Vortex Impact 4000 Laser Rangefinder Review

Gear and accessories. Love and hate. Good and bad. It’s a struggle for all of us in the gun space. There is a lot to be said for straight-forward, simple, if not minimalistic setups, whether its for a pistol, carbine, or rifle. On the flip side there is something to be said for a properly kitted out firearm. Let’s be honest and admit that when done right, it looks sweet. And while it’s easy to go overboard, “kitted up” can be very useful if the components work properly and the user is well versed in the components’ operation.

Vortex Impact 4000 Rangefinder

Vortex’s Impact 4000 is one of those items that has me on the fence. I recognize how useful it is. Maybe I mean beneficial. On the other hand, I can see how it can be detrimental to the user who doesn’t fully commit to learning how to use it. Not to mention, it’s not exactly inexpensive, and if I’m being honest, it’s not actually “necessary.”

The Impact 4000 is a weapon-mounted LRF (laser rangefinder) unit that also provides ballistic solutions. Again, when set up correctly, the user need only look through their optic, acquire the target, press a button to collect the range, and the unit spits out a ballistic solution. Then it’s as simple as dialing the displayed come-up, adjusting for wind (it does that too) aiming and pressing the trigger. When it’s right, it’s right, and the long-range shooting process for an individual shooter becomes insanely efficient—quick and easy.

No more having to come off the gun, grabbing a handheld rangefinder, steadying out, ranging, putting down the handheld unit, getting setup behind the rifle again, dialing, then shooting. Mind you, if your hand held unit doesn’t have ballistic solutions in it, then you’ll have to look at a dope chart of some sort to know what to dial for elevation. Yes, you can get fairly proficient with this, but it can be quite tedious at times. The Impact 4000 takes the tedious out of the equation. Almost.

Devil In The Details

Where the Vortex unit is tedious is in its initial setup. You need to calibrate the compass, which means the unit must be held on its several axis (five of them) and rotated for specific periods of time. This isn’t rocket science, but if you get it wrong you’ll have to repeat. On top of that, you’ll need to repeat this process if you travel more than 30 miles from the original calibration location. So that means if you have the laser zeroed, you’ll have to remove it from the weapon, repeat the calibration, then attach and re-zero. You’ll need to take your target with reflective tape applied to it, with you.

The unit has a compass and an inclinometer. The compass is used for wind bearing information so you can make accurate wind calls. The inclinometer obviously detects angle of shot. The features don’t stop there. The Impact is a complex unit in its offerings, but is very easy to use once mounted. Your rifle optic should be zeroed before you mount the Impact 4000.

The Impact 4000 features three different ranging modes, HCD, LOS, and BAL. HCD is the Horizontal Component Distance Mode, which is a general ranging mode that doesn’t use the ballistic solver. LOS is line of sight, and is meant for users shooting beyond 500 yards with at least 15 degrees of slope, while using ballistic solvers, or data cards with slope correcting feature. BAL mode is the on board ballistic solver, and the device uses line of sight measurements to calculate ballistic solutions. In this mode much information is displayed by the unit, such as range, slope incline in degrees, scope units such as MIL and MOA, and the ballast correction based on the selected profile.

Target Modes

The Impact 4000 has two different types of target modes, which are for specific use scenarios. Normal mode is the standard mode and should be used primarily. It gives the strongest range result. ELR mode should be used when Normal Mode can’t provide a result. This may be due to a smaller and less reflective target. This mode may require more time for a ranging result to be provided.

Commit and Benefit

As I mentioned earlier, there is a bit of a learning curve with the Impact 4000. Don’t think that you’ll just slap it on your rifle and be ranging and pinging steel in 10 minutes. If you commit to the unit, like I did ( I had to do the process twice), you’ll be rewarded with one-man ranging and DOPE success. Shooting by oneself doesn’t get much easier, if it does at all.

I placed the unit atop of a 6mm Creedmoor rifle. After a proper zero of the rifle the next step was to shoot at distance to confirm the DOPE. It’s pretty common practice to have to true your data at longer distances such as 1,000 or more for a 6mm or 6.5 mm Creedmoor, especially when using an app like GeoBallistics. GeoBallisitcs was my go-to app for many years.

Once it was trued up and the profile updated within the Impact 4000, I had no problems shooting any distance, ranging while on the rifle then sending rounds for impact. It was fast and easy and I immediately started thinking about how I could afford to buy such a unit. I’m still trying to figure that out.

The Impact 4000 seems to be a solid performer and brings shooter efficiency to a whole new level. Be sure to watch the companion video of the Impact 4000 in use.

For more info on the Vortex Impact 4000 Rangefinder, visit vortexoptics.com.