Vortex Impact 4000: Weapon Mounted LRF [Hands-On First Look]

AS FIRST IMPRESSIONS GO, THIS WAS AMAZING

I still remember how disappointed I was over 10 years ago when I discovered that the weapon-mounted laser range finder I loved in my favorite video game of the day was more myth than fact.

Even now, if you want a LRF mounted on your rifle so you can range things hundreds of yards away, you have extremely limited options. A Wilcox RAPTAR will run you about $12,000, or the Envision MARS-Lc for about $10,000 are really the two main/best options. Some others exist, but none that I’ve ever heard of surviving long enough to make it worth it.

That changed today. The Vortex Impact 4000 is a weapon-mounted laser range finder that works to 4,000 yards on reflective targets and 1,500 yards on “deer” targets. Best of all, the MSRP is only $3,000, meaning we can expect a street price of more like $2,000.

I’ve only had a T&E unit for a few days, but I hit the range with it and have at least some first impressions to share.

A full review will be coming later, but give me a month or two to really test it.

SPECS & FEATURES

• SIZE: 4.6”L x 2.5”H x 3.2”W
• WEIGHT: 16 oz
• ACCURACY @ 100 YARDS: 0.5 yards
• DEER RANGE: 1,500 yards
• TREE RANGE: 2,500 yards
• REFLECTIVE RANGE: 4,000 yards
• DISPLAY TYPE: LCD
• DISPLAY SIZE: 1.3”
• PICATINNY MOUNT
• WIND BEARING CAPTURE MODE
• BUILT-IN RANGE CARD GENERATOR
• PAIRS WITH THIRD-PARTY DEVICES VIA GEOBALLISTICS APP
• WATERPROOF
• SHOCKPROOF
• FOG PROOF
• CUSTOM BALLISTIC PROFILES
• ON-BOARD SENSORS: COMPASS, HUMIDITY, BAROMETRIC PRESSURE, AND TEMPERATURE
• BLUETOOTH REMOTE

SET UP

Installing the Impact 4000 to your rifle depends on your rifle. For me, I’m using an Aero Precision Solus in a PDC Custom chassis with a Vortex Razor Gen III on top and Vortex rings.

Thankfully, Vortex sent me one of their new bridge mounts for the rings, along with the Impact 4000. Take the top of one ring off, put the bridge on, and away I went. 

The Impact 4000 has Picatinny rail on the bottom, so it should be pretty easy to mount in some way or another. The bolts holding it are kind of annoyingly placed, and the provided tool sucks for tightening them, but struggle is a part of life.

Very cool feature is that the screen will auto-rotate, so mounting the Impact 4000 on the side of your rifle is entirely doable if you want.

Overall, installation is not hard.

ZEROING THE IMPACT 4000

To work, the Impact 4000 needs to be zeroed with your scope but at an offset equal to the distance from the laser to the center of your scope. Basically, if you draw a line from the center of your scope to the target, there needs to be a parallel line from the center of the Impact 4000 to the target.

This is explained fairly well in the instructions book if you’re not picking up what Im saying.

To do this, the Impact 4000 has a visible laser you can activate for zeroing. The kit also comes with a reflective target and instructions.

The instructions say this can be done at 50 to 100 yards. I started at 100 without the reflective tape, and it was hopeless, the visible laser isn’t visible at that range without the tape. Predictable, but I had hoped. With the tape, it was no problem at all to see the laser.

FIRST SHOTS

I was only able to run the Impact 4000 to 300 yards for now, but I will run it much further for the full review.

For me, I had zero issues. Point and click. You get the range and make the shot. In this pre-release state, I don’t have the apps set up because the QR codes don’t work yet, and the public release of the app doesn’t have the Impact 4000 added to it yet. Kind of annoying, but I guess I understand Vortex’s OPSEC.

I’m writing this the day before the official release of the Impact 4000, so hopefully, the app will be updated the day-of.

The ranging part of the tool worked. The remote worked. Everything seems very sturdy and stable.

So far, so good. But more testing is coming soon.

WORTH IT?

I can’t really answer this just yet. To me, right now, I’m finding it hard to identify a real use for this for me. I don’t see it helping me in PRS, NRL: Hunter, or just when I go plinking. But maybe I just don’t have enough time with it yet.

In any case, I’m just excited that it exists. Even if I end up never using it after this review, I love that this is now an option for people, and it doesn’t cost more than my car.

A full review is coming, but for now at least, this is wicked cool.

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