can I expect a significant improvement ranging coyotes out to 1000 yards with a g7 compared to a Leica? Terrain is mostly rolling stubble fields with snow cover. Thanks in advance for anyone that has actually used the 2 against each other in this type of setting.
I'd be interested to know also, and have the Leica Geovid added to the comparison list.
Kaiser Norton
I can't speak to the first two, but the new Leica he b.s. will range just about anything for very long distances.
I too have same question, The G7 looks nice but cannot see how with lower power it can range as good as the Leica Geovid, Be harder to pick a spot with less power at 1000yds I would think
I don't know about you, but this Sig rangefinder has me intrigued. Where else can you spend $500 on a rangefinder and get all the options it offers:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQu1NJNV1c4http://www.opticsplanet.com/sig-sauer-sok16701.html
David do you like yours?
I need a new LRF.
David do you like yours?
I need a new LRF.
Bob,
Can't say - I just placed the order this afternoon! I was very impressed with Drummond's posts. I'll post more when I get it...
David
OK thanks. Look forward to that.
I have an older Leica and gave me fits ranging deer in the open in Kansas last week.Time to catch up.
Good thread. I need to buy a range finder one of these days.
I am amazed at the Sig. It ranged better than a pair of Leica RF binos and it smoked the 1600
For the money it's a no brainer IMO
Does it have a built in inclinometer?
I just watched the video. It does! No cosine's is nice.
I've run the 1600, 1600B, G7 and now the Leica 10x HD-B's. They all range quite well when it comes to pure ranging ability. The 1600 and 1600B use 12 different ballistic curves where you choose the one that is closest to your rifles ballistics. The G7 and HD-B's actually allow user input for exact dope output.
Alan
Good thread. I need to buy a range finder one of these days.
LOL
I'm thinking hard about getting one of those new cellular phone thingys
The Sig 2000 spanks the 1600b with ease. I have easily ranged cows and deer out to 1300 yards. A hill-side at 1800 and reflective targets at 3200 yards.
I have only used several Bushnells, a Leupold and the Leica 1600B. I haven't used the G7. I'm sure it is a great piece but I can't ask for anything more than the 1600B offers. It is amazing to me. It has one of the smallest, if not the smallest beam convergence in the industry making picking out small targets at a distance easy.
I can range objects to 1600 yards every time under any conditions and can range out past 2000 yards regularly. I think my furthest has been 2800 yards on a car. I'm happy to just get 1000 yards and that is a piece of cake with this rangefinder no matter if it is clear or overcast. This year I lasered my bull elk at about 2000 yards and made a stalk on him to 530 where I took him. I kept checking distances as I got closer, 1200 then 880 then 650 and finally 530 was as close as I could get. I have regularly ranged deer without a problem well past 1000. I personally don't need more than this other than for fun as I won't shoot past 600 on an animal and rarely that far if I can help it. It is fun to play with though and use for long range steel at the range.
As far as allowing user input and giving you actual horizontal distance, that is why the 1600B was invented. It allows this, which I prefer. I have no use for a pre-made ballistic profile as they are not as accurate as knowing your own rifle and drop, but if you are into that then this rangefinder allows that too.
Like I said I haven't tried the G7 or even the Sig but can't ask for anything more that the Leica offers, plus it pretty tiny.
Just my experience.
i experimented with the older version g7 and a leica 1600 over the weekend. i've also tested the newer g7 briefly. my findings are very similar to those discussed in this review even though it was with a 1200. i'll post my summary when i have a little more time.
g7 vs leica
I am happy with the humble 1600B.
I bought one for each of the two guys I hunt with.
Actually, I am not that generous. It comes from forgetting mine 900 miles away and having to order a spare.
760,
The 1200 and the 1600 Leica are pretty nice. I am sure the SIG is nice too. Never tried one however the HD-B Geovids are very nice. Pre programmed in case that works for the operator or program any ballistic curve on the mini card that goes in the battery compartment.
Reports in MOA, Mils, 1/3 and 1/4 MOA in clicks and yards or meters reporting true horizontal distance. The Geovid 10 x 42's are 8 oz. heavier than the Ultravid 10 x 42 but eliminate having to carry a rangefinder (8oz for a 1200 Leica) making the weight a wash.
The convenience of having a pair of binoculars with HD glass in them and the rangefinder capability of the Geovid is awful nice. The advantages in the field hunting are obviously only one piece of equipment is needed to do everything except shoot the target.
The ranging capability is as good as a 1200 and a 1600 Leica and in a head to head with a G7 worked just as well. The ability to get on small targets at long range with a pair of 10 power binoculars and range the target is an easier process than doing it with a monocular in 7 power with an objective lens focusing feature.
