Meet the Vortex Impact 4000: A Weapon-Mounted Laser Range Finder

Estimated reading time: 13 minutes

Ladies and gentlemen, the product I’ve been most eagerly awaiting for most of my life has finally arrived – introducing the game-changing Vortex Impact 4000. This year, long-range and night vision shooters are in for a treat, as Vortex has addressed the need for a relatively affordable weapon-mounted Laser Range Finder (LRF) with advanced ballistic calculation capabilities.

While the Vortex Impact 4000 still carries a street price of around $2,000, it’s important to note that, until now, comparable products were costing an exorbitant $10,000. This review will unveil how Vortex has bridged this gap in the market, offering a product that delivers outstanding performance similar to its high-end counterparts, making quick precision shooting more achievable for amateurs and professionals alike.

Vortex Impact 4000 Specifications:

Reflective Range (yards): Up to 4000 yds.
Tree Range (yards): Up to 2500 yds.
Deer Range (yards): Up to 1500 yds.
Min Range: 5 yds.
Accuracy: .5 yds @ 100 yds.
Length: 4.6″
Height: 2.5″
Width: 3.2″
Weight: 16.0 oz.

So What is a Weapon Mounted LRF With Onboard Ballistics?!

For those who are new to the world of long-range shooting, a few things are essential; precision, great environmental readings, and good math. While rifle and ammo combos make a difference in capability, once fired all bullets follow the basic principles of physics. While these include many factors such as gravity, wind, velocity, spin drift, the Coriolis Effect, and more, the Impact 4000 has you covered. Earlier this year, Vortex purchased GeoBallistics® which is a business that provides ballistic mobile application software. This set Vortex up to pair its hardware with a tried and true ballistics app and software.

Similar to the Razor HD 4000 GB that Vortex unveiled earlier this year, the Impact 4000 ranges out to 4,000 yards and can calculate ballistics based on user inputs, but it also mounts directly to a rifle via an integral Picatinny mount.

SEE MORE: Vortex RAXOR HD 4000 GB Review

Out of the Box

From the factory, the Impact 4000 comes with a Bluetooth remote, remote mounting kit, owner’s manual, zero tool, CR123 and CR2032 remote battery, lens cloth, and SureFit Cover. Vortex provides a full lifetime unlimited VIP warranty covering both the rangefinder and onboard electronics.

Mounting the Impact 4000

As previously mentioned, the Vortex Impact 4000 features an integral Picatinny mount. Users can utilize this to mount the unit on the side of a quad rail or a diving board. For me, mounting the Impact 4000 above a scope makes the most sense. Being located right in front of the elevation turret makes for easily reading the ballistic solutions while maintaining a cheek weld on the rifle.

Vortex launched its own Precision Diving Board Mount which is a Picatinny section that mounts to their existing Precision Riflescope Rings. This mount has felt solid, maintained zero, and offers enough clearance to be used in conjunction with clip-on night vision or thermal devices.

Mounting this LRF is not difficult, and just takes a few minutes in a wide open space. The Impact 4000 has a built-in visible laser that is used to align the range finder with the scope that is mounted to the rifle. This ensures that whatever the rifle is pointed at, is what is actively being ranged. For a quick and easy video on the installation, Vortex posted a YouTube video detailing this process as seen below:

GeoBallistics®

The Impact 4000 is equipped with the accurate GeoBallistics® Solver backed by a full, up-to-date bullet library. This app also pairs with third-party devices allowing for wirelessly pairing to your phone or a Kestrel. While it is easy and convenient to upload rifle profiles from your phone to the Impact 4000, users can also manually enter all their ballistics data. I appreciate this feature as it allows for complete control when used as a standalone unit. Throughout my testing, I never had any issues with the software for this LRF. I shot out to 1200 yards using calculations from the Impact 4000 with ease.

The Impact 4000 Has Onboard Sensors

Featuring an on-board compass and exposed temperature, pressure, and humidity sensors, the Impact 4000 provides nearly all the information long-range shooters demand. Each time a target is ranged, these environmental factors are calculated in a fraction of a second to give an accurate windage and elevation hold.

The one thing the Impact 4000 is missing is a way to measure wind speed and heading. For this reason, Vortex made it easy to pair with a Kestrel to provide this information. However, wind speed and direction can be manually entered with a patented “Wind Bearing Capture Mode.” I find this mode both easy to use and accurate. It is adjustable in 15-degree intervals and can be fine-tuned in 1mph increments.

