Leica 1600b- Want your feedback

[azhuntnut]

Thinking of buying the Leica 1600b. I would like to hear opinions from guys that own one. What do you think of the ballistic program? I have had a Leica in the past and liked the optics and red image. David

[Redman]

i have a 1600B, my friend has the Sig Kilo 2000- go with the Sig and get a shooting app for you smart phone.

[lancetkenyon]

I love mine. Small, lightweight, good image, accurate, narrow beam at distance. I have ranged non-reflective targets out to 1800+.

[Shedhunteraz]

I have both two days in a row archery hunting last week in the snow and fog my sig would not range, 7 yds every time. Brought out my Leica. Range the same tree where i had nice coues buck and read correct distance. Depends on you want and can afford. Or do you want to have to pull your smart phone out and be able to say i have an app for this too. Cant go wrong either way. i Prefer the the Leica. Sig cost me two bucks on two different days.

[azmetalman]

Everyone has their favorite. Nothing is better than the one you are using and comfortable with. Personal preference and practice in the field has a lot to do with it. I had a Leica 1000 for a number of years and sold it when I purchased the Leica 1600b last year. I have never looked back. Leica optics and glass are some of the very best out there and have worked well for me. This particular range finder is my 3rd in 20 years and to date is the best. It is compact and easy to use. As for the question about the Leica ballistic program it uses a specific data set that probably won't match your load. I don't use it. Like many others I tape a range card on the stock of any rifle I plan to use. That is quicker and easier than running through an app when it comes time to shoot. As a backup I carry a laminated card in my shirt pocket that also holds the 1600b. There are many apps for smart phones that work well. I use the Shooter app most of the time but run calculations for typical situations in my chosen hunting area long before the hunt. This method has never let me down. As mentioned by lancekenyon the 1600b will reach out and accurately range targets further than you will be shooting. The narrow laser beam is a big deal. It will save you a lot of grief at long range. Hope this helps.

[Zeke-BE]

I have the 1600B and love the beam. I think the farthest I hit was 2300 yards, and hitting 500-1200 yards is never a problem. The hardest thing to hit is when the sun rays are right in line with your laser you will have a hard time picking it up, but same with everything else. From what I've read you can't input your ballistics into it. You pick one thats closest to your rifle, or you do the strait line of sight and the 1600B will tell you the degree of angel and you can put that into your app. If Im wrong about the ballistic I would like to hear how to do it from someone who has done it.

[Redman]

I have the 1600B and love the beam. I think the farthest I hit was 2300 yards, and hitting 500-1200 yards is never a problem. The hardest thing to hit is when the sun rays are right in line with your laser you will have a hard time picking it up, but same with everything else. From what I've read you can't input your ballistics into it. You pick one thats closest to your rifle, or you do the strait line of sight and the 1600B will tell you the degree of angel and you can put that into your app. If Im wrong about the ballistic I would like to hear how to do it from someone who has done it.

 

Your correct one cannot enter their rifle's specific ballistic info- one can only choose from the pre-programed categories.

 

The laser on the 1600B is great, but the ballistic program is (IMO) worthless. Its nice to get the angle displayed. Since my ballistic app pulls in the weather info, i rarely use the temperature and barometric pressure readings.

[AZbowhntr]

I have the 1600b and love the rangefinder. However if I had it to do over I would just get the 1600. I just put the yardage into my shooting app on my phone and it does all the ballistics. They are canned numbers in the ballistics portion of it so they are not exact.

[HuntHarder]

I have both two days in a row archery hunting last week in the snow and fog my sig would not range, 7 yds every time. Brought out my Leica. Range the same tree where i had nice coues buck and read correct distance. Depends on you want and can afford. Or do you want to have to pull your smart phone out and be able to say i have an app for this too. Cant go wrong either way. i Prefer the the Leica. Sig cost me two bucks on two different days.

You need to change your setting in the fog from best to last. It is picking up the "best" target not the "last" target. I ran into this on a late bull hunt this year. When it was snowing it would read 7 yards until I changed the setting.