The 1600B Leica has the same capability as the Geovid HD-B and in hunting and long range plate match shooting is more than adequate as I am sure the SIG would be and as is the G7.
Back in October I worked the Allegheny Sniper Challenge helping the promoter shuttle shooters and got to see a lot of nice equipment including G7's and Leica 1600B's. G7 is physically larger than the Leica. Dave Preston won the Challenge and I am not sure what rangefinder he relied on.
He was shooting on the Hawk Hill Barrel team and both the G7 and Leica 1600B were used by the shooters. Glad to see SIG involved now as the competition will work well for all of us.
Dave
i just came into possession of an older (original) g7. it seems to eat batteries… FAST. i went through 3 of the cr123s over the weekend just playing around with it. when it’s low, i get an error 36, the manual says that’s an inclination error, which should not have occurred from the experimenting i was doing. after messing with factory resets and other attempts, the low battery signal finally came on. a new battery seemed to fix it… until i tried it the next morning. the manual says it’s low end range of operating temp is 32 degrees. it was 29 outside, and i kept getting error 36 again. that could be a major problem.
comparing it to the leica 1600, the g7 display is blocky and all the reticles are big and clunky. with the continuous targeting mode, it’s easy to range something like a feeder or blind and determine where in the reticle the laser is hitting as you move it around. if you’re off the target you get stuff way behind it. however, if you’re ranging animals and miss, you will probably get brush right behind it and could easily retrieve the wrong yardage. the ranging laser on my unit occurs in the middle of the bottom block of the reticle, not the open space in the center. once i determined that, i ranged animals and brush out to 1,000 yards easily and dense brush piles out to over 1800 yards with both units. the leica reticles definitely make me feel like i’m actually hitting my target. when i was confident i had a good range, both units delivered very close and consistent results.
i programmed a couple of the settings for the moa readout. that’s a nice feature for me since i had been using the leica for the yardage and looking up the moa on a phone app. throw in the reading glasses i need to read the table, and the moa readout of the g7 was looking pretty good. i noticed the setup didn’t require bullet caliber or weight. i guess it doesn’t need it as long as it has the bullet’s bc. however, when setting up the unit for horizontal range, those variables are required.
perhaps i wasn't hitting the correct button at the right time, but it seemed like when i selected a particular pre-programmed setup, i had to exit the same as if i just programmed that selection. that is, it is supposed to take about 14 seconds to calculate the ballistics, according to the manual. mine actually took about 20 seconds. now being an old bowhunter, i’d like to think i’m pretty patient. i can live with that when programming it, but unless i was doing something wrong, that's ridiculous to wait that long just to select it.
when i look through the unit, i’m ready to range. if the reticle is too bright or dark, i want to change it immediately. unfortunately i have to enter program mode and then use the arrow buttons. they have changed that with the new unit, and you can adjust the brightness immediately with the arrow buttons. the new unit also handles mils as well as moa, has a tighter beam divergence which ranges farther and also boasts better algorithms.
the glass in both units was decent. i think the leica is 6x and the g7 is 7x but it wasn’t a noticeable difference to me. the g7 seemed clearer in the dark morning but the leica seemed brighter in the daylight. neither was at a disadvantage that i could tell.
i really wanted to like the g7, but it had too many problems for me to depend on it. when i’m ranging something far away, i usually have time to check the ballistic app anyway. i’d just rather not if i didn’t have to. if i had to choose one or the other i’d take the leica even if they were the same price. if the g7 worked as expected i might change my mind, but i certainly don’t see twice the value at twice the price.
djones,
I respect that there are men who like the G7 and I think the newer model was what I have seen used. It worked well but in a situation you eluded to in your post. Plenty of time, on a rest, and the team using the G7 used a 1600B to compare to. Both of them always agreed to within a yard and most times were exactly the same.
The Leica 1600 is about as bullet proof for a hunting unit as is out there. Others are good and the Leica is at the top end of rangefinders in price. I have a 1200 that I have had for several years that works perfect and early this year I decided no more messing with my Shooter App on my IPhone while hunting and no more messing with a dope card.
Narrowed my choices to a 1600B or a Geovid HD-B. Both great products . Held my nose and bought the Geovids which are a pair of 10x42 Leica's with HD glass in them and a 1600 range finder with all the ballistic bells and whistles including weather, inclination, and the ability to read off of a mini SD card programmed with the ballistics of whatever rifle and bullet combination a guy chooses to use.
When compared to my friends 1600B there is a little difference in the ability to range as it seemed to both him and me the laser in the binocular was slightly stronger. Could have been though because it is easier to get on something to range it with the binoculars.
I really like both the 1600B and the Geovids. The G7 is a little to big to suit me for a hunting unit even though it is a fine range finder.
Dave