Swaro Rangefinder Feedback
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jumper39
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I got one last year and it is a nice product. My friends have used it that own other brands and they are ****ed that they went cheap and got what they got.
TexasHunter
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Best (meaning furtherest range) commercially available (meaning not inclusive of the Vectronix units) monocular on the market. Always outperforms my Geovids by a huge margin. Waiting for the new Swaro Laser binoculars but I'll probably get a Vectronix and call it good.
I looked around and according to what I could find on the Sworo the beam divergence is 2 mils by 2 mils. If this is true you will have a very difficult time getting true readings on targets such as deer and coyotes on flat open ground. You will have to try to range larger objects near your target.
Some pertinent information and field testing in this Thread:
http://www.longrangehunting.com/for...er-guide-vs-leica-crf-1600-rangemaster-73650/
http://www.longrangehunting.com/for...er-guide-vs-leica-crf-1600-rangemaster-73650/
I am happy with mine, got mine used. Sometimes have trouble getting a range in the sun, but I live in Oregon and ranging clearcuts, rocks etc in the mountains I have gotten ranges over 1900 yards several times. 1200-1600 yards is not hard to get.
Broz
Well-Known Member
It is true, and it will bite you sooner or later. It did me on a huge Kansas buck in a corn field. This was when I started researching the beam divergence of different Rf's. The larger beam will reflect off objects easier. Ths in my opinion is why the Swaro makes you feel you are carrying a superior unit. Until that day when it absolutly will not give consecutive reading at 900 or so yards because it is grabbing every thing but the actual target.
The Leica has the smallest beam in this price range unit. This is why I say it is the most precise of the Swaro, Leica or Zeiss. If you want to range the actual deer at 1000 yards get a small beam and put it on sand bags.
I have done my homework, owned them all ( borrowed a Zeiss for a few days) and tested in all conditions. I have sold off all except one Leica 1200 CRF. I keep it for a back up to my Vectronics PLRF10. I used the leica a few nights ago to range a dead bull elk on top a snow covered hill. The Leica said 1341 several times. Then I pulled out the big dawg, the vectronix confirmed the leica was telling th truth.
Jeff
Broz
Well-Known Member
Hey Augustus, another instance for proof. Remember last summer when I came to your LR shoot? At station one one of the guys was missing that target by the gate over toward the little bluff. His Swaro was telling him it was 60 yards farther than it was so he was shooting over the top of it. I handed him my PLRF10 and he got the correct range and was then on the steel. The Swaro's huge beam was grabbing the little rock bluff beyond tha target and there was no way it could get an actual range on the steel. Perfect example at 1100 or so yards that resulted in a miss. Not the rifles, not the shooter or his program, simply bad data produced by the beam that is over 6 ft. at that distance.
Jeff
Jeff
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Broz
Well-Known Member
oops, my appologies, I will now know. Where are you from? Just for future reference.
Jeff
Broz
Well-Known Member
Thanks so much for the responses. I reviewed the other posts, that you referred to. Very imformative. I must add though that a $7000 min purch price for the Vectronix will not happen, purely for economic reasons. Maybe someday. The fact is right now I doubt I need that as my immediate goal will be 800 yards on deer/elk, up from my current 600-650. I have run to the end of my Nikon 1200's abiliities, especially this year on my elk that was feeding in a burn. Rangefinder did not like that black surface even at 500 yards.
Anyway, I have been paying more attention to the Beam Divergence numbers. I get that they are quoted at Vertical(mrad) x Horiz(mrad). So that a 1.0 x 1.0 beam would be 3.6" high x 3.6" wide at 100 yards, and 36"x36" at 1000.
So, if I look at the Swaro, with a beam of 2.0x2.0, it would basically be a 6' square(72"x72") at 1000 yards. The Leica 1600 at .5x2.5, would be 18" tall x 90" wide at the same 1000 yards.
The interesting thing is that I routinely see reports of the Swaro having more reliable readings , especially in all kinds of conditions out to around 1000-1200 yards. Yes I also read that have longer max readings. I'm not really concerned with max yardage, but with consistency. I can see how you might assume a much shorter and only slightly wider beam may be more reliable, but is there any other factors such as optical clarity, laser quality/strength, etc. that may affect this. For example, the exit pupil of a bino has a direct affect on the low light viewing, but I know my 15x56 swaros can show me a deer at twilight as good or better than most 8x50 B brand bino's due to the glass and coatings.
Will the unit usually return the single largest item in the given field of view? For example at 1000 yards, a 6' beam is going to have a lot of elk in it if held steady. Not so much on a deer or wolf(i'm from Idaho).
So I ask, based on the high number of reports that the Swaro's are the best LRF under the price of the Victoronix, is there anything other than the size and dimension of the beam divergence that will regularly affect it's ability to get consistent readings, especially in that 800-1200 yard range?
