The Nikon RangeX 4K easily mounts to a tripod for convenience. (Photo: Jeff Wood)
Nikon Sport Optics provides quality optics to the hunting and shooting community, so I was happy to test out one of their newest products, the Black RangeX 4K rangefinder. A good laser rangefinder is an essential tool for any marksman who regularly shoots any significant distance. I learned the value of a good laser many years ago, carrying one ever since. I want to see if another one, the Nikon Black RangeX 4K, joins my collection.
Basic Features
The RangeX features an OLED display, with several brightness settings including an auto adjust for surrounding light conditions. Similar to many of its competitors, the RangeX also gives the user an angle-compensated distance. The response time of the display is fast, not quite as fast as the laser itself, but .3 seconds is close enough for me. It uses a single CR2 lithium battery for approximately 9,000 uses.
Perhaps the most celebrated feature of the Nikon Black RangeX 4K comes in the form of its distance capabilities. For some time, ranging beyond 1,200 yards was relegated to higher priced LRFs; but as the market has grown more great options appeared that go well beyond what folks are used to. The RangeX is one such option. The best rangefinders are the ones that will range not only their advertised distance but even beyond it sometimes. In my experience, the lower the price point the less likely the unit can hit its maximum advertised distance. With a retail price of $449, this LRF is advertised as a 4,000-yard maximum range – a distance I planned on testing.
The RangeX started with basic simple ranging tasks — shooting down the road, across town, etc. Inside a thousand yards, the RangeX was lightning fast with easy targeting. The narrow beam divergence, vertical 1.8MRAD by .25MRAD horizontal, allows the user to shoot through gaps in trees and between closer obstacles. This proves very handy for hunters in wooded forests and mountainous terrain.
In the Field
The author ranges rocks and trees to get a sense of distance. (Photo: Jeff Wood)
The first time I took the RangeX into the mountains, I fought against heavy clouds clinging tightly against the Wasatch Mountains. Snow fell around 6,500-feet, not too far above my shooting spot in a deep and jagged canyon. I tried out the angle correcting feature of the RangeX, first measuring the distance to a target, then again with an angle corrected distance. Despite the distance, the display popped up faster than I expected. Looking back into town from my Rocky Mountain post, I ranged buildings that were 2,240 yards away. From my post, the furthest I ranged in the mountainous terrain was 1,978-yards, pretty impressive considering the amount of precipitation in the air.
The RangeX offers an available Arca Swiss compatible tripod mount, allowing the rangefinder to be quickly mounted and used from the sturdy perch of a tripod. The tripod mount made the RangeX very stable. It also easy made focusing the reticle on targets easy. The tripod mount is easily configured with various mounting solutions.
Final Thoughts
The Nikon RangeX 4K is a solid option for hunters in need of a laser range finder. (Photo: Jeff Wood)
Lightweight, waterproof, compact, the RangeX 4K gives accurate range readings very quickly. I haven’t hit the magic 4,000-yards yet, but I’m not too far off. I reached rocks and trees at 2,000-yards, while good reflective targets like cars, windows and road signs, I hit as far as 3,800-yards.
The Nikon RangeX 4K is a fantastic buy for the committed shooter, with outstanding performance at a reasonable price.
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