G7 BR2 VS Leica 1600-B

[happylilcuss]

Ok so the G7 is twice the money as the B. It has a better ballistic calculator (however it doesnt use specific bullets in its calculations) The beam divergance goes to the leica from what I have read. The G7 will out range the leica in overall range and its ballistics computer is setup to range out to 1400 yards. The leica will only reach to 880 yards with its ballistic solution from what I have read.

The BIG question is: Is the G7 worth the $800 more? From everything I have read for a guy that is only shooting to 1400 yards the G7 is a pretty nice solution to a guys needs. The leica 1600-b has many of the same features as the G7 but it seems to me to fall short of the G7. I would like to hear from others what they think about compairing the G7 to the leica.

Then to me I feel like if a guy was going to go with the g7 than he might as well spend a couple hundred more and get a terrapin.

Like the leica compared to the g7 I feel that the vectronix terrapin is the best solution for under 2000.

So all in all I guess my question is this. Would anyone buy the leica 1600b over the g7? If so why?

 

[royinidaho]

I recently upgraded from the 1200 to the 1600. I was seriously considering either the G7 or the PLFR-05. Broz's comparison is an outstanding one. From my use of the Leica I'd for the taking game that I do, up to 1500 yards (some day!) I'd give the G7 the lead position. The deciding feature being the greatly reduces time from ranging to shot. There will be times that this feature will be the difference between a successful hunt and goin' home with nothin'.

 

[Scot E]

I think the first thing you need to decide is do you want an internal ballistic solution. The G7's is far superior the the 1600 B and the terrapin doesn't have one at all. So that right there may make up your mind for you.

The G7 IS bullet specific, you add in the exact BC and weight, whereas with the 1600B there are only 7 ballistic tables to choose from so you have to find the one that fits best for your specific bullet/load combination. I imagine that is one of the reasons they only go to 875 yards, and this is likely too far if your load doesn't match up perfectly.

I have the 1600 and have only read reviews for the G7 but from what I have read the 1600 series is more accurate due to the smaller beam divergence and will reach just about as far as the G7. I have ranged out to 1900 yards a few times and to 1600 1700 yards pretty easily with my 1600. Again, I think the G7 may get a bit further but the accuracy may be in question. With the 1600 it isn't always easy to get a reading at those distances but when I do it is dead on.

I personally feel the 1600 is a better rangefinder only than the G7 but the all in one concept of the G7 surely brings another level of simplicity and functionality to the playing field. I think the G7 would be really hard to beat if you are staying in the 800-1000 yard range. Beyond that you may want to start thinking about the 1600 or terrapin and an iPod touch with Shooter or similar ballistic solution app.

Here are two links that should be a lot of help. The first is Shawn Carlocks review and thread and the second is one that Broz did and has some excellent comparisons.

http://www.longrangehunting.com/forums/f93/gunwerks-g7-br2-rangefinder-review-84545/

http://www.longrangehunting.com/forums/f18/my-field-test-g7-br2-rangefinder-97338/

HTH,

Scot E.

 

[kherter]

I own a Leica 1600 and my Dad has a G7 BR2. I like the Leica for its compact design and small beam. I have also ranged out to as far as 1930 yards with it in some not so favorable conditions. All in all i really like it.

The G7 BR2 is a very nice rangefinder as well, it ranges out as far as the Leica maybe a little farther but not much if it does. The nice thing about it is the speed of making a shot with the built in balistic calculator. I have compared it to other ballistic programs in the field and it is bang on. The ability to take in all the enviromentals and give you a quick firing solution is very nice, except the wind of course, still need to do a wind call but it will tell you what to hold for a specific wind at that distance. works really well if you have a buddy on the range finder ranging while you are getting ready for the shot. The one thing i dont like about the G7 is the display under certain conditions ranging against certain colored objects could be a little brighter.

Just my 2 cents having used both.

 

[ultraedge]

kherter, The G7 display has 4 brightness settings. You were probably using one of the lower settings. Gary

 

[Dalebow]

WIth the Leica 1600 B is it true that I can get the true LOS and then the adjusted LOS with angle compensation without picking a ballistic this or program that? Just want to range and shoot?

