Vortex Impact 4000 in Comps

[JM4590]

I have watched the tons of vids on YouTube and read many of the reviews here about the Impact 4000. Great product and great price. I recently participated in a “sniper field match” and saw several shooters using the Impact. I spoke to a couple, and for the most part, they liked them. A couple of guys responded “it’s ok”.
Obviously it’s un-necessary in a PRS type match where distances are known, or any type of match where there are given distances. Not saying I’d take it off my rifle if shooting one of those, just pontificating that it would be un- necessary.

In the match that I shot, my partner and I used range finding binos and called out distances to each other for our targets and used a DOPE card on a wrist holder. Worked fine. The binos gave a good field of view for finding the targets ( unk dist and placement). My partner thinks it would be a HUGE advantage to have the Impact mounted on each of our rifles. We could then use it to range targets for each other, and in the process, if we come across one of our own, range , engage, move on. I see the upside to this in a time element. My only draw back to this is the FOV of a rifle scope to find the targets. I know one could dial it down, find the target, dial up, engage, dial back and continue searching.

So what are you guys doing?
Yes! Get the Vortex and you will gain a significant advantage. Or

Get it and use it, but good comms between partners and a good set of range binos will be just as good.

 

[Sheldon N]

I shot and RO'd a NRL Hunter match a few weeks back, which is a 4 minute find/range/engage format. There were 200+ shooters including 20+ teams shooting the event and I got to watch them all shoot. I saw a few Vortex 4000's mounted on rifles, but I don't think I saw anyone actually use it during the stage. Maybe one shooter did to confirm dope already called out by their partner? Can't be sure.

Pretty much everyone used rangefinding binos, especially the fastest/top shooters. I think the best/fastest way is to move quickly to get rangefinding binos on top of a tripod on top of a shooting bag (low kneeling seemed faster if terrain allowed), locate and range targets, write dope on your wrist coach as you find each target, make mental notes of landmarks for finding the targets again, then shoot them all at once. The top finishers were all very fast at getting into position and shooting, so they were able to spend as much as 3 minutes finding/ranging then shoot everything in 60 seconds.

 

[RickyRacer87]

Just curious how many targets they were ranging and shoting during the match?

 

[Carl_Ross]

Just curious how many targets they were ranging and shoting during the match?

Each stage is one of the following:

One target engaged from four positions
Two targets engaged from two positions each
Four targets engaged from one positiion

Each engagement gives you two points for a first round hit, one point for a second round hit. Dead target arrangement, so if you hit with the first round you move on. So assuming you find all the targets and don't time out you will shoot between four and eight rounds per stage.

The matches I've seen had between 15 and 20 stages.

 

[Carl_Ross]

I shot and RO'd a NRL Hunter match a few weeks back, which is a 4 minute find/range/engage format. There were 200+ shooters including 20+ teams shooting the event and I got to watch them all shoot. I saw a few Vortex 4000's mounted on rifles, but I don't think I saw anyone actually use it during the stage. Maybe one shooter did to confirm dope already called out by their partner? Can't be sure.

Pretty much everyone used rangefinding binos, especially the fastest/top shooters. I think the best/fastest way is to move quickly to get rangefinding binos on top of a tripod on top of a shooting bag (low kneeling seemed faster if terrain allowed), locate and range targets, write dope on your wrist coach as you find each target, make mental notes of landmarks for finding the targets again, then shoot them all at once. The top finishers were all very fast at getting into position and shooting, so they were able to spend as much as 3 minutes finding/ranging then shoot everything in 60 seconds.

I've seen the rifle mounted 4000's at NRL's too, can't see how to make it a superior workflow to good RFB's with ballistics.

I am unapologetically gamey with my setup. I have a tall 2 section tripod strapped to my pack with a tac table mounted. When I get to the sighting position I toss the whole pack & tripod down together and rest my bino's on the table with all the legs stowed and still tied to the pack. If I find the first target quickly I'm usually writing down the dope 30 seconds in.

In shooting three of them I still haven't put it all together for a good match yet, but I really like my system.

 

[Cynical]

I shot a Guardian team match with one. I used it a couple times in the match but I think it was just to verify what my partner called on range. Our team workflow was my partner finding and ranging with LRF binos while I set up to shoot first. If he struggled to find targets I was behind the scope helping. The “problem” in a timed format (for me at least) when I’m getting set up to shoot is that I’ve dialed my dope for the first target and the impact is then absolutely useless unless I dial back to zero on the scope. I do not believe the Impact gave us any advantage in the match and we were podium finishers. We worked well together and shot well that weekend.

If I practiced with it, and we as a team figured out a different workflow, maybe there’s an advantage. It’s a tool. It works. But in my opinion it doesn’t fit with how most people or teams shoot matches. @Sheldon N mentioned it (and he shoots a lot of matches), in a NRL Hunter event I definitely can’t see it fitting into the shooter workflow for myself. I’m like 90% of other shooters in that I drop my pack, rip out the tripod and put the binos on top to find and range targets. That process just works well.

