Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Long Range Hunting how do you range?

LRF/crosshair intersection.

Because nothing is more precise................

While Milling works well on targets of a known fixed size, you don't have that luxuary with deer or other game...

For many years I used the older Leica LRF 1200 and found it to be very reliable at giving readings in difficult conditions. The only thing I dislike is that it lacks a thread to mount it on a tripod, but thats only a minor issue.

Regards,

Peter

There's numerous aftermarket routes,from which to realize a tripod socket.

I like using it from my hindlegs...and have slummed the Leica 1200 LRF from inception.................

I hunt coyotes frequently during the winter out here in So. CO, and get the opportunity to reticle-range antelope quite often with many ballistic and rangefinding reticles. According to my notes i'm running right around 90% success (within 3% of lasered range) out to between 400 and 500 yds.

Here's a quote of the point blank range rangefiding system that i calculate for all my reticles. I used it once only in the field for coyotes and it worked--

"Here's an extremely good example of how reticle-ranging could've helped a buddy get his buck antelope a couple years ago. He'd put a long stalk on a bedded antelope when the buck caught his movement and jumped out of his bed alerted (couple days into the season when they're always a bit touchy). My buddy was using a 6.5-20x Leupold with the fine Duplex reticle. Now if i were using that optic i'd have calcd. a power that the optic could've been turned down to while hunting where he could use the plex post tips as a quick point blank range rangefinding tool. If the buck gives u a quick shot just bracket it and if it fits, aim dead center and shoot or hold a little high--whatever. So instead of having that little A-I-T-H up his sleeve my buddy tried to range it from the prone position with his laser, but he couldn't get a reading. He finally had to sit up and get a reading then lay back down and take the shot. He thought the buck was 300+ yds. away from prone looking thru the grass. As it turned out it was only about 1/2 the distance. Can u believe that buck didn't spook? It didn't, and he killed it. But he was really lucky with that animal 3 days into the hunt. They usually don't wait around that long. Had he had a 250 yd. +/- (whatever it was for his load/tgt. size) point blank range reticle rangefinding system established with the reticle he would have seen that it would've been way bigger than the gap and he could've gotten the shot off in a tenth the time he did using the laser."

There is some viability to the stuff, tho applied very infrequently in the field since the lasers came out. I'm not saying it's perfect, but it's waayyy better than guessing.

There is some satisfaction in knowing how to apply the optic to it's greatest potential, if a shooter needs to. While investigating reticle rangefinding, i'd often thought that it should also define downrange zeroing as well, since a tgt. size is really the same sort of dimension as a trajectory. Sure enuf it works perfectly. The mil-ranging formula is just the geometric formula that defines the law of equal triangles, and is used for many angular calculations.

A "Testimonial" by an idiot,ain't much of a Sales Pitch.

Few could confuse 150yds for 300..................

pale white cracker sure sounds familiar....

I reckon he prolly shoots a bit and sandbags even more................

Obviously the quickest way and if it works, (and it will most times) no problem...But when the distance really stretches out, and seeing as your spotting scope already has a tripod, that bushing would allow the possibility of a bit of extra precision if needed..Not a deal killer because it's missing, but a nice added touch if it were there...

If you can recommend ony particular "after market" solution, I'd be very interested..

I got one of these this fall. Works very, very, well. Before the Swaro I used my scope. Actually worked fairly well too. The scope is a nightforce with the NP R2 reticle. The reticle is divided in MOA multiple increments, I use a laminated cheat sheet.

Poor Boy fix? JB weld a nut to the housing.

There are numerous nylon/velcro wraps that wear a socket,if you'd prefer...............

Ranging at great distance is difficult without tripod or something to lean it on.
I have the latest Swaro and it is tripod friendly.
Not sure how this quizmo works but if you move just a little bit you don't get areading. You have to hold steady for what seems an eternity sometimes to get that range reading.

I'm on my 5th LRF now,upgrading all the while as new releases were unveiled.

Have yet to want to drive one from a tripod,but I do not suffer Palsey.................

Probably not Big Stick, but the 1 thing u do suffer from is the uncanny ability to piss people off. U know the 2 bravest places in the world r the telephone and the Internet, because u don't have to stare people in the face when u confront them. They make a wimp a gladiator.

7mmfreak I don't know what unit you're with, or if you are issued them, but if I had to choose between a leupold spotter and the Vector 21 with the attached power booster and everything else you can do with it I'd leave the leupold at home. MELIOS is way to big I agree.

I'm much better in person and have long put on countless LRF displays from the hindlegs.

Very old news....................

Not to change the subject...

I am still on a quest for a fairly affordable LRF that is proven and reliable to one honest mile. Perhaps someone already mentioned one but I must have forgotten or missed it.

LRF's are getting better and pricing is coming down.

In another 5yrs,it'll be rather amazing.................

The technology is out there now, but companies are limited by various laws as to what strength laser they can use on products meant for the civilian market..

For me at least, my ballistics have outrun my optics and instrumentation! LOL

But seriously; Bruce Baer up the road a piece, shot a deer at one clean mile about three years ago. He told me about it and it just kinda stuck in my mind. But its the optics and ranging that scares me off of the quest so far. In all honesty I am only comfortable with my optics out to 800 yards for now.

When the wife ain't looking sometime next year.... A nightforce and some kind of rangefinder is on my radar screen.

Heres a couple of links that might interest those looking to laser beyond a mile:

Leica Vector

POCKET LASER RANGEFINDER UPDATE

Note the date on the second paper; things have certainly moved on since then!