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The Effective Range and Programming the Bushnell ConX

MilDot1960

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Full Member
Minuteman
Apr 26, 2013
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It's no secrete that I am a Champion of the Busnell ConX, with me this has grown as each week passes, Because I keep discovering new hidden Gems in what many people see as a fairly ordinary LRF,Which could not be further from the truth, There are multiple ways that a person can use the ConX But by far the coolest way is when you pair it with the ConX App, Anyways onward and upward,

If you down load the ConX App and pair the ConX to your phone or Tablet, tap the App and select Gun 1 2 or 3, In the App they are Called Custom 1, 2 or 3, Sellect the bullet and then the box opens up, type in your Zero and then add the drop IE at 200 yards and then at 400 and then at 800 etc,,, Next to each distance which you choose you add the Bullet drop in the Box to the right of that range, the factory settings are Zero = 100 then 200 and 300 and 400 and 500 and 600 BUT you can change them to 100 Zero 200 400 800 1100 and say 1500, You Pick the distances and add your Bullets Drop and then click save,

If you enter a distance that is beyond what that Bullet is good for then it will tell you, So take off 200 yards and try it if it works then add 50 yards and then go up in 10 yard steps and if that works just keep going until you have reached the maximum And then go back by 10 yards so it accepts the range and then go up in ONE yards steps that way you will find the exact limit that the ConX App will Allow for that particular Bullet, The manual says that it works to a 1000 yards but that is not right because it works in line with either the BC or the Drop factor, I know this is some messing around But the purpose of doing this is to find the Absolute Maximum Range for that Bullet within the ConX App,

If the Green light changes colour on the screen just hit the range button on the ConX and it will link up again, and when your done hit SAVE and then it is loaded in to the ConX and you will not need the App/Phone again. there are no barrel Twists or FPS or scope heights etc etc to add that is all you have to do, Just Type in the distance and the drop at each range of your choice and save it when all boxes are filled. That's It, nothing else is needed.

HERE are two Bullets I did this with and this proves that where the manual says it works out to a 1000 yards is not quite correct, The Range of the ConX App is more related to either the BC or the Drop over certain distances as you can see below, And I think that the range of the ConX App stated in the Manual etc is most likely based on a standard .308 bullet running at 2600 +/- fps and according to my preferred App the RDF is starting to Go transonic at around1075 yards @1243.3 fps AND The 7mm Dakota starts to enter the Transonic range at around 1650 @ 1244.9 fps or somewhere close to that,

PLEASE NOTE that the APP seems to stop where Both Bullets reach a velocity of around 1243.3 fps and 1244.9 fps,

HERES a thought I wonder how far the App would work if the two Bullets were based on the 22-250 and the 220 Swift because by time they slowed down to 1244 fps they would be in the next County, LOL.

.308 Win RDF G7 .27,,,, AT 2740 fps ZERO @ 100, ,, 200 yards with a drop of 3.3 inches, 400 yards with a drop of 28.62", 800 yards = 183.91", 1000 yards = 339.44" and 1180 yards = 545.8"

7mm Dakota, 3049fps BC 0,674 G1

ZERO 200 yards, 400 yards = 16.7", 800 yards = 121.9",.1000 yards = 222.2", 1400 yards = 562.4" and 1595 yards = 819.4"

Any way folks I hope this helped and put minds at ease about Bushnells ( ONLY ) 1000 yard Claim, but it really does go further,

Take Care and Have fun.

John.
 
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Just a Quick update,

NIK H asked me about how close or how reliable / Accurate are the come ups meaning what happens if you range a target and the ranged distance falls between the drop of two of your input distances and also the ConX to ConX App results are because you only need to load the Distance and the Drop Data in to the required fields, I am going to post 3 sets of figures here because the ConX after 200 yards only list the measurements in whole yards as in 495 and the degrees in whole numbers and the Mils in to 2 or 3 numbers IE 4.6mils and my Strelok App will only allow whole numbers for the degrees as in 1, 2, 3, etc.

