Rangefinder recommendation

[Allen Kitts]

I also had a BR2 for years and it was awesome in my opinion, a little bulky to carry around but for what it did I would not leave home without it! Now I have passed it on to my little brother and have the BR4. While it does have quite a few more features than the BR2 to fiddle with I think it is going to be even better and now it is in a considerably smaller package. For the money aI don't see how you can go wrong with this rangefinder. Good Luck

 

[BrentM]

I had a BR2 as well after moving from a leica 1600. BR2 was Too bulky and out dated. Went to a Sig 2400. Went through 4 and finally had enough bs. Now using a leica 3200 bino/lrf combo and super happy. Leica laser is legit but they are lacking in some features that may or may not be overly important. I do pair my binos to a kestrel for shots over 1000 but anything inside of that is all leica ballistics. If you decide to pair the kestrel all the time then you get dynamic wind features and shoot to solution in the HUD. That's not important enough to me to worry about. I use my own wind short cuts and solutions and rarely ever need it to come from a device. The only issue there is that you really have to understand your rifles external ballistics intimately. If you are messing with 5 plus different rifles all the time with majorly different ballistics it might be too overwhelming. So if you really want wind features you'll likely need to run the revic. I would imagine you'll be happy either way, both legit products.

 

[WahooYahoo]

The BR4 is extremely easy to use and needs no other devices to be spot-on accurate.
Leica makes very good glass, but as a rangefinder/ calculator, the BR4 is the best option available, hands down.

BR4 - Beam divergence is 0.2x1.6
Leica 3500 - beam divergence is 0.5x1.7
That's enough all by its self to give the nod to the BR 4

I'm firing my follow up shot before my buddy is done screwing with his apps.

For anyone who is considering a daisy chain of other gadgetry, consider what it's worth to have a fully developed shooting solution, with one device, in the time it takes to get a range measurement.
Now consider why you'd spend any money to on something that requires multiple inputs on multiple devices while your bull walks into the timber.

 

[landonm]

I'm clearly biased (work for Gunwerks), but I'll tell you the wind features on the BR4 are one of the best things about it. With base wind set at 5 or 10mph it'll get you good wind holds on 90% of shots you'll ever need without even batting an eye or needing to pull out a wind meter. Oftentimes hunting you just don't have time to pull out a wind meter and mess with an extra unit (that may or may not be paired at the moment). I carry just a simple wind meter in the pocket or hip belt of the pack and may pull it out for a tough shot or when time allows, but oftentimes making wind calls on the fly (and observing it constantly throughout the day).

When it does come down to needing a more fine tuned wind call, it's extremely intuitive with the arrow buttons on the rangefinder to set a wind direction and speed. Near instant whether you're estimating that wind or pulling it off a wind meter.

IMO the Revic system is far more foolproof and versatile, especially in hunting scenarios where things tend to get rushed.

 

[SteveBurton]

For anyone who is considering a daisy chain of other gadgetry, consider what it's worth to have a fully developed shooting solution, with one device, in the time it takes to get a range measurement.
Now consider why you'd spend any money to on something that requires multiple inputs on multiple devices while your bull walks into the timber.

This is the main reason I am looking at the BR4. My BR2 has worked great for many years but it's time for an upgrade.

 

[smokey3]

I also have the BR2 and it works great. However I also agree with what others have said in the fact that it's bulky. I'm going to upgrade to the BR4 at some point after watching the videos on it.

 

[BrentM]

As far as the daisy chain comments etc. There are several units that don't require multiple devices. As far as the br4, you still need a wind meter if you don't know how to read wind speed. It's not needed but as mentioned if you wish to play with a wind feature and have time to mess with it, br4 included, then it's worth a look. I never used it on my br2, Sig's, and rarley use an app. With any device using a ballistics computer it will range and give you a solution to shoot. The main issue is if you want to toggle wind features. Leica doesn't offer it. I find it odd but Leica durability makes it an excellent option. Now that the br4 is actually compact it's hard to pass it up. My br2 was bomb proof just grossly oversized

 

[Radman]

I'm down to two choices - Gunwerks Revic BR4 or Leica 3500. The price is basically the same. Will be used for hunting mainly with my 300 PRC. My hunting shots are under 700-800 yards. However, I like to stretch the PRC out in the summer.

I probably know the least about the Revic. From the videos, it looks like it's a very clunky process to enter wind data with a button and the internal screen. This is probably my biggest hang up on this one for a hunting situation. It's also a bit heavier.

I'm leaning toward the Leica. I already use Applied Ballistics on my phone. The Leica will Bluetooth to an upper level Kestrel also using AB. I'm familiar with AB and comfortable with it. The best I can tell I won't have to manually enter any data to get a firing solution with this combo. Of course, I will have to buy a BT compatible Kestrel so that makes this the most expensive option.

Any recommendations or first hand experience?

