. 

For many people (arguably including myself), the 10k Gen2s provide more features they will need, so if they aren’t in your price range, don’t sweat it - the 6Ks or Fury’s will serve you just fine. The main reason I switched to them is that they punched through mountain fog at a Wyoming match I attended when almost all other LRFs gave false returns. That said, it’s not like I’m shooting in intense mountain fog on a daily basis. 

Other high-end options like the Leica Geovids or Vextronix Vector X are also great. As always, don’t get too concerned about chasing the last 5% of gear capability at first when you could be spending that money and energy improving as a shooter.  

Weapon Mounted Laser Range Finders

Weapon Mounted Laser Rangefinders (WLRF) have been popular with military and LE snipers for years and are beginning to see more adoption in the civilian world. Until very recently, the only options available commercially started at a cost of five figures. However, in the past two years a handful of companies (notably, Vortex with the Impact 4000 and DOPE Ballistics) have begun to release versions that run in the $2k or less range. 

A WLRF mounts to the firearm and provides a range and ballistics solution to on onboard display. The benefits of this set-up are obvious - raw speed. A shooter doesn’t have to fumble for a separate LRF or LRF binos if a target suddenly presents itself, and in a field match, one could theoretically range each target and engage without coming off the gun, thus saving a significant amount of time. 

But there are downsides. A WLRF adds weight to the gun, usually at least a pound or more, and it adds it to an awkward spot - very high and forward of the action. This can significantly impair rifle balance and handling. While you are gaining a lot of speed by using a WLRF, you are sacrificing the superior field of view that a binocular LRF provides. 

While the benefits for military and LE snipers are obvious, the technology has not been accessible to most civilians long enough for the competition community to develop consensus one way or another on the current commercial WLRFs. Though I haven’t gotten one myself for testing yet, I can see the potential merits and am excited to see the technology continue to develop into better, cheaper, and lighter options. 

Wrap-up

No matter what method you use or tool you use, ranging is a skill. Even with a laser rangefinder, it takes practice to pick specific targets out of cluttered backgrounds and foregrounds and to manage your data efficiently. Don’t just range targets against a berm on the range, take your laser range finder with you on hikes and get a feel for how it performs in different environments and against different backgrounds. 

For a rifleman who’s looking to start stretching the range of his system, a basic laser range finder like the Sig Kilo 3K (or any in that line) is a great place to start. If you have some experience in long range and want to get serious about trying a field match, then laser range finding binos are my recommendation, with a weapon mounted laser range finder being a good alternative, especially if you are familiar and comfortable using one of those already. 

Train with whatever you use and be comfortable with its strengths and limitations. See you on the range!