Vortex Optics Viper HD 3000 Rangefinders

Whether you’re hunting with a bow or a rifle or a long range shooting you know that having a precise distance to the target means more accurate and in the case of hunting more ethical shots on target. Having a laser rangefinder like the viper hd 3000 will give you just that. Starting on the outside. Here the viper hd 3000 clocks in at 9.1 ounces. Having your rangefinder quickly and easily accessible in the field is very important. So were given  a utility clip here that you can use on either side of the rangefinder to clip to your belt your gear your pack whatever works best for you and also at the rear here we also have lanyard loops for the included lanyards in the box, the viper hd 3000 uses a simple 2 button setup so it’s very quick and easy to use and also a very intuitive learn. It has a menu button up front which is where we’re going to scroll through all various settings to tailor it to your and your preferences and then the measure button at the rear which is quickly accessible for sending out our laser. Looking at the bottom of the range finder, you’ll see a threaded portion that is threaded to accept any quarter 20 mounting solution. Most commonly you’ll see these used on top of a tripod for folks who want to get a really sturdy base so they can get even better ranging performance. At the back of the rangefinder, you’ll also see our tool-less battery  cap covering up where our crc123 battery will go the tool-less nature of it makes it easy when you’re out in the field if you need to do a quick battery change you don’t have to be digging through your pack to find the right tool. To undo it simply undo by hand throwing a new battery and you’re back at it. Here at the back we also have a twist adjustable eye cap for tailoring in the eye relief for you. Inside you get an hd optical system magnifying your image 7 times. The display for your range is a red led display that is illuminated for use in low light settings or against dark targets where you’re going to need more contrast against that display. The maximum capable ranging distance in terms of reflective target is 3000 yards. If you’re arranging targets that are less reflective like a tree for example then you can expect performance to be approximately 2300 yards maximum on a good day where conditions are suitable for laser range finding. If you’re trying to range targets that are even still less reflective like a deer hide for example then we would expect range finding performance to be approximately around 2000 yards maximum. The minimum capable distance that this range finder can be is 6 yards and any distance that’s ranged under a thousand yards will be displayed in point 1 yard increments. Of course, if you don’t want your rangefinder to read in yards you can go into the menu and select meters as your form of measurement ranging with the viper hd 3000 is very simple and fast. All you have to do is point the rangefinder at what you want to get a range on, tap the measure button and its going to display that range. If you should choose you can also tap and hold the measure button and then its going to engage the scanning feature where as you scan a scene its essentially going to be feeding you ranges of what the rangefinder has pointed out the whole time. The viper hd 3000 has 2 ranging modes that you can select in the menu. One being los in line of sight mode which simply gives you a straight line distance between the rangefinder and whatever it is you’re trying to arrange. The other is HCD or horizontal component distance mode which is essentially angle compensation. It will take into account  a server incline or decline which could be handy if you’re shooting out a tree and or in a scenario like that and it will give you a corrected straight line distance.

Another unique feature about the viper hd 3000 is its 4 target moa that you can select in the menu again and each of which will give you a more accurate ranging solution in various specific scenarios. The default mode is simply the normal  mode. In normal mode, when you press the measure button its going to shoot out the laser and it’ll give you the range for whatever gives the strongest signal back from that laser. The next mode is first mode, first mode is the one you’d want to use if you’re trying to arrange a deer for example thats standing in front of a number of other surfaces that are usually more reflective than a deer like rocks or trees for example.

In this case the rangefinder would just give you the distance on that nearest target being the deer and nothing else. After that, we have the last mode is really just the opposite of first mode so in this case instead of the more reflective targets like trees or rocks being behind the deer now pretend they’re in front of the deer and we dont want to get any receptions from those objects we want to get the distance on the furthest possible target being that deer. In that case we’d switch into last mode. The fourth mode is elr mode, the elr stands for extended laser range. In this case it allows the rangefinder to build a better target picture downrange by having a longer response time but then you can range targets at more extreme distances. Also in this case in elr mode we would highly suggest using it off of a tripod for the most stable platform possible

Included in the Box

• Soft Carry Case
• Wrist Lanyard
• Bungee Cord Lanyard
• Lens Cloth
• Utility Clip
• Hook and Loop Harness Attachment
• 2.5mm Hex Wrench
• CR123 Battery