The affordable laser rangefinder is the innovation that has allowed the popularity of long range shooting. Not long ago, range estimation was the single biggest limiting factor to prevent long shots in the field. The laser rangefinder removes all uncertainty and frees up the shooter to judge the conditions. Wanting to extend my own effective range, I purchased the Nikon Monarch 2000.
Specifications
First off, let’s break down the specifications. The Nikon Monarch is a 6oz rangefinder with a six power, 21mm objective lense. Nikon claims that the rangefinder can range out to 2000 yards on reflective targets (spoiler, it can’t), with trees and deer expected to be closer to half that distance. In addition, the unit features a light up LED display.
In operation, the Monarch 2000 has a first and last mode as well as a scan. Conveniently, the rangefinder has an angle compensation mode where the rangefinder automatically takes the angle and calculates the horizontal component distance instead of the straight line distance. This is useful to hunters because the bullet drop is related to the horizontal distance, which can be quite different form the straight line distance in steep environments.
Build Quality
Next, we take a look at the fit, feel, and user interface of the rangefinder. The Monarch 2000 is a lightweight, durable feeling rangefinder. The rubber-like coating on the outside of the optic feels durable and the bright LED display is easy to see in low light. Furthermore, the simple two button design and angle compensation make using the device quick and intuitive. Finally, battery access is quick and easy and it runs on a single CR123 battery.
Field Use
Unfortunately, while the specifications and user interface were strong, the Monarch 2000 was not particularly useful in the field. After two years of regular use the farthest I was ever able to range anything was 630 yards. It was difficult to get range on any non-reflective targets past 400 yards, even off of steady rests such as a tripod or the hood of a pickup truck.
Also, the poor performance was further complicated by the fact that the reticle inside the rangefinder did not match where the beam was actually ranging. The ranges returned were not from the center of the reticle. Instead, they were from a blank space to the left off the bottom crosshair. This made precise aiming even more challenging.
Dissapointingly, this relegated the rangefinder to a range set-up tool. Additionally, the Monarch 2000 served as a toy to play “Guess the Range” on particularly slow days in the stand. Frustratingly, the rangefinders 400 yard limit of performance coincided almost exactly with how far I was comfortable shooting without one. 400 yards is a reasonable holdover limit using a maximum point blank range system with most traditional cartridges.
Naively, I thought that maybe this was the performance that could be expected from a lower price point rangefinder. However, during a mountain goat hunt my buddy’s Vortex Ranger 1800 was consistently ranging much further than the Monarch 2000 could. This clued me in that perhaps is is the Monarch 2000 that is subpar, and not affordable rangefinders in general.
Closing Thoughts
In closing, the Monarch 2000 tries to be a simple, intuitive to use rangefinder at an affordable price. While there are no glaring deficiencies in the user interface, the rangefinder does not deliver on its promised ranges. The Monarch 2000 was not able to succesfully range far enough to accomplish the original goal of extending my effective range. This was because the rangefinder is incapable of ranging consistently past 400 yards. My final recommendation is to save your money and buy something else.