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Vortex Fury HD 5000 AB Rangefinding Binoculars Review


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With very comparable features to the most expensive rangefinder binocular alternatives available, the Vortex Fury HD 5000 AB should be applauded.

It’s cheaper, has loads of onboard features, and it connects to Kestrels, Garmins, and other smart devices.

The Fury HD 5000 AB is out of no one’s league if you’re after one of the top rangefinder binoculars under $1500. 

Quick Overview...

What We Like: HD optics

What We Don’t Like: Syncing issues

Best Uses: Hunting, Bow Hunting, Target Shooting, Competition, Long-Range, Angle Compensation, Ballistics, Bluetooth, Illumination, Binoculars

  • Yard Range: 5-5000
  • Magnification: 10x
  • Objective Lens: 42mm
  • Display Type: LED
  • Dimensions: 5.8 x 5”/32.4 oz
  • Waterproof/Fogproof: Yes/Yes
  • Angle Compensation: Yes

Our Verdict: Vortex has joined the race to provide onboard Applied Ballistics to their rangefinding binoculars. With the same great features as its competitors, it may just win the race with greater popularity thanks to its lower price point.  

Who is the Vortex Fury HD 5000 AB Best Suited to?

The Vortex Fury HD 5000 is cheaper and better suited to those who use their own solvers. But if you’ve always wanted custom dope and Kestrel connectivity with your rangefinder, the 5000 AB is the upgrade for you.

If you want the Bluetooth but not the price tag, the Bushnell Nitro 1800 should be a consideration. If you can afford the price tag and think you can do better, Leica would be more than happy to take your money in trade for the Geovid 3200.COM.

How Does the Vortex Fury HD 5000 AB Perform?

YouTube video

The Fury HD 5000 AB is about as smart as it gets for a rangefinder. What is intriguing about it is the Applied Ballistics onboard solver (BALL).

When in BALL mode, you’ll essentially have two displays when you range. The first display will have two values, the angle provided at the top and the LOS distance at the bottom. This display will remain on for two seconds and then the second display will appear with the corrections.

The top number will be the elevation adjustment and the bottom number will be the windage adjustment. Icons will appear to indicate up/down and left/right corrections and whether it’s in MRAD or MOA.

The corrections are accurate so far as you correctly setup and calibrate the rangefinder binos. Like the newest Kestrel-connecting rangefinders available, a Kestrel will always override the rangefinder’s environmental data. The Fury will inform the Kestrel of the LOS distance, target bearing, and angle so that the Kestrel can develop the rest of the dope solution.

How much smarter can a rangefinder get? With onboard and externally acquired firing solutions through your rangefinder that also happens to be a binocular, not much. It’s the very definition of a smart optic for the field, competition, and long-range shooting.

Features & Benefits

Fury HD 5000 AB rangefinder binoculars in green and black
Image Credit - Vortex

HD Optics

The new Fury HD 5000 has the optical works. The HD Optical System provides ED (Extra-low Dispersion) benefits to improve resolution, minimize CA (Chromatic Aberration), and provide maximum color fidelity.

The roof prisms also feature dielectric and phase correction coatings which are must-have coatings in high-end roof prism binoculars. They also have layered coatings of Vortex’s XR Fully Multi-Coated proprietary coatings.

All this amounts to superb light transmission, brightness, clarity, and sharpness for a comfortable glassing experience whether you’re scanning the terrain or ranging. 

Long-Ranging

5000 yards is a big deal to claim. Vortex would have had to put it through its paces in perfect conditions, mounted, and with highly reflective targets to get those results. Can you get the same? Probably not.

However, it’s already proven itself to grab distances at over 3000 yards freehand. Of course, you’ll need to do what you can to hold that 10x bino as steady as possible. Tree ranging of 2400 yards and deer ranging of 1600 yards is impressive.

The Fury HD 5000 is accurate to within +/-1 yard up to 1000, +/-2 yards up to 2000, and +/-3 yards at 3000 yards and beyond.

To help with long-ranging performance, an uncluttered display, and visibility in any lighting condition, the Fury HD has the BAL Holdover Display. The reticle is a circle with crosshair points, 2.29 mrad diameter, and total 3.14 mrad width.

Illumination can be manually adjusted between five intensity settings or set to auto for ambient-controlled brightness.

Multiple Modes

Fury HD 5000 AB rangefinding binoculars
Image Credit - Vortex

First off, you have two target modes: Best and Last. Best is the default mode and works up to max range. Last target mode will cut past obstructions to get the furthest reading on a target.

