Smart thinking
Mark van den Boogaart gives Leupold’s rangefinding binos the thumbs-up
Once upon a time I dreamt of Leupold optics which were out of my price range but one day I’d own one of their fine riflescopes. When that day finally arrived I bought a VX-II scope, when Leupold still used Roman numerals to signify ‘2’. Soon I had a VX-III then another and finally a VX-5HD, along the way adding a pair of Mojave binoculars and rangefinder to my Leopold collection.
Eventually I fell victim to the allure of European optics and replaced my Leupolds, the exception being those Mojaves which now live on the parcel tray below the steering wheel in my ute. Even though I no longer hunt with Leupold I regard them as quality gear and was keen to check out their latest offering, the BX-4 Range HD TBR/W 10x42mm (BX-4 for short) rangefinding binoculars when Australian Shooter offered a pair for review.
To be honest I’d fallen a little behind on Leupold’s product range and so my first stop was their website to check things out. What I didn’t realise was the BX-4s are Leupold’s first dedicated hunting laser rangefinding binoculars and partner with the VX HD range of scopes, which means they’re waterproof, fogproof and backed by Leupold’s famous lifetime guarantee on the optics and two-year electronic guarantee on the rangefinding engine.
Out of the box Leupold have taken a very different approach. My Steiner Predator LRFs are longer with the rangefinding electronics housed between the barrels and eyepiece. Leupold on the other hand have incorporated the smarts around the existing body of the binoculars, which are heavier and wider in the hand, though considerably shorter in overall length.
What you also notice is the BX-4s come with their own chest harness system. After years of carrying binoculars around my neck or in my pack, I jumped on the chest harness bandwagon. The reason is simple as with your binos close but not in the way, you stop and use them more often, which is about the best way to improve your hunting success rate. The BX-4s are also supplied with front and rear rubberised lens protectors and cleaning cloth.
The come in the industry standard configuration of 10-power magnification with a 42mm objective or front lens. Bringing the BX-4s to the eye they’re beefy and have a certain heft to them, that rubberised armour skin and magnesium alloy housing enhancing the feeling of weight, strength and durability.
The binoculars are identified as HD (High Definition) which is a reference to the quality of glass and lens coating. In real terms it’s all about image resolution and light transmission. Image quality means you can better see the subtle differences between the background and that deer standing in cover, while HD light transmission is about being able to see the animal at first and last light.
Interestingly, when you introduce a visible display in the binocular view you inadvertently reduce light transmission performance. In talking to the friendly people at Nioa about this, they informed me the BX-4s retain about 75-80 per cent of optical performance when the display is activated, which is excellent. Tuning the BX-4s to your eye, focus is controlled via a centre barrel adjuster that’s smooth and quick to fine-tune. Additionally, both dioptres (front lens) are adjustable, the left for optical fine-tuning and right for focusing the display.
Operating is easy with the two control buttons placed in a ‘natural’ position. Once you’ve illuminated the red digital display and adjusted it to your preferred level of brightness, use the controls to access the menu, its many options and settings. One thing I did like about the controls is you can customise the button operation to either a left or right-hand preference, so well done Leupold.
The real story behind the BX-4s is the proprietary technology which powers the rangefinding functionality and, while these might be the first generation of smart binoculars from Leupold, they run the latest generation of features. There are three primary states of use (output modes): Line of Sight (LOS), True Ballistic Range (TBR) and Bow (BOW) modes. While LOS is, as you’d expect, a measure between you and the target in a direct line and BOW is about compensating for the flight of an arrow, for the rifle hunter the True Ballistic Range/Wind (TBR/W) output mode is where the BX-4s excel.
To start with the BX-4s come with 25 preloaded ballistic groups for you to access. For instance Group 10 is .308Win, 150-grain Nosler Ballistic Tip zeroed to 200yds. By selecting this or another preset that most accurately reflects your particular calibre performance, you can access a whole range of additional information that’ll appear in the display. These include hold over (HOLD) and Wind deflection (WIND), all of which is designed to help you successfully execute your shot.
Of course it doesn’t make you a better shot or guarantee success and may not reflect every situation you may find yourself in. But what is does do is give you lots of information to help make more informed and better decisions about the shot before you take it. As you work through the feature menu you get the feeling they’re designed to be part of a whole target-ranging platform. They work with the appropriate Leupold scope to help you see the target, range the target then transfer that information to your scope so ultimately you hit the target.
Testing the binoculars around the house and surrounding bushland was fun but hunting gear needs to go hunting and luckily I was heading to the Pilliga for our annual father-and-son outing. Now The Pilliga tests gear and it’s expected something is going to break during your time in Yowie country, though I can happily say on our most recent trip it wasn’t the BX-4s but my mate’s fridge slider in his off-road camper trailer.
Anyway, over the four-day hunt I carried the BX-4s in my Marsupial Gear chest harness and while I took the Leupold kit with me, my usual rig is set up for public land hunting with additional side pouches and storage, so it’s just made more sense to use it.
The Leupold BX-4s performed admirably. I used them to glass and range game and while I never really tested the limits of their capabilities, they excelled in quickly spotting and ranging game among some pretty scrubby country. All in all these are an excellent choice for the hunter looking for laser rangefinding-equipped binoculars. Combining traditional Leupold optical quality with next generation smarts, the Leupold BX-4 Range HD TBR/W 10x42mm are certainly a worthy consideration for your hard-earned dollars.
Specifications
- Magnification: 10x
- Objective lens diameter: 42mm
- Eye relief: 17mm
- FOV: 6.2 degrees
- Body length: 150mm
- Weight: 1105 grams
- Display type: Red OLED
- Battery life: 3000 actuations (as stated by Leupold)
- Battery type: CR2
- Rifle laser classification: 1M
- Supplier: Nioa
Features
- Angle compensation: TBR/W
- Deer: 6.5 to 1000 metres (as stated by Leupold)
- Trees: 6.5 to 1460 metres (as stated by Leupold)
- Reflective surfaces: 6.5 to 2400 metres (as stated by Leupold)