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Knowing Which Ballistic Group To Select
Bushnell engineers have researched currently available ballistic data and grouped many of the most popular calibers and loads
into eight ballistic groups (A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H). Once you know what caliber and load you are shooting, look through the chart to
determine which one of the eight ballistic groups matches your particular load and caliber. For Muzzleloaders, we have worked
with PowerBelt Bullets to incorporate ballistic data into two ballistic groups (I and J). Below are a few of the most popular caliber/
load combinations. A complete list of 2000 caliber and load combinations is on Bushnell's website (www.bushnell.com).
Popular Caliber & Load Combinations
After you have determined which ballistic group corresponds to your caliber and load, select this ballistic group letter along
with Rifle mode. The internal formula will determine the amount of bullet drop/holdover in inches or centimeters based on your
caliber and load's distance, angle, and ballistics.
What if my caliber/load is not listed?
While we have taken great care to include as many calibers and brand names in our ballistics tables, new loads are always
developing. Also, some shooters load their ammunition with unique ballistic characteristics. If you cannot find your load in our
ballistic tables, you can still use the laser rangefinder bullet drop feature. As above, sight in your rifle at 100 yds. Then shoot
the rifle, without adjusting the riflescope, at 300 yds. Measure the bullet drop from the point of aim. Using this drop, select the
ballistic group from below. If you are shooting long distances, you may want to check the bullet drop at 500 yds. Because there
is enormous variation in rifle barrels, chambers, and hand loads, you should thoroughly test the ballistic setting before actual
hunting. You may need to move up or down one group depending upon your tests.
ARC (ANGLE RANGE COMPENSATION) MODES
•
REGULAR Mode
( ): This mode does not provide any degree of elevation or compensated distance information
(no secondary display (14), only the line of sight distance (8). Select this mode (press the Fire button with "rE9"
displayed while in Setup) for general purpose use or not use the rangefinder for bow or rifle hunting applications.
After confirming your selection of Regular mode, the only other item in the Setup Menu is the Unit of Measure option
(13). Pressing the Mode button will toggle the Units from the default "Y" (yards) to "M" (meters). Press the Fire button
to confirm your selection (leave units set to Yards or change it to Meters) and exit the Setup Menu, returning to normal
operation.
•
BOW Mode
( ): Calculates and displays the degree of incline, and the resulting true horizontal distance in yards or
meters, in addition to the line of sight distance. Select this mode (press the Fire button with the bow icon (1) displayed
while in Setup) for bowhunting or other use if you don't need bullet-drop/holdover information. After confirming your
selection of Bow mode, the only other item in the Setup Menu is the Unit of Measure option (13). Pressing the Mode
button will toggle the Units from the default "Y" (yards) to "M" (meters). Press the Fire button to confirm your selection
(leave units set to Yards or change it to metric) and exit the Setup Menu, returning to normal operation.
Bow Mode Example
The true horizontal distance is shown near the bottom of the display (14), alternating with the tilt angle in degrees. For
example, a bowhunter in a tree stand may aim at a downhill deer at a -52o angle relative to his position. The line of
sight distance is 32 yards, but he is likely to "overshoot" the target based on that. The THD distance (compensated for
the angle) reads 23 yards. That is the distance the hunter should use to base his shot.
The line of sight is 32 yards, the angle is -52 degrees, and the Angle Range Compensated distance is 23 yards. Instead
of shooting as 32 yards, shoot as 23 yards. If you were to shoot as if 32 yards, you would shoot over the top of the deer
because of the severe angle.
If in BOW mode, the line of sight distance will display in the
primary numeric display, and the inclination and horizontal
distance will display in the secondary numeric displays. Bushnell®
determined through extensive testing and interviews with high-
profile bow hunting experts that multiple bow ballistic groups were
not necessary. Bow-hunters want to know true horizontal distance
because that is how they practice shooting. Once they confidently
know that, they can make any necessary adjustments—giving the
bow-hunter anything else other than horizontal distance creates
additional confusion and uncertainty.
Many people mistakenly believe that uphill shots perform
differently from downhill shots because of gravity. However, it is
not due to gravity but more of an aberration of the sighting system
used on bows. The sighting pin on a bow resides several inches
above the mechanical axis of the arrow. For example, when aiming 23 degrees up an incline, the arrow is at a different
angle.
•
RIFLE Mode(s)
( ): Calculates and displays the amount of bullet drop at the target in inches, centimeters, Mils, or
MOA. The amount of bullet drop is determined by the line of sight distance to the target, degree of elevation, along
the specific ballistic characteristics of the caliber and ammunition load. When you range your target, the line of sight,
degree of elevation, and bullet-drop/holdover in inches, centimeters, Mils, or MOA will be displayed from 100 to 800
yards/meters with a maximum inclination of +/- 70°.
