Old rangefinder stirs memories of days gone by

Lone Star Outdoor News Operations Manager Mike Hughs’ mother was cleaning out his father’s old hunting closet when she came across an interesting item.
 
She had stumbled upon an old rangefinder — the Rangematic Mark V.
 
Comparing the Rangematic to a modern-day Nikon spotting scope, it’s funny to think about hunters taking the more bulky rangefinder out to use in the field.
 
Instructions that came with the Rangematic tout it’s power, capable of reading distances from 50 yards to 2 miles.
 
The manual explains how it works: Pick an object at the distance to be measured, look through the Rangematic and see two images of the object, rotate the range dial until both images become one and read the distance opposite the pointer.
 
Though the glass has obviously been affected by the years, it does still offer a zoomed-in picture of items at a distance.
 
The box brags of the new, space-age technology of the Rangematic.
 
“The Rangematic Distance Finder combines space-age materials and design,” it says. “It is the first and only handheld ranging instrument that actually and accurately measures distance objects of any size, from golf balls to ocean liners.”
 
Though we weren’t able to figure out an exact date of production, our best guesses suggest that the two-year warranty has run out.