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Bushnell Legend 1200 ARC Laser Rangefinder

  • Review
Bushnell Legend 1200 ARC Laser Rangefinder

Laser Rangefinders have become increasingly compact and more technically advanced, and as Bushnell are no strangers to the game, they’ve produced the Legend 1200 ARC Laser Rangefinder, which is a very sophisticated unit.

Compact

This pocket sized rangefinder is approximately 1.7”x 4.3” x 2.6” and weighs just 7.4oz.  It is fogproof, waterproof, and has a textured surface to aid grip. It runs on a CR-2 3-volt lithium battery (supplied) which sits beneath a lift and twist tabbed cap on the side of the unit. A battery life indicator is displayed on the LCD screen.

An adjustable eyepiece allows you to bring the LCD display in sharp focus to suit your own individual eye-sight, and a 6X magnification factor allows easier location and more accurate ‘aiming’ at the object to be ranged. 

A threaded mount in the base of the unit allows it to be attached to a tripod for prolonged use. It comes with a neck strap, carry case and a comprehensive manual on CD.

There are only two control buttons; Power and Mode. These are used separately or in conjunction with each other to turn the unit on, select function, set-up your preferences and access the numerous functions. An instructional CD is supplied with a PDF user manual, including ballistic groups and ammunition types for the ARC (Angle Range Compensation) functions.

The Rangefinder has a vertical configuration, meaning that it is held upright like a monocular in use. It works by sending Infra red laser light pulses out to the ‘target’, then its micro processor instantly calculates the distance by measuring the time it takes for each pulse to travel out to the target and back. Measurements are given in yards or metres.

Easy To Use

You turn the LCD display on by pressing the power button, then put the aiming circle (centre screen) onto the target and hold the power button down. Cross hairs appear on the screen to indicate the laser transmission, and the range is displayed at the bottom of the screen. Release the button, and press again when a new target requires ranging.

The units maximum working distance can vary with weather, light and other conditions, but it will deliver instant distance readings from 5 yards to 850 yards on most objects and up to 1,200 yards on highly reflective objects. Accuracy is around plus or minus one yard. I got accurate results on rabbits at known distances from 30yds out to around 150yds. By holding the Power button down the range can be ‘scanned’ - continuously updated as multiple objects are targeted.

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For long range - at 300yds, 600yds and 1000yds - the Bushnell was remarkably accurate. This was on large white target boards – which are obviously very reflective - at a rifle range. When compared to a good parallax rangefinding scope the Bushnell gave excellent results and was much closer to the ‘measured distances’ on the targets. Truthfully, either way, with the scope or the rangefinder, the calculations were well within the comfort zone for taking an accurate shot with the right equipment – but the rangefinder gave its information instantaneously.

All Clever Stuff

The Legend 1200 can be as simple to use as you want (in Regular Mode), but if you require the extra technology, its there at your fingertips.

Advanced features include Angle Range Compensation (ARC) which display the exact angle of elevation in either Rifle or Bow Mode.

The following features will appear on the screen as illuminated indicators when required. They are activated using the Power and Mode buttons, and include;

Regular Mode: This mode provides line of sight distance only

Rifle Mode: Calculates and displays the line of sight, degree of elevation, and bullet-drop/holdover in inches, centimeters, or MOA. There are eight ballistic groups that cover most ammunition (even black powder and muzzle loaders) that can be factored in during set-up. A CD is supplied for this purpose

Bow Mode:  Displays line of sight distance, degree of elevation, and true horizontal distance for archery use

BullsEye Mode: Allows easy acquisition of small targets and game without inadvertently getting distances to background targets that have stronger signal strength

Brush Mode: Allows objects such as brush and tree branches to be ignored

Conclusions

This is one of those gadgets that actually delivers, by which I mean it can make your shooting easier, and therefore more enjoyable, by giving correct distances and cutting down on the time it takes to actually calculate range manually. At around £400 the price may seem high, but you are getting an awful lot of advanced technology, and there are plenty of discounts available if you look around.

  • Bushnell Legend 1200 ARC Laser Rangefinder - image {image:count}

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  • Bushnell Legend 1200 ARC Laser Rangefinder - image {image:count}

    click on image to enlarge

  • Bushnell Legend 1200 ARC Laser Rangefinder - image {image:count}

    click on image to enlarge

  • Bushnell Legend 1200 ARC Laser Rangefinder - image {image:count}

    click on image to enlarge

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