You have two measuring/ranging modes: HCD and BALL. In both modes, you can depress the fire button to activate Scan mode.

The HCD (Horizontal Component Distance) mode provides the angle and compensated distance without ballistic calculations. Archers looking for bow hunting rangefinders can make use of the Fury through this mode. HCD is effective out to 800 yards but maxes out at 400 yards with angles steeper than 15-degrees.

BALL is the on-board ballistics solver. You have Bluetooth for connecting to an external device to a ballistics app, Kestrel, or Garmin GPS. You can create user profiles and measure temperature, pressure, humidity, and direction - yes, there is also an onboard compass!

You also have access to two on-board wind modes: Full Crosswind and Wind Bearing Capture. Full Crosswind assumes that wind is at a 90-degree angle to muzzle.

Wind Bearing Capture takes things to the next level by incorporating use of the on-board compass to determine wind direction and then input the speed for accurate wind correction. Obviously, if you use a Kestrel, you can forget manual input.  

Applied Ballistics & Bluetooth

YouTube video

Vortex has the Fury HD app (iOS and Android) that pairs with the unit for custom applied ballistics. There you can create profiles with specific rifle and load data. Once you’ve synced your phone to the unit with the profile you want to use, you don’t need to pull your phone out again. All the integrated dope info will be on the display through the binoculars.

If you don’t want to use any custom profiles, the Fury HD 5000 AB has three preloaded profiles: .308, 6.5 Creedmoor, and the 5.56. They cannot be edited or deleted. However, they can be duplicated for customization through the app.

With a Kestrel device or compatible Garmin GPS with Applied for range card data with real-time atmospherics and environmentals is a major benefit for multiple applications.  

Another convenient feature is the adjustable sleep timer with 15, 30, 60, and 180 second options. You can also activate the “Keep Devices On” mode through the Device Preferences settings in the app to prevent the phone and the rangefinder from auto sleeping during app use and setup.

What’s nice about Vortex is that they provide a ton of how-to videos from syncing devices to using the app. The Ballistics Manual is well-detailed.

Tripod Mountable

You may think that you already appreciate the tripod mounting capability, but when you see how often rangefinding monoculars and binoculars lack a mounting point, you’ll really learn to appreciate it.

The Fury HD 5000 AB has the tripod adapter socket right where we would all expect it to. With 10x magnification, 5000-yard ranging, and 1.5 x 0.1 mrad beam divergence, you’ll need to mount this unit to get the most stable performance and accurate scan returns.

Limitations

Syncing Issues

There have been some syncing issues between the app and the Fury HD 5000 AB binoculars. As a reminder, you must save any changes you make to a profile. You should always reconfirm that the Fury has the synced information and is using the profile you have selected.

Vortex performs bug fixes on the app, and they respond to feedback. There have been good suggestions by users to improve the app in various ways, but more specifically it could prove advantageous for competition use.

Popular Questions

Will the Fury HD 5000 AB Work like Binoculars without a Battery?

Yes. The Fury HD 5000 AB will not have the rangefinding display, but they can always be used as 10x42 binoculars. It requires a CR2 battery to operate the rangefinding and Bluetooth features.

Is the Rangefinder Display seen Through both Eyepieces or One?

The rangefinding display is located in the right tube of the binoculars. The reticle focus adjustment focuses the rangefinder display found by the eyepiece. The diopter adjustment for binocular vision is found by the left eyepiece.

What Accessories does the Fury HD 5000 come with?

The Fury HD 5000 AB rangefinder binoculars package includes the Glasspak Binocular Harness, comfort neck straps, tethered objective lens covers, one-piece Rainguard, lens cloth, and a CR2 battery.

What Vortex Series is the Fury HD 5000 Glass Comparable with?

The Fury HD 5000 is not “Razor HD” sharp. It’s comparable with the Viper HD series of glass quality.

Conclusion

Are rangefinders too smart for their own good?

No.

It’s about time that manufacturers provide this necessary technology to those who want integrated dope from their optics.

If it’s too smart for you, stick with the Fury HD 5000. It can be said that Vortex has something for everybody.

Further Reading

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Chris 'The Optics Nut'

Chris is a seasoned hunting enthusiast with several decades of experience. He is deeply knowledgeable about sports optics and spends considerable time researching the latest developments in the optics field. Chris has authored some of the more technical guides and articles on Target Tamers and his work is known for its accuracy and clarity, contributing to his reputation as a trusted figure in the field of sports optics.

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