How accurate is the Bushnell radar gun? I just got one for Christmas. From reading reviews, I gathered that it is about 7 mph slower , consistently, than expensive radar guns.
If the exact model matters, I can post it on here. But I would assume that most makes from the same brand work about the same.
Thanks and Merry Christmas!
Yep, it’s slow. In my other thread I said that I used it once. It said I threw around 65-68. I’m unsure as to how fast I really throw but yeah, I’m sure I don’t throw that slow. I’m not much of a help but I would say it’s around 5 or more mph slower. It’s still great for the price though.
According to an Amazon review that I found, it is consistently 7-8 mph slower than a stalker radar gun. The person said they stood gunned next a stalker radar gun and it was constantly that much slower.
So unless I hear of something I will go off that.
I’m not really using it to find out my real speed of my pitches, but to check my speed differences on my pitches. And also to see if I make velocity gains from my mechanical adjustments.
I would just like to know where I’m at speed wise.
The only way you should use a radar gun is to look at the difference between the speeds of your pitches…I am glad to hear you are using it in this way. So honestly then there is no issue to the gun being off as to the speed for the speed will always be off.
I have one and it’s awful, which is why I have a thread in this forum looking for a JUGS/Stalker 
I was catching a 38-year old guy who is trying to make a comeback, and he was damn near breaking the bones in my hand! Keep in mind I regularly catch bullpens for our HS/college guys who are throwing 84-86 (verified on Stalker guns), and this guy was scaring the crap out of me.
Our Bushnell gun was telling me he was throwing 82 MPH. I mean come on now!
I understand the argument that you want separation on the pitches and consistency in a radar gun, but I got bad news for ya: Scouts don’t give a @$%& about THAT! They care about velo numbers, plain and simple - especially for a 38-year old guy running out of time!
Well with the 7-8 addition method that would make him throwing 89-90.
The thing that I saw in some reviews about it, is that it picks the ball up later than a stalker gun or an expensive gun. The ball of course slows down, so if the Bushnell gun does pick up the ball later, like I suspect it does, then it would only make sense to have some conversion to the speed that guns scouts are going to use will have.
I basically got this gun to track my progress of my hopeful velocity growth and hopeful mechanical growth. As long as the gun is accurate, not to an expensive gun, but to itself. Then it will be money well spent.
I just want have a rough estimate on my velocity because I’m curious. 
And I reallllyyyyy want to throw 90+. But that being said I have to continue to perfect my other pitches as well because chances are that I won’t be throwing my fastball fast enough to live off it.
Kyleb-it sounds like the 7-8mph method might work. Where were you holding the gun? Were you directly behind the catcher or the pitcher in a straight line? The more of a direct line you’re in, the more accurate the gun is. I believe that is probably true for almost any radar gun.
I was behind a mesh net behind home plate. I haven’t personally caught 90 MPH, but I’ve faced it before in the batter’s box. This was rubbing up against it at the very least. Thank god he had pro-level command/control of his pitches!
I have seen complaints from people standing behind a fence and not getting a reading. Maybe the mesh was messing up the gun a little?
But my method seems to work. (+7-8mph)
If he was hurting your hand when you caught him, and 86 didn’t. Then he must have been pitching faster.
I don’t think he would throwing too much over 90 or he would have probably wouldn’t be bothering with getting lessons and more focused on contacting MLB teams.
This is the radar that I just got. Is this the one you were using?
my friend has the speedster II gun and there are problems:
1- it records velocity as it crosses the plate, not when it leaves the hand so thats about +3 mph
2- you have to be directly behind the catcher. if you are off to either side the accuracy is worse. (Cosine effect)
3- the further you move back the accuracy is worse.
4- standing behind the pitcher the accuracy is worse.
5- standing behind a metal backstop instaed of mesh accuracy is worse
6- Calibration can not be done.
simply put you get what you pay for. If a $99 gun worked as well as the $500 gun, who would buy the $500 gun??? Like a Sears Crafstman too versus a Walmart Special…
That isn’t the kind I have and the comment I found about the addition of 7-8 mph was under the product that I bought. That is a different Bushnell radar gun than the one I currently have.