So I took the ConX and my phone out side and a Zapped a rooftop of a building

The ConX said 771 yards @ 1* ( degree ) @ 5.9 Mils

The ConX App said 771.3 yards @ 0.8 degrees @ 5.9 Mils

Strelok Pro said 771 yards @ 1* ( degree ) @ 6.0 Mils.

Every time I typed in 771.3 in to Strelok it changed it back to 771 yards rounding it down and it would not let me type in 0.8* Degrees, The overall Accuracy over a distance of 771.3 yards is within 2/10ths of an inch or 0.00028 ths of an inch per yard. difference between the ConX and the ConX App and Strelok which accounts to even less of a variation if you divide the overall difference between the 3 pieces of hardware.

Anyways I hope that helps.

John.
 
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The kestrel link app is better IMHO. Pair it with the kestrel and get real time elev and wind holds. All I have to do is input the range. I think that works better. But we all have our preference.
 
Thanks for posting. I picked up the combo with the Kestral a few weeks back during the Bushnell rebate. Still getting to know it.
 
The kestrel link app is better IMHO. Pair it with the kestrel and get real time elev and wind holds. All I have to do is input the range. I think that works better. But we all have our preference.

Yeah it is, The thing with the ConX App is it is a stand alone set up, Of coarse a person still has to adjust for wind, spin and cori IE ' 1k the S&C for the RDF 175 is about -9.8" plus what ever the weather is doing, and where it really comes to life is when you feed that data in to an App or the Kestrel Elite..

John.
 
It's no secrete that I am a Champion of the Busnell ConX, with me this has grown as each week passes, Because I keep discovering new hidden Gems in what many people see as a fairly ordinary LRF,Which could not be further from the truth, There are multiple ways that a person can use the ConX But by far the coolest way is when you pair it with the ConX App, Anyways onward and upward,

If you down load the ConX App and pair the ConX to your phone or Tablet, tap the App and select Gun 1 2 or 3, In the App they are Called Custom 1, 2 or 3, Sellect the bullet and then the box opens up, type in your Zero and then add the drop IE at 200 yards and then at 400 and then at 800 etc,,, Next to each distance which you choose you add the Bullet drop in the Box to the right of that range, the factory settings are Zero = 100 then 200 and 300 and 400 and 500 and 600 BUT you can change them to 100 Zero 200 400 800 1100 and say 1500, You Pick the distances and add your Bullets Drop and then click save,

If you enter a distance that is beyond what that Bullet is good for then it will tell you, So take off 200 yards and try it if it works then add 50 yards and then go up in 10 yard steps and if that works just keep going until you have reached the maximum And then go back by 10 yards so it accepts the range and then go up in ONE yards steps that way you will find the exact limit that the ConX App will Allow for that particular Bullet, The manual says that it works to a 1000 yards but that is not right because it works in line with either the BC or the Drop factor, I know this is some messing around But the purpose of doing this is to find the Absolute Maximum Range for that Bullet within the ConX App,

If the Green light changes colour on the screen just hit the range button on the ConX and it will link up again, and when your done hit SAVE and then it is loaded in to the ConX and you will not need the App/Phone again. there are no barrel Twists or FPS or scope heights etc etc to add that is all you have to do, Just Type in the distance and the drop at each range of your choice and save it when all boxes are filled. That's It, nothing else is needed.

HERE are two Bullets I did this with and this proves that where the manual says it works out to a 1000 yards is not quite correct, The Range of the ConX App is more related to either the BC or the Drop over certain distances as you can see below, And I think that the range of the ConX App stated in the Manual etc is most likely based on a standard .308 bullet running at 2600 +/- fps and according to my preferred App the RDF is starting to Go transonic at around1075 yards @1243.3 fps AND The 7mm Dakota starts to enter the Transonic range at around 1650 @ 1244.9 fps or somewhere close to that,

PLEASE NOTE that the APP seems to stop where Both Bullets reach a velocity of around 1243.3 fps and 1244.9 fps,

HERES a thought I wonder how far the App would work if the two Bullets were based on the 22-250 and the 220 Swift because by time they slowed down to 1244 fps they would be in the next County, LOL.

