August 30, 2023
By Dale Evans
Recently I got my hands on the brand-new Vortex Razor HD 4000 GB rangefinder. Though I don’t consider myself a long-range hunter or shooter, the combination of Geoballistics and Vortex’s trusted ranging capabilities piqued my interest. After playing with it around the house, I took it out to the range and then some wide-open spaces to put it through the paces.
First Impressions After receiving the 4000 GB, I took it to the backside of my property to just get a feel for it. I found it somewhat “beefy” in the hand, this thing is built like a Mack truck. It’s a bit bulkier in feel than some other rangefinders—like the Crossfire 1400 I tested last season. This rangefinder feels like a military-grade piece of equipment, rather than something built for the average recreationalist shooter.
Side-by-side comparison of the Razor HD 4000 GB and Crossfire 1400. Despite my initial feeling in my hand, it is remarkably lightweight—weighing 10.1 ounces—especially when you think of all the sophisticated software that is packed into such a small package. After running through the easy-to-use menu, it was time to range a few things: 72, 258 yards, and 564 yards. Initially, the ranging speed really stood out. It is remarkably fast. Time to stretch it out a bit: 948, 1132 and 1259 yards. “Holy Hell, this thing has some reach.” Not to mention with its 7x25 monocular, you are able to easily identify distant targets with sharp clarity. Ok, first impressions are though it might feel a bit bulky in-hand, this bad boy is remarkably quick to read a range and it easily picked up any object for as far as I could see.
Understanding The Modes The Razor HD 4000 GB has two distinct ranging modes: Horizontal Component Distance (HCD) and Ballistic (BAL). The HCD Mode gives you the direct horizontal distance to the target, while accounting for the angle of the shot. This is great for using this rangefinder in an archery scenario. The BAL Mode provides a shot solution that takes into account the range, shot angle, elevation and even wind—although wind measurements need to be entered manually as the rangefinder doesn’t have an onboard weather station.
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You can also choose between three different target modes: Normal, First and Last and Extended Laser Range (ELR). Normal Mode will display your strongest measurement. First and Last mode give you the closest and furthest measurements respectively. The ELR Mode is best used when setting your rangefinder on a tripod, measuring extremely long ranges on targets that might be non-reflective. While testing the ELR Mode on a tripod, I consistently got ranges in excess of 3,600 yards on hillsides, trees and rocks.
Geoballistics App Available for both iPhone or Android users, the Geoballistics App is a free download with a library of the most popular bullets complete with ballistic coefficients that you can use to connect to the Razor 4000 GB via Bluetooth. Connect your 4000 GB to gain access to the “Pro” version of this app and it unlocks a multitude of extras. With the map tab you can drop a pin of your current location, range a target and instantly mark that target within the app.
I was impressed how easy it was to connect the rangefinder to my phone via Bluetooth and pair it with the Geoballistics App. After a quick calibration, I was able to quickly pinpoint ranges around my location. Being able to identify landmarks and reference them on the map was a breeze. I see this not only being helpful for when preparing for a shot, but more importantly using it to get a feel of the terrain from Point A to B when preparing for a stalk.
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The Geoballistics App also has a wide array of bullets in its library, complete with ballistic coefficients listed in the appropriate BC value. While creating a rifle profile, the user can adjust and edit specifics about the load, velocity and rifle setup to esnure ultimate accuracy when using the rangefinder in the ballistic mode. . With this you can save many different profiles for a variety of rifles within the app and synchronize them to the device (up to three at a time).
Vortex got a lot of things right when they put so much technology into the new Razor HD 4000 GB. With a bright, easy to read display, clear glass, and rugged finish this rangefinder can handle just about anything you could throw at it. With an MSRP of $1200, it seems more than fair for the shooter that is in need of an upgrade in features.