The person that did the test with the Bushnell and the expensive gun stood right behind the pitcher, so maybe the gun is less accurate, as you said, from behind the pitcher causing the need to add additional mph’s to the gun’s readings.
Even if that method doesn’t work. I just hope that it will work consistently because I don’t really need to see my actual speed. I just need to see my growth.
[quote=“jimster”]That isn’t the kind I have and the comment I found about the addition of 7-8 mph was under the product that I bought. That is a different Bushnell radar gun than the one I currently have.
The person that did the test with the Bushnell and the expensive gun stood right behind the pitcher, so maybe the gun is less accurate, as you said, from behind the pitcher causing the need to add additional mph’s to the gun’s readings.
Even if that method doesn’t work. I just hope that it will work consistently because I don’t really need to see my actual speed. I just need to see my growth.[/quote]
Using pitch f/x from mlb’s website, major league fastballs lose about 7-8 mph from release to home plate. Breaking balls can lose 9-10 mph though, so it’s not an absolute difference for all types of pitches. I’m not also sure of the physics of it, but a non-major league fastball (less than 90) may lose more velocity by the time it reaches home.
I’m only curious about the actual speed of my fastball. I can figure out the other speeds if I have that number.
It doesn’t make sense that a fastball will lose more velocity if it’s going slower. Unless that speed is drastically slower than the MLB. Like a speed that wouldn’t make it to the target.
Just my opinion though. I don’t have any evidence to back that up.
But the 7-8 mph is looker like it’s more accurate because it sounds like the cheaper guns record the pitching speed later, as it crosses home, and that speed is 7-8mph slower than the top speed that the more expensive guns record.
Kyle, does this mean what I think it does?
the gun worked pretty well today.
I used it for myself and I topped out at 76 mph so 84 with the addition method
I used it on a iron mike pitching machine that is supposed to throw 70 mph and it was right in the range after the 7-8 mph addition to it. So I’m pretty happy with my gun and it’s accuracy of the gun!
I received a Bushnell gun for Christmas and tried it out today. My first impression is that I was disappointed in the performance. I felt that it was slow and inconsistent. I’m going to play around with it tomorrow and if I don’t get it working better I am taking it back. Has anyone tried the pocket radar? I’m curious to how it compares.
We’ve tried this too. It’s even worse.
The only good products cost $500. Sucks, but that’s how it is.
Razorbacker,
What are you trying to do that an accurate gun reading is so important?
[quote=“scorekeeper”]Razorbacker,
What are you trying to do that an accurate gun reading is so important?[/quote]
I just want to be able to monitor our kids throughout the season. My son appeared to have a pretty steep drop off in velocity near the end of last season. I don’t want a gun that is going to give false readings, but at the same time having a gun isn’t important enough for me to spend very much money on it.
[quote=“razorbacker”][quote=“scorekeeper”]Razorbacker,
What are you trying to do that an accurate gun reading is so important?[/quote]
I just want to be able to monitor our kids throughout the season. My son appeared to have a pretty steep drop off in velocity near the end of last season. I don’t want a gun that is going to give false readings, but at the same time having a gun isn’t important enough for me to spend very much money on it.[/quote]
Most will say the Bushnell gun is stable over time, but we haven’t had that experience at our facility. I gunned a guy throwing 74-75, then three months later he was throwing 74-75 but it was obviously harder. Then he went to college and got gunned at 84, which was much faster than his previous radar readings at the school.
Personally, I think the gun is near worthless.
It worked well for me. Of course I have just used it once so far.
It just sounds like you need to add the 7-8 mph to whatever the gun reads. Unless it reads a ridiculous number.
I think with the cheapness of the gun you need a large sample size to find the average velocity and with any experiment you take out the extremes.
I had one pitch clocked at 81 which I was around 74-76(with the gun). And one later(a fastball mind you)that was clocked at 65 right after I threw one at 76. Over the course of the time I used it when I pitched though I found a good range to where my velocity is.
So far I think it was worth the price, free haha