Barr & Stroud Rangefinder

[uncleB]

Several years ago I was in the market for a looooong range rangefinder that would surpass what a laser rangefinder was capable of, the only thing that I could find anywhere was a WILD optical (coincident) rangefinder. I have been very happy with it .
For some time now there has been nothing like this available. today I just got a flyer from the people that sold me my Wild, they have found some brand new Barr & Stroud rangefinders (1958 vintage,very good year). The Barr & Stroud's have one advantage over the Wild's they range in yards instead of meter's.
If anybody on LRH wants one they should contact Deutsche Optic asap 1-800-225-9407 before they are gone, tell them they need to send me a kickback!!!!!!
btw they want $699 (fair price for being 50 years old and brand new)
UB
p.s. it will range from 250 to 10,000 yards

 

[BountyHunter]

UB

There are variety of B&S models. Some start at 250 and others at 500. Some are in yards and some are in meters.

Conversion charts are floating around from yd to meters and vice versa. I have copies if anyone needs them.

BH

 

[uncleB]

this really surprises me at the total lack of intrest in these fine Loooooong rangefinders, Len might have to change the name of his forum to Medium Range Hunting (does not sound quite as good)
UB

 

[Ernie]

UB,
Not a matter of desire, but simply a lack of funds.
Besides, my swaro does a good job for big game, and I have other means to accurately determine range for pd's.

 

[Mysticplayer]

I own a WILD and now a Swaro laser. I use the Swaro about 1000 times more then the WILD. I can range to 2000yds which is plenty far for my shooting. Not having to lug a 20lbs bazooka in the bush...priceless.

I will be shooting further for plinking which is a big reason I still have the WILD.

Jerry

 

[yobuck]

i have owned a barr&stroud 250 for about 35 yrs. mine is a canadian version, which uses yards. it also has coated optics, although not comparable to modern coatings. we also use the swaro. laser. i personaly prefer the b&s, for various reasons. however, these are old instruments, and lens failures are a concern. there are very few qualified people left alive who can repair them. not to mention cost. ill keep mine till one of us goes. meanwhile ive got a replacement lazer.

 

[uncleB]

UB,
Not a matter of desire, but simply a lack of funds.
Besides, my swaro does a good job for big game, and I have other means to accurately determine range for pd's.

Ernie,
that is the whole point for one of these unit's, they will range well beyond what any civilian laser unit will range, btw what other means do you have to determine range for pd's
just curious.
UB

 

[yobuck]

uncle b, distance is determined by how far we can consistantly see hits. no point in having a 20.000 yd rangefinder if we are having trouble at 2000 seeing hits. the swaro. laser will read to about as far as most of us should be shooting. we have 4 or 5 coincedence rangefinders in our camp. they are not for sale. but they wont be repaired either. the way lazer technoledgy is moving, there wont be a need to.

 

[Buffalobob]

A laser rangefinder has a lot of trouble in flat sage brush. It also has trouble when the animal is back up in the shadows of trees.

 

[WildcatB]

How accurate are they? How do they work?

 

[uncleB]

uncle b, distance is determined by how far we can consistantly see hits. no point in having a 20.000 yd rangefinder if we are having trouble at 2000 seeing hits. the swaro. laser will read to about as far as most of us should be shooting. we have 4 or 5 coincedence rangefinders in our camp. they are not for sale. but they wont be repaired either. the way lazer technoledgy is moving, there wont be a need to.

yobuck,
there are so many thing's wrong with this post it is hard to find a starting point, but I will give it a try. "distance is determined by how far we can consistantly see hits" WHAT ?????
I cant think of a sentence that makes less sense than this (unless uttered by a menstural woman).
"laser will read to about as far as most of us should be shooting" WHAT ????? are you the distance police ????
"they wont be repaired" why not they can be easily ???
"the way lazer technoledgy is moving,there wont be a need to" An optical range finder will still be in use by your great grand children decades after you and your lazer eeerrr laser rangefinder have decomposed.
I could continue but will stop here before I get red.
UB

 

[Buffalobob]

How accurate are they? How do they work?

They are an optical coincidence device wherein two lens are used to compare the target and when coincidence is achieved then the range is read. One image is inverted so comparison is easier than with some other optical devices.

The accuracy of the Wild according to the manual is about 1 percent or 20 yards at 2000 yards.

For big game it is my opinion that you should compute your drop rate to set what error is allowable and to still have the bullet land in the kill zone. You will have three sources of vertical error to contend with: 1. The rangefinder, 2. Your ability to break the trigger properly and 3. The quality of the ammo you have loaded. At 1500 yards I can still keep 0.5 MOA with the 7AM under ideal light and wind but with just my normal hunting gear and laying out in the dirt. That error is for the shooter and the ammo. So I have used up 7.5 inches of the target just with me. For an 15 inch kill zone half of the allowable error is gone. The range finder must be accurate within the left over amount of the kill zone at that range and within the drop rate of the bullet.

The device is heavy and bulky and time consuming to set up so it is good for shooting spots close to your truck or else a static position where you can get all of your gear set up.

If you get inclined to shoot beyond 1500 yards then it is about the only game in town for under $1000.

 

[WildcatB]

Good info - thanks.

They are an optical coincidence device wherein two lens are used to compare the target and when coincidence is achieved then the range is read. One image is inverted so comparison is easier than with some other optical devices.

The accuracy of the Wild according to the manual is about 1 percent or 20 yards at 2000 yards.

For big game it is my opinion that you should compute your drop rate to set what error is allowable and to still have the bullet land in the kill zone. You will have three sources of vertical error to contend with: 1. The rangefinder, 2. Your ability to break the trigger properly and 3. The quality of the ammo you have loaded. At 1500 yards I can still keep 0.5 MOA with the 7AM under ideal light and wind but with just my normal hunting gear and laying out in the dirt. That error is for the shooter and the ammo. So I have used up 7.5 inches of the target just with me. For an 15 inch kill zone half of the allowable error is gone. The range finder must be accurate within the left over amount of the kill zone at that range and within the drop rate of the bullet.

The device is heavy and bulky and time consuming to set up so it is good for shooting spots close to your truck or else a static position where you can get all of your gear set up.

If you get inclined to shoot beyond 1500 yards then it is about the only game in town for under $1000.

 

[Ernie]

Well, with the Swaro, I can piece-meal determine range from my known typical shooting spot in 1k+ increments before i start shooting.
It doesn't give me exact, but puts me close enough to where dialing the rest of the way in is easy.
Second, once one is down a GPS is good way to determine distance from point "A" to point "B."