Need help finding a new rangefinder

I have an older Nikon that works well but want to get longer ranging capabilities for elk shooting and ranging for spot- stalking distant elk.
I am trying to keep under $300 budget and have spent way too much time looking at reviews. New models keep replacing the old so it is hard to keep up.
I am drawn to the Leupold RX-1300i TBR w/ DNA. This is a newer model. Anyone have experience with this?
The Leupold line puzzles me as this is a new model but I thought the OLED displays were the way to go for readability but this appears to have the older style LCD display like my current unit.

The current models with the Wind feature are in a different package and best I can tell, the case is aluminum. Is this superior and what drives up the cost?

It appears this unit should range deer to 800yds and has angle compensation which are important to me.

Anyway, any experiences with this particular model would be helpful! ........but still looking at other options like Vortex and Sig.

Thanks,
Bls8433

I have a Sig Kilo 2000, and I have been very happy with it. It’s much easier to pick up a deer/elk at 500 than my old Nikon rifle hunter. It has the built in TBR/ARC/ID tech, whatever you what to call it.

Leupold and Nikon are my go-tos. I prefer the Leupold for rifle hunting and my Nikon for stand hunting with archery equipment.

I have the Leupold RX1200 and it's pretty sweet. Distance shooting is still new to me so I'm still learning this space ship of a rangefinder. Have to say leupold's customer service has been unreal - every time I call they spend absurd amounts of time helping me learn and answer questions. Having the red reticle in minimal lighting is pretty nice as well.

Take a good look at Vortex they have a better warranty on range finders then Leupold.

I have the sig2000 like 77hunter.
Very nice rangefinder.

I really like my Vortex Ranger, but I've heard even better reviews from the Sig and I think it costs less than the Vortex. May have to switch again when I lose this one.

Buy a Sig. vortex are sloooooow.

I expected the Leupold RX1300 to be as good or better than the 1200. However, it appears this is not the case except for a longer reflective ranging capability?

The Sig Sauer range finders are the best I've tried. I currently own a Leupold RX 1200i TBR with DNA and I have an older Nikon model in the junk drawers somewhere. I work at a gun store and we sell Vortex, Leupold, and Sig optical products so I've had a chance to use the Sig Sauer products including the KILO 2400 ABS with the wind meter and I like it better for developing precise drop tables than any other product I've used. I used to do some competition long range work so I've seen and used some of the more modern devices (like the Swarovski ranging binoculars) so I'm fairly familiar with what works in the field and what's just a gimmick.

While the KILO 2400 ABS unit has some great features in reality the average person wont really use them enough to justify the cost. It syncs with your mobile phone and will provide trajectory data very quickly but the Bluetooth synchronization process can be a problem with some mobile devices, the biggest problem being that you can loose the connection between devices because of Bluetooth incompatibilities. I tested the setup using my SamSung tablet and it worked really well but my friend tried his cell phone and he couldn't even connect to the range finder. The tablet worked but I had to contact the app producer and he provided me with the install package rather than downloading it from an online source. The other problem is that the wind meter that attaches to a mobile phone doesn't always stay connected to the phone app so your wind information isn't always available. All those syncing issues use up battery power pretty quickly so if your phone's compatibility isn't 100% then you wont like the whole package. The KILO 2400 ABS has nice features for a range shooter but in the field it's just a little too many things to keep track of and work with.

Personally I prefer to just use a Kestral meter and a range finder anyways because I always have a drop card that includes wind compensation information, I just check my Kestral meter, range my target, adjust my scope or offset the crosshairs and squeeze the trigger. With that process in mind, my recommendation is Sig Sauer KILO 2000 or 2200, they have the fastest response time of any commercial range finder I've used. The DSP feature gives you such fast response time that you can actually follow a moving animal and keep getting range information as you follow along. Their accuracy allows them to pretty much range animals to almost their max rated capability with your ability to hold on a small target being the biggest limiting factor, the 2000 had no problem with ranging deer out over 1000 yards but I needed to put it on a tripod to do it and I had to be really careful when I pressed the button because I could move the device off target very easily at that range.

I was originally torn between Vortex and Leupold as well due to the warranty. I heard the same things on the Vortex - that it's slow - meaning you have to press the range button 3x to get a range. I haven't had to contact Leupold for any warranty reasons but everything I have read and heard on Leupold has said that they stand by their products and treat their customers right.

I pulled the trigger on the Sig Kilo 1250 last year and have absolutely no complaints about it. Now, I haven’t had to range anything all that far in central and northern Minnesota where I hunt, but the glass is good and it ranges right away without any issues.

Thank you all for the input and especially ranmac for the detailed response.
I was originally leaning toward the Sig line as there was a lot of good reviews but found enough negatives about customer support that made me rethink them.
Leupold has good lifetime warranty. The down side to the model I am looking at RX-1300i TBR is that to keep it less expensive, the reverted back to the LCD display. I like the brighter displays(I think) for low light use. The Sig Kio 1250 has what is stated as a High Transmittance LCD. MNHunter, how does this perform in the field for you?
I am now leaning again toward the Sig line and wondering what I give up with the Sig Kilo 1250 vs. the 2000 or 2200? Ranging distance being the obvious and OLED display. The 1250 may better fit my budget but wondering how far can you range soft targets?

From what I've heard from at least one user the Sig 1250 will range deer out to about 7 or 8 hundred yards, pretty much in line with what I'd guess considering I've come to an unqualified opinion that most of their range finders can range soft targets to about 60% of the range that their model name implies (model 1250 implies a 1250 yard range). The only other thing that I'd recommend is paying attention to the magnification, the 1250 has a 6 power lens while the 2000 model and above have 7 power lenses, I like as magnification as I can get because it makes it easier to aim the range finder and keep it on a long distance target. I also use my range finder for a monocular when I want to cut down on weight by not carrying my binoculars.

The LCD is good in most low-light conditions. The only gripe I have is that the LCD displays in black, which makes it a little difficult to see in very low light conditions, but this was really only an issue for me the last 5-10 minutes. Still, a red display would be nice.

I tend to overbuy for my needs at times but the 1250 fits my budget better. I may like the extended range of the 200/2200. I will need to look at pricing. How well do these models work for bow hunting? I do not see a minimum ranging parameter?

I just bought the Vortex Ranger 1800 and used yesterday in the snow, on a Turkey hunt. I was pleased with the performance because it registered the range quickly without issue. You can read up on the rangefinder here for more info.

https://www.targettamers.com/rangefinders/vortex-ranger-1800-review/