Some obvious ones to me are snow, rain. How about fog, mirage, or soft objects? I read for soft objects you can lrf a nearby hard object instead.
Advanced Marksmanship What conditions defeat a laser range finder?
- Thread starter goodgorilla
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Fog is definitely an obstacle
I took this pic with my iPhone through a Locsak plastic bag- so it looks a little more foggy/hazy than it is. We could see our to about 1500 yds with our eyes.
Our Bushnell ARC and Zeiss Victory ranged our 830yd target at 50yds...
I took this pic with my iPhone through a Locsak plastic bag- so it looks a little more foggy/hazy than it is. We could see our to about 1500 yds with our eyes.
Our Bushnell ARC and Zeiss Victory ranged our 830yd target at 50yds...
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A thin tree line will sometimes give a false reading. Also, an object between you and the intended target that is out of focus and not clearly visible by you can give a closer reading than you want. make sure it has a clear path and fairly solid refection. Size at distance gives me problems. It has to be large enough to get a steady contact.
Fog will definitely foul up your reading. I've attempted to use mine in a heavy fog and it is absolutely useless. I could see about 30 or 40 yards through the fog, but my rangefinder said everything was 18 yards regardless of which direction I aimed it. It just bounced back off the fog at 18 yards.
What conditions defeat a laser range finder?
A well armed enemy with IR detection capability. LOL!
Laze initially and make a range card. Then keep the damned laser off and range from the card. Making a lateral displacement to your FFP after lazing might be wise too.
A well armed enemy with IR detection capability. LOL!
Laze initially and make a range card. Then keep the damned laser off and range from the card. Making a lateral displacement to your FFP after lazing might be wise too.
Not what I was expecting, but I suppose that is a valid response. What do mean by lateral displacement to front focal plane?
Dust. Heavy dust can be as bad as fog. We had 60 mph gusts today, so not doing much shooting. Sometimes though even a good size dust devil blowing through will send off your range finder. Last hunting season had 20-30 mph gusts and snow/fog. I figured I had a 100 yard max opportunity. Well, I never had an opportunity....... never saw one....Range finder was useless anyway. Binos and a scope could see further, with some decent clarity.
Truck tires and rocks defeat a LRF pretty well. Ask my buddy. He set his on top of a tire, and forgot about them until he drove over it.
My Leica 1600s have been great in full bright sunlight, bright snow, light blowing dust, overcast and near dark. We don't have much fog very often n AZ.
My Leica 1600s have been great in full bright sunlight, bright snow, light blowing dust, overcast and near dark. We don't have much fog very often n AZ.
It also depends on the laser itself, not all are created equal. Ive found that ranging above brush, trees, or large amounts of grass will have an effect on ranging with the more basic models, a PLRF, not so much.
Recently discovered that using a PLRF25c at the entrance (outside)to an underground tunnel system that is completly dark inside(I knew what the exact distance to the back wall was beforehand) doesn't work/provide accurate read outs.
How long was the tunnel? Any clue as to the reason it was doing that?
Never had issues with the 15C, do you think it is something with the 25's?
Never had issues with the 15C, do you think it is something with the 25's?
It is 800m long, 8ft wide with a 20 ft ceiling, straight shot to the end wall. No idea why it didn't work and the company rep there with me didn't have an answer as to why either. It's a very unique environment and I'm not surprised as not many things work well in it unless they were designed for it.
To give you an idea of the environment, here is a shot with some lights on, looking back at the entrance, only part way down a similar type of tunnel, like the one I am talking about.
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Beam divergence possibly in 8ft of width? I'm guessing you would have to have it on a tripod and have a go multiple times to get it to read right. Maybe catching the edges on a slight angle?
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