Leica LRF 800

[stephenk22]

Hey guys. I'm going to do diy pronghorn hunt this fall for as cheap as possible.

I have found these on eBay for between $200-$250. For that price range would these be a good purchase? Or am I kidding myself that I can get a decent rangefinder to hunt pronghorn with for that price.

 

[Bambistew]

I have a lrf 900, and have used it for probably 10-12 years now. No complaints. I'm not sure the difference in specs of thre 800 to 90 besides the obvious. For that price, I don't think I'd be disappointed if the only difference ws 100 meters.

I use mine a lot on the golf course, and can range the flag at 300+ yards, much over that I can't hold it steady enough on a small target.

On realy flat featureless terrain it has itS challenges, but I suspect they all do. Same with non ideal weather conditions.

 

[VAspeedgoat]

The only difference between it and the crf is just the size. The crf is a bit smaller and can be used one handed at moderate ranges. The lrf is just as accurate and would be a good bargain. The good thing is that if you want to upgrade, put it back on ebay and you will get close to all of your money back. It should serve you well close to the 800 yards on the name IF you can keep it stable. I found mine to be good to around 600 without any problems. Though I have ranged stuff in the clear much farther than that.

The best thing about leica rangfinders is the beam is smaller and theredore has less divergence or interference than cheaper models. Picture a flashlight on a table. Flat land, sage, and grass all play havoc on rangefinders in proghorn country.

 

[1_pointer]

I would personally be a bit leery of buying a rangefinder off of ebay for a couple of reasons. 1. quite a bit of gray market goods are sold there and 2. (which is related to #1) the warranty on most all rangefinders is not near like what they offer on other optics (most being 2yrs on electronics). Those two alone would have me consider getting a new one from a reputable dealer. For another $100 you can get a brand new Leupold 1000i from a dealer and know you have the full warranty. I have one and have been very pleased with it. If the $100 is too much, there are new models out there in your price range that would be completely serviceable unless you want to shoot really long. Just my take.

 

[sbhooper]

It depends on how far that you intend to shoot. That range finder will do just fine for normal distances. The price is pretty darn good for a Leica. If you want to go real far, the Sig Sauer Kilo 2000 is really making a splash for its precision at a reasonable price.

 

[stephenk22]

Thanks for the input.

I don't plan on shooting much past 200 yards. Having never hunted open landscapes (or pronghorns) I know I will have problems judging distances and just need something to get a reading within 200 yards accurately.

Ive heard a lot of guys like using rangefinders for seeing how far the next ridge is which is the benefit in having a rangefinder that can read 500+

 

[VAspeedgoat]

Thanks for the input.

I don't plan on shooting much past 200 yards. Having never hunted open landscapes (or pronghorns) I know I will have problems judging distances and just need something to get a reading within 200 yards accurately.

Ive heard a lot of guys like using rangefinders for seeing how far the next ridge is which is the benefit in having a rangefinder that can read 500+

I think thats the thing a lot of people don't think about. I am a less than 300 guy, but I might need to range a rock at 300 and a pronghorn at 600 to know how to plan a stalk. When you range with a cheaper rangefinder and it can't give you a range, you have no idea how much closer you need to get. I think you'll do fine with the used leica, its only drawback will be the bulkiness but you can upgrade to a crf model later. Between me and my hunting buddies, we've bought 3 from ebay used and they were great.

 

[JohnCushman]

For that price range you can get a new Bushnell or Nikon from Bass Pro Shop and have a warranty. I'm always leary of buying used electronics off of ebay. Hell, I would even go with a wildgame innovations before I bought one off of ebay. As has already been stated, for a little more money, you can get a much better quality rangefinder, since once you come out west once, you'll be back

 

[mtmuley]

The LRF is the model that preceded the CRF series. It's big, heavy and outdated, but works very well. I too would look at some of the more recent models. Sometimes the Leica CRF 1200 comes up at a good price. It's one of the better rated rangefinders made. The tech changes quickly on items like rangefinders. Figure out what ypou want it to do, then research. Alot. mtmuley

 

[RobertR]

I've had and used them all from bushnell,nikon,luepold and leica. Out of the first three the Luepold is the best but no matter the size any leica out performs for reliably reading past 400 yards. My son has used votex and they read consistently past 800 yards. I'm waiting to see what the reviews on the new sig rangefinder is which reads farther than the leica 1600 and the price is around $500. No matter the range finder light conditions are everything when reading past 400 yards and in really bright conditions most have trouble past the 400 yard mark.

 

[sbhooper]

I've had and used them all from bushnell,nikon,luepold and leica. Out of the first three the Luepold is the best but no matter the size any leica out performs for reliably reading past 400 yards. My son has used votex and they read consistently past 800 yards. I'm waiting to see what the reviews on the new sig rangefinder is which reads farther than the leica 1600 and the price is around $500. No matter the range finder light conditions are everything when reading past 400 yards and in really bright conditions most have trouble past the 400 yard mark.

I have a friend that is an outdoor magazine editor. After using the Sigs, they ditched all of their Nikons.

The Sigs have already built quite a following, ranging distances that are amazing for a $500 unit. I will definitely have one before next season.

 

[RobertR]

Sig's spec's are pretty impresive. I'm thinking my birthday is not far off, there could be a sig if I do a lot of honey doos :hump:

http://www.sigoptics.com/product/kilo2000/

 

[pawhitetail]

I'm planning on getting the sig kilo. It ranges pretty far has a good warranty and if you shop some you can get them for close to $400.