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Fieldcraft laser Range finders

kraigWY

kraigWY

CMP GSM MI
Full Member
Minuteman
Feb 10, 2006
2,311
302
76
Wyoming
I have a Leopold Range finder I was playing with this week while camping.

I noticed a ski boat in the distance but couldnt range it,But I was able to range the dude on the boat, who was quite a bit smaller (He was 700 yards).

I have found in the past I can range deer better then rocks, same with trees, I can pick up trees better then rocks.

I find this odd but I don't have any ideal how they work.

Maybe someone can enlighten me.
 
Re: laser Range finders

I am just learning about LRF and I have been skooled just a little by a friend , and what I think you are talking about is the reflect of the lazer. Someone elas here will clear us both up. There is a great deal of knowledge here.
 
Re: laser Range finders

was the ski boat perpendicular to you when you lased it? I also wonder about the reflectivity of the fiberglass hull on a boat. I have a Bushnell 1600 - not the best but it works...I have found that it can range a clump of trees well out to 1300 but I have problems ranging targets on angles beyond 600-700 yards. I am sure it has to do with reflectivity but I am not smart enough to give you reasons beyond speculation.
 
Re: laser Range finders

depending on the "power" of the lazer, some do have a limited distance. add in weather or humidity and it also restricts the distance.

the boat hull probably was bent (concaved, or convexted) just like most hulls are, and deflected the lazer beam in another direction other than returning to the unit for analyzing the distance. sort of like a stealth technology by default to use as an example of what's happening.

alot of times when ranging deer, the fur will actually "absorb" some of the lazer, and you have to go off target and range a nearby rock.

try lazing a foam couch cushion at distance as compared to a board, rock, etc. sometimes that foam will do the same thing, absorbing the light energy rather than reflecting it back.

an even better example would be taking a lazer pointer and putting it on a diamond ring or chandelier crystal. you'll see the light scatter everywhere, but put it on a flat mirror directly in front of you and it'll reflect back to the point of origination.
 
Re: laser Range finders

Friend of mine had a leupy rf, it was eadier/accurater to just step off the distance. It was so bad he tossed it out the window goin down the road, it was their top model.
 
Re: laser Range finders

The precision and functionality of a LRF is dependent on the frequency/duration of the laser pulses, beamwidth of the emitter, receiver sensitivity, and speed of the receiver.

Consumer products (Nikon, Leupold, Swaro, Bushnell, Leica, Zeiss, etc,) obviously vary in quality - read $$$ = quality. The "high-end" units do function better than the less expensive units, and for a reason - internals. Yes, a Leica does cost more than a Bushnell/Nikon/Leopold.

A survey-quality LRF or a police laser for example, are extremely accurate and for good reason - they have to be accurate within CMs for surveying and speed detection. These devices are engineered with the fastest/latest/greatest components, but this comes at the cost of size/weight/$$$$. Some of these units can easily cost >$5000 and weigh over 10 lbs!.

The best advice to detect a target or for accuracy, with a consumer unit, is get a good one and hold it very steady (use a rest).

Kevin
 
Re: laser Range finders

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: jolly roger</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Yeah, but my Leica CRF 800 rarely has a problem. Sounds like the Leupy is defective to me. </div></div>

The Loopy LRF were Defective NIB,biggest POS ever made.I had a RXIV top of the line that would not range shit !!!! Their own Tech told me,"There is nothing good I can say about these",Verbatim.

Leupold has never,to my knowledge,said there was a problem with these units and offered to fix or replace them.Mine NEVER Performed as Advertised and I never heard of anyone that had/has one that did.I will never buy another Leupold product as a result of this.They tout CS but would do nothing about these except say they were not being used properly.At almost $500 I expect better than that.
 
Re: laser Range finders

I have used a leupold lrf for bowhunting deer and elk but with archery there are not any long range shoots (>60 yards). I have had trouble ranging coyotes that I know were within 300 yards. I picked up a leica lrf 1200 and have ranged nonreflective targets at 1300 yrds which is well beyond my current skill level. Rthur
 
Re: laser Range finders

I have one of the Leupolds. I've noticed that it works great on new batteries but not so well when the battery indicator starts to drop. Easy solution for me. I'll eventually upgrade to a Swarvoski or Leica.
 
