Leica Rangefinder Problems

[cmfi3]

This morning was opening day here in western Oregon for blacktails. Woke up this morning with pouring rain which makes for some excellent hunting, problem is I could't get my rangefinder to range more than 175 yards during some of the rain showers we had. My rangefinder has been real consistant out to 1100 yards, but this is the first time I've had it out in the rain and I know that the rain messes with these things but I didn't realize that bad, is this common or is there something wrong with my CRF 1200?

 

[ICANHITHIMMAN]

I have a Leica 1200 scan and I find I have the same probloms. Some days it works great and others it just plain SUX. It seams to work better when it is overcast,first thing in the morning or right before the sun sets. I have never tryed it in the rain.

 

[ba19500]

I bought a new scan model and tried it for about 3 months. Here some problems:

Some examples:
I used a tri-pod or car rest for most situations, after reading the laser ranging information in the Ultimate Sniper book.
It wouldn't range my pickup truck or white barn at 1050 yards. Nor would it range on a steep hillside, big brush pile, or large timber at that distance. (new battery)
Wouldn't range on a black full grown cow at 400 yards, but it would on trees next to it, even though the low battery light never came on.
On an overcast day it would sometimes range on a cow at 600 yards.
It won't range on much of anything past 700-800 yards except large buildings and very iffy at that.
I got it to range on a big white building at 1205 a few times on overcast day.

The button seems hard to push introducing shaking with of course detracts from the accuracy. I doubt it would range well on deer and coyotes even at closer ranges since it has trouble with small buildings too.

7/13 I put a new battery in even though it wasn't blinking a low bat warning light.
Got one 1170 yard reading on a white barn.
2 two story buildings wouldn't range past 750-850.
Cows very intermittent at 580
Maybe 8-10 two story houses, barns, and silos wouldn't range past 800.

7/14 Calm wind tripod

Ranged ok a few times at about 1000 at big white barn than it quit. Wouldn't range on house or silos same distance
Ranged white two story house at 600 2x than quit. Wouldn't range tan or gray houses same distance. Wouldn't range a turkey at 11 yards.

I called Leica and told them and they said to send it back. THEY REPLACED IT, but I had to pay the shipping charges.

The newer one is better but I'm still not completely satisfied with it.

Yesterday morning there was some patchy, very low lying fog and it ranged one tree at about 450 yards and nothing else from there out. I was ranging over the fog. Another day after a rain it wouldn't work on targets (say 400+) like it did on dryer days. Very few readings at all.

It ranges on a stop sign at about 1050 yards but not on white barns at the same distance. It has ranged on some metal buildings at 1225 a few times. Usually at 1000 + it gets iffy on anything, whether it is overcast or sunny. This about all I can remember without checking my records. It does a better job on cows than the first one.

It seems as though, with either one, they range the first few times on a target than fizzle out, like it drains the battery temporarily, like a camera.

I can get too picky at times on performance, but after reading about others glowing reports it makes me wonder. These are the only rangefinders I've had any experience with.

 

[tjonh2001]

the thing that most people get confused on is that the 1200 will only range that far with a reflective target that is almost 3 ft square. most range finders will give you your actual numbers in there manual.

your range finders also dont perform in the rain because its like shooting a light through a prism. it shoots the laser all over. its just like if you get a speeding ticket in the rain all you have to do is prove it was raining when the cop radored you and you are clear.

 

[JPRITT]

One thing to keep in mind is a rangefinder is just like a flashlight. Anytime something is in the air to obstruct it like rain or fog it will be less effective. also on bright days, like a flashlight, it wont work as well because the beam is saturated with other light. just my 2 pennies.

 

[ba19500]

Most of my targets at 800 or more are large metal silos, aluminum painted buildings, white metal or white wood barns and it still won't range well at 1000+ on clear or overcast days.