Bushnell G-Force 1300 ARC rangefinder

[Mike027]

BigE Im sorry to say I missed that. I just looked at the Bushnell site and it appears that all of their Arc models give the true horizontal distance in bow mode but not rifle mode. I didnt give it much thought because I figured the corrected holdover feature would suffice for my needs.

Yes on paper the ballistics seem pretty close.

The on-line ballistic calculator at GSEVEN.com gives my 30-06 load (at 7,500 ft for Idaho) at 500 yards a drop of -40.6 " (sighted in at 200 yds). My Leupold B&C reticle shows a drop of -40.95" at 500yds. The GForce shows a drop of -43" at 500 yds. So all in all it seems pretty close.

Im still saving for a nightforce to put on my 7mm sendero. I suppose then I will also have to upgrade the rangefinder. : )

The more time I spend with the GForce the more I like it though. Mike

 

[green 788]

I have the ARC-1600... if you put it on "regular" mode it doesn't give angle compensation...

 

[JackinSD]

I have the ARC-1600... if you put it on "regular" mode it doesn't give angle compensation...

Yeah, it's the same as the G-Force. I think everyone understood that.

What they were hopeful of, was that the Rifle ARC Mode would give "true Horizontal" distance. Which it does not, just line of sight. However, it does gives drop based off of pre-programmed values. You have a choice of 8 + 2 (Muzzle loader) pre-programmed values. These values are based off of your drop at 300 and 500 from a 100 yard zero. You pick the category that best fits your drop at those 2 distances.

The output (drop) is in either inches, centimeters, MOA, or Mil. You have the option of what they call Variable sight in distances (100,150,200 or 300). The G-Force will use that sight in as a bases of it's calculations for drop at any measured distance, up to 800 yards. It will range further, as I did today, but will not supply a drop figure for you after 800 yards.

OK, as I said, I got mine today. So, that meant an immediate trip into the field. Only saw one deer at 228 yards. However, I was able to range multiple trees, a tractor, a pump house, and a few other odds and ends.

Remember these are not max distances, just what I did today:

Farthest tree = 865
Tractor = 737
Whitetail = 228
Cow = 547
Pump house = 787

My initial score on a scale of 1-10: 9

I would have given it 10 if you were able to put your own ballistic data into it, and it gave "True Horizontal Distance". Both of which cannot be dealt with.

Having said that, the ballisitc output was pretty good out to about 700 yards. Not a 100% match to mine, but close enough to insure a very good hit to that distance.

I still need to play a little with it, and maybe I will get better results.

At around $330 deliverd, I am not going to hesitate to recommend this rangefinder.

 

[JackinSD]

Took it out again last night. I have the luxury of having a Park that is within 6 miles of home. So, was able to range at better distance on animals.

Buffalo: 985 yards
Antelope: 735 yards
Tree: 1357

The more I use it the more I like it.

 

[mildot1960]

Took it out again last night. I have the luxury of having a Park that is within 6 miles of home. So, was able to range at better distance on animals.

Buffalo: 985 yards
Antelope: 735 yards
Tree: 1357

The more I use it the more I like it.

I know this thread has slipped away for a while but I took my G-Force out in the flat lands and I was using it in bright sunlight with alot of white reflective clouds and with the Sun 90*deg to my right at around 11:30 am I managed to range trees out to 1194/1196 yards and sheep to about 851yds,

One thing that I did notice was although they say it gives you the formulas up to 800yds well thats not quite accurite in respect that at 881yds it gave me a come up of 27.1moa so when I checked that with my Ballistic software that 27.1moa actually works out to over 950yds if your using a .270 150gr @2800fps, So it seems like Bushnells system will work Further than what they claim if you are using a Flat Shooting Rifle and that being so theres no reason why it wont work out even further

The G-Force does not like Grey Buildings at 45deg angles but Im pretty sure that the Beam is Quite small as I did'nt have any problems picking out differant objects between Zero and 850yds+,

Mirrage was really bad and the wind was gusting up to about 25mph and the light was always changing and hard on the Eyes even when I was not looking through the G-Force or my spotting scope and the fact that I had the G-Force on a tripod sitting on the Hood of my Truck, So I was getting that much reflection from that THAT I was having trouble getting my eyes to adjust even just to look for something else to range without using any optic what so ever.

The Bottom line is if you want to shoot out to A Grand+/- then this will be tough to beat and if you shoot according to your own BC software then theres no reason why this LRF cant take you out to beyond 1400yds+ and if you use the G-Force in better lighting conditions than I was in then theres no reason why it wont work way Further than what Bushnell Claim,

On this day I turned the Red Brightness of the screen up to 4 and I had not problems reading the screen even when I pointed it up to the sky and night It works best under street lights when set to 1 and normal darkish cloudy days 2 or 3 works fine it just depends on the daylight brightness and which works best for you,

Sure I'd like the range of the Vectronics but at A fifth of the price this little Beast is Better than you think and it always pulls something out of the Bag.

Blessin's John

 

[Ridgerunner665]

Reviving it again...

