From close-in bowhunting to open-country rifle pursuits, Bushnell’s new ranging optics cover all the bases
by Rob Reaser
As someone who started bowhunting long before I learned to drive a car, I became quite adept at eyeballing yardages—which was a good thing because rangefinders of the day were downright primitive contraptions, and I couldn’t afford one even if I felt the need to have one. That said, long sprints of shooting traditional bows got me out of the practice of “eyeball ranging” to the point that I’m not very good at it anymore. Today, I don’t leave the house or the camp without a rangefinder on me. After all, it only takes being off an inch or two to result in a long tracking job or an anguishing overnight wait to recover a marginally hit animal.
Rifle yardage estimation was also something that never factored into my hunting repertoire in my early exploits because there was no need. A 100-yard zero was sufficient to cover all the shots I would ever encounter in the eastern whitetail woods, where most shots were in the 50 yards and under range. Once I began hunting out West, that changed, as bullet drop compensation became critical on those wide-open spaces.
All of that to say, accurate ranging is something every hunter should strive for. This is especially important for new bowhunters and, particularly, crossbow hunters who are just transitioning into the sport from rifle-only hunting. You may be inclined to think that the point of impact shift with a crossbow from 30 to 40 yards, for example, is marginal, but that margin can be the difference between an ethical kill and a gone-horribly-wrong bad hit.
If you’re ready to get accurate with ranging for either archery or rifle hunting, Bushnell has a couple new products to help you out. We got a chance to test the new Prime 1800 6×24 Laser Rangefinder and the Fusion X 10×42 Rangefinding Binoculars a few months ago and were impressed with their performance-to-price ratio. Check out this video as Bushnell Brand Manager Carlos Lozano walks us through these fresh rangefinding optics.
Bushnell Prime 1800 6×24 Laser Rangefinder
- Magnification x Objective Lens: 6x24mm
- Color: Black
- Reticle: ActivSync
- Battery Type: CR2
- Range: 1800 YDS
- Reflective Range (yds./m): 1800 YDS / 1646 M
- Tree Range (yds./m): 1000 YDS / 914 M
- Deer Range (yds./m): 900 YDS / 823 M
- Accuracy: +/- 1 YD
- Length (in./mm): 4.23 in / 107.44 mm
- Width (in./mm): 1.58 in / 40.13 mm
- Weight (oz./g): 6 oz / 170 g
- ARC Modes: Yes
- Targeting Modes: Scan, Bow, Bullseye/Brush, Rifle A-J
- Batteries Included: Yes
- Protective Lens Coating: Exo Barrier
- Water Resistance: IPX4 Water Resistant
Bushnell Fusion X 10×42 Rangefinding Binoculars
- Magnification x Objective Lens: 10x42mm
- Reticle: ActivSync Display
- Color: Black
- Length (in./mm): 7 in. / 177mm
- Weight (oz./g): 35 oz / 992 g
- Frame Construction: Composite
- Exit Pupil (mm): 4mm / 0.157in
- Eye Relief (in.): 16.0mm / 0.630in
- Field of View (ft. @ 1,000 Yds.): 305
- Close Focus (Ft./M): 21 / 6.4
- Eyecups: Twist-up
- Focus System: Center
- Lens Coatings: Fully Multi-Coated
- Dielectric Prism Coating: Yes
- PC-3 Phase Coating: Yes
- Prism Glass: BK-7
- Prism Type: Roof
- Ranging – Deer/Flag (Yds.): 700
- Ranging – Tree (Yds.): 900
- Ranging – Reflective (Yds.): 1760
- ARC Modes: Regular, Bow, Rifle A-J
- Accuracy: +/- 1 Yard
- Targeting Modes: Scan, Bullseye, Brush
- Water Resistant: Yes, IPX7 Waterproof
- Gas Purged: Yes, Nitrogen
- EXO Barrier: Yes
- Adapts to Tripod: No
- Locking Diopter: No
- Battery Included: Yes
- Battery Type: CR2
