• Watch Out for Scammers!

    We've now added a color code for all accounts. Orange accounts are new members, Blue are full members, and Green are Supporters. If you get a message about a sale from an orange account, make sure you pay attention before sending any money!

  • The site has been updated!

    If you notice any issues, please let us know below!

    VIEW THREAD

Leica 2000-B

dirthead1

I Like BBQ
Supporter
Full Member
Minuteman
  • Feb 11, 2017
    1,337
    792
    Phoenix, AZ
    I haven't seen too many reviews of this rangefinder. Are any of you guys using one? I want something small for hunting, but also powerful/precise enough to hit steel plates consistently at long range. The beam divergence on the 2000-b looks almost identical to a Terrapin (.5 x 2.5 mils vs .4 x 2.4 mils). If any of you have experience using one, what have you ranged with it? How far? Consistency? I'm not really interested in the ballistics offered by the unit, as I have a Kestrel, just ranging performance.
     
    They're great until they fail.
    Borrowed several and was impressed, so I decided to order a pair.
    I then saw failures on multiple units at a match.
    I cancelled my order and I'm waiting for an upgrade from Leica, or an alternative, unit that will hit the market at SHOT 2018.
     
    PDXGS, are you perhaps confusing these with an earlier thread on the failures seen with the Leica ranging binoculars?

    The 2000b is the standalone monocular rangefinder, follow on to the very popular 1600b model. Both these units are very similar with the newer 2000b ranging out a bit further to 2000 yards.

    My only personal experience has been with the 1600b. I've had one for several years and it has been very reliable and accurate. Consistently has worked on cows and deer out to 800 when handheld so long as aim was steadied by leaning against something. Trees and terrain can usually be reliably measured out to 1300. Beyond that, it gets a little trickier but I have ranged objects out to beyond 1600 on occasions. Unit has also been very reliable when ranging steel. Like I said, this is all with the 1600b.

    Dirthead1, based on on my experiences with the prior model, I would be confident in the performance and capabilities a 2000b would provide. Also, the optics are sharp and clear enough that I sometimes leave my binos behind and instead choose to get by with just the rangefinder monocular. Hope this helps.
     
    Thanks pell. I picked one up earlier today. It seems like a nice unit. I plan to do an elk scouting trip this weekend, and will hopefully get the chance to try it on some animals at long range. I'll update this thread with some real world results soon.
     
    I haven't seen too many reviews of this rangefinder. Are any of you guys using one? I want something small for hunting, but also powerful/precise enough to hit steel plates consistently at long range. The beam divergence on the 2000-b looks almost identical to a Terrapin (.5 x 2.5 mils vs .4 x 2.4 mils). If any of you have experience using one, what have you ranged with it? How far? Consistency? I'm not really interested in the ballistics offered by the unit, as I have a Kestrel, just ranging performance.


    I haven't gotten to play with the 2000-B as much, but I've used the geovids, 1200, and 1600 over the years, Leica has always performed well (always ranged as advertised) and the glass is really good. I know guys who use them in place of binoculars bow hunting. where are you located? maybe we can arrange for you to try one out

    https://www.opticauthority.com/40536-Leica-Leica-Rangemaster-CRF-2000-B--MPN-40536.aspx
     
    I haven't gotten to play with the 2000-B as much, but I've used the geovids, 1200, and 1600 over the years, Leica has always performed well (always ranged as advertised) and the glass is really good. I know guys who use them in place of binoculars bow hunting. where are you located? maybe we can arrange for you to try one out

    https://www.opticauthority.com/40536-Leica-Leica-Rangemaster-CRF-2000-B--MPN-40536.aspx

    Thanks for the offer Jay. I picked one up yesterday locally. Sportsman's Warehouse made me a good offer on the last one they had, so I took it.
     
    So just a quick update..............

    I've been using a Bushnell Elite 1 mile for the last 2 - 3 years. It has worked very well. It will range large objects (trees, rocks, hills, houses, etc) to about 1300 pretty consistently. Steel plates it has trouble ranging past about 800 yds. I try to always place the plates close to something large to get an accurate range. There is a large concrete airport control tower that is 1574 yds from my parking spot at work. It will range that without too much trouble 80% of the time. That is it's max. I haven't ranged any animals with it, so can't really comment on it's ability there, but since it has a hard time with white painted steel plates past 800, I would imagine it would have a hard time with an animal at that range.

    I tried a Sig Kilo 2000 a year or so ago, and it was a dud. Absolutely horrible. The Bushnell blew it away, especially in bright daylight. Sent it back, got a replacement and sold it. I had a Terrapin, which was absolutely AWESOME, but sold it because I was just afraid of having a $2000 paperweight in the near future.

    On to the Leica 2000B. The glass is very good. Picture is crystal clear and it ranges very quickly. It would range the 1574 yd control tower every time. I ranged some houses at about 1600 yds. It would not pick up hills, rocks, or trees at that range. The ballistics function in it is absolutely worthless for anything over about 400 yds, so definitely don't buy it thinking you can use the ballistics feature for long range shooting of any type. I would say it was slightly better overall than the Bushnell, but not a lot.

    I returned it and got a Sig Kilo 2400. After my first experience with a Sig rangefinder, I was very apprehensive about dropping that much money on another Sig, but I've heard nothing but good reviews of this model, and I am familiar with the AB ballistics engine, having a Kestrel. I decided to give it a try, and all I can say is WOW. Night and day better than anything I have used, other than the Terrapin, as far as pure ranging ability. The picture through the rangefinder is very bright and clear. It's very easy to program and use. Ranging is extremely fast. Anything I point it at up to around 1700 yds gets a fast reading. That's about as far as it would read on dirt, rock, and shrubby trees during mid day here in the desert. Houses or large things that are a bit more reflective, I could easily range up to about 2000 yds. All the accessories that come with it are top notch. The ballistics app is very easy to use and sync from your smart phone to the Kilo. It's almost dummy-proof.

    I'm headed up to elk country this weekend for a scouting trip, and I'll try to test it out a little more and provide a more thorough review on steel plates and hopefully some animals. Overall, I'm very impressed with the unit. It doesn't range quite as far as a Terrapin, but I think it's far enough for most practical purposes, and the onboard ballistics will be great. I might also compare the ballistics output the my Kestrel, just to see if the atmospheric readings in the Kilo2400 and Kestrel match.

    I was also looking at the new Gunwerks BR2500, but there just aren't any real world reviews out there right now. I also like using an app to upload gun profiles, which you don't do with the Gunwerks. It could also be a real winner, there just isn't any info on it right now.
     
    • Like
    Reactions: Itsadryheat
    I would like to thank you for your field critiques and overall evaluations on the various rangefinders. Having your input will certainly help most of us from making purchases that don't live up to the manufacture's hype. Keep me/us informed on the Sig 2400, it's on my shortlist.
     
    • Like
    Reactions: Itsadryheat