.308 Win RDF G7 .27,,,, AT 2740 fps ZERO @ 100, ,, 200 yards with a drop of 3.3 inches, 400 yards with a drop of 28.62", 800 yards = 183.91", 1000 yards = 339.44" and 1180 yards = 545.8"

7mm Dakota, 3049fps BC 0,674 G1

ZERO 200 yards, 400 yards = 16.7", 800 yards = 121.9",.1000 yards = 222.2", 1400 yards = 562.4" and 1595 yards = 819.4"

Any way folks I hope this helped and put minds at ease about Bushnells ( ONLY ) 1000 yard Claim, but it really does go further,

Take Care and Have fun.

John.

1243-1249 is 1.2 Mach. That's the transonic region. Unless your using theCDF function in AB it isn't reliable beyond that
 
1243-1249 is 1.2 Mach. That's the transonic region. Unless your using theCDF function in AB it isn't reliable beyond that

Cool thanks for that, I always forget to relate the two together, I only noticed the transonic bit because below the 12?? fps were highlighted, and I was too engrossed in crunching numbers, Lol. Which is why I had to edit that post where it says "Please Note".

thanks again,

John.
 
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Cool thanks for that, I always forget to relate the two together, I only noticed the transonic bit because below the 12?? fps were highlighted, and I was too engrossed in crunching numbers, Lol.

thanks again,

John.

correction, not CDF, I meant DSF (Drop Scale Factoring). I know that's available in AB Analytics (desktop) but cant remember if that's available in the Kestrel (my guess is that it is in the elite version and not the sportsman). I have the sportsman and haven't upgraded the firmware to the elite version yet, even though I already purchased it. been too busy.
 
correction, not CDF, I meant DSF (Drop Scale Factoring). I know that's available in AB Analytics (desktop) but cant remember if that's available in the Kestrel (my guess is that it is in the elite version and not the sportsman). I have the sportsman and haven't upgraded the firmware to the elite version yet, even though I already purchased it. been too busy.

Good on ya, then you will have the drop sheet data and more options and the extended range,

John.
 
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This is why I use Coldbore...it is amazingly accurate and likely to be one of the two most powerful solvers out there for ELR shooting. The other being FFS. If you have never used Coldbore, it is truly amazing but requires a Windows OS to work (Desktop and Mobile).
 
This is why I use Coldbore...it is amazingly accurate and likely to be one of the two most powerful solvers out there for ELR shooting. The other being FFS. If you have never used Coldbore, it is truly amazing but requires a Windows OS to work (Desktop and Mobile).

Well if you set your distances in your ConX right up to your maximum range and then get your drop data from your App then Then the ConX should match your Data yard for yard, If it is as good as you say then your in for some fun times,

John.
 
LOL,hahaha, I just loaded the 408 Cheytac in to my ConX and I gave up after 2600 yards, Not that the ConX will range that far but it excepted it just the same and no doubt I could of loaded an even longer range.

Why did I do that I hear some of you thinking, WELL just so I have a mode that will give me the Range and the Degrees at maximum distances, and another thing to note is that the ConX App excepted a 600 yard Zero where the ConX has built in Zero's of 100,150, 200 and 300. So that's got to be a good thing too. This thing just keeps getting better and better,

Like I said before about the 1000 yard Range quoted by Bushnell that is only a guide because I have a 7mm Dakota loaded in there out to around 1600 yards and now the 408 Cheytac out to 2600 yards, Wouldn't it be great if they boosted it's range to match the Terrapin etc,

Anyway this Is how I spent this Rainy Tuesday Afternoon,

Good Luck,

John
 
I am seeing some crazy deals on them too. I have been fighting the urge to not buy one but I am worried that a new version will release as soon as I buy it. Honestly though I am only shooting 6.5 creed so I am not sure I would need any more capability.

I can pick up the combo for under $550.
 
well even if they don't bring out another one, The ConX will work well for most folks who shoot Magnums unless they are trying to shoot in to their subsonic range.

John.
 