Anyway, I have been paying more attention to the Beam Divergence numbers. I get that they are quoted at Vertical(mrad) x Horiz(mrad). So that a 1.0 x 1.0 beam would be 3.6" high x 3.6" wide at 100 yards, and 36"x36" at 1000.
So, if I look at the Swaro, with a beam of 2.0x2.0, it would basically be a 6' square(72"x72") at 1000 yards. The Leica 1600 at .5x2.5, would be 18" tall x 90" wide at the same 1000 yards.
The interesting thing is that I routinely see reports of the Swaro having more reliable readings , especially in all kinds of conditions out to around 1000-1200 yards. Yes I also read that have longer max readings. I'm not really concerned with max yardage, but with consistency. I can see how you might assume a much shorter and only slightly wider beam may be more reliable, but is there any other factors such as optical clarity, laser quality/strength, etc. that may affect this. For example, the exit pupil of a bino has a direct affect on the low light viewing, but I know my 15x56 swaros can show me a deer at twilight as good or better than most 8x50 B brand bino's due to the glass and coatings.
Will the unit usually return the single largest item in the given field of view? For example at 1000 yards, a 6' beam is going to have a lot of elk in it if held steady. Not so much on a deer or wolf(i'm from Idaho).
So I ask, based on the high number of reports that the Swaro's are the best LRF under the price of the Victoronix, is there anything other than the size and dimension of the beam divergence that will regularly affect it's ability to get consistent readings, especially in that 800-1200 yard range?
Broz
Well-Known Member
First, let me say I am a Swaro fan. I have a pair of their bino's I use daily. Plus I invested in a ATS 80 HD spotter with 20x60 eye pc. I think I have owned a total of 5 of the Swaro 8x30 laserguides. I had to return a few for repair. Some units had a glich that would cause the unit to freeze up. Then the battery had to be removed and replaced to get it going again. As you could imagine this would not be good if you wre ready to take a trophy.
The other things that I didn't like about the swaro's were.
Huge reticle circle. Hard to pinpoint a deer at 1000 as it it to large,
Also the reticle is hard to see at times. It is orange and if your eye relief is not perfect it can mysteriously disappear until you reposition.
Sloooow, when you push the button the reticle does this circlle , circle, circle thing and then it gives a reading.
I am not saying this is a terrible unit, it is just not "ALL" that you read after you use it in the field for a while.
The big problem with the taller reticle is like this. OK , think of a flashlight on the wall. Back up and it gets bigger...... Beam divergence. Now lay that flashlight level on a flat surface............. The larger the beam the more surface it picks up. My 200" WT deer in a cornfield was impossible to range. I kept getting corn stocks or the trees behind. This was at 875 to 950 yards or so. I didn't take the shot because I could never get a repeated distance and soon it was to dark. I will never forget this.
I also want to add. The Leica 1200 CRF's were very good and owning 3 or 4 of them I have not had a problem. They are fast. Have a small squae red reticle and if steadied on bags will range deer at 900 to 1000 in mid day and well past 1200 in morning or evening light. The 1200 CRF I kept for back up just ranged a dead elk on snow at 1341 the other night. Then I took out my Vectronix PLRF10 and confirmed that was corect. (while waiting for a wolf to show up)
As some have reported the Leica 1600 CRF's have had some issues. Simply some don't range as far as they should. So if you can buy from a reputable dealer that will replae if not happy. Or better yet take out side and try before you buy. The 1600's I have tested have ranged deer and elk at 1000 ~ 1200 easy on the flats. Pine trees at 1700 in the evening.
No matter what you get, remember the smaller beam units due to the precise beam need to be held steady. Would you shoot a deer at 800 yds plus off hand or across your knee? Take the RF and place it on a sand bag and hold it solid. I sometimes place a bag on top the scope while prone and steady the RF on that. Works good.
The larger beam units like the Swaro will definatly return reading easier. This is where the users get fooled. You take it out and it reads everything to 1400 or 1500 yards and I have ranged rock bluffs in the evening at 1999 yds. I believe it on the bluff, but if it is on a flat surface or rolling foothills, I have doubts. I have caught it lying to me many times.
The Vectronis units start at around $1900. That is the new Terripin.
http://www.longrangehunting.com/forums/f18/vectronics-terripin-very-goodacious-82354/
The Vectronix I have is the PLRF10 and they sell now for about $3700.
If you want to accuratly range deer sized game to 800 or 1000 yds. I would grab a Leica 1200 CRF-Y for about $550, or a used one for $450 and be happy. If you have the budget and want a little better unit get a Leica 1600 CRF.
WheeeeW!!! Sorry for the long post, but I have done my homework as I was on a mission to know what really works after my Swaro cost me that WT Buck. PS, two days later I took a doe to fill my tag. She was on a hillside at 1137 yards and the Swaro worked fine that time.
Jeff gun)--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
