Leica CRF Max Review

I’m almost embarrassed to say this, but I have never hunted without a rangefinder. Sure, I’ve shot plenty of squirrels and birds without a rangefinder, but if memory serves, I have never hunted without some kind of laser rangefinder. I can recall times when I still went ahead and checked my range before aiming at a turkey's head, even when I could clearly count the number of hairs sticking out of his wattle. My dad and a few friends have made fun of me for this, and at some point, I’m going to be confident enough in my short yardage judging abilities to leave the rangefinder in its holster, but until then, I’ll be “lasering” everything that comes near me. Luckily for me, I get to use the best rangefinders on the market, and over the last few months, I’ve gotten to use the Leica CRF Max.

Upgrades

Leica has been synonymous with quality for a long time now, but there have been a few places where the competition has passed by the German glass company. This has taken place most notably in the displays of their rangefinding optics; companies like Sig Sauer and Revic have had OLED displays that clearly present loads of information for a handful of years now. Until recently, Leica has kept with the same simple, reticle-yardage-solution-style display.

Well, the guys over at Leica must have heard what the people wanted because not only did they create a whole new display full of information, they made it more modular and brighter than any display on the market. They call it their Active Matrix MicroLED display. It allows the display to be as simple or complicated as you desire. You can choose to just see your yardage and solution, or extreme details like your shot probability and direction of fire. This is the biggest improvement Leica has made in a long time.

Hardware

The Max is in the same chassis as the CRF Pro, which is nearly identical to all of Leica's previous handheld units. It fits in a small marsupial or FHF rangefinder pouch no problem, which is nice because some other ballistic handheld rangefinders do not (looking at you, Revic). It has the standard raised button for measuring and an indented button for switching modes and navigating the display. To ensure you get the most up-to-date information for ballistic calculations, the max has onboard sensors for temperature and atmospheric pressure. It features Leica's new sandi-sh brown color that would definitely not get lost on the desert floor if you dropped it. The glass is undoubtedly the best of any handheld on the market, which has always been the standard for Leica.

Software

If you read my review on the Leica Geovid Pro AB+, nothing I say here will be new for you. The Max features the same engine that is in that binocular. This means it comes with Shot Probability Analysis software, which can help you take more ethical shots as well as help you decipher why you may have missed. The rangefinder also comes preloaded with Applied Ballistics Elite, which is the gold standard for ballistics, whether you’re shooting matches or hunting in the backcountry.

Conclusion

I have found myself moving away from handheld rangefinders and more to rangefinding binoculars, but with the upgraded display and innovation in image-stabilized binoculars, I think I’ll be using the Max on a handful of the upcoming hunts this fall.