Its background in developing laser-based surveying instruments and a century of expertise in grinding glass lenses for binoculars, microscopes and cameras more than prepared German optics manufacturer Leica to enter the sporting market with the LRF 800 monocular rangefinder in 2000.
Since then, the company’s circular red medallion has graced a series of progressively smaller, lighter, more sophisticated units. The latest are the Rangemaster CRF 900 and 1200, which differ from previous Leica models in that they rest vertically rather than horizontally in the hand during use.
The CRF 900 became a handy companion during an early-June plains-game safari in the southwestern African country of Namibia. The unit’s size—little more than a deck of playing cards—and smooth contours made withdrawing it from the breast pocket of a shirt quiet and effortless. The non-slip exterior coating allowed a secure hold even when hands were stiff from the early morning cold. Equally convenient was the compact Ultravid 8X 32 mm binocular that hung from the evaluator’s neck.
During the 10-day hunt, the package served exactly as Leica Sports Optics Vice President Terry Moore suggested it would—“not so much as a necessity, but as an enhancement of the African safari experience.”
As is often the case when hunting bushveldt terrain, none of the shots from a Winchester Model 70 Classic .375 H&H were long—the farthest being 139 yds. on a blue wildebeest. In addition, the factory Federal Premium Vital-Shok, carrying the 260-gr. Nosler Accubond bullet’s ballistic coefficient of .473, made holdover calculations unnecessary.
Nonetheless, of the four animals taken, including a 1,200-lb. eland, an average-size impala and an average-size warthog, none required guessing as to exactly how far the shots were likely to be, when setting up on a watering hole beforehand, or how far they had been, when ranging the distances afterward for the purposes of confirming bullet placement and evaluating bullet performance.