I just bought one of these rangefinders too, its the first rangefinder I've ever owned...I've always borrowed one from friends

Heres to hoping it is what it should be...

 

[mildot1960]

Reviving it again...

I just bought one of these rangefinders too, its the first rangefinder I've ever owned...I've always borrowed one from friends

Heres to hoping it is what it should be...

Congrats RR665, Just make sure you Keep reading pages 18 and 19 because they are the most important ones so you fully understand what they are saying, and if i can help just call.

blessin's John

 

[Bigeclipse]

Just thought I would give a little update.
I have owned the finder for a year now.
Definite pluses-
1.)Ranges further and more accurate than other models in the same price range.
2.)The red redicle is awesome compared to black. Wish it went a little brighter but this was only noticeable on a couple REALLY SUNNY days and wasnt even that bad.
3.) very compact to other models.
4.) ARC function works well and so does the ballistics calculator(this isnt EXACT but good enough for less than 600 yards maybe even farther).

Few cons-
1.)Biggest...the button is hard to push (especially with gloves). Good deal harder than other range finders which doesnt sound bad...but it is definitely something you need to get used to.
2.)When ranging at far distances...it takes a few seconds to get a reading also I have noticed that on some 3d targets...it was unable to read the target. Not sure why this happened. I havent had an issue ranging trees, field edges, or other land marks. I have yet to range a deer as I always range things ahead of time and then estimate the range of the deer depending where it is to the landmarks I have ranged. Again...I havent used this much for gun...more so for bow.

Overall impressions - I would say if you are strapped for cash i.e. want to spend less than 400$ this is the model I would get. Ranges are accurate and fast if less than 600 yards. Over this and it may take a second or two to get a reading. The reason I picked this model is its ranging capabailities. Most models advertise far ranging but when you look into the instructions they will give you ranges for deer sized animals which is usually HALF what is advertised. So a model saying can range to 500yards...is really 250-300 yards for a der and 500 yards for a field edge. The only thing I WISH they would change is the button. Is this a deal breaker...no but it really is difficult to push.

 

[mildot1960]

Just thought I would give a little update.
I have owned the finder for a year now.
Definite pluses-
1.)Ranges further and more accurate than other models in the same price range.
2.)The red redicle is awesome compared to black. Wish it went a little brighter but this was only noticeable on a couple REALLY SUNNY days and wasnt even that bad.
3.) very compact to other models.
4.) ARC function works well and so does the ballistics calculator(this isnt EXACT but good enough for less than 600 yards maybe even farther).

Few cons-
1.)Biggest...the button is hard to push (especially with gloves). Good deal harder than other range finders which doesnt sound bad...but it is definitely something you need to get used to.
2.)When ranging at far distances...it takes a few seconds to get a reading also I have noticed that on some 3d targets...it was unable to read the target. Not sure why this happened. I havent had an issue ranging trees, field edges, or other land marks. I have yet to range a deer as I always range things ahead of time and then estimate the range of the deer depending where it is to the landmarks I have ranged. Again...I havent used this much for gun...more so for bow.

Overall impressions - I would say if you are strapped for cash i.e. want to spend less than 400$ this is the model I would get. Ranges are accurate and fast if less than 600 yards. Over this and it may take a second or two to get a reading. The reason I picked this model is its ranging capabailities. Most models advertise far ranging but when you look into the instructions they will give you ranges for deer sized animals which is usually HALF what is advertised. So a model saying can range to 500yards...is really 250-300 yards for a der and 500 yards for a field edge. The only thing I WISH they would change is the button. Is this a deal breaker...no but it really is difficult to push.

Hello Mate, I have found that with adjusting Loads the GForce will match my Apps IE:- A .270 win 150gr BTSP GameKing BC=.480 @ 2828fps at a range of 881yds my App says 27.1 Moa the G-Force said 27.1 also you MUST Be Careful with Page 18 of the manual because I was using the G-Force setting of (F) and yet on that page it says for this amount of drop at 500yds it should be set to E and set to F at 300yds, But with fine tuning your loads the G-Force is always Spot On to within 0.04 to 0.01 Moa @ my Tested 881 yds and 660 yds tests. As the Ballistic Data from Bushnell configured by Sierra is just a guide and I have found that when you go deep into it alot of their Charts are runing hotter or slower than what page 18 says as a refference point and the drop measurements dont quite match, The Point I am trying to make here is that the G-Force is Deadly Accurite if you make up your loads and fine tune them using the Apps and with that then Try the settings in the G-Force.

1st take the readings over set distances with the G-Force Trying every Letter Code and then write down the G-Foces Moa's or Mil's Then by adjusting the Speed of the Bullet to the matching BC's you can then fine tune the Cartridge to match the Moa's/Mils and you can Use the Apps to confirm this and it will work right down to 0.00 Moa/Mil so you get to choose how Accurite the readings become, Yes it is complex but it is alot easier than working out loads from a book and Once you get into it IT becomes very simple and fast which and also saves you wasting alot of Powder and Loading time,

I Really should of posted this under another heading because I feel it is an important issue with all RangeFinder / APP/ Cartridge Load Selection,
Another thing is there are 19 Brands /Ballistic Tables on the G-force Web Page with over 2000 Bullet choices to choose from and there are 8+2 Ballistic settings then you times them by 2 for the differant distance settings thats 16 and 2 for Muzzle Loaders But doing It my way allows you Pick what suits your need Better.

