Eye popping optics

Today's optics market is phenomenal. Just consider the choices, the quality and the technological sophistication that is available in scopes, binoculars, and rangefinders at increasingly competitive prices. It's a boon to every shooter and hunter.

There have been continual improvements in firearms, cartridges, components and accessories, but if your can't see it, you can't hit it, That's why optical performance is now judged to be so critically important.

Plus the shooting community today is much better informed about optical performance and willing to pay for it. Even the most casual hunter probably has more money invested in a riflescope, spotting scope, binoculars and range finder than he does in Iris firearm. You could not have said that 10 years ago.

I ended the hunting season having used two of the most innovative products introduced in years, and they both cant the name of "Bushnell."

Bushnell's Rangefinding Binocular

Bushnell started a revolution with their introduction of the first affordable laser rangefinder. They have just done it again. In a bold move, Bushnell has successfully integrated a laser rangefinder with a quality 8x36 binocular at a price that's hard to believe. This remarkable new instrument is called the "Bushnell Yardage Pro Quest," and retails for approximately $599.

Until Bushnell's new unit hit the street, sportsmen had one option for a rangefinding binocular--Leica's impressive Geovid 7x42 with a price tag of $2,595. How does the Yardage Pro Quest stack up against the Geovid? At one fourth the cost, brilliantly!

The Yardage Pro Quest is made from one, solid, armored housing that is fully waterproof. In size, it's approximately 6x6x2 inches and weighs 2.25 pounds which is a half pound heavier than an average hunting binocular. There is a diopter adjustment on the right eye piece and an interpupillary adjustment on the left.

Choosing an 8x36 binocular as the platform was no accident. In terms of field of view and hand held steadiness, 8x is the most useful power there is for general field use, and combining it with a 36mm objective provides an exit pupil measuring 4.5mm. The size or our pupils ranges from approximately 2mm in bright daylight to 5mm at twilight, so 4.5mm is an ideal compromise for both broad daylight and dusky twilight viewing conditions. With an eye relief of 17mm, the Yardage Pro Quest is classified as a long eye relief binocular, enabling an eyeglass wearer to capture the full field of view when the rubber eyecups are rolled down.

The integrated laser is powered by a 9 volt battery and is rated for accuracy at plus or minus 1 yard from 20 to 999 yards or 18 to 913 meters. In short, this is an accurate 1,000 yard rangefinder if the target is sufficiently reflective and other conditions are ideal.

Wrapping your hands around the Yardage Pro Quest, you realize the little rubber ridges molded into the body place your fingers exactly over the controls that consist of a power switch, a mode switch, and a central focusing knob. The mode switch allows the user to toggle between yards and meters and between stationary ranging and scanning.

Looking through the binocular, one sees a central aiming crosshair. Punching the power button brings up a LCD readout window in the lower third of the field of view. Punching the power button again activates the laser. The readout window and the last distance ranged remain in view for 30 seconds.

I carried the Yardage Pro Quest on my annual Coues deer hunt in the mountains of southern Arizona. Because of the diminutive size of the Coues deer, the open, rugged mountainous terrain he inhabits, and the probability of a 300+ yard shot, good optics and rangefinders are essential. I normally carry a 10x40 Zeiss binocular and a first generation Bushnell Yardage Pro 400 rangefinder. Given the quality of the Bushnell multicoated lenses and their crisp resolution. I didn't miss those absent 2x's of power at all.

Having an integrated laser binocular is a joy. It saves precious time when game is spotted and reduces body movement in the field. It's also a great learning tool as you laser from point to point. On the last day of the season, I found my buck. Lasered him at 327 yards, and shooting a Harris bipod, took him with a 210 grain Nosier streaking out of a .338 Rem. Ultra Mag. at 3,260 fps.

Bushnell has always been an innovative company. I remember Dave Bushnell's early marketing programs in which the company would loan you a ScopeChief rifle scope for a 30 day trial period. The company's recently introduced "Rainguard" lens coating revolutionizes wet weather optics use. The Yardage Pro Quest continues that tradition.

Bushnell's new "legend"

Bushnell has successfully crammed a lot of rangefinding power in a true pocket sized model called the "Yardage Pro Legend." This petite unit measures only 1.75x3.9x3.1 inches; weighs 7.2 ounces; provides a magnification of 6X; and is 100-percent waterproof. It actually floats.

Now for the best part.