bush arc 1600 rangefnding binos

Bigboab29

Well-Known Member
hi guys,

does anyone have a set of the above?

what the like for accurancy? distance for pinging a deer? r they ok in the fading light??

seen a good deal on them and cant really afford the big top of the range boys.

Saves me carrying my binos and rangefinder!!!

any help appreciated

Cheers Rob
 
i had a look through a pair last week they are as good as any thing in that price bracket i found them at 450 what price have you found them at ??
 
jeez oh, the laser arc 1600 ones i seen were 650 and i thought this was a good deal!!! r we talkng about the same bins? if so pm me the £450 place please:)

Has anyone tried and tested the range finding ability of them? or the optical quality?? al i can seem to see is that the read out is a bit hard to see while facing into the sunlight but optics are good.

Not much detail about them at all out there just now!!

cheers Rob
 
I have these bins mate. I have the 12 x 50 and think they are very good for the money. They are excellent in low light. I read some reviews whilst looking at getting a pair and some reviews said that they were too heavy and that you couldn't see the range finder read out in bright light. I have used these bins in the field both in the UK and in Africa and have found no problems with them. They are fairly heavy, but no heavier than the top end zeiss bins and nothing worth worrying about IMO. There is a slight blue tinge visible when you look throught them, which i reckon is the rainguard coating and to be honest, doesn't make that much difference. If you compare them to the Zeiss range finding bins, a mate has a pair and i have compared them, there is very little difference.

The range finder is also good. In africa I could range beasts out to 1200yds and the sun light wasn't a problem. There are four brightness settings for the range finder and if this is set correctly, really easy to change, then it's fine. They have no problem ranging Deer in this country out to 500-600yds, it's just a matter of keeping them steady, which for me can be tought with the x12 mag.

All in all a good glass for the money in my opinion.

Hope this helps

ATB

Dave
 
I've had a pair now for over a year and am pleased with them.

The rangefinder is very good indeed, I've compared it with Leica and Swarovski and I think it is better.

Very fast and reliable. Pings deer (and cows, sheep, dogs etc.) reliably at silly distances. Tree trunks, branches, fenceposts etc. also easily ranged, if necessary using the brush or bullseye modes. It will continuously track flying seagulls at over 300 yards.

Large objects, buildings etc. can reliably be ranged to 1759 yards. I suspect there is an artificial cutoff at 1 mile.

Being integrated into the binos and having good magnification means it is much easier to hold steady than a small dedicated rangefinder.

The display is bright, with a clear aim point that corresponds precisely with the laser. Its a hybrid of LCD backlit by red LED, projected into the right eyepiece. The laser is built into the left tube. There is a simple technique to adjusting the two dioptre knobs to get the display properly focussed, so don't be put off if it seems out of focus on a demonstration. Some salespeople don't seem to know how to do it properly.

The battery life is great, I've only just replaced it after 14 months and it has been played with a lot.

The ballistic calculator is very useful to me as I use estate rifles, so don't have the opportunity to learn the trajectories. It won't be perfect, but its much better than guessing. It calculates holdover in inches or cm, or MOA, based on a zero of 100, 150, 200 or 300 yards. It has a clinometer to compensate for up/downhill and displays the angle, so it can also be used for simple surveying, measuring heights of buildings etc.

Bushnell have calibrated it for a variety of factory ammo. Its not all in the manual, you have to look on the website. Ballistic Charts

As you might expect, given the price, there is a downside:

The binoculars are of midrange quality. They are based on the Bushnell Legend, but have a distinct bluish colour, due to the beamsplitters needed for the laser and to project the display.

This is not unique to Bushnell, I've noticed a similar colour cast in Leica Geovids, but not as pronounced.

For hunting use this isn't a problem, but for e.g. birdwatching it would be distracting.

Also they are not quite as bright as you would expect of 10x40, the beamsplitters intercept some of the light.

They are quite sharp, with only a small amount of colour fringing. Field of view is typical for 10x40.

I would have preferred them to be in 8x40 or 8x30 for wider field of view and better low light performance. I see they do make a 12x50 version, which might be useful for the Scottish hill.

They are quite big and chunky, and feel very solidly made.

The "rainguard" coating really does work and they are truly waterproof, I've been out in dreadful weather and never had any issues.

If you already have a decent pair of binos you may want to carry them too, to use at last light. If you haven't been spoilt for good glass you may be quite satisfied. Most of the time they are perfectly adequate.

I bought them from the Bushnell importer, at a game fair. He matched the best internet price, and threw in some freebies. He warned me that the UK (lifetime) warranty would only be honoured for official imports, some dealers were supplying "grey" imports, e.g. SGC.

If you buy at the right price I think they are worth the money.

I have read that Pulsar are soon bringing out a new rangefinder/bino at a similar price. Might be worth speaking to Thomas Jacks to find out more.
 
Hi, i bought a pair of these and sold them on here not long after, the rangefinder is superb no question but as for being good in poor light, i could not recommend them, i dont know what you are used to looking through but to be honest they are pretty poor.
 
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I was after a set of range finding bins ( and still am )

I had a chance to have a go with the Bushnell ARC - .... not impressed one bit.

Worked ok - but the glass quality was crap --- I will wait for a set of Ziess to come up at the right price ( Could be a waiting a while :rolleyes: )

My two penneth
 
To be fair they are a £350 plus rangefinder combined with maybe £200 binoculars, and thats about what they are worth, and how you can reasonably expect them to perform.

I agree they don't remotely compare with the best European glass.

Thats why I tried to make it clear that they are not a substitute for high quality binos, but they function very well within their limitations.

If I had the money for Leica/Zeiss/Swaro I would have bought them. Instead I have spent the over £1000 difference on guided stalking.

At the time the ballistic calculator was a unique feature that I have found very useful. Only the latest Zeiss Victory RF have anything comparable even now (but don't have ARC), AFAIK Leica just tell you the range. Swarovski have ARC, but no ballistic calculator. Also Swarovski has been unable to use the latest coatings on their RF ELs as it blocks the infrared laser, so optically they cannnot be quite as good as their none-RF ELs. Maybe one day Leica will fit the gubbins from the CRF1600 into their Geovids and have a contender again. I think Swarovski missed the mark badly with their latest offering.

You could buy the Bushnells as well as a pair of the new Zeiss Conquest HD 8x42 which are stunningly good, and still have nearly £700 left over c.f. the Zeiss Victory RF.

Also look carefully at the length of warranty on the rangefinder components, if the manufacturer doesn't back them beyond a couple of years, draw your own conclusions. Laser diodes can degrade with use, if driven hard. Be cautious about second hand units and test them carefully.
 
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