I hope this helps but now you have a choice to keep it simple or Personalize those readings.

Thanks for your time, Blessin's John

 

[JackinSD]

That's all well and good. However, I doubt that there are many who want to change an accurate load just to match their rangefinder. The other way around, adjust rangefinder ballistic chart to match their know accurate round is alot less work.

Until they allow you to enter your own ballistics into this rangefinder, don't expect it to be accurate much beyond 600 yards. Unless you luck out and hit one of their charts spot on.

 

[mildot1960]

That's all well and good. However, I doubt that there are many who want to change an accurate load just to match their rangefinder. The other way around, adjust rangefinder ballistic chart to match their know accurate round is alot less work.

Until they allow you to enter your own ballistics into this rangefinder, don't expect it to be accurate much beyond 600 yards. Unless you luck out and hit one of their charts spot on.

This is True But even without changing loads I have not found the Moa/Mils to be out by more .17moa over the total of 881 yards and that works out to be 0.000193 of an Moa per yard that 1/10,000th of an inch.

I have just ranged something after changing the setting on the G-Force As they Say in the book from F to E and it gave back a Difference of 0.06 Moa @ 223yds thats a difference of 6/100ths of an moa thats 0,0006ths of an moa per yard when compared to My APP and thats without messing changing loads. Either way it is very accurite, and this adjustment of Loads has already been done by the Shooter in the first place The Loads that need correcting are the G-Force download charts and what also makes it awkward is the fact Bushnell and Sierra dont list the BC's of the Bullets on those pages So I have spent many hundreds of hours going to Sierra's Own Ballistic pages cross checking the BC's etc along with Federal and Winchester and Remington's trying to workout how this Bushnell/Sierra Partnership arrived at these figures and I have come to thinking that these pages leave room for error because some of them seem very high and when you do the math they seem a little wild.

Baseing the G-Force does not have a Baro setting or anything else that things Like the G7 has under normal conditions the G-Force is Very Accurite but if the weather is very different to the day you sighted in your rifle then Ofcoarse you would be better off Ranging something and using your APP because if you have Zero'd your rifle at 29.92 inhg and today the Baro is reading 28.52inhg then at 881 yds then your bullet is going to hit 7.93" (inches) Higher. Which although the Terrapin is on my wish list the G7 Kills it dead because it does not need any maths or APPs etc.

Hope this helps John

 

[JackinSD]

This is True But even without changing loads I have not found the Moa/Mils to be out by more .17moa over the total of 881 yards and that works out to be 0.000193 of an Moa per yard that 1/10,000th of an inch.

I have just ranged something after changing the setting on the G-Force As they Say in the book from F to E and it gave back a Difference of 0.06 Moa @ 223yds thats a difference of 6/100ths of an moa thats 0,0006ths of an moa per yard when compared to My APP and thats without messing changing loads. Either way it is very accurite, and this adjustment of Loads has already been done by the Shooter in the first place The Loads that need correcting are the G-Force download charts and what also makes it awkward is the fact Bushnell and Sierra dont list the BC's of the Bullets on those pages So I have spent many hundreds of hours going to Sierra's Own Ballistic pages cross checking the BC's etc along with Federal and Winchester and Remington's trying to workout how this Bushnell/Sierra Partnership arrived at these figures and I have come to thinking that these pages leave room for error because some of them seem very high and when you do the math they seem a little wild.

Baseing the G-Force does not have a Baro setting or anything else that things Like the G7 has under normal conditions the G-Force is Very Accurite but if the weather is very different to the day you sighted in your rifle then Ofcoarse you would be better off Ranging something and using your APP because if you have Zero'd your rifle at 29.92 inhg and today the Baro is reading 28.52inhg then at 881 yds then your bullet is going to hit 7.93" (inches) Higher. Which although the Terrapin is on my wish list the G7 Kills it dead because it does not need any maths or APPs etc.

Hope this helps John

All true. However, you happened to hit one of the loads that it works with. You will find that there are many others that the "called for adjustments" do not work beyond +/- 600 yards. For the average hunter, that works.

My wish list is alot like yours.

 

[mildot1960]

Yes Jack, that G7 is a tough nut to crack, and I want that Terrapin something fearce, but without maths and Apps makes it confussing, Like you say the G-Force is great for putting Meat on the Table and with a little help from A kestrel it will close the gap a little better, Now all I have to do is learn to count,

Blessin's John

 

[Ridgerunner665]

600 yards is all I will ever ask of it...my rifle is just a 30-06.

I have not been home yet to try out the G-Force, but from what I'm understanding here it will suit my needs just fine.