First Impressions

The device itself is a little bigger than my old Leica LRF. The built in tripod mount on the bottom sticks down another 5/8� or so and has a dovetail built into for ??? The eyepiece is comfortable and easy to focus- easiest I have yet used in fact.
There are 4 buttons on top to operate it. The instruction manual is quite a volume and was somewhat confusing and redundant. I tried to set some of the features up using the manual and was totally lost. I found it easier to trial and error the thing.
I input a ballistic profile into it which requires using the 4 buttons in varying sequences. I erased my profile five or six times before I figured it out. I could do it again much faster now. This would certainly be easier with a computer linked to it!
I only had part of a day to play with it today so I drove to the edge of town where I could overlook a desert area. It was 2:00pm and bright sunlight. According to the manual, it can read out to 2500 yards and give you a ballistic solution out to 1400.
I was able to range out to 1616 yard on a white pipe gate. The gate was approximately with the sun at my back. I stood on top of my tool box and used shooting sticks to stabilize it. This proved to be very stable. I was able to get a ballistic solution out to 1229 yards on a horse trailer. I could not get a ballistic solution beyond 1229 yards.
I had no problem ranging a rider on a horse at 318 yards, saguaro cactus out to 700. I ranged a scrubby palo verde tree at 1466 but got no solution.
At one point I was ranging various things and it inexplicably quit giving me ranges. I couldn�t even get a large tree at 150 yards. I figured it was done. I waited a minute for it to time out and started over. I began working again just fine.
I tried several times to get a large while water tank which proved to be 1229 yards away. I had to put it in �Far� mode before I could get this. I was not able to get a large pile of asphalt millings behind it.
I thought that the bright sun was keeping it from working. Up to this point, all my ranging had been with the sun predominantly to my back. I spun around and ranged to within 20 degrees of the afternoon sun. I was able to get street signs out to 1185 and a tin roof at 1065. I was impressed that it could do this in bright sun!
I tried to range a number of items at longer ranges but the 1616 yard gate was the most distant thing I got a reading on. I tried to range a Robinson R22 flying towards me. I would not give me a reading, even when it passed within 200 yards of me. I guess it doesn�t like moving targets.

I haven�t compared the ballistic solutions that I got to my known dope yet but that is next. I would like to get out again next week and use it where I can find more intermediate (1000-1400 yards) targets to see where the ballistic solution part of this rangefinder really cuts out. I was to see how it does in poor light too!
At this point I am reserving judgment but I don�t like how complicated it is and the fact that it just quit working at one point bothered me. It reaches out better than any other range finder I have tested here but I didn�t get anywhere near the 2000 yd readings that Joel did.


I took some photos of the stuff I ranged and will get them added to this a little later.

NRA Benefactor Member

Those who live by the sword get shot by those who don't.