When shooting long-range—over 1,750 yards (one mile)—you need the right rifle, caliber, optics, and equipment. That includes the right rangefinder as well. A requirement to accurately shoot long distances for hunting or military applications, you need to know the distance from your location to your target. [...]
Though not as easy or convenient as a modern-day laser rangefinder, the WWII Finnish military surplus stereoscopic rangefinder is half the price of its modern-day counterparts, and just as reliable. Not only does the WWII rangefinder provide a topic of conversation and a challenge to its operator, using basic principles of prisms, mirrors and your own visual cortex you can calculate the correct range of a target up to 25,000 meters. That’s 15 miles!
Because the WWII stereo rangefinder has no necessary electronic components to work during daylight, it is impervious to EMP attack. No batteries mean you have the advantage when the grid goes down. Not to mention, other retailers are selling the same item for more than twice Cheaper Than Dirt!’s price. You never know when the men with the blue helmets will commandeer a WWII tank and you’ll need to take it out. In that case, it’s time to file your tax stamp for a M61 Vulcan.
Perusing a military-surplus collectors’ forum, I learned that Finnish soldiers spent two weeks training on the use of the made-in-France stereo rangefinder and still couldn’t get it right. Fortunately, for you, the experts at Cheaper Than Dirt! have put together this quick-start guide:
1. Level the tripod, using the three locking legs and two levels on top of the rotating mount.
2. Once the tripod is leveled, place the range finding unit on top of the tripod.
3. Open the metal sleeves on each end of the unit to open the lenses.
4. Point the center eyepiece directly in the center of the direction of your target.
5. Manually adjust the entire unit, rotating it on the 360-degree tripod and moving the entire unit upward and downward until your target comes into view in the eyepiece.
6. Once your target comes into view, lock the tripod-rotating piece using the black knobs with spikes on the left of the tripod.
7. Adjust the eyepiece’s interpupillary distance (the distance between the pupils), by moving the black switch attached to the dual eyepiece up or down. Two diamond reticles (marks) should show up in each eyepiece.
8. To find the range of your target, the two diamonds must come into coincidence—appear to become one diamond.
9. The adjustment knob to the right of the eyepiece, labeled Etäisyysmittari, is the course distance adjustment. The knobs on the left of the eyepiece labeled Etäisyys and Korkeus-tarkistus adjust the fine distance and the height of the diamond respectfully. Carefully adjust all three knobs, rotating them up and down, until the diamond marks become one mark in the center of your target.
10. To tell the range of the target, directly to the left of the eyepiece are two windows with measurement marks. After the diamonds have come into coincidence and are in the center of the target, the measurement mark will tell you how far away your target is.
credit: cheaperthandirt.com