Check Today's Price

Pros - Lightweight and easy to use - Highly accurate - Quick to display a reading Cons - Vibrating “Jolt” feature is disconcerting - Not waterproof or fogproof - LCD display isn’t backlit

Welcome to our review of the Bushnell Tour V3 Jolt Golf Rangefinder. Like most rangefinders, just because the model name includes the word “golf” doesn’t make it useless for shooters and hunters, so I eagerly put the device through its paces to see how well it functioned as a hunting optic. Let’s see what I found out.

When you buy this accessory, you’ll get a carrying case and a CR–2 battery to get you started. No lanyard, I’m afraid.

What’s the Range of the Device

The Tour V3 offers rangefinding performance from 10 to 1,000 yards, but that’s assuming a highly reflective target. In terms of real world performance, I was able to get an accurate reading on a deer from around 250 yards away, so I’d put this rangefinder right up there with the rest of the best in the field.

How Easy is the Tour to Use?

The display is quite easy to read, and the simple one-button operation of Bushnell’s Tour V3 makes the device a pleasure to use. It operates smoothly and reliably, providing you measurements accurate to within a yard. If you press and hold the power/fire button, you can continuously measure objects to get the distance to moving targets or multiple subjects.

The Bushnell Tour V3 features a 24mm objective lens that offers 5X magnification. The device provides for a generous field of view 367 feet wide from 1,000 yards, and the eye relief is a very comfortable 21mm. The Tour V3 even offers a diopter adjustment, but it will only correct ±2 diopters.

How is the Accessory Powered?

As usual, this device is powered by a single CR–2 battery. Bushnell includes one in the box, and the power management is good enough on the rangefinder for the battery to last you a year under most circumstances. Still, I wish the manufacturer had chosen to power the device with batteries that were easier to find in the field; make sure you buy a spare and pack it with you in case you need it.

What Features Can I Expect From this Rangefinder?

Designed for golfers, the Tour V3 has a feature that you might not find very useful – the Jolt vibration. This lets you know when you’ve got your target reticle over the flag, but it tends to be disconcerting when it decides leaves and other things in the field are flags and starts vibrating. I turn that feature off when I’m using the device for hunting or shooting. Other than that, it’s pretty basic point-and-lase, without a slope mode or any other advanced features.

What’s the Light Gathering Capability Like on the Tour V3?

Since it has multicoated optics, Bushnell’s Tour V3 gathers light pretty well. Still, it could be so much better if it utilized fully multicoated lenses instead. You can use this rangefinder in poor lighting conditions, but it will basically just be a 5X monocular because of the other problem – the LCD display isn’t backlit.

How Are the Optics and Focus on This Rangefinder?

The optics are quite good, and the image is very crisp and clear with plenty of contrast and clarity. The device automatically focuses, and does so rapidly, so it won’t take you long to get a reading of the distance to your target.

How Durable is the Device?

Bushnell didn’t design the Tour V3 with the elements in mind. It’s durable when it comes to drops and bumps, but it is neither waterproof nor fogproof. The lenses aren’t O-ring sealed, and the optical chamber doesn’t seem to be nitrogen-purged, based on the fact that mine has fogged up on me on several occasions.