 

[jhamm12]

I talked to John with Leica yesterday about this very question. He said that the 1600-B will only give an angle compensated range if using one of the ballistic programs. Which means that you will only get the compensated range out to 880 yards. I am ready to buy either the 1600-B or the BR2 right now.

I would like to know from an owner of the 1600-B the following question. When you exceed the 880 yard limit (say you're ranging at 1000 yards) and you are using one of the 3 ballistic programs, what happens? Does the 1600-B give you an error message and no range value? Does it default to the standard LOS range or would you have to take a minute to turn off the ballistic program with the menu and then range again to get a reading?

Does anyone know if G7 is still offering a group buy or any discounts? I would love to buy the BR2 if it were only $200-$300 more. But as it stands, I like others wonder if it's worth twice the price of the 1600-B.

 

[hunterforlife]

G7 consistently matches LOS & Hor range calculations from my Nikon & Swaro RFs. The G7 firing solution is fast & on most calculations it is within 0.5-1 MOA of the firing solution my iPod ballistic program (Bullet Flight) gets.

That said, in my case, at this point in my long range shooting learning curve, the G7 has much more capability than my ammo-gun-scope (& shooter) combination is capable of putting to full use.

"I never have enough money to do it right, only enough to do it over."

 

[Greyfox]

I ended up buying the G7 after thinking long and hard about it. I considered the Terrapin for its extended distance and narrow beam but decided to go with the extended capability of the G7. I also didn't see myself taking +1400 yards shots at game. For longer range targets, I could live with the manual range finding capability of the G7 which will range out to a mile or more. I have used the 1600 and own a Geovid as well. My experience is that the ranging performance is quite similar between all of them. The calculator in the 1600 is no comparison to the G7. I used the G7 on a hunt a few weeks ago and really put it through it's paces. I did explain my experience in another post. The G7 does everything that is claimed, gives the same output as as my normally used devises, and is well worth the price. The most useful feature that doesn't get a lot of press is the near/far selection when ranging. I could not get a clean read with my Geovids, but did with the G7 on the antelope and white tail I shot. The near/far feature can selectively ignore interfering brush, hills, trees, other animals, etc. in the foreground or background at short or long range. I think this compensates for the wider beam divergence by ignoring interferences. It is an extremely useful feature once you learn how to use it.

 

[stevotary]

It looks like the Leica 1600 B has some ballistic profiles to choose from while the g7 you can put your exact custom ballistic profile. Does the leica have enough to choose from to get a 300wm close?

 

[Greyfox]

It looks like the Leica 1600 B has some ballistic profiles to choose from while the g7 you can put your exact custom ballistic profile. Does the leica have enough to choose from to get a 300wm close?

I think that it depends on how close your load is to the profile, and the range you are shooting. For 600 yards or less you can get very close. It's harder at longer ranges. I think it's similar to using a ballistic reticle or turret. I had a Redfield that i used years ago with turrets that had ballistic profiles. I tweaked my velocities and selected bullets to get right on the profile out to 600 yards which was the max range of the turret. I have done the same thing with ballistic reticles.

 

[stevotary]

I want the G7 bad, is there a place to get deals on the? I don't know if I can swing$1600.

Does the Leica a a weather station like the G7?

I noticed for where I hunt and using my 75 degree turret my 300wm is good from 30f to 100f temp swings out to 500 yards. Its past that that there starts to be an issue with the turret if not with in 20 degrees of 75F.

 

[Archery1973]

I have the G7 BR2 and it is always on the money. It's fairly user friendly and the customer service is outstanding. Plus they have great youtube videos on instructions.

Just FYI - they are working on it to calculate coriolis and spin drift. If that is important to you, I'd hold off. They are hoping to be able to do it via upgraded software. That would be huge for me. I'm very excited cuz I need to use a drop table at 1k yards due to these two variables.

 

[DTBorden]

Too many "from what I have read"'s in the initial review. No valid content.