OP are you saying that you now prefer the ConX app to something like strelok or shooter? I think it's smart for Bushnell to allow you to enter your trued DOPE in the app, but that needs to be established. So where do you get your trued DOPE from?
 
OP are you saying that you now prefer the ConX app to something like strelok or shooter? I think it's smart for Bushnell to allow you to enter your trued DOPE in the app, but that needs to be established. So where do you get your trued DOPE from?

The data u put in when you build the gun is true data. There is no ballistic engine in the conx app.
 
The data u put in when you build the gun is true data. There is no ballistic engine in the conx app.

Right but doesn't the Conx itself or the app use drop in Mils 100, 200, etc? So wouldn't you have to have a good DOPE sheet all trued up to use with the rangefinder, it does give holdover in Mils when you range something? Sorry, I"m confused, just need clarification.
 
Right but doesn't the Conx itself or the app use drop in Mils 100, 200, etc? So wouldn't you have to have a good DOPE sheet all trued up to use with the rangefinder, it does give holdover in Mils when you range something? Sorry, I"m confused, just need clarification.

That's what I said. You input the drops you have confirmed or trying to confirm into the app. How you get that data is up to you.
 
Right but doesn't the Conx itself or the app use drop in Mils 100, 200, etc? So wouldn't you have to have a good DOPE sheet all trued up to use with the rangefinder, it does give holdover in Mils when you range something? Sorry, I"m confused, just need clarification.

The ConX except Sight Ins of 100, 150, 200 and 300 yards, THE ConX App excepts any sight in range, and the App has 5 user Drop and Range boxes for you to fill in at what ever distances you want. In these figures below I decided to limit the range to 2600 yards just because I did not want to find out what it's limit is using the 408 drop data, But on the 7mm Dakota I went as far as it would let me based on that bullets Drop Data.

IE:- 408 Cheytac

Zero @600 yards

point 1 = 900 yards,, Drop of 82.2"

point 2 = 1200 yards,, Drop of 239.9"

point 3 = 1500 yards,, Drop of 492.4"

point 4 = 1800 yards,, Drop of 867.0"

Point 5 = 2600 yards,, Drop of 2750.2"

The ConX will work out the exact Drop out as far as it can range depending on the Drops that you Type in, But remember that they say it only works out to 1000 yards well the App will work out a lot further than that as These set of figures prove, I got the Data from another App and loaded the Drops in to the ConX App and the ConX and ConX App returned Data within 0.01 to about 0.03 Mils.

The Accuracy of the ConX App is only as good as the Drops you type In so if it is wrong then it is down to the user, Weather Conditions pending ?

If any of you who own the ConX wouldn't mind Typing in these figures in to one of your Custom modes just to confirm that the App accepts those inputs and then try Lasing a few targets you will see how well it works,

I also loaded another profile based on a 7mm Dakota and it worked out to just on 1600 yards,

Hope this helps.

John.
 
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Thanks, hat was what I was trying to clarify.

The Only reason I got the Data from an App is because I don't own a 408 but that drop Data could of quite easily come from personal Range cards or the Kestrel AB or Horus or the 5700 Elite or any other form of Data as long as you know it to be awful close or Accurate from a trusted source then you Load in what ever you trust the most, and it will match that Data at any range.

hope that helps,

John.
 
Has anyone tried to mount it to the top of a spotter (bushnell legend t 15-45)? It has the threads already there and lays flat unlike the sig.
 
I don't. I'm looking into that as well.

IMHO, it's better to pair with the Kestrel or the Kestrel app. But there is always more than 1 way to skin a cat. The advantage of mildots way is it becomes someway stand alone. Range a target and get your hold right away. The wind is on you. That's where pairing with the kestrel is better. It gives you wind
 
What's the maximum range you guys have got a return from the Conx ?
Just ordered a unit from Brownells , curious to see how far it will go .
 
