By Jace Bauserman
When rangefinding binos first surfaced, I wasn’t a fan. I can’t tell you I tested every model, but the ones I did had poor optical clarity. What good is an optic that will ping a mule deer at 1,300 yards if you can’t find the mule deer in the glass? The answer: Nothing. If optic’s clarity suffers, serious hunters will discard it and will likely never entertain the brand again.
Leupold’s original BX-4 Range HD was what I called a tweener. The optical clarity wasn’t excellent, but it didn’t make me want to throw the optic off the mountain. The rangefinder readout was fast and accurate, and the setup was easy. Leupold had something going, but the optical clarity paled compared to my 10X BX-5 Santiams.
Leupold’s 2025 push is its Gen 2 Series. From scopes to standard binos to the BX-4 Range HD TBR/W Gen 2, Leupold is improving products and pushing forward. I’ve been lucky enough to put some of them to use.
The sun’s ascent over the eastern wall of some no-name canyon in Spain’s Sierra Nevada Mountain Range was painfully slow. I couldn’t help it. I’d never seen a Southeastern ibex in the wild and desperately wanted to.
I knew instantly that the BX-4 Range HD Gen 2s would be part of my arsenal. No, this isn’t one of those, “I lifted the binos to my eyes, and there he was,” moments. Instead, with only small rays of light teasing the landscape to life, I started picking up dead limbs sticking out of green bushes, rocks with a fallen pine inching out from behind them, etc. The Elite Optical System was doing its job: sucking every ounce of available light and using it to transmit a clear image to the eyes, causing colors to pop.
As I glassed, I played. I was learning on the fly. I didn’t have much time to go through every mode, setting, and feature the Range HD Gen 2s have to offer before making the flight across the big pond.
THE SETUP
I’m not an instruction manual guy, but I suggest you read most of Leupold’s 24-page guide. It’s in layperson terms and breaks down the setup process in a way a person without a NASA pedigree can understand.
All HD Range Gen 2 models come pre-set to Default Mode, TBR (Ture Ballistic Range) in subfunction CDS with ballistic group 15 selected. If you’re a hunter who wants to know the exact angle-compensated range of your target, TBR is your go-to. As for the CDS ballistic group 15: Don’t panic. Visit pages 15-17 of Leupold’s instruction manual to find 25 caliber, grain, and bullet-type loads. Find yours, and the corresponding number is your CDS ballistic group. It’s that easy.
Selecting the mode and ballistic group is easy using the Power (right) and Mode (left) buttons on the unit. For you left-handers, check the manual again to swap the controls. The TBR Mode has five additional settings: CDS, MIL, HOLD, MOA, and TRIG. Each has a value, and Leupold included these options to tailor your BX-4 Range HD Gen 2s to how you shoot.
IN THE FIELD
Initially, I was concerned about the weight of these binos, however, 10 minutes into the first hellish hike of the trip—the Sierra Nevadas are no joke—I forgot all about the weight. I never noticed it until I removed the rangefinding binoculars from my harness and started glassing. During those moments, I welcomed the 2.44-pound weight. The rubbered-armored tubes felt great in hand. The binos balanced well when offhand glassing and performed even better when rested atop shooting sticks, knees, or backpacks.
The two-position eyecups are smooth; the center focus wheel is butter without being too loose. I hate a sloppy focus wheel that doesn’t allow you to fine tune your sight picture. The right barrel features a diopter that focuses the internal red LED display.
Users get three brightness settings for the display (low, medium, and high). I discovered that the high setting was best in all lighting conditions—from ultra-low to glaring bright. I assume the setting uses more battery. My goal on this trip was to get the battery indicator light to come on—which illuminates when the unit is below 25 percent. It never did, and the unit is still going strong. Impressive.
The yardage readout is immediate, and the circular center dot is easy to place on the object you want to range. Leupold brands the all-new BX-4 Range HD Gen 2s with the following range specifications: 4,000 yards on reflective targets; 2,000-plus yards on trees; 1,200 yards on deer-sized game. On day four of the hunt, I ranged an Iberian mouflon ram—a single ram and not a group of boys bundled together—at 1,332 yards. Keep that in mind. It seems to me, smartly, Leupold went a tad low on the maximum-range numbers.
The Gen 2s can be set to yards or meters, which led to a debacle-on-the-mountain debate. My buddy was with me when I hammered my Southeastern ibex. The range was 360 yards, and a one-range, one-shot kill occurred. Perfect. My buddy was not with me when I lined out on a 275-yard Iberian mouflon. My guide, Carlos, who was as good as a hunter as I’ve seen, spoke highly broken English.
After dialing the turret of my VX-6HD Gen 2 scope to 275 yards, I sent the 175-grain Sierra Game King bullet and watched a rock explode just under the ram. I’m not saying I don’t miss. I do. However, I was prone, and when the shot broke, everything felt perfect.
After some back-and-forth English/Spanish gibberish, I realized Carlos’ rangefinder was set in meters. Two hundred seventy-five meters is 300 yards, which caused me to miss the diminutive mouflon. Quickly, I changed my BX-4 Range HD Gen 2 to meters, clicked the rock, and got a reading of 275 meters. Lesson learned.
The following day, I made good on a 277-yard shot.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I still have much to learn and play with regarding Leupold’s BX-4 Range HD Gen 2. I’m excited about BOW mode, which I’ve used in the manufacturer’s handheld rangefinders, and I want to tinker more with the unit’s Wind Feature. This feature is said to provide an accurate 10-mile-per-hour wind-hold value, assuming the wind blows at a 90-degree angle to your rifle’s muzzle. We get a lot of wind in southeast Colorado, and I’ll know the effectiveness of this feature soon enough.
As of now, I put a positive stamp of approval on Leupold’s new-for-2025 rangefinding binos. They proved tough—I dropped them twice, and they took a tumble—and they performed day in and day out in some of the roughest country I’ve ever hunted. They are ultra-clear, and I found a butt-load of animals with them.
Cost: 10×42 – $1,599.99; 12×50 – $1,799.99
Pros: Optical clarity has improved drastically; rapid yardage readout; 25 load groups; durability; spot-on accuracy.
Cons: Weight may be an issue for some. I forgot about it instantly, but it wouldn’t hurt if these rangefinding binos were a few ounces lighter.
