Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Is your rangefinder telling you what you think it is?

I often get calls concerning a laser range finder�s (LRF) accuracy, or lack thereof. 95 percent (or more) of the time, it�s a simple matter of yards vs meters, i.e., the user has a unit that he or she thinks is providing an incorrect distance (in yards) to a target, when in fact, it is either built (or programmed) to read meters. By the numbers, the quickest way to know is to ask yourself, is the unit reading approximately 10% shorter distance -than 1) you expect for a known distance or (in the case of a head to head comparison) 2) your spare (or your friend�s) rangefinder reads? If your rangefinder reads a 3D target as 36, but a measuring tape says 40 yards/120 feet, then your unit is telling you meters. The same goes for a target at a 100 yard berm coming up as 91. Likewise, if your spare (or your buddy�s) rangefinder says that a tree is 400 yards away, but the LRF in question says 360, again, it�s a meters vs. yards issue.

In the case of a Leica Rangefinder, one other quick check can tell you. Activate the unit by pressing the range button once. Do you see a red, square reticle? Or do you see a red, square reticle AND a decimal point next to it? If your reticle also has a decimal point next to it, your unit is built (or programmed) to range in meters.

The second most common cause of inaccurate readings I encounter is much less frequent. None-the-less, it can still vex the user. In this case, the problem is a misunderstanding of, or miss-alignment of, where the laser points versus the reticle. In other words, is the laser going where I think it is? Large reticles are always going to have this issue. The beam divergence of the laser will be nowhere near as big as the reticle. But, even on units with precision reticles, this can still be an issue. So, let�s figure out exactly where your laser beam is in relation to your reticle.

1) Ensure your LRF is working normally and the lenses are free from debris/obstructions.
2) Find a well-defined target with nothing behind it. This could be a STOP* sign on a hill at 50-100 yards or a bill board or water tower at 500-1000. The key is: the target's surrounding background must be clear blue sky.
3) From one side of the target or the other, but not on the target, begin ranging the sky and move progressively closer to the target in small increments** until you get a �hit�. You have just determined the outer edge of that side of your beam.
4) Repeat this process from the other side of the target and then from the top and the bottom.

*Traffic signs are not good for determining your LRF�s distance ranging capabilities. They are built to diffuse light, not to reflect it back at one place, such as a driver�s eyes.
**If your LRF is equipped with a scan mode, now is a great time to use it.

Knowing exactly where your beam is positioned in relationship to your reticle will make your rangefinding (especially at great distances) much more accurate and rewarding.

Good, maybe you can answer a question. What happened to Leica's "Goodwill Warranty"?

What was that?

Swarovski never lost it.

Back in 2008 they implemented what they called a "Goodwill Warranty" that was supposed to provide coverage for subsequent owners, etc., but it sure as [bleep] didn't last long.

SpanielDog: My Leica laser rangefinder sure impressed me here a few years ago.
I moved to Montana 16 years ago and I met and befriended a long range Elk Hunter.
He asked me to help him set up a 1,000 yards range in a level, wind protected dry wash south of our home.
Out we go armed with stakes, hammers note pads and a brand new 100' steel tape. We carefully measure off the 1,000 yard range with stakes pounded into the ground every 100 yards for interim shooting.
He sights in his "big gun" and the need for the range at the longest ranges goes dormant for several years.
A few years ago my friend buys a new long ranger Rifle and out we go to the range but our 900 and 1,000 yard stakes have disappeared!
Well actually they just got grown over and we can't find them but NOW I have my Leica laser rangefinder.
We left a vehicle at the 0 yard mark and took another out to continue looking for the 900 and 1,000 yard stakes.
I ended up using the Leica to range back to the first vehicle and determined where 900 yards was from it. I soon found the remains of the 900 yard stake there on the grassy BLM valley and it read EXACTLY 900 yards from our shooting point.
Dittoes for 1,000 yards!
I was impressed!
So when I want to know if a Prairie Dog, Rock Chuck or Antelope is within my shooting range and I think I am going to have to refer to my guns trajectory chart I pull out the Leica and I KNOW what its telling me - is the TRUTH!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

SpanielDog,

I would also like to hear about the Leica's "Goodwill Warranty"?. It did not work for me after being a loyal and repeat customer for years.

Hi Varmint Guy, thanks for the kind word! We're not perfect, but we shoot for it!

Great Waputi, Huntz, & JG, sorry for the late response to your questions. I posted this thread in my personal account instead of my work one, and then spent the next week and a half wondering why it was so quiet. I was out of town working and never dealt with my personal replies. Please use the following link to go to the repost of this thread, where it should be.

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/7806129#Post7806129

To answer your question, we had a program in place called "Good Will Warranty" for a while that was to cover warranty issues that fell outside of the realm of what was written/spelled out in our warranty. It was for folks who never filled out & registered their warranty card (something we have always required), and folks whose issue or repair wasn't covered by the letter of the warranty. I can only say that the decision was made (outside of the US) to end the program and return to our long standing policy of covering repairs as stipulated on our warranty cards. If any of you have an issue with a Leica product, and you feel you were mistreated, by all means, contact me, and I'll see if I can help. The only outcome I can promise is that I will do my best to help you, but on that, you have my word.

I've always been a fan of Leica products and was a staunch supporter on this board and others, often times trying to defend Leica customer service and telling people not to worry so much because of the "Goodwill Warranty", but no more. Too many reports of people being charged big money for repairs or being offered next to nothing in trade value and reliable reports of it taking several months for items to be repaired/returned. Also too much inconsistency with reports of one person getting great service, while others get the run-around.

I have had good experiences with Leica customer service in the past, but was recently charged for the repair and return shipping when I sent in my Geovids because they would no longer range beyond about 250 yards. Pretty sad that an item that costs so much has such a [bleep] warranty. Leica should take lessons in customer service/support from Swarovski.

Getting a straight answer from CS when I wanted to send my Trinovids in for cleaning and to have the "plug" on the focus wheel replaced was rather painful as well.

Welcome to the forum, I sincerely hope you can help people here with your presence.

It seems that the shots are still called by your euro colleagues, that the leica warranty policy hasn't change at all and that any help people might be able to get from you will be due to your goodwill efforts uphill fighting the german made leica customer service policies. It also seems to me that the guys calling the shots in germany are allergic to good service. They can sometimes pretend they can provide good customer service (goodwill warranty, aka I'm doing you a favor till I change my mind) but when such is used enough their inherent true customer service nature is put into overdrive and no mow goodwill service fo-you!). In the US we expect good customer service, we don't expect to get it intermittently and as a favor...

Again, I mean no disrespect to you, I just want to give you my view of the Leica customer service.

Aic