Terrapin PLRF05

[ChrisF]

Just a quick post some have asked how I have gotten on with my terrapin LRF , great about the only thing that's lacking is bearing and inclination to tgt etc like the Mil Vectronix model and at the price point it's still a lot for your money , it's construction is very solid much more so than the other civil based LRF , I think of it as a stripped down simple model made by a company that ONLY makes high end military gear .

The ballistic program I use is FFS Delta V on a Trimble Nomad PDA , and as such the programme needs bearing and inclination inputs , either imputed manually by operator or electronically by your LRF via data cable connection or by wireless Bluetooth connection .

So at the moment I use a magnetic compass to get bearing and a cheap plastic protractor to get inclination angle etc and manually input that info into programme .

And at the moment it's a good cost compromise , but I will hopefully acquire a Vector or PLRF15C of the newer PLRF25C some day .

Be aware that the unit measures in either feet , yards or metres ,

I find the tripod thread at the bottom of the unit very very handy , and most of the time have a mini bipod mounted on it all the time .

I am not.

the best on computers , so IF I have missed comms with any one using PMs to me on this site , flick me another of bring it up in this thread .

 

I have said I will put anyone in touch with the dealer in the USA that I got mine from if they want to get one from the USA , as far as I now they are not ITAR controlled , or at least where not when I brought mine from the US .

 

In short at the price , NOTHING comes remotely close in either price or performance , it's head and shoulders above ALL .

 

 

later. Chris.

[brown dog]

Chris, thanks. With limited time on one, I'd agree with all that, but you don't mention its magnification. Only 5 power I think.

 

My 15c (6 power glass) used to impress me with what it could lase: eg moving tree leaves at 2300m but the power is really there to give dependable lasing at combat distances in shite weather.

 

 

But for hobby rifle shooting, what leaps out at you through your binos, spotter or riflescope becomes a tiny tiny thing in the distance through 5 power glass. Difficult to see; difficult to lase with confidence that the crosshair is 'on'.

 

It's a bit "Emperor's new clothes" to say so, and Terrapin's military pedigree is all good, but my impression is that they've delivered something sub-optimal for sporting rifle shooting by sticking with artillery/air/aviation target magnification levels. (ie at x5 it's easy to lase something infront, beside or behind the tiny thing you're trying to lase through a x5 optic - not a big problem if you're mensurating a target grid for a JDAM, but not good for hobby plinking!).

 

My impression is that the Terrapin's x5 magnification level limits its effective employment range for rifle size targets. It may be an awesome laser that can cut through drizzle better than a lesser laser, but I can see the target better through a Swaro at x8 ... and you can't lase what you can't see.

 

(That said, nothing beats free! (The person that's aimed at knows who they are ))

 

Apart from the genuine pleasure of owning and using the best kit (I mean that, there is a reward in using the 'best' ) , interested to hear how you're finding the limited mag at distant rifle targets?

[Ronin]

I still hate you.

[brown dog]

I still hate you.

ds1 has the 15c now.

 

 

Typing the earlier bit this morning made me wonder how the swaro would do against leaves and grass.

 

Just went out and rested it on a bean bag atop a fence post.

 

Mildly hazy here, tiniest bit of misty precipitation in the air.

 

Not too shabby: ranging grass at a mile!

 

Tree foliage

 

Grass

[skany]

My swarvo pinged I house at 1980yds

 

Not bad for a 1600 yd device! B-)

[terryh]

Think we are all worrying about nothing!

 

Just, as a result of this mail, gone out a pinged a few things at rifle distances. Can pick up on a field with an incline, the hedge at top 1165 yard, trees behind hedge 1180 - 1195 ish, and, for the Welsh readers , can pick individual sheep scattered over the field from just under the 1100 up to standing in front of the hedge - so long as I rest the Terrapin and put the target in the circle, which BTW covers a sheep at these distances.

 

It will also reliably hit decernable items way past anything I ever plan to shoot at i.e. 1600m

 

So in real world use, unless you are after a rabbit at this distance, The Terrapin outstrips my previous LRF1200 by a long chalk. (And it was free)

 

T

[Ronin]

 

And it was free

 

 

 

 

Argggggggggggg

 

 

Two of you at it now

[brown dog]

Think we are all worrying about nothing!

 

Just, as a result of this mail, gone out a pinged a few things at rifle distances. Can pick up on a field with an incline, the hedge at top 1165 yard, trees behind hedge 1180 - 1195 ish, and, for the Welsh readers , can pick individual sheep scattered over the field from just under the 1100 up to standing in front of the hedge - so long as I rest the Terrapin and put the target in the circle, which BTW covers a sheep at these distances.

 

It will also reliably hit decernable items way past anything I ever plan to shoot at i.e. 1600m

 

So in real world use, unless you are after a rabbit at this distance, The Terrapin outstrips my previous LRF1200 by a long chalk. (And it was free)

 

T

 

But, given a choice, would you choose x5? Yes it's 'doable', but is it optimal?

[terryh]

Matt,

 

Only way to see would be a side by side across the fields ( so to speak). I've not use the Terapin extensivly but it seems to work.

 

Terry

 

Ps Claire said 'what you doing on the site? shoud be cooking tea at this time!'

[brown dog]

Matt,

 

Only way to see would be a side by side across the fields ( so to speak). I've not use the Terapin extensivly but it seems to work.

