Judging distance in open country is where a lot of shots get missed before the trigger is ever touched, and the XLR1600 has been the rangefinder we carry for exactly that kind of terrain. It reads out to 1,600 yards, which gives plenty of reach for glassing across basins and canyons, and the 6x magnification through the glass optics has made it easy to pick out a target at distance and hold steady on it. Readings come back almost instantly, so there’s no waiting around while an animal walks out of the shot.
Angle Intelligence is the feature that’s earned its keep for us. On steep hillsides, a straight line-of-sight reading can overstate the real shooting distance, and this calculates true horizontal distance for the elevation change, which is the number that actually matters for holdover. Scan Mode lets us hold the button down and sweep across multiple targets at different yardages, so we can range a ridgeline or a group of animals in one pass instead of re-aiming every time. The ergonomic, no-slip grip stays secure in a cold or wet hand, and the weather-resistant build has shrugged off normal field abuse.
At $289.99, it sits in the middle of the long-range rangefinder market, well below the premium rangefinding binoculars and with real reach for the price. For hunters who need a dependable, compact way to range out to 1,600 yards without spending flagship money, the XLR1600 is a strong value.