I am not qualified to answer your specific inquiry but I DO know that my experience with Leica cameras was always first-rate! (NOT bashing Gunwerks at all)

 

[skipglo]

The BR4 has 2 wind modes, Base Wind and Vector Based Wind. In Base Wind mode you select ahead of time what you want the speed to be in mph. It assumes the wind is a full value, so if you pick 1 mph the correction you see in the display is going to be for a 1 mph 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock wind. This is similar to the old BR2 wind estimate feature, but it shows it in a single display with elevation when you press fire. Base wind doesn't include the various higher level computations like spin drift or aero jump. Revic suggests the Base Mode for lower wind values on shots less than 1000 yards. So if you range a deer say at 550 yards Horizontal range and you have preset for 1 mph you will see the elevation for 550 yards Horizontal range and a 1 mph full value correction at 550 yards Horizontal. If you measured or estimated wind at 4 mph you would multiply the 1 mph MOA correction by 4 if its a full value. If its a angled 4 mph wind then you use some fraction of the 4.

The other wind mode is called Vector Mode. You use the menu button and 2 arrow buttons to set the clock direction of the wind and the estimated speed then press and hold the Fire button to get the elevation and wind correction. This mode includes all the advanced ballistics features for wind.

With any system you intend to use to estimate wind correction I suggest you monitor the wind in real-time as you are hunting to have a constant idea of what the wind is doing so you are not scrambling to make an estimate of direction/force value/speed etc. As we are glassing I constantly watch the wind and keep an idea of value/speed in my mind so if a shot becomes available it doesn't take long to set up.

Time to contact Gunwerks and ask for your commission....great explanation!

 

[vancewalker007]

Time to contact Gunwerks and ask for your commission....great explanation!

Right, I'll get Aaron on the phone ... haha

 

[anwahs]

I recently acquired the Revic BR4. Having owned/used several RF's(BR2, Sig 2400, Terrapin's, Leica's), IMO, it is an outstanding ballistic rangefinder! The laser pics up non-reflective targets/game out to 2000 yards with the ease and speed that my others range at <500 yards…With a "single" push of the button. As to wind, near/far, temperature overrides, and other time critical controls used in a hunting situation, it's very fast and easy with the on-board controls. The ballistic calculator, whether programmed for med-LR, or ELR applications is nuts on, and duplicates the outputs of my AB based devices to within .25MOA given the same inputs/conditions. As to changing rifle profiles in the field, I doubt you will find a device that is faster or easier. A small detail, but I'm still on my original battery. I would have gone through one or two battteries with any of my other RF's with comparable use! Too soon to tell but I'm hopeful the BR4 is as consistent and reliable as my 10+ year old BR2 has been…A distinguishing difference compared to other RF's I have owned.
IMO, it's well worth a serious look.

Thanks Greyfox. What is the maximum distance the BR4 will give a firing solution?

 

[Chamberman]

I'm down to two choices - Gunwerks Revic BR4 or Leica 3500. The price is basically the same. Will be used for hunting mainly with my 300 PRC. My hunting shots are under 700-800 yards. However, I like to stretch the PRC out in the summer.

I probably know the least about the Revic. From the videos, it looks like it's a very clunky process to enter wind data with a button and the internal screen. This is probably my biggest hang up on this one for a hunting situation. It's also a bit heavier.

I'm leaning toward the Leica. I already use Applied Ballistics on my phone. The Leica will Bluetooth to an upper level Kestrel also using AB. I'm familiar with AB and comfortable with it. The best I can tell I won't have to manually enter any data to get a firing solution with this combo. Of course, I will have to buy a BT compatible Kestrel so that makes this the most expensive option.

Any recommendations or first hand experience?

The BR4 is simply awesome. You will have NO regrets!

 

[schamsy33]

I had a Leica 3500 and Kestrell 5700 AB combo last year and it worked well when it worked. The problem was a complete lack of confidence in the pairing of those two units in a hunting situation where time is of the essence.

Leica has confirmed there are erratic pairing issues due to the magnesium housing and the Bluetooth connectivity. The reasoning is beyond my understanding, but I experienced the issues often enough that I couldn't put my faith in the system during a hunting situation.

I sold both the 3500 and Kestrel and now have a BR4 that works amazing as a stand alone unit. Like others have stated, the wind function of the BR4 is one of its greatest benefits. Not to mention it being an ultimately cheaper solution than a 3500 and Kestrel.

 

[BrentM]

I had a Leica 3500 and Kestrell 5700 AB combo last year and it worked well when it worked. The problem was a complete lack of confidence in the pairing of those two units in a hunting situation where time is of the essence.

Leica has confirmed there are erratic pairing issues due to the magnesium housing and the Bluetooth connectivity. The reasoning is beyond my understanding, but I experienced the issues often enough that I couldn't put my faith in the system during a hunting situation.

I sold both the 3500 and Kestrel and now have a BR4 that works amazing as a stand alone unit. Like others have stated, the wind function of the BR4 is one of its greatest benefits. Not to mention it being an ultimately cheaper solution than a 3500 and Kestrel.

Interesting. I only use the connection past 1000. For the op he's sub 700 so pairing really isn't an issue. The Leica custom ballistics profile is good to go. I agree that the pairing is not desireable in the end. They could have bypassed all that bs easily, just chose not to