I’m always trying to figure out cheap and effective ways to accomplish something.  For instance some of you will remember and maybe even still have one in your possession, my Popsicle stick range finder.  I put a lot of thought and energy into that devise and it really works at telling you the distance you are from a deer.  I devised it as an aid for us muzzleloader guys and gals so that we would not waste a shot on an animal too far away for an effective kill shot.  Well, most have never used it and probably ended up tossing it into the fire, but oh well.

The thing was “calibrated” using a bucket that measured 18 inches tall.  I measured the distance of the bucket by laying a tape measure on the pavement and marking off distances in 25 yard increments.  Then while standing in one spot, I marked the top and bottom of the bucket on the stick…25, 50, 75 and 100 yards.  Each set of lines got progressively closer together.  The bucket being 18 inches high, represents the thickness of a deers back to brisket measurement….18 inches (average).  So, when a deer presents itself (broadside of course), you take the stick, bracket the deers back to brisket between the lines on the stick that are the same as the deers thickness and there you have a pretty good idea as to how far away the deer is from you.

The stick also has to be held out in front of you at arms length.  My calculations are only off by the fact that most everyone has a different arms length, I suppose that is why Dry Dog takes such long shots.

So, the bottom line of my thinking was to have myself a “range finder” and to have one at little or no cost….always a goal of mine.  “Have for cheap”.

The other day I was perusing (checking things out) a classified ads site and low and behold here is a guy in Brigham City, selling an antique range finder for $10 or best offer!  A range finder for under ten bucks!  How can the Bears Butt pass on this deal?  He can’t!

I quickly responded with “Will you take $5 for the range finder”?  In less than a minute, a “like” came to my question!  I responded with astonishment….”Does that ‘like’ mean you will take my offer”?  He responded with a “Yes”!  And then continued with “I PMed you with my address, I’ll mark the item Sold Pending Pickup”!  I quickly looked at the clock and said, “I’ll be there as quickly as I can”.  Hurrying to get the deal of a lifetime in the shortest time possible, I jumped in the truck with the dog and headed for town.  I was there as fast as the speed limit and stop lights allowed.  The guy was amazed at how quickly I got to his house.  All I had on me was a ten dollar bill and I was fully prepared to give it to him in exchange for this wonderful antique range finder.  After all he did advertise it for $10 OBO.  But, he gave me a five in return and handed me the range finder, still in its original box and it has a leather case and instructions on how to use it!

My heart was racing and I could hardly wait to get it home to try it out!  It looks really cool and the box says “Measure-Rite Range Finder.  The distance meter of guaranteed accuracy.  Brownie mfg. co —New York 7, N.Y.”  How cool is that?  My very first Range Finder and for only $5!  Inside the box, I read the instructions to make sure I wasn’t going to break the thing before I ever got to use it to range the distance a deer was away from me this muzz season.  The instructions told me how to use it alright, but the thing that really peaked my interest was the thing would accurately measure from 2 1/2 feet out to infinity!  Holy Cow!  That is better than almost any range finder out there today….well maybe not the military guys ones, but for Joe Hunter, most of them are only accurate to maybe a thousand yards.  This guy will go to infinity!  Do you realize how far INFINITY is?  You can’t even see INFINITY!  Dry Dog would never in his wildest dreams shoot that far, even if he knew how far it was!

Man o man, what a find I have here.  I carefully took it out of its leather case and looked it over really good.  It’s not a big thing and yet it is powerful enough and accurate enough to measure out to infinity….accurately!  And for $5!

So, how does it work?  Well, on one side it has an eye piece that you look through at your target.  On this same side it has a dial, which you turn slowly.  As you are looking through the eye piece and turning the dial, a second vision of your target slowly climbs up into your view and when the two visions come together, you read the dial and it tells you how far away it is.  Cool huh?  It ain’t a lazer deal, nor as fast, but for an antique it gets the job done quick enough.

The side opposite the dial just has a second lens.

So, I looked out the window of my cave at the house across the street.  Their VW was sitting in the driveway, I looked at it through the range finder and began to dial up the second image.  It wouldn’t quite come together, close but no bannana and the dial was maxed out.  My first thought was that a lens or something inside must have come loose or something causing this problem, and I know that if anyone could fix it it would be me!

I quickly went to the web to find out if anyone else out there in the world even had one of these things.  I was so happy, even if it is broken.  What I found deflated my balloon.

This baby was developed and used by photographers to get the proper distance from the camera to the subject and infinity means greater than 10 feet…..input a frownie face here.

So, I must ask you!  Is there anyone out there willing to trade “straight across”, a modern day range finder for a very fine and accurate “Antique Brownie Measure Rite Range Finder, in its original box and comes with its original leather case and instructions”….This thing must have a value that would exceed the value of a stupid modern day range finder, don’t you think?

Bears Butt

May 9, 2014