Re: laser Range finders

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Dark Side</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I have one of the Leupolds. I've noticed that it works great on new batteries but not so well when the battery indicator starts to drop. Easy solution for me. I'll eventually upgrade to a Swarvoski or Leica. </div></div>

I think you will be ecstatic with either after the Loopy.Leica 1200 CRF replaced the Loopy,very fast return and will range over 1300yds on a treeline at dusk,Swaro is bulky but ranges further.I had both,but just the Swaro now.Never should have sold the Leica.Was going to get the 1600 but the initial reports don't look great.Too many bells and whistles for me.

Most Bow Hunters would love the Loopy.That's who I sold mine to.
 
Re: laser Range finders

Sandrat your right, I was...

I had an opportunity to use one of the Leica LRF 1200's one of my buddies has. Definitely had equipment envy and was impressed with the capabilities of it. I'm leaning towards a CRF though or a Swarovski, If I win the lotto.
 
Re: laser Range finders

burris rangeing works better than my leica but the optic sucks leica optic are great rangefinder is ok both are brf 10 power
 
Re: laser Range finders

First, the beam of most ski boat hulls has quite a bit of "flare," meaning it leans out, away from the interior of the boat. That would tend to direct a lot of the return downward toward the water rather than horizontally and straight back to the LRF. Also, if you also were shooting the skier at a greater height above the water, less of the return from him would have been bouncing off the waves on the way back.

So one possibility is that the return from the boat experienced so much more absorption and diffraction when skipping off the water that the LRF couldn't make head ner tails of it. Kinda like the way radar bounces off a stealth plane so that it isn't reflected back to the source. Another possibility is that enough of the return skipped off the water so that the LRF thought it was receiving two different signals and couldn't tell which was its own.

My Bushnell has a bulls-eye mode and a brush mode, which changes whether it accepts the first of all returns or the last. If the Loopy has something similar, changing mode might change the outcome.
 
Re: laser Range finders

I have a Leica 1200 and have used it at night close range.If you can see it you can range it.Was $600.oo but well worth it.
 
Re: laser Range finders

All I have is the Swaro Laser guide which is also an 8X Monocular and not Binocular.It will range out past 1500 depending on the target.It is also bulkier than the Leica though.I had a 1200CRF that would do anything the Swaro would,faster,except the extreme ranges.
 
Re: laser Range finders

Crazy Dog I'm happy with the lieca 1200 performance but would like to have about 2000yrd.range.If they come out with one like the 1200 only 2000 I would consider it.The only way I can fault the 1200 is you can't mount it on a tripod.You can use it in a eared rear bag.
 
Re: laser Range finders

I've found that the LCD "crosshairs" on my bushnell and my nikon rangefinders are not exactly precision aiming instruments. I get much better results with the bushy if I hold off slightly low and right of the target, but the Nikon if I hold just a hair high it seems to do better.

Maybe your Leupold aiming reticle was just off? I can't imagine it wouldn't range a boat hull.. that's pretty reflective. Your eye doesn't have any problem seeing it if you shine a flashlight on it, and the laser is very near to visible frequencies. Maybe it's just aiming off to the side or something, so when you range the man it is actually ranging the boat? Just a thought, not sure how you could really check it.
 
Re: laser Range finders

More of a Doughnut,large center opening,I was going to go for the 1600 Leica but too many functions I don't need.You may want to try Cameraland or SWFA for demos first.Got mine from SWFA last year for $699 LNIB,you would swear it was brand new.
 
Re: laser Range finders

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Jaybird39</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Crazy Dog I'm happy with the lieca 1200 performance but would like to have about 2000yrd.range.If they come out with one like the 1200 only 2000 I would consider it.The only way I can fault the 1200 is you can't mount it on a tripod.You can use it in a eared rear bag. </div></div>

I am using a Swaro right now. For most situation, it works very well to about 1500 yards. Unless, you range the side of a barn, or something big, at longer distance, it becomes very difficult to get an accurate reads. I had the opportunity to looks through and range with a Newcon laser Range finder. Damn, that thing is expensive but I was able to range it up 6000 yards. It also gives you the angle of inclination as well. That's the one I want. Too bad, my wallet already said no.
 
Re: laser Range finders

i had a leupold tbr and had the same problem trying to range anything on a slope like a barn roof etc.
 
Re: laser Range finders

The view thru my Bushy 1500:

thruview2si0.jpg


My best guess is that the aiming circle is ~12 MoA.