Now, where I think the impact, Mars, MRF, etc. all shine is field hunting, especially if you like holding dope versus dialing. I’m talking about wide open spaces, prairie dogs, coyotes, pigs, etc. The impact display is pretty bright so it’s not the best for night hunting.

 

[FieldGaugeFailure]

I shot and RO'd a NRL Hunter match a few weeks back, which is a 4 minute find/range/engage format. There were 200+ shooters including 20+ teams shooting the event and I got to watch them all shoot. I saw a few Vortex 4000's mounted on rifles, but I don't think I saw anyone actually use it during the stage.

I used one in a match this year. It works really well if you have your dope memorized to hell and back, or if you have the ballistics dialed into it really well (I'm the former). Much easier than pulling out the tactable, pulling out the binos/bag, getting a range, checking the armband/kestrel, etc.

 

[spife7980]

Couldn’t you just hold under the amount you have dialed in the turret to put you back at that 100yd coalignment plane for rage finding?

 

[dgheriani]

Couldn’t you just hold under the amount you have dialed in the turret to put you back at that 100yd coalignment plane for rage finding?

Yup, you can do that although it's pretty easy to screw that up under time/match pressure. I'm firmly of the belief that the Impact is more of an "adjunct" ranging device (vs a primary) In using mine, I've found that you can either holdover for everything if time is absolutely of the essence or just dial back down to zero for each target (which saves a few seconds per target engagement). The time savings of holding under really isn't much considering you'll still be dialling on the dope for the next target.

I ran my Impact for an NRL Hunter match recently but still used my Fury ABs as my primary means of locating and ranging targets. My thought process for the Impact was that in a few instances it could be handy: when targets are visible to the naked eye you can just get on the gun and range; if you find 3 of 4 targets and choose to engage them but find the 4th while on the gun, there is no need to go back to binos for a range. Ironically, the weight of the Impact caused my front ring to come loose at the end of day 1 or beginning of day 2 (turns out that although it can take a diving board, the Spuhr hunting unimount was never really expected to hold a 1lbs+ device on top) which I only noticed at the end of day 2 (once it was visibly flopping around) despite not hitting sweet fuck all on day 2... ugghh

I see it as being much more useful in team field matches like CD (and am going to use it at Burris this year) but again more for getting range and dope for targets you didn't find while on binos and to confirm that the target your teammate is talking you onto is actually the correct one.

 

[Emerson0311]

Following this thread. I just won an Impact 4000 in a draw. I don’t have RF binos with ballistics, so having ballistics and a bit more precise RF, along with environmentals all on the rifle might really smooth out the workflow. I don’t have a competent partner to train with, so it’s a one shooter show.

 

[JM4590]

Please keep the reply’s coming…I value all input be for or against.

 

[FieldGaugeFailure]

Please keep the reply’s coming…I value all input be for or against.

The biggest thing you have to consider with an Impact is "is the weight worth it". You have to factor in that it is ~16oz, and high mounted which makes the force of it greater. If you sling your rifle in any way, you will feel it quite a bit. On my LMT I wound up mounting it on the hand guard, because mounting it on a dive board caused my rifle to want to flip around in my sling.

For NRL Hunter, I don't sling my rifle, and I can also fit it into my weight class as I run heavy/team anyway. Should I desire to run Factory or Light, it would be nearly impossible for me to run one with the gear I currently have, and I'd have to get pretty creative to get it to work at all.

I find it incredibly useful, but there are a lot of times when it will not go on competition rifles, because either the RoF is too high to use it and/or the weight.

 

[Kino]

I'm going to pick one up but I'm going to mount it on a cage to my Leupold spotter. I do to much different styles with various rifles and I think that mounted to the spotter will work best for me.

 

[Kopfjager1]

I have only used mine in 2 matches thus far, and really only 2 stages. 1 of the stages in particular was a blind stage, 3 targets, 3 positions and a quite a few people were timing out. That's where the Impact shined, finding and lazing the targets then quickly engaging.

Instead of keeping your laser zeroed on a hundred yard zero, keep it at 3, 4, or 5 mRad. It will be a lot less dialing back and forth, and typically that's going to be around the ranges of most targets.

I think other than blind stages or stages where ranges are not given and can only be seen when at the firing line, will it be a benefit. I purchased mine for the sole purpose of ranging targets at night with NV, the fact that it is beneficial during certain stages is just a perk.

 

[taliv]

I’ll add the beam is diagonal. One of the targets on my range is a reduced IPSC on a tpost just above the grass on the crest of a hill. I try to range it every time I shoot and I’ve never been able to get a reading off that target from the vortex wmlrf. I always get the hill behind it or the front slope of the hill in front.

That said, I’m still a big fan and I’m also a big fan of having your data some place accessible. When designing stages, it’s super easy to put peoples lrf skills to the test and if they are only getting their solution from their lrf and can’t get a reading they’re screwed.

The beam in all my other LRF is horizontal so much more likely to isolate something sticking up out of the grass.

Just something to think about.