Impact 4000 Buttons

Controlling the Impact 4000 is a quick and easy process to learn. On the top of the housing is a sort of keypad and then settings and a W.B.C. or Wind Bearing Capture button. The center button between all the arrows is the ranging/selecting button. Due to it being in the middle, I have had no trouble finding it and using it to range targets even in the dark. Users can utilize this layout without even looking at it. The buttons are firm to avoid accidental activation, yet tactile. Everything feels durable and waterproof.

Remote

Vortex includes a Bluetooth remote that users can also use to activate the rangefinder or navigate through settings. This can help with ranging targets at extended distances where pushing the button on the Impact 4000 may slightly move the point of aim. Their mounting kit is great because it allows for mounting to most rail types. Vortex also includes velcro for sticking the remote on places such as the magwell of a rifle. One thing I found was that the locking lever on the mount should have had a lockout mode. During testing, I bumped it while hiking and the remote fell out. While this only happened once in the past three months, it is not something I want to worry about.

Display

The LCD display on the Impact 4000 is great. It is large enough to provide all relevant data and remain easy to read. There is a backlight option for the display which can help in extremely bright or low light scenarios. However, I never really needed to use the backlight option during the day.

Also, even the lowest brightness setting was too bright in my opinion for night shooting. It is still quite bright and casts quite a bit more backlight than my thermals do and directly on your forehead which can give away your position. NV could easily detect this, and while hunting, I worried that coyotes and pigs might notice my face. For this reason, I would cup my hand around the display, get a distance and holdover, then press the backlight button to turn it off again and get back on the rifle.

Reading the display with NV is possible without the backlight, but it is not ideal.

Another thing to note is that the laser range finder projects a 905nm IR laser that is also visible to NV. For target shooting and hunting this doesn’t matter as it is not visible to humans or animals, but it is something to be aware of.

Impact 4000 Performance

During my three months with the Impact 4000, I had no issues worth noting. All components performed well and functioned as intended. I’ve put more than 1000 rounds through various rifles with this unit mounted and never had a noticeable zero shift. It worked from hot and windy 90-degree days, and out in the snow at around 12,000 ft in 10-degree weather. I also had it mounted to a bolt gun thrown in a rifle scabbard of an Eberlestock pack and hiked around 20 miles without issue.

As for the built-in rangefinder, it also did not disappoint. The Impact 4000 is advertised as being capable of ranging reflective targets to 4000 yards, trees to 2500 yards, and deer out to 1500 yards. I was able to get readings on rocks out to 4081 yards, and trees to around the 2400-yard mark. One thing to be aware of is that the Impact 4000 is aligned with the rifle’s zero. This means that if the windage or elevation turrets are dialed, the rangefinder will no longer measure the distance of what the crosshairs are aimed at. For this reason, I prefer to use the reticle for all of my holds to avoid any confusion when shooting multiple targets at different distances.

While quite large, the housing feels solid and durable. The side features a lockout for the visible laser which is a great security feature. Otherwise, the laser is toggled on and off using the onboard settings. One complaint I have heard from other people is the size of the front lens and lack of protective shielding. While the lens is recessed from the housing similar to the glass of most reflex red dots, it does have a large surface area. During my hunting, hiking, and range trips, I never had an issue even without using the included SureFit cover.

Benefits Of Using the Impact 4000

While this unit provides a lot of capability during the day, in my mind the most beneficial aspect of a weapon-mounted LRF is the ability to pair it with night vision or thermal. Where handheld rangefinders are useless after dark when you can’t see what you are pointing them at, the Impact 4000 will range anything you can see through your optic configuration. I used it paired with a Pulsar Krypton 2 FXG50 clip-on thermal and had a great time.

Vortex Impact 4000 Summary

I’m thrilled to witness Vortex’s venture into the realm of weapon-mounted Laser Range Finders (LRF). The Impact 4000 delivers impressive capabilities at a fraction of the cost compared to the limited alternatives currently available. Eliminating the guesswork from long-range shooting, this unit provides swift and precise ballistic corrections. Throughout my testing, I encountered no issues, only leaving me with smiles during each outing. With a street price of approximately $2,000, the Vortex Impact 4000 stands as a compelling option that, in my mind, merits serious consideration as a worthy addition to your long-range shooting kit.

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