Major Problems Discovered with Tango Fire4000 WMLRF

A major bug was discovered with the TANGOINNOS Tango Fire4000 weapon-mounted laser rangefinder (WMLRF). First reported on Snipershide, if you engage continuous ranging by “long pressing” the remote or onboard range button, after 2-3 consecutive ranges, the unit will continue ranging but stop updating the dope. Rangefinding continues to work, but firing solutions no longer update.

Clearly this announcement comes with some disappointment. We had high hopes for the Tango Fire4000 WMLRF. Many, ourselves included, hoped it would prove superior to the flawed but popular Vortex Impact 4000.

Unfortunately, the reported problem could lead to shots being taken with wildly inaccurate dope. Hopefully the startup TANGOINNOS a.k.a, Tango Innovations Inc. can issue a firmware fix to the problem before long-range shooters start missing important shots in matches, or worse yet, hunters start wounding and losing game as a result.

If you’re on the fence about whether to buy a Tango Fire4000 WMLRF, should you anticipate a firmware fix and move ahead with the purchase? At this stage, we’d recommend waiting. In fact, even if new firmware is eventually issued which fixes this problem, we would be wary about purchasing a Tango Fire4000 WMLRF for the following reasons:

1. TANGOINNOS shows alarming lack of concern over this bug
It’s been well over 2 weeks since this serious problem was first reported. The TANGOINNOS rep Mfelici1!! is following the thread. Why has there been no response? This is a dangerous product flaw that merits a much different stance from the company, perhaps even a recall, and yet the company has been silent. A respected vendor like Sig Sauer or Vortex would at least acknowledge the problem, make an official announcement warning their buyers, and announce plans to release a firmware fix. Noname startups like TANGOINNOS need to try harder than the big respected companies if they want to compete in this space.

2. Inclinometer / Shooting Angle Bug
Yet another serious problem that users have reported is that when the BOSS phone app is connected to the Tango Fire4000, the dope calculations stop using the angle of the rangefinder, and start using the angle of the mobile phone. Obviously this is a bug. But rather than just conceding there’s a bug, the Tangoinnos rep posts this gobbledegook:

Does Tangoinnos have any intention of fixing these issues? The fact that they seem to be trying to glaze over them, combined with the fact that the rep seems to struggle to put together coherent sentences, doesn’t inspire confidence. At $1500, this product is not cheap. Tangoinnos needs to take bugs seriously and respond professionally.

3. Was the Tango Fire4000 WMLRF actually designed in China?
The label on the Tango Fire4000 WMLRF says it’s designed in the U.S. and made in China. But on the Tangoinnos website, the company repeatedly implies they aren’t sure why the Chinese engineers left out environmental sensors. In a section entitled “Why does the FIRE4000 lack environmental sensors on board?” they write:

Later, in the same FAQ, they again write:

If they can only guess why the product is missing environmental sensors, that says Chinese-designed, which is frankly a huge downer. It’s one thing to manufacture a product like this in China, but if the product design itself is also Chinese, that is a serious blow to the credibility of the Tango Fire4000 WMLRF, and calls into question the honesty of the product’s “Designed in U.S.” labeling.

4. Other product glitches and concerns
Unlike higher end rangefinders from known-to-be-reputable companies like Sig Sauer, the Tango Fire4000 WMLRF has no built-in environmental sensors. Some users report trouble connecting to external bluetooth devices like a Kestrel, you need a phone app to make any changes to the internal settings, it’s capable of storing only 1 profile at a time, and it cannot make wind adjustments.

But all of those issues pale in comparison to the flaw with continuous ranging. The Vortex Impact 4000 also has a slew of problems, but it has a reputable company standing behind it, and at least it doesn’t suddenly stop calculating dope with no warning.

Until the major glitches are ironed out, we would advise shooters to stick with rangefinders from companies with known domain expertise, such as Sig Sauer and Vortex.

And if you have your heart set on a WMLRF, consider pairing a Sig Sauer KILO5K, KILO8K-ABS, or KILO 2800 with the gen 3 Sightlok RF-1 mount, which turns these 3 excellent rangefinders into a weapon-mounted rangefinder.

Have a different opinion on the Tango Fire4000 WMLRF? Find