idahoelkinstructor

About three weeks ago I posted a question about which rangefinder to choose from between the Leica and the Swarovski, well I have made my decision andnow for the past 2 days own theNEW compactLeicaRangeMaster 1200. Talk about a awesome piece of equipment! Itwill pick anything up with ease out to 1200 yardsthat I point it at,and depending upon the reflectiveness of and object it will go out to 1600 yards or more. My farthest reading so far has been a hillside with a piece of sheetmetal that was a little under 1800 yards (1793). From what I have leanedI think itsa tad better than the Swarovski 1500 in terms of its ranging ability, I haven't got to prove this yet but will this later month with I compare them with a friend who owns the Swarovski's. One advantage it does have is the fact its so small, size wise its equal to the smallest 500 to 800 yards compact rangefindersmade by Nikon and Bushnell and Leupold.But yet it outperformsthem with ease with what I have seen so far. Anyway if you are wondering why I am posting about them its simply because I am so inpressed. And for those who don'tmind spending a bit more on quality equipment, I sure recomend them to anyone!

Antler Eater

They are no doubt great.

Last year I played with some Leica binos that had a range finder in them. They were awesome. The only draw back was the size. For elk hunting they were just too big for my taste.

Does this model have the feature in them that Leupold put in theirs this year giving a guy the correct distance at an angle?

Forgive me being nosey but what kind of price range are we talking for this rangefinder...

wayomic

My questions would be these.

Did you get the 1200 because you are using it for more than just bow hunting?

Or if you just use it just for bow, why spend so much for a 1200 when even a 400 is WAY more than you need?

Just had to ask. I personally think that 1200 and 1600 is way more than ANY hunter needs or can use, short of a very select few. And that the only reason the companies make them is so they can charge more $$$$.

idahoelkinstructor

Antler Eater, I agree that the Leica's Binos that have the built in range finder are heavy and big compared to other binos. Also they are very expensive in the $1600 up to $2500 depending upon which model. This Leicarangefinder that Ijust got are no bino's, its just a rangefinder, and they are compact. I'll have to post a pic of me holding mine in my hand. As far as price goes, I got mine at dealer price. I work at a archery shop part time and get paid in store credit at dealer price. Anyway they sell for $699 (Sportsmans Warehouse and Cabelas and Bass Pro)or within $10 of that price from the places that I know carry Leica products. Of course dealer price is below that but not by much, there is not a big mark up on Optics and Rangefinders, like there can be on other products. Alsoto answeryour other question no it does nothave the correct distance to angle like the Leupolds. Being honest I am glad it doesn't, we also sell the Leupold rangefindersin our shop and I for one do not like them one bit.I am a huge Leupold rifle scope fan and that is the only scope my guns wear, so thats saying something. I don't feel that thecalulated given yardage with theangle is always correct for every weapon in every situation. Sure sometimesit will be close to dead on,but in other situationsit can be way off. For myslef,I just like the know the real actual yardage, that the bullet or arrow will travel,and then its up to me the shooter, be it bow or rifle to make the adjustment.

idahoelkinstructor

That would be correct, I do mostly bowhunt, but I sure will not pass up a good rifle hunt either. Also Iwill be going to gunsmithing school in Colorado here is just a year, I hope to learn to build accurate rifles for competition as well as hunting rifles. So this rangefinder will serve me well. I do have a bushnell Trophy that works great for archery hunting.

idahoelkinstructor

Here are the pictures of my new Leica. It is so compact that I can wrap my hand around it!

idahoelkinstructor

Granted I am a big guy with big hands, but this is still a very compact rangefinder!!!

Antler Eater

Very nice, very nice indeed...

Could you give more detail to this statement especially from an archer's point of view? Any examples of when the yardage was way off?

Thanks..

chiefks

My gripe about this ranger finder is why do we as hunters need to blow $700 (cabelas price) on a ranger finder to range game out to 1200 yards when most of us have no business shooting past 200 yards. Why not buy one a heck of a lot cheaper that would range out to 400 yards which would even cover the longer shots on like antelope out west. I got better things to spend my hard earned money on.

idahoelkinstructor

The biggest problem and complaint from what I have seen is the rangefinder tells a archer to aim at a certain yardage, they do and the rangefiinder is wrong they are either shooting high or low. To know the exact hold over or hold under when shooting uphill or down hill requires one to know and calculate the exact ballistics/trajectory of the object in flight. This can be done if one could put in exact numbers, not just a gereral settings for a certain group. To know the trajectory of a arrow, you would need to know the speed starting out and in flight, weight of the arrow, and angle of the shot. If you could plug in these numbers then yes it would be accurate but instead on the Leupold Rangfinders you have to select three differnt bow groups. Below I took this right from leupolds web site. As you can see it gives you three different bow groups to select from. I cantell you one thing, I can have two different bows set up with different arrows weghtsand both would fit into group, but yet they would shoot totaly different and one could be hitting high while the other was hitting low. But because the rangefinder groups them together the reading would be the same for both. Example, I could have my older Martin Fury set at80 pounds, shooting heavy 2219's (615 grain arrows)fletched with 4" quickspins (they slow the arrow down and drop more than normal fletching) but yet starting out the speed would be in the 260's but it slows down fast and the arrows have a big time rainbow trajectory. Then on the other hand I could be shooting my Mathews Switchback set at 70 pounds, shooting 450 grain gold tips, and fletched with 2" blazers that don't slow the arrow down much. Both bows would be in the same group numberc on the rangefinder but yet the drop between the two set up is very different.

FUNCTION 14: BOW BALLISTIC GROUP

This mode, when activated, works with TBR to provide

the correct ballistic range for arrows. To select, be

sure that TBR is turned off (follow instructions In

Function 13), then select BOW by pressing Set or Power

on RX-II. The range that displays will correspond to the

target. It incorporates three different groups (Group A, B, or C) depending on

the particular arrow drop. You must choose one of the three groups, based

on your bow and arrow selection. Only one group can be selected at a time.

Selecting a new group deactivates all other groups. Most importantly, using

TBR effectively means Practice, Practice, Practice. Anytime you handle a firearm

or bow, you are ultimately responsible for where your projectile ends up.

BOW GROUP DATA

Bow

Group

Initial Arrow Velocity

(feet per second)

Drop from 20 yard pin

at 40 yards (inches) Typical Bow Description

A) Less than 215 f/s with 30" or more drop at 40 yards. Older bows shooting aluminum arrows and newer bows set at draw weights below 50 lb

B) 215 f/s to 250 f/s with a20" to 30"drop at 40 yards.Quality, newer bows shooting carbon arrows at 50-65 lb draw weight

C) 250 f/sor more Less than 20" drop at 40 yards.Fast bows with draw weights in excess of 65 lb