 

Terry

 

Ps Claire said 'what you doing on the site? shoud be cooking tea at this time!'

 

You're missing my point. No doubt that it works. But given your rifle use; if there'd been a choice of a x5, x10, x15 or x20 version; which would you have gone for?

 

I'll wager the answer isn't 'x5' ?!

 

As a popular choice, it sits with all those other x5 stalking and shooting optics like.......ummmm

 

Given a rifle rangefinder's raison d'être,it's a peculiar magnification. "Sub-optimal". Like aiming the best LRF on the market with a toilet roll tube - the only reason I can think it was chosen was to get reasonable light performance from a small objective.

 

To my mind (and I make no claims there! ) , 5 power is oddly out of kilter teamed with a 25 or 40 power riflescope and a 40 or 60 power spotter.

 

.

[Tiff]

On the other side of the pond a few ELR shooters have developed homemade doublers for the Terrapin. Working off a baseplate that holds the unit in alinement with the doubler, then the whole unit mounts on a camera tripod.

 

While I agree it would be better if the unit came with 10x to begin with, it is a possible option to save on the crazy money of the next models up.

[ChrisF]

NOT tpo me , yes its 5x , but not too worried about that , it me its got a much better/defined aiming mark , rather than a bloddy big donut . Ops , I have used donuts on the OLD 1st gen Aus Steyr AUGs , bloody useless out side CQB , thats why the Kiwi/NZ ones where just like the std Austrian ones , donut with fine crosshair as well , and its up to you the shooter as to which you use given the time & distance to tgt .

 

I mainly use it with a small mini tripod , and have no problem with it at 5x , at least its clear .

 

It has easily double + the range of the Swaro , used one as will .

 

The only LRF I would replace mine with are the Mil Vectronix , and they have as you know , only 6x & 7x mag .

 

Also more than the type/size of the aiming mark , is the actual size and shape of the beam .

 

 

I will say it again , for I feel , no ones lsitening , using a small tripod with the LRF , in effect makes it better & more accurate than otherwise .

 

BUT it is up to you what features you value over others .

 

 

Later Chris

[terryh]

Just looking at the PLRF10C's for another project ( ) and see they are relativily low power, as said 6x or 7x.

 

My guess is they are in this range to be usable 'hand held'. If you take binoculars, 8x is normal on say the bridge of a vessel, where thing are moving. 10x would not be usable.

 

So probably a compramise. Higher mag would be 'nice' but you'd have to use the LRF supported + you loose some low light capabilities if you keep the objective lens small.

 

Ultimate would be a 'switched mag' 5x - 10x then the mildots stay (effectivly) the same.

 

T

 

[brown dog]

7 x 42 is the normal military (land-based) compromise - sits in the middle of trade-offs between light transmission and size. Of course ability to use them as an aid to night vision is consideration. I used to carry a pair of Hensoldt 8x30 (dinky, and didn't hurt my chest when I ran or when landed on them ) and never appreciated the lack of low light performance until one night (pull up a sandbag) directing fall of shot under flares somewhere pretty featureless where the splash was basically the same colour as the ground - I was "nope, can't see where it's landing" whilst the fellows around me (on 7 x 50 in this instance) were " there it is, it's obvious, are you blind?!"

I'd have my money on this (x5) being a light transmission choice on a tiny objective. The 6 and 7 powers will be the same reasoning, but nearer the military 'norm' to match military expectation - also remember that at those magnifications, the general intended use is observation and locating area (rather than 'point') targets.

Hurry up and get those 10s - I can visualise a cascade of consequences!

 

PS, Just dug out a pic of the boy Brown Dog with a pair of 7x42 binos and my first small tripod mounted LRF - from memory, think it ranged to 9km :

[Strangely Brown]

I have been following this thread with much interest; let me explain.

 

Around 8 or 9 years when Leica first introduced the LRF 800 I was shown an example at "Focus" which is a show held at the NEC for the photographic trade. A close friend was the Leica rep for my area at the time and he was keen to show me this incredible little device which showed you how far things were away from the user!

 

I recall that he nor any of his managers had a clue who would want such an instrument, or what indeed it could be used for apart from telling you how far things were away......what use was that??

 

I ordered a couple of them and advertised them in Shooting Times, they sold to stalkers in Scotland within a few days which told us that there was a market for this funny little rangefinder thing!

 

We continued to retail them for a couple of years until York Guns came in on the act and the retail price we were getting was slashed, at this time cheaper units started to appear and it seemed like everybody was retailing them. I think we sold 150 plus LRF's in it's very guises at the time.

 

The one thing I have found difficult to understand about the various models is the basic ergonomics of the LRF range.

Is it just me or could they have made a more pleasing shape to hold and keep steady?

I don't think the early ones had a tripod thread on the base, such a basic mistake!

 

The original models were 7x power, I think even 8x may have been acceptable providing you could hold it still, given it's shape I have never found I could hold it as still as I wanted to.

 

Brown Dog, if I ever come back reincarnated (again) as an OP Ack, could I have a copy of that picture for my Aide Memoire please?

[Ronin]

The first response i have to you Matt is , "what, you can run"?

 

 

Secondly, have the PLFR's got a thread in the eyepiece?

 

theres a screw in lens available which magnifies the image - not sure who does it, but if one were available at 1.5x ,,,,,it may make the 105's perfect.

[brown dog]

The first response i have to you Matt is , "what, you can run"?

 

'Danny' Ronin caught on

?!