Leupold BX-4 Range HD TBR/W 10X42 Review

Leupold is no stranger to the optics world and has been a go-to for North American hunters for over 100 years. Recently, I had the chance to get my hands on the new Leupold BX-4 Range HD TBR/W 10x42 Rangefinding Binoculars. Being very familiar with Leupold optics, I knew I needed to give these a look. I have used and played with Leica's and Swarovski's rangefinding binos, and of course they did not disappoint, but with a hefty price tag at over $3k its a tough pill to swallow and quite frankly isn’t realistic at this point in life. When Leupold introduced their option at half the price or better ($1,599.99) I knew I needed to get my hands on a pair and get them out in the field.

At first glance, I really liked the color and feel of the bino, It has an easy to hold rubber armoring with knurled sections on the side for the hands and is just easy to hold and grip. I was a little surprised with the weight at first, around 40 oz, and I know what you’re thinking, “That is a damn heavy bino to be packing around on my chest...” But hear me out. I think you can get past that. Moving on, the eye cups easily twist out for those who like that, and the focus wheel is big with the right amount of tension to keep that in place. Setting up the diopters was a breeze with one on each side. As for setting up the rifle ballistics with Leupold's TBR (True Ballistic Range), you have 25 settings and in the box you have a chart with a majority of ammo manufacturers and hand load ballistics and calibers of rifles to match up with your specific setup. Getting this set up through the menu screen was a breeze. I do hope for a Leupold app in the future that allows you enter your ballistics manually, but this system has been tested and I trust it as much as the rest.

So, now for the maiden voyage. As this bino has a ¼-20 thread on the front, I was able to mount an Outdoorsmans Small Stud to use with the Outdoorsmans Bino Adapter very easily. After getting to my spot, I wanted to see the range of the BX-4. On Leupold's website they say up to 2,600 yards on a shiny object, but I clicked a hillside and instantly read out 2,958 yards! I was impressed with how fast the range was read back and the clarity of the readout in the glass. I will say that it did take a bit to get used to the 2-click system of power on and then range. Scanning the hillside, I wanted to check out the TBR range system which works up to 800 yards for your ballistics. I found a couple of Coues deer at 740 yards and was able to get my MOA read and a wind read. The wind readout works up to a 10 MPH wind and when tested with a Kestrel it was within .3 MPH. I really like this added feature as it saves you from getting out the kestrel in light to moderate wind.

Now, onto the glass and optical quality. I like to get to a spot and can sit behind my optics for hours. With other brands of binos, this has caused some eye strain and almost a lasting binocular-vision effect for hours after. After sitting behind these, I did not notice that effect on my eyes and I was quite impressed with the resolution and light transmission they offered. I will say they were very clear in the middle of the glass and a little fuzzy on the outer edges, but the clarity in the center made up for that a bit, and it was not tiresome on my eyes. The field of view was what I would expect out of a 10x42, and I was, overall, impressed with the BX-4 Range compared to the competitors at double the price.

In conclusion, I was extremely impressed with these “mid-price” Rangefinding binoculars and could not suggest them more to someone looking to go this route. Having them on a tripod with the rangefinder gives you accurate target acquisition and ballistics that you can trust when making that important shot. They also have bow mode with angle compensation, and the bigger button is easy to press for one-handed operation.