One of eight ballistic groups (identified as A, B, C, D, E, F, G, and H) for centerfire rifles and two ballistic groups
(Identified as I and J) for Black Powder / Muzzleloaders can be selected by the user, with each formula representing
a given combination of caliber and loads. The user selects the ballistic groups via the Setup menu. After entering the
Setup menu (by holding the Mode button for a few seconds), briefly press the Mode button until you see the blinking
Rifle icon (2), along with the letter for the ballistic group for your preferred ammo (or load).
After you have confirmed your selection of Rifle mode with the ballistic group you need (by pressing the Fire button
while it appears in the display), the next item is the Unit of Measure option (13). Pressing the Mode button will toggle
the Units from the default "Y" (yards) to "M" (meters). Press the Fire button to confirm your selection (leave units set to
Yards or change it to metric).
Next, you will see "SD," meaning Sight-In Distance. Briefly pressing the Mode button will cycle through a choice of
100, 150, 200, or 300 yards. Press the Fire button to confirm and save the setting when your preferred sight-in distance
Line of Sight = 32Y
Degree of Angle = -52°
Compensated Distance = 23Y`
is displayed.
Lastly, you will have a choice of formats for the bullet drop/holdover data that will appear in the secondary numeric
display (14): IN (inches)*, ML (Mils), or MOA (moa). Briefly press the Mode switch to cycle through the three options,
pressing the Fire button to confirm and save the setting when your preferred bullet drop format is displayed. *Note:
if the unit of measure is set to Meters (M), the bullet drop is calculated and displayed in CM (centimeters) rather than
inches.
Rifle Mode Example
The line of sight is 376 yards, the angle is -33 degrees, and the bullet-drop/holdover is 28 inches. ARC takes into
account ballistic data based on your caliber and load from distances of 100-800 yards and compensates for any uphill
and downhill angles that also affect bullet-drop.
Line of Sight = 376 Yards
Degree of Angle = -33°
Holdover/Bulletdrop=28 Inches
-33
o
Angle / 28 inch Holdover
Federal Cartridge.224 dia. 22-250 Rem, 55 gr. Bear Claw at 3600 fps
G
Federal Cartridge.224 dia. 22-250 Rem, 60 gr. Partition at 3500 fps
F
Remington Arms .224 dia. 22-250 Remington Arms , 50 gr. V-Max at 3725 FPS H
Remington Arms .224 dia. 22-250 Remington Arms , 55 gr. PSP at 3680 FPS
G
Winchester .224 dia. 22-250 Rem, 55 gr. Ballistic Silvertip at 3680 FPS
H
Winchester .224 dia. 22-250 Rem, 55 gr. PSP at 3680 FPS
G
Federal Cartridge .277 dia. 270 Win, 150 gr. Ballistic Tip at 3060 fps
F
Federal Cartridge .277 dia. 270 Win, 150 gr. Partition at 3000 fps
F
Remington Arms .277 dia. 270 Win, 140 gr. PSPCL Ultra at 2925 FPS
E
Remington Arms .277 dia. 270 Win, 150 gr. SPCL at 2850 FPS
D
Winchester .277 dia. 270 Win, 150 gr. Partition Gold at 2930 FPS
E
Winchester .277 dia. 270 Win, 150 gr. PP-Plus at 2950 FPS
E
Federal Cartridge .308 dia. 30-06 Spring, 180 gr. AccuBond at 2700 FPS
D
Federal Cartridge .308 dia. 30-06 Spring, 180 gr. Bear Claw at 2700 FPS
D
Remington Arms .308 dia. 30-06 Springfield, 180 gr. A-Frame at 2700 FPS
D
Remington Arms .308 dia. 30-06 Springfield, 180 gr. BRPT at 2700 FPS
D
Winchester .308 dia. 30-06 Sprg, 180 gr. FailSafe at 2700 FPS
D
Winchester .308 dia. 30-06 Sprg, 180 gr. Partition Gold at 2750 FPS
D
Federal Cartridge.308 dia. 300 WSM, 180 gr. AccuBond at 2960 fps
F
Federal Cartridge.308 dia. 300 WSM, 180 gr. Bear Claw at 3025 fps
F
Winchester .308 dia. 300 WSM, 180 gr. Ballistic Silver Tip at 3010 FPS
F
Winchester .308 dia. 300 WSM, 180 gr. Fail Safe at 2970 FPS
F
Remington Arms .308 dia. 300 R.S.A.U.M., 180 gr. PSPCL Ultra at 2960 FPS
E
Remington Arms .308 dia. 300 Wby Mag, 180 gr. PSPCL at 3120 FPS
F
