When laser rangefinders (LRFs) first appeared on the civilian domestic market a decade or so ago, they were large and somewhat expensive. And they were fairly limited in their abilities, with units often having trouble ranging distances of even 400 yards or meters. Fast forward to now, and the performance is far greater, yet the prices are much less.

Now, the problem is finding a target far enough away to challenge some units. I found myself driving some distance to find an area without a lot of trees, close in, where I could really challenge the Nikon Black RangeX 4K.

The first thing one notices with the Nikon Black RangeX 4K is how small and light it is, considering its capabilities. As the name suggests, it is capable of ranging out to 4,000 yards (3,650 meters), under optimum conditions. (The phrase “optimum conditions” is worth noting. Every manufacturer tests its rangefinder under the best possible conditions. A good rule of thumb is to expect about half the rated distance.) During my limited testing, I got a reading of 2,523 meters (2,759 yards). Not 4K, but I did have some mid-day heat mirage and haze to deal with. I fully expect it to perform better when I can get out of town and range across a valley.

The 4K is waterproof and fogproof. The manual states it “will suffer no damage to the optical system nor observation if submerged or dropped in water to a maximum depth of 1m / 3.3ft. for up to 10 minutes.” However, it’s best not to tempt fate … Elsewhere, the manual does specifically warn against submerging it in running water. For use in rain, it should be fine. Again, the manual states: “Can be used in conditions of high humidity, dust and rain without risk of damage to internal functions.” As with rifle scopes, the 4K is purged of air and filled with nitrogen. The nitrogen-filled design makes it resistant to condensation and mold.

The unit has 6x magnification, and the optics have multicoated lenses, similar to riflescope and camera optical glass. It uses an invisible and eye-safe Class 1M laser, as is standard for LRFs.

By using the PWR and Mode buttons in unison, the user is able to scroll through the various settings, these being: Display brightness (Levels 1 to 5 and Auto), Distance display (either yards or meters), Horizontal Distance/Actual Distance mode (for shooting up or down steep inclines) and Target Priority modes for overlapping subjects. Target Priority switches between the First Target Priority and Distant Target Priority system. The factory default setting is Distant Target Priority mode, which is meant to disregard light branches, etc., in the foreground, and range on the more distant target.

The retail price for the Nikon Black RangeX 4K at time of writing is a very reasonable $449.

Optical borescopes have existed for years, but they are very expensive. With the miniaturization of digital cameras, along with the rapidly dropping prices of same, it is no surprise that a digital version has appeared.

This is actually an improved version of a borescope introduced several years ago. Lyman felt it could increase the clarity and resolution with the new version. It was hoped the new Borecam would be unveiled at the 2018 SHOT Show, but it was not ready at that point. It was eventually released around mid-year.

Using the Borecam is very straightforward. The 20-inch-long wand contains a miniature camera at the end along with an angled mirror and a tiny LED light. The mirror is set at 45 degrees to allow the camera to view the barrel wall. The light can be adjusted for six levels of brightness. Personally, this author prefers the maximum setting, so the lesser settings don’t get used.

The wand connects to the display monitor by way of a cord with a typical mini-USB connection. The display monitor is powered by a small transformer power adapter, also connected by a mini-USB cord. The transformer comes with several types of wall outlet plug-ins, for those who travel to exotic locations.

The camera has a very close focus, so it needs to be almost in contact with the barrel surface being examined. This makes perfect sense, as when one views a small diameter barrel (.20-caliber minimum), the camera is at the correct distance. However, when viewing a much larger bore, the user must position the wand to be in close proximity to the surface he wishes to view. This author taped a small ball of paper to the backside of the wand, in order to keep the wand mirror in position.

I was curious to see how much area a typical photo captured, so I laid the wand on a metric tape measure. It captured just over 3mm (1/8-inch) of the tape measure. I suspect that if it were a higher magnification, it would become a chore to use. By slowly creeping the wand down the barrel, I was able to get a good feel on the bore’s condition. The wand has a ruler scale printed on it to allow you to note a particular area for further study. As well, the handle has a line printed on it that notes the lens location. A sliding plastic cone helps position the lens at a particular distance from the end of the barrel.

While an optical borescope still beats a digital one in terms of clarity, the digital type wins on cost, as well as on the ability to take and record photographs. The monitor has a built-in SD card slot, allowing photos to be saved and transferred to a computer. The package comes with a 128MB SD card, which can hold approximately 3,600 images. (I didn’t think 128MB cards were still available. A current 32 GB card should hold close to a million images!)

Something that I wish Lyman included, but did not, is a lesson on how to read the images. A few color photos, along with an explanation on what to look for regarding machining marks, copper fouling, powder residue, throat erosion, heat cracking (also called craze cracking), etc., would be most welcome.

One word of warning for anyone who has not viewed his or her own barrels before: You will probably be shocked to see what your bore actually looks like! I knew the bore of my SVT-40 was dark from firing corrosive primed ammo decades ago, but this author was surprised to see the extent of the pitting. With a newer rifle, corrosive ammo wasn’t an issue, but copper fouling was. I have not fired many rounds through it, but the copper streaks were there, to my surprise.

This unit is a useful piece of kit for an advanced shooter. It certainly isn’t mandatory, but it can alert one to copper fouling and powder residue build-up that may otherwise be missed. This author will definitely use this borescope to inspect more of his own guns soon.

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