So many LRF's, so little time...

[avalanche]

Hi all, I'm after advice from those more knowledgeable than I. I'm after a LRF. I have around 800USD (I'm in in Australia) hidden from the wifey.

I am getting into PRS, and have a weatherflow weathermeter for windage etc. If it helps, I shoot a 6.5cm DTA. I've been looking at Leica and Sig, but to be honest, there are so many good and bad reviews of each, I'm just unsure of which way to go. Appreciate your advice. I'd like to go out as far as a 6.5cm is going to get me. I may end up upgrading down the track when I get a longer distance conversion for the DTA.

 

[gr8fuldoug]

Are you looking at the Leica Rangemaster CRF 2700-B?

 

[shoobe01]

Agree entirely. There are cooler setups, but for that money, get the most Leica you can afford.

Love my 1600 B more than most other things I own, only haven't upgraded to the 2700 (same form factor, just more laser and better ballistic stuff inside) because I don't have much chance to shoot further than that. Insanely small and light, unbeatable optics, great FOV and eyebox, easy to use, etc. etc.

 

[christopher.dow]

The Leica is just outside your budget. The Nikon 4K is well inside it. It will work for PRS distances. The Bushnell ConX Elite 1-Mile w/ Kestrell is just inside your budget, and comes with a Kestrell. Down the road, you can upgrade the firmware in the Kestrell for ~$200. Then you’ll have a very good setup.

 

[Clearlight]

How far are you expecting to shoot ? On non reflective targets , the Leica 2700 is your best bet .
For less $$ , and if you can use reflective targets , IE: putting some reflective tape from Bunnings
on your steel targets , the Sig 2200 will work out to 2000 ok .

 

[avalanche]

I'm not expecting to shoot past 1 mile. Which of the above mentioned devices has the smallest beam divergence, I'd be guessing the Leica? Worth saving a bit longer for perhaps. Thank you all for your help so far. Appreciate it.

 

[shoobe01]

Have only a 1600-B Leica, but I have ranged to... 1600 yards. Takes a pretty reflective surface, but works off trees to at least 1,000 IME.

Played with a few others (e.g. Sig) before buying and IME had much less reliability on the ranging, or accuracy so it was harder to shoot through spaces and get the distance to the target instead of what's closer and nearby.

I had never seen the Nikon, and they mostly make good optics (I live by Nikon DSLRs) so if this is as good as christopher.dow says, it is worth a look for sure for that range and price:
http://www.nikonsportoptics.com/en/...inders/black-rangex-4k-laser-rangefinder.html

Dunno the others to say further.

 

[Clearlight]

Leica wins for smallest divergence . ELR addiction warning : once you start hitting at a mile , 2000 isn’t
that much further. : ) .

 

[BU37377]

Out of the LRF's I've tried and owned which have been a Leupold 1200DNA, Sig Kilo 2000, Sig Kilo 2200MR, Leica 1600b, Leica 2000b and Leica 2700b the Leica's have been the best by far. They have also been the most expensive of the group but all still under a $1000.00 USD. I've seen the 2000b for $399.00 USD at Eurooptic https://www.eurooptic.com/40536-Leica-Leica-Rangemaster-CRF-2000-B--MPN-40536.aspx and Leica has come out with or is coming out with a 2400R LRF with a price of $499.00 USD https://www.eurooptic.com/Leica-CRF-2400-R-Rangemaster-Compact-Laser-Rangefinder-40546.aspx

 

[RickyRodney]

I'll sell you my sig kilo 2000 so I can buy a Leica 2000. The Leica products will serve you well. If you are going to double up for hunting. Rangefinding binoculars are amazing, like the offerings from Ziess.

 

[catorres1]

Avalanche,

I have a review up here on the 2700b that might be helpful. I also know a bit about the Sig stuff. Overall, this is somewhat of a watershed year for RF's, but more in terms of integration and workflow coordination than anything else.

The 2700 is very hard to beat in it's price range for most things, but when it comes to integration, is not cutting edge, though it's by no means hopeless either. It's just not integrated as well as other newer offerings from this year. But from a glass and ranging perspective, I don't think there is anything better in it's price range.

That said, most of the integration we are seeing (Vec x, Sig 2400 bdx) is with a Kestrel, so that might not help much. Sig's 2400 ABS has some cool capabilities, but it's a little out of your price range, and there are other ways to do it that some prefer.

Got a review that talks more about the workflows, exploring RF choices from that direction, but have to finish the editing, but maybe that will help if I can ever find the moment to finish it. But that is one way you might look at the decision....how will you work with it...what additional tools do you like to use, and how well do they play together.

 

[avalanche]

Hmmm lots of thinking and research to be done I think. I like the idea of combining LRF with bino's - one less thing to carry out hunting with an already heavy firearm.

 

[BigTex]

Leica is a no nonsense, no BS, deadnuts reliable rangefinder.

 

[shoobe01]

If you must have binoculars at all. Once you get out very far at all the binocular vision part becomes of less value, and you are just hauling around two monoculars and a big adapter to bolt them together. I haven't owned a pair of binoculars in over 5 years, just monoculars.

And the Leica is rapidly becoming the only one I use, because it's rare that I don't also at least sorta want to know how far away something is. It is becoming part of my land nav repertoire, like an add on for terrain association: check range to things to confirm that's what you think it is.