• 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!

Leica

JOrisman

Private
Minuteman
Mar 9, 2018
35
4
Omaha, NE
I recently bought a Leica 2000b range finder. So far I am impressed. Is this the best sub $500 range finder? If there’s other I’m interested to know!
 
Sub 500? Wow, the prices must have really come down since I bought! Honestly can't answer that question for you, Sig's products are well liked and the ones I have used have been great. The new Nikons look interesting as well, not sure how they will perform, but on paper and for the price, they look very strong, especially the image stablized version. But I don't think anyone else's pocket RF can touch Leica's glass, even in low light it's really impressive...and ranging, within their class, they are top shelf. Pricewise, they have been high compared to Sig and some others...but not if you got a 2000b for under 500. That's a super deal for a nice piece of kit!
 
EuroOptic has them for $549 but gives you a $100 gift card to be used at EuroOptic... which isn't a problem, I bought a MagnetoSpeed Sporter with it for $79.

I wanted to wait for the new Nikon to come out but got impatient. Other than using cheap $100 models this is my first real RF and I like it. I will probably never use the ballistic functions but maybe I'll set it up for backup.

It does feel like a quality unit and the glass is very nice.
 
I have a sig kilo 1250 and it did alright out to 500 yards. After that it was hard to range targets. This Leica seems on a whole nother level than it. Since they released the 2700 it brought the price of the 2000 down a bit which is why I bought one. Thanks for the response guys!
 
  • Like
Reactions: BU37377
We have a sig Kilo 850, and it does okay at 500 yardsish ranges depending on the conditions. What I like about it, and the 2000 and 2400 I have used, is they are super fast in terms of re-ranging. If you miss a target, you can hit it again super quick. What I don't like is the glass, especially on the 850. Even if you don't use it as an observation device, my son's 850 becomes useless way too early because the view is so dark, you can't see to range, especially in bad conditions. The 2000 is better, and the 2400 better still, but the Leica RF's are top shelf in that regard, to my eyes, they have no peer in the current pocket RF's as far as glass goes. I was using my 2700 last night well past sunset (we were predator hunting so we stayed into the night), and it was clear and bright well past 30 minutes past sunset. In terms of ranging, hand held I was hitting tree foliage on a far ridge at over 2700 yards, but conditions have to be just right to pull that off in full sun.
 
  • Like
Reactions: JOrisman
I've got the 2000B and it is the best rangefinder I've got but unfortunately it cost me much more than $500.00
 
  • Like
Reactions: JOrisman
New #7
Will the 2000b range steel out to a mile in the real world?
I don't have the 2000, had the 1600b and now have the 2700b, so I cannot answer directly about the 2000. However, I can say that my 1600b would range select trees in full mid day sun out past 1600 yards, and this was much easier done under cloudy skies or closer to sunset. My 2700 is the same but out to near 2800 yards. So I would suspect that the 2000 will do it out to 2000 yards.

Keep in mind that they will not range every tree in full sun. At that distance, it's gotta be pretty perpendicular and full enough to reflect enough. But if you can hit it once, I have found it will hit that same tree over and over pretty easily...so it's clearly about the reflectivity and angle of the target. I don't have cliffs around here to try on rock etc, but on one trip, I did get a chance to hit some rock faces in full sun, and it hit them way easier than the trees around the rock. Unfortunately, I could not get farther back than about 2500 yards, and that was no contest.

One other thing to keep in mind, if you care about the ballistics capabilities, the 2700 is a bigger step up because it allows you to input a custom curve for your load via SD card. This increases the accuracy of your returns, in my case, dramatically vs my 1600b.

HTH.
 
You bought a good one. Love the optical quality of the Leica. Blows away anything else I've had, and sometimes I use it as a monocular.
 
  • Like
Reactions: JOrisman
will either of these, the 2000 or the 2700 range steel 1-2 moa steel targets out to 1000-1200 yards in bright sun? ive tried a sig kilo 2000 and the new monarch 3000 with no luck. Best i got out to on these targets was a 12" diamond at 550yards.
 
will either of these, the 2000 or the 2700 range steel 1-2 moa steel targets out to 1000-1200 yards in bright sun? ive tried a sig kilo 2000 and the new monarch 3000 with no luck. Best i got out to on these targets was a 12" diamond at 550yards.

I can range all the plates on the range I tested on. They were 8-10 inch plates out to 875 yards, and a 22 inch plate at 1125. Would have liked to try an 8" plate at 1125, but all they have is a 22 incher at that range. This is with a 2700 btw. Full sun. Plates were various colors...white, yellow and red.
 
  • Like
Reactions: JOrisman
I can range all the plates on the range I tested on. They were 8-10 inch plates out to 875 yards, and a 22 inch plate at 1125. Would have liked to try an 8" plate at 1125, but all they have is a 22 incher at that range. This is with a 2700 btw. Full sun. Plates were various colors...white, yellow and red.

Thanks for that. The 2700 sounds very tempting, I wish there was a cheaper version without the ballistics stuff built into it.
 
Yeah, glass is amazing and ranging is sure. Their ballistics are not at the same level, but are still really good IF you can input your own curve, and as long as you are not shooting far enough so Coriolis and Aero jump matter. There are also temp issues that all handhelds exhibit...long and short, I trust my 2700 out to 875 yards or so, but prefer my Kestrel Elite for anything past that,.

The R versions don't have the ballistics....but I don't see them coming out with a 2700 R anytime soon, but I could be wrong on that.
 
  • Like
Reactions: JOrisman
Very informative! I’ll be running mine at spearpoint shootout prs match 20-22 so I’ll be able to see what it can actually do! I’ll give feedback after the match!
 
  • Like
Reactions: BU37377
Unless you need it right away there will be some of the 2700b coming up for sale as the technology is really moving fast in this arena and people will be upgrading. Many more players at the table so competition should make better product and hopefully prices for top tier technology today will be much cheaper a few months down the road.
 
  • Like
Reactions: JOrisman
New #7
Will the 2000b range steel out to a mile in the real world?
I don't have a range available for that distance so I've not tried it out that far but I don't believe it will. I have been able to range steel to a little over 1000yds handheld. I don't know what it would be capable of on a tripod.
 
I used the Leica out to 1000+ yards at my match. Worked very well. Although it was overcast and raining so the conditions were in favor due to overcast. I’ll try some more testing when the sun is out to see how well it does
 
Curious about how it will do at a mile on steel, I don't have a range past 1125 to test on, which it did fine on. The closest thing I have been able to get to in that regard are road signs. With the 2700, I hit a stop sign that was at an oblique angle, probably 30 degrees I would estimate, as well as some smaller construction signs that were either angled or partially covered by trees. These ranged from 2100 to just under 2400 yards. It hit them very consistently...handheld was the challenge, but when I got still, it did it, easily...in full sun. But these are very reflective, obviously, not sure how a painted piece of steel would do.
 
  • Like
Reactions: JOrisman