Bushnell Tour V3 Owner Guide: Yards and Meters, JOLT, Reset, Battery and the Slope Edition

The Bushnell Tour V3 is the 2013 laser that brought JOLT to Bushnell’s Tour line: a short vibration when PinSeeker locks the flag. It has 5x magnification, ranges 5 to 1,000 yards (300+ to a flag) to ±1 yard, and runs on one CR2 battery. It came in two versions: the standard Tour V3 (model 201360) and the Tour V3 Slope Edition (201361), whose slope reading cannot be switched off. Thirteen years on, a working one still ranges a flag perfectly well and sells used for around $60–$80.

This is the owner’s page Bushnell no longer publishes: how to change yards and meters, turn JOLT on or off, reset a unit that will not read, which battery it takes, what the Slope Edition means for competition, and whether it is worth keeping or buying used.

Bushnell Tour V3 specifications

Two specs explain most of what owners notice. The 5x view is a step below the 6x of later Tour models and the 7x of Bushnell’s Pro line, which matters mostly on long, thin flags. And the manual lists no cart magnet; Bushnell’s BITE magnet arrived on later models such as the Tour V5 and the Pro XE. The built-in tripod mount is the V3’s quiet bonus: on a push cart with a small tripod or clamp, it takes shaky hands out of the equation.

Standard Tour V3 or Slope Edition: how to tell, and why it matters

Turn it on and range anything. The standard Tour V3 shows one distance. The Slope Edition shows the distance and then, once you release the button, an angle in degrees and a compensated “play as” distance underneath. Bushnell’s own example is a flag at 162 yards, +4 degrees, which the unit says to play as 173. The model number on the body (201360 or 201361) settles it if the display is ambiguous.

If you want to understand what that second number is doing, the geometry and the limits are on what slope does on a rangefinder.

How to use a Tour V3: PinSeeker with JOLT

1. Press Power/Fire once. The LCD comes on and stays on for 30 seconds, showing the last reading.
2. Put the aiming circle on the flag.
3. Press and hold Power/Fire and move the laser slowly across the flag. When PinSeeker picks the nearest target, a circle surrounds the flag icon.
4. With JOLT enabled, the unit gives a short vibration at the same moment. That buzz is your confirmation that the number is the flag, not the trees behind it.
5. On a Slope Edition, release the button to see the angle and the “play as” distance under the reading.

If the numbers jump between presses, one reading was the background. Brace your elbows, sweep more slowly and keep the shorter number; the full technique is on how to use a golf rangefinder.

How to change a Tour V3 from meters to yards, and turn JOLT on or off

Units and JOLT share one menu, and it lives inside a long press of the only button. Bushnell’s manual describes it like this: press and hold Power/Fire, and the display cycles through four setup options. Release when the one you want is showing.

The cycle is where most “stuck on meters” and “JOLT stopped working” reports come from: a long press that ran a step too far. Start with the display dark, hold the button, watch the options go past about once a second, and let go on the right one. If you overshoot, let the unit power down and do it again. The same method on every one-button Bushnell is on our meters to yards guide.

Tour V3 not working: reset, no reading, blurry

There is no reset button. The reset is a power cycle, and it clears most of what owners describe as a dead or frozen V3:

1. Battery out for two to three minutes so the electronics drain.
2. Clean the contacts: the spring and the inside of the cap, with a pencil eraser. White or green crust is a leaked cell.
3. Fresh name-brand CR2, positive end first, cap tightened.
4. Press Power/Fire once. If the display lights but you see symbols and no number, you are in the setup cycle: let it go dark and run the cycle above again.

Every symptom, across all brands, is covered in more depth on Bushnell rangefinder not working. If a unit is still dead after all of that, it is not a repair job: Bushnell covers lasers for two years from the original purchase, so a 2013–2015 V3 is long out of warranty, and Bushnell sells no internal parts. The Bushnell rangefinder warranty and repair guide explains the options.

Tour V3 battery: CR2, and how to change it

The Tour V3 takes one CR2 3V lithium cell. Lift the tab on the battery cap and turn it counter-clockwise, insert the CR2 positive end first, and refit the cap. A lightning-bolt symbol in the view means the battery is getting low, and Bushnell recommends replacing it at least once every 12 months whether or not the symbol shows. Keep to name-brand cells: the laser draws a burst of current on every reading, and a tired or cheap cell can light the display and still fail to range. Every Bushnell’s cell is in our Bushnell battery guide.

Where to find the Tour V3 manual

Bushnell still hosts the combined Tour V3 and Tour V3 Slope user manual (PDF, models 201360/201361). It covers the setup cycle, PinSeeker with JOLT, the slope display, the battery and the specifications quoted on this page. For anything the manual does not cover, Bushnell Golf’s support centre is the route to a person.

Is the Bushnell Tour V3 still worth it?

As a rangefinder, yes. The things that make a laser accurate, a clean lens, a working laser and a good battery, do not age much, and ±1 yard is ±1 yard. What has moved on since 2013 is convenience: 6x optics on later Tour models, a built-in cart magnet, and above all a slope switch that makes one unit work for both practice and competition.

Buying one used: a standard Tour V3 lists around $60–$80 in current second-hand listings, which is fair for a unit that does the one job well. Ask the seller to range something past 150 yards, check that the battery cap is present, look for haze inside the lens, and confirm JOLT still buzzes. Avoid paying a premium for a V3 Slope if you play competitions. The full checklist is on buying a used Bushnell rangefinder, and the current line-up is on which Bushnell rangefinder to buy.