Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Sick of Battling LRF's

Same here, never had a problem with my Swarovski ranging through rain, fog or snow.

Yessir, sample to sample variations are a likely explanation. Frustrating for sure. Maybe you're just not holding still enough. Prolly shivering...

Reading the guy's comments- are you referring more to temp sensitivity, than 'dreary, foggy' conditions?

It's not the laser travelling through the cold air that's the problem, but the RF unit itself getting cold.

JG,

This may or may not be helpful, but I've never seen a RF that worked more reliably in all conditions that my old Bushnell Fusion 1600.

I am surprised that your geovids are working g so poorly in cold weather. That is the second or third pair that I have heard about . Mine work really well in cold conditions, as in well below zero. They are about 4 years old. I wonder what the difference between yours and mine is?

It is 16 degrees and sunny at my house right now and I just ranged to 1027 yds on a tree with no problem with my geovid hd b binos. They must have changed something in the newer ones.???

The cold wreaks havoc on em for sure. I had a Leica CRF that wouldn’t range caribou at 500 yards in the cold. I had a Zeiss PRF that wouldn’t range a wolf at 400 ish in the cold. Both incidents had temps below zero and not much above zero degrees. I’ve learned that when hunting in cold weather I keep the rangefinder in an interior pocket if I want accurate readings and performance.

Just curious, did you leave them outside in 16 degrees for a few hours and then try to do that? Or were they room temp and just went outside to see how far they’d range?

I'm not sure if if I've ever used my Zeiss PRF in below zero temps(where the device was below zero...) but I do know that it would give much faster and farther readings in fog/snow compared to an old Leica that I used to have. But this is dated info, the Zeiss must be almost 8 years old.


Supposed to be -3F tonight so I could test it in the morning.

I do know that those lithium ion batteries work a helluva lot better in cold temps compared to the standard batteries.

Anything with batteries should be carried in an interior pocket in very cold temperatures, if one wants them to work properly IMHO

I used a Leica 1200 LRF for 15 years until I sold it this year and got a Leica 2000B... the 1200 worked down well below zero, no problem. The new Leica hasn't been pushed that low, but has worked in the teens this year no problem. As good as the 1200 was, the 2000 reads more quickly, has better optics, and is lighter.

This.

Son using some new Nikon 4000 or some such with good results. I will stick with the sig.

My Geovid HD-B 3000 has been spot on to temps in the low 20’s.

I’ve got an original Sig Kilo 2000 that’s still rockin’. It’s not fussy in the least.

I had a Sig Kilo 2400 ABS that I tested rather thoroughly this summer. It was fantastic. I let the Kilo 2400 ABS go in favor of the new Geovid—weighing the convergence of two instruments rather highly (bino/LRF). I gave nothing up, with the possible exception of ballistics engine features. All I really miss is a 10 MPH wind value, but that really neither here nor there. The new Geovids range fast and accurately and the optics are superb.

Today, I just took them outside, but this time a year i am hunting coyote s 2 or three days a week for hours at a time, and I have had no issues. I hunted out of my tippi for 12 nights this year, a handful of them were pretty chilly. Again no issues.

I suspect it's the moisture in the air that's as much a problem as the temperature. We see in the 400-700 nanometer range of visible light. Laser rangefinders operate in a higher frequency range but I can't find the exact numbers except one place mentioned a bushnell rangefinder using a 905 nm. I suspect most companies keep it proprietary. Water absorbs in the 1400 nm range so if their lasers are in that range then water could interfere with it. There's also refraction from the water vapor like your headlights on a foggy night, that's what the LRF is seeing with a lot of water vapor in the air just in a different spectrum.

In the end I suspect picking the LRF rated for the most distance is going to give you the best chance of it working in less than ideal circumstances.

My Zeiss has been very reliable in light rain and light snow. I have used it down to single digits for sure and maybe even zero. The only times I have trouble was heavy snow and through glass. I’ve been really happy with it.

Jordan, the Fusion has a really good laser. It’s the funky colored bluish-green glass, and poor clarity, that was a bust IMO. I use mine only for prairie dogs...They work great ranging open spaces. 😎

JG I am not sure why you are having issues. I haven't done this in a few years but when I used to get cabin fever and get bored I used to pop over to nevada and shoot coyotes at long range from fields. Conditions were snow covered, and temps as low as -10 degrees. Although my personal threshold is about 0 these days. any below that and ummm I am staying in the truck RF units were leica geovds, second generation and second generation HD. IE not the huge brick ones but not the split hinge either. Those would range reliably on a coyote/deer etc to about 800 yards, being extra careful and with extra time,Sometimes further if the conditions were just right. The other unit I have used and currently use is the EL range 10x42. These will range 1200+ reliable and I have even ranged to 1900+ when the conditions are just right. when its snowing or sometimes if the sun is at the wrong angle I can have trouble. Certainly not in cloudy conditions. those should be your better conditions.

currently my EL range's are at swaro getting the RF unit fixed. not sure whats wrong I personally think the range button is F'd, I notice the newer ones have a different style range button. Mine are well out of warranty so hopefully the repair doesn't cost too much. Still annoying that my RF unit went down during hunting season.

I can't say this enough, I don't see how anyone hunts with a separate RF unit. both my friends and I have shot animals, even the best animals we have ever gotten because we were using RF binoculars. its simply way way faster. I would never ever ever go back to seperate.

In 2018 it is ridiculously easy to obtain a reliable laser range finder that will work fine well below 0F.

Overcast, dreary days make the lasers bounce further than bright sunny days.

Give us a budget OP so we can help you out of this dilemma.

I believe Crow Hunter has explained the failure of RFs in rain. Depending upon how far one is ranging, beam divergence becomes a real issue. At long range a tripod is necessary. Today with mid 20 degree F temps, using an older Leica 1600 CRF (tripod mounted), I ranged large rocks at 1467, 1763 and 1836 yds. The readings would not always repeat exact ranges as initially read; but I believe them to be accurate. The 1467 range has been confirmed by actual shooting using elevation data from my ballistics chart. I am sure this ranging performance would be impossible in rain.

I know that I am pretty much hated and that you probably have me on ignore but I would look at the Sigs. Sigs had many problems when they were introduced but they are my favorite now. Love the Sigs. I lost a Sig 2200 during my last sheep hunt. I was getting across a nasty muck and silt moulin and my pack had a zipper open and I lost them into the maws of the glacier. I promptly bought another 2200 after I got out. The Sig 2400 ABS is even better but it is pricey. I have a pair of Geovid 10X42 HD-Rs but I like my EL 10X42s more. Sigs work when its cold and they range larger customers that come out of walmart about 400 yards rather well. Better than other rangefinders. It ranges soft targets in snow better than other brands. I am not quite sold on the Sig scope, Sig LRF and cell phone hookup but I am researching them...