Overall the product was great. I was buying it for bowhunting, gunhunting, range shooting and golf. The different modes for bows and guns are super cool. Before the lovefest (see below) I will start with the semi negative things I would have liked to know before buying:
A few caveats:
1. I wear both glasses and contacts and it works well with each, but I definitely prefer putting it all the way up to my eye with or without contacts. There is a much larger field of view that way. Glasses wearers, be aware of that.
2. I can't quite figure out the design of the neckstrap. Hooking it up to the unit is like any other lanyard, but the head hole itself has another two loop design, and I can't find anything about it online. Small gripe; I may just be stupid, and I can still use the strap.
3. It only gives readouts in whole yards. I have seen other range finders that give it to tenths of yards. This doesn't make a difference to me, but I was expecting the decimal.
4. The 1000 yard range is somewhat optimistic. Bow mode only goes out to 99 yards (understandably). However, to get a range beyond 800 yards in the other modes, the target must be highly reflective. In central and eastern Kentucky, we don't have many 1000 yard patches of flat space around, so it isn't a big deal, but again I would like to know that.
Regardless of these things, I gave it 5 stars for a reason:
You get a three way readout with line-of-sight distance from lens to target, the angle of that line of sight (+/- x degrees), and in bow mode you get a compensated distance (the target is 30 yards away, but given the angle you should aim as if it were 25 yards to be right on it) and in gun mode it gives you bullet drop (aim 25 inches high). The gun mode accounts for distance, angle and the type of bullet you are shooting. There is a list available on the disk in the box with the rangefinder where you find the exact round you are firing, including brand, caliber, type, and grain and it tells you which preset it corresponds to (A-J). This includes muzzleloader settings as well. There are thousands of rounds available on this list. If you buy your ammo at a sporting goods store or department, you can find it on the list. There is also a regular mode without any angle readout, but aren't you buying the ARC version of the scout for a reason? :)
Additionally, you can toggle between two settings where you can scan across an area, and the Scout will only range the farthest object you hit or the closest. Example: there is a deer you can see through a tree branch, but you cannot get the sight only on the deer and keep hitting the tree--in this mode you just scan along the body of the deer and although your laser also hits the tree branch, the Scout knows only to give you the range of the farthest object. Conversely, at a distance if you see a deer in front of a backdrop of trees or land, but the deer is too small to keep the aim on, you can scan on the deer and even if you slip off of it, only the range of the closest object (the deer) will be reported.
The optics are very clear. The 5x magnification is a good distance, and the focus control works nicely. The ranging works even better in low light than in brighter conditions. You can easily switch to meters (and centimeters in bullet drop) for all the metric fans out there. I grew up using yards, so despite the logic of the metric system, I keep using it when shooting.
All of this met my needs, and at a price of USD$240, I don't think you can beat it.
| Brand | Bushnell |
|---|---|
| Are Batteries Included | No |
| Color | Black |
| Material | Rubber |
| Sport | Hunting |
| Item Weight | 0.2 Pounds |
| Water Resistance Level | Waterproof |
| Magnification Maximum | 5 x |
| Item Package Dimensions L x W x H | 5.5 x 5 x 2.9 inches |
| Package Weight | 15.2 ounces |
| Item Dimensions LxWxH | 4.3 x 1.7 x 2.8 inches |
| Brand Name | Bushnell |
| Country of Origin | China |
| Number of Items | 1 |
| Manufacturer | Bushnell |
| Part Number | 132000 |
| Model Year | 2009 |
| Size | 6x 21mm |
