Contents
Package
Besides the Bone Collector, there is a velcro case included that can be attached to your belt. There are no straps included with this model, though. You can call Bushnell Service for getting a lanyard for free (if that still works) or you can use a paracord or a shoe string instead.
There is also no wrist wrap included. A paracord will serve you well again. Although advertised, there is no battery with the unit, so you will need to get a 9V. Inserting or changing it might get difficult due to the tight design of the whole thing.
There is a slot for a neck string, in case you would like to wear it around your neck. The Realtree Xtra Camo looks pretty cool and you will get a one year limited warranty.
Features Of The Bushnell Bone Collector 4x Laser Rangefinder
The measurement range is 10 – 600 yards (theoretically). It is accurate down to + / – one yard and you can switch between yards and meters. For doing so you need to hold the power button down for approximately 5 seconds while looking through the eyepiece. During this time all the liquid crystal segments and icons will be displayed. As you continue to depress the power button, the display will toggle back and forth between yards and meters. Once the unit of measure desired is displayed, simply release the power button
The Bone Collector 4x Laser Finder is not able to compensate for elevation. This means that the measured distance will be slightly off if you are standing on a tree stand measuring a target on the ground. For bowhunters this should not matter much. For long distance rifle hunters that might me a problem, though. If you want a more advanced model you should take a look at the Bushnell V4.
The magnification is 4x with an objective 20 mm lens. Total eye relief is 20 mm.
The LCD display is bright and crystal clear during daylight. It also features a fixed monocular optical system for viewing your target. As the display is not illuminated and the measured distances are shown in black, it is hard to read during low light situations.
Size dimensions: 4.2 x 3.6 x 1.9 inches. The Bushnell Bone Collector 4x Laser Rangefinder weighs 7.7 ounces, which is not much and makes it a very compact model for hunters or golfers. No one wants to carry a lot of heavy crap around, right?
The unit shuts itself down after 30 seconds of inactivity. This should be long enough for golfers too (getting the flag might be kinda tedious sometimes, especially at larger distances without pin-lock tecnology in place).
The housing is weather resistant, which means that wet foggy conditions are no problem at all. Don’t submerge it, though, or you will have to order another one in the worst case.
Operation
To use it you only have to do simple one button operations. It does not matter if you want to measure distances or switch from yards to meters. It can all be done with a single button. It won’t get easier than that.
Uses Of The Bushnell Bone Collector 4x Laser Rangefinder
Bowhunting / Hunting
The Bushnell Bone Collector 4x Laser Finder is very durable and easy to carry due to its compact vertical design. It is also very responsive and quick, which is essential for a good hunting trip, right?
Let’s look at some downsides now. It is advertised as having a maximum range of 600 yards. If you take a look at the manual you will find that this is just possible with high reflective big objects. As I have never seen a high reflective deer in my whole life, I would say “Houston, we have a problem!”
When you read further you will find that they recommend around 200 yards for deer, which makes more sense to me. Trees can be measured up to 400 yards (I never wanted to shoot one, but good to know anyway 🙂 )
It cannot work through the mesh of a ground blind – but I wonder if there is a model that is able to do that, because the mesh clearly blocks the sensor – and you might get a problem if the target has a dark surface and stands in front of a dark background. Those situations happen and other, often times more expensive models, have problems with those too.
So I definitely would recommend the Bushnell Bone Collector 4x Laser Rangefinder for bowhunters or 3D archers. The distances you might need are all within a good range and you should be good to go, even when standing on a tree stand.
For rifle hunters I would recommend it only if you are hunting game within reasonable distances. Let’s say 200 – 300 yards. After these distances it gets really hard to nail down game, because you need a very steady hand and there should be nothing near the target that might throw the measurement off. Just saying.
Golfing
Like I have mentioned above already, it will be very hard to target a flag, flagpole or the base of a flagpole at larger distances or especially if there are other objects behind the flag like trees or bushes. As this model does not have integrated pin-lock technology you need to target objects that are near the flag or the green and go from there, if you want to use it. Kinda workaround it.
There is one more thing you might want to keep in mind. This one does not reflect off glass very well. I cannot imagine a situation where this might be important somehow for bowhunters or golfers at the moment, but I just wanted to let you know.
You can use it with eye glasses without any problems, by the way.
Price
For around 100 dollars you will get a proven and reliable rangefinder that does its job really well – if you don’t demand too much from it. There are of course a lot more expensive models out there with a lot more fancy gimmicks, but for bowhunters, this one is a very good option that won’t break your bank completely.
Summary
The Bushnell Bone Collector 4x Laser Rangefinder is a good choice for bowhunters, 3D Archers and rifle hunters that won’t go above 200 yards (maybe 300, but then it’s getting tight) with their hunting / shooting distances.
It has a reasonable price for what it does and it seems to be very durable, reliable and looks just great with its camo pattern. If you have to invest more, there are models out there that cost three times as much. Whether you really need one of those is another question, though.
Golf players might need to look at different models if they want to have one with pin-lock technology. If you can live with the workaround I have mentioned above, you could try this unit as well.
Thanks for reading and shoot straight!
Leave A Comment