The Leupold RX-1400i TBR/W rangefinder is a quality optic, packed with premium features. With its functionality and warranty, I would expect a price tag much greater than $200 (check price on Amazon). Its diverse feature set makes it extremely versatile and adaptable to most hunting and shooting situations.
This article gives my impressions, likes, and dislikes regarding the Leupold RX-1400i TBR/W rangefinder after 6 months of use. I’ll cover some of the specifications and features, but can’t explain those things as well as the manufacturer (Leupold) so you can check out all the details of the RX-1400i here.
Overall Impression
The Leupold RX-1400i TBR/W is a rugged waterproof and fog proof rangefinder that calculates both ballistic (horizontal) and line of sight range for archery and rifle shots. It is designed specifically for hunters with separate modes for bows and rifles and a ‘last target mode’ which ensures you get the range to a target and not the branch or grass hanging in front of it. By selecting a preprogrammed load group the RX-1400i will return estimated bullet drop in MOA, MIL, inches, or centimeters speeding up your sight-in process at long range.
A maximum range of 1400 yards is more than sufficient for hunting purposes. The rangefinder quickly calculates and returns ranges out to the maximum distance.
The TOLED display is a bit on the dim side and the RX-1400i doesn’t support custom ballistics solutions or programs. Otherwise, it has everything you could want in a hunting rangefinder.
Testing and Use
I tested the Leupold RX-1400i in a variety of different situations ranging from spring rain and snowstorms to hot, sunny summer days. I tested all the rangefinder’s modes but primarily used the BOW (for archery) and TBR (true ballistic range) modes.
I used the RX-1400i to shoot distances that ranged from 10 yards with my bow to shots over 1,000 yards with my rifle.
Price
The Leupold RX-1400i TBR/W retails for about $200 (check price on Amazon) and is an amazing value for this price point. The last rangefinder I bought 7 or 8 years ago cost about $150, had a maximum distance of 800 yards, and didn’t have any angle measurement or angle compensation.
The RX-1400i compares really well to my brother’s Leica rangefinder that’s 5 years old and was twice the price when purchased. Rangefinder technology has really improved and become affordable in the last few years.
Reliability
The Leupold RX-1400i performed as expected in all testing circumstances and situations. It never fogged up in cold and/or wet weather and it returned valid ranges even in heavy rain and snow.
Even at near maximum range, ranges were calculated and returned quickly. Sometimes, a LOS (line-of-sight) measurement was returned at longer ranges instead of the TBR (true ballistic range). When this happened the rangefinder did display the LOS flag so there was no uncertainty about the measurement mode.
I did not have any malfunctions while testing the RX-1400i. This is a reliable rangefinder.
Ease of Operation
The RX-1400i is easy to operate. Once a mode is selected simply place your target in the reticle and click the top button to get the range. The device will display the range once it is calculated. This calculation usually happens extremely fast, but may take a couple of seconds at longer ranges.
I found the illuminated display difficult to read against light or bright backgrounds unless it was set to the brightest setting. You could probably use the low or medium setting in low-light situations. For hunting, when you might need a quick range and any moment I would make sure the brightness is set to high.
Choosing a rangefinding mode and adjusting the device settings isn’t difficult. However, because there are a number of modes and settings it’s probably something you want to do at home and not rely on your memory in the field.
Settings and modes are adjusted by holding down the “MODE” button on the side of the device. Change values for a setting using the top button, then press MODE again to save the setting. The MODE button will also move you to the next setting.
You’ll probably want to refer to the user manual the first couple of times you adjust the settings.
Rangefinder Modes
Three basic rangefinding modes are supported by the RX-1400i.
- TBR – Short for True Ballistic Range, the TBR mode measure the horizotal distance to the target. This is sometimes referred to as angle compensation or equivalent horizontal range. In TBR mod the RX-1400i can also display estimated bullet drop in inches, centimeters, milliradians (MIL), or minutes of angle (MOA).
- BOW – The BOW mode is specificially for archers. It dispalys the ballistic distance to the target out to 175 yards.
- LOS – Short for Line-of-Sight, the LOS mode displays the straingt-line distance to a target without correcting for the angle between the shooter and target.
Maximum Range
With the RX-1400i you can reliably range reflective targets out to 1,400 yards. Leupold’s user indicates that trees can be ranged out to 1,200 yards and deer out to 950 yards.
I’ve successfully ranged trees at distances greater than 1,300 yards and a brown-colored black bear at just over 1,000 yards. So the distances in Leupold’s specifications are probably on the conservative side.
Accuracy
Accuracy for the Leupold RX-1400i ranges from 0.5 yards for distances up to 125 yards to 0.5% for distances greater than 1000 yards. Detailed accuracies are shown in the table below.
| Distance (yards) | RX-1400i Accuracy |
| 0 – 125 | 0.5 yards |
| 125-1,000 | 2.0 yards |
| > 1,000 | 0.5% |
Would I Recommend the Leupold RX-1400i Rangefinder?
For most hunters and shooters the RX-1400i has all the features you need and will give you top-notch performance in the field and on the range. You’ll get extremely accurate shooting ranges out to 1,000 yards (175 yards for archery) and have the ablility to get bullet drop for popular load groups. However, this may not be the right rangefinder for you if you want to ability to calculate ballistics for custom loads, or if you regularly shoot at ranges greater than about 1,200 yards.