My field test data:

Greatest range from anything: 1351 yards (flat wall of a light-colored steel industrial building, shot at an estimated 10°-15° from perpendicular)
Greatest range to vegetation: 982 yards (dense cedar thicket)
Greatest range to bare deciduous trees: 960 yards
Greatest range to something furry: 775 yards (Black Angus cow)
Greatest range to grassy hillside: 660 yards
Greatest range to bare earthen hillside: 460 yards (red clay berm)

EDIT:
New greatest range from anything: 1551 yards to a water tower
 
Re: laser Range finders

We use the TruPulse 200's and 360's where I work for measuring trees near our power lines. These things can measure conductor that is 1.25" in diameter 300' away and tell you the distance in feet, meters or yards and also tell you the slope, vertical, horizontal distance and the azimuth. They can reach out over 1000m on larger targets. Just another tool with handy features.

http://www.lasertech.com/TruPulse-200-Rangefinder.aspx
 
Re: laser Range finders

My buddy had a Leupold that couldn't get the range on anything that was at an angle .. prefer the vectors
 
Re: laser Range finders

Anyone have experience with the Leica Geovid?

Do they have enough utility to justify the additional cost?
 
Re: laser Range finders

Pappy42, I have. If you want a binocular and a rangefinder in one unit, you can't go wrong with the Geovid, though I would get the newer Geovid BRF instead. They are smaller, lighter, and range farther than the Geovid. They are also available in magnifications higher than 7x. If you just want a rangefinder, the Swarovski Laser Guide is much lighter, a lot less money, and will range farther than the Geovid BRF in practice (the Laser Guides frequently range farther than their specifications would indicate).
 
Re: laser Range finders

Used a Bushnell 1500 before and it worked fine.

Hope to try out a Fushion 1600 soon.


The geovids are a nice unit, but i dont have the cash for one so I have to pass it up
frown.gif
 
Re: laser Range finders

ok, I had a leica crf 1200 and loved it, untill........... we got serious about long range shooting instead of just hunting, seems mirage and heat waves have a very adverse effect on the licas ability to accurately range a target, or even range it at all. It seemed to me that it did an acceptable job out to about 600-700 yards, but went to shit after that in a hurry, anyone else ever had any issues with this or is it just me???
 
Re: laser Range finders

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Crazy Dog</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I found a Swarovski Optik Rangefinder Laser Guide 8-30 binoculars for $999.00 Any good? range how far,I could not find specs on range finding,help! </div></div>Great optic, I own a pair. I have not looked through any others, so my opinion is of limited worth, but I bought them based on the suggestion of others who DO know what they are talking about. They are rated to 1500 yards but if conditions are perfect I have seen 1850 or so.
 
Re: laser Range finders

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: rifleman1981</div><div class="ubbcode-body">ok, I had a leica crf 1200 and loved it, untill........... we got serious about long range shooting instead of just hunting, seems mirage and heat waves have a very adverse effect on the licas ability to accurately range a target, or even range it at all. It seemed to me that it did an acceptable job out to about 600-700 yards, but went to shit after that in a hurry, anyone else ever had any issues with this or is it just me???
</div></div>

Kind of have to agree on this, the Leica 1200 is pretty solid up to 800yds on deer sized game, after that it really depends on target quality.

I use mine for hunting and have never shot over 600 yds so it works very well for me. Faster than the Swaro which is good.
 
Re: laser Range finders

i have a leica 1200, its perfect out to 900m or so, from there out you need to choose your target well. you can also get different readings easy enough if your target is on sloped ground so carefull use and lasing it a couple times is needed . all in all the leica 1200 is a good piece of kit, it does all i need for hunting and for rock/steel shooting with the 308 as i havent really pushed beyond 1050m .
 
Re: laser Range finders

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Pappy42</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Anyone have experience with the Leica Geovid?

Do they have enough utility to justify the additional cost? </div></div>

Yeah, I have them around here somewhere. Biggest complaint is the size; honestly tried Swaro's once and if I had to do it over I'd go for the uniocular Swaro's (BTW - this thread should be in optics section).
 
Re: laser Range finders

i have the 1200 yd leupold model9 (rx3?) im not a big fan. i have got it to read 775 one time off my chrono tripod, sunny day, ranging a truck. i bet i could not range the ocean at 1200 i dont know how they came up with that number but its bs
 
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