IMHO, it's better to pair with the Kestrel or the Kestrel app. But there is always more than 1 way to skin a cat. The advantage of mildots way is it becomes someway stand alone. Range a target and get your hold right away. The wind is on you. That's where pairing with the kestrel is better. It gives you wind

Yep the Kestrel is the better way for sure, I am just trying to find as many ways to use it as possible, from a hunting point of view Loading the drops in to the ConX via the App works well if a person is not trying to shoot a critter at ELR unless you can factor in the windage and weather etc but out to 1k the spin etc will move a 308 about 10.1 inches to the right but that does not allow for wind/DA etc for rapid shot placement the ConX works well,

Using the ConX App to load the drops is a highly accurate version of Bushnells A to J drop charts. and once you have them loaded you don't need the phone or tablet any more, But the real useful part about that is you now have the full range Data to add to any App along with the weather to get the full dope as in up and down and left and right, where as if you use the pre fixes they only work out to about 1k +/- 200 yards.

John.
 
So, once you load the drops, will it show your holds without being linked to a phone? If so, I might get this over the kilo.
 
So, once you load the drops, will it show your holds without being linked to a phone? If so, I might get this over the kilo.

Yep that's right, once you have loaded each profile in to 1, 2, or 3 you don't need the phone because each profile remains in the ConX Gun / Custon 1, 2, or 3 and if you wish to change to another rifle that is not in the memory then you just change one of the profiles and save it when the ConX is turned on and it will Automatically load it and off you go.

John.
 
So, once you load the drops, will it show your holds without being linked to a phone? If so, I might get this over the kilo.

It works like this in a basic sense. However, it only provides information for whatever the DA the input is, it cannot account for changes in DA. So if the data you loaded is at sea level and you are now in Denver it will be wrong. You can get around this by using all 3 custom gun profiles. You can load 3 different data sets based on where you normally shoot say 2000, 3000, and 4000 DA. Then you just choose which gun to use in the LRF.

This is works pretty decent, but it shines when paired with the kestrel. I use the above method if I am just out scouting around and messing around just to get a sense of drop data.
 
Well, guess I'm off to Brownells. Thanks guys.
 
It works like this in a basic sense. However, it only provides information for whatever the DA the input is, it cannot account for changes in DA. So if the data you loaded is at sea level and you are now in Denver it will be wrong. You can get around this by using all 3 custom gun profiles. You can load 3 different data sets based on where you normally shoot say 2000, 3000, and 4000 DA. Then you just choose which gun to use in the LRF.

This is works pretty decent, but it shines when paired with the kestrel. I use the above method if I am just out scouting around and messing around just to get a sense of drop data.

Actually TDH you have just invented yet another way to use the ConX, So that makes about 8 now, well done mate,

John.
 
Have you ranged something over 1000 and gotten elevation corrections? Even though mine is set up in excess of 1400 yds in the conx app it still won't give me corrections over 1000. 1012 and it says Lo in the viewfinder and Overlimit on the app. Ranged treetops out to 1506 though.
 
Have you ranged something over 1000 and gotten elevation corrections? Even though mine is set up in excess of 1400 yds in the conx app it still won't give me corrections over 1000. 1012 and it says Lo in the viewfinder and Overlimit on the app. Ranged treetops out to 1506 though.

Yeah but what bullet /Rifle have you loaded ?

John.
 
I'm using the Custom 1 and putting in numbers for the 110 SMK at 3056 with a bc of G7 315. Just entering the drop in inches at 200/400/800/1000/1325. The furthest I can get in the app is 1400yds but I'm still quite a bit above 1273 fps at 1400 yds. 980 and it gives my the correction, anything over 1000 is a no go for me.
 
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I'm using the Custom 1 and putting in numbers for the 110 SMK at 3056 with a bc of G7 315. Just entering the drop in inches at 200/400/800/1000/1325. The furthest I can get in the app is 1400yds but I'm still quite a bit above 1273 fps at 1400 yds. 980 and it gives my the correction, anything over 1000 is a no go for me.

Ok but what calibre is it, But I will check mine out because it could be because it starts to drop after 1273 fps, Like I said it sometimes does not accept the distance if the drop is too much,

But I will check mine out tomorrow, I can't do it tonight because I have the battery out of my Truck on charge,

John.
 
6x47. So the caliber matters when using the Custom settings?