Swaro rangefinder vs Leica 1600 - a differnt question

[hyena74]

Ive been reading up on rangefinders, and I think its pretty well established that the Swaro is better at its job, but im just looking for something that will range 800-1000 yards, so i dont need the extended range of the Swaro.

So i figure the Leica would do just as well for my purposes.

What im wondering is if the Swaro is worth paying more for? I'm interested mainly in the durability, water resistance, ruggedness, and warranty.

Thanks

 

[coldboremiracle]

Have both, both are very nice. The Swaro has a much larger FOV, and though its only an 8X vs. the 7X of the Leica, it seem like alot more. Both of them range farther than advertised, my Leica 1200 has gone almost to 1400 before, and I have ranged beyond mile with the Swaro. Both are great equipment, I guess it just depends on your ranges and taste

 

[hyena74]

it looks like they are both plenty for my ranging needs...but let me ask you this...

if you could only have one to last you the rest of your lifetime, and if you were going to be hard on it: throw it in your pack, drop it, subject it to foul weather, drop it off the side of a mountain, etc, which would you chose?

 

[bhart89]

What about battery life?

 

[coldboremiracle]

Hmmmmm, all good questions. I use the Swaro more often (I like to think I can shoot farther than the Leica will reach, but rarely do) I think I'd pick the Swaro just because of the easier on they eyes magnification, as well as the extended range. The battery life I'm not sure, both last for quite a while, I go so long between battery changes that I cant remember how long its been. All that said, I would not feel "undergunned" with the Leica in almost every real life situation.

 

[cal50]

I was in the same boat, I wanted to upgrade my rangefinder and pondered the same choice. It came down to a new Leica or a used Swaro. I opted and found a like new Swaro for the same cost.

I did not want any ballistics software, just pure rangefindind and the Swaro edges out the Leica. Both should work @ 1000 but the Swaro does for sure.

 

[matt2143]

I think you may find shortcomings in the Leica. Some days mine would laser a 1500+ yard target but most days using it to 900+ was an issue. Rule of thumb for rangefinders is 50% of advertised capability can be counted on. Basically I never had a problem 800 and in. I have a terrapin and I consider that a lifetime purchase, yes it's rated to 2500 meters but I know I can count on 1250 no matter what. Yes it will range to 5k yards but it is not a question of what CAN it do, rather what can I count on. Ammo is time consuming to make and expensive to buy. If you have inaccurate ranges or are off by a few yards, those misses add up over the years to far exceed the coat difference. Also the level of trust I have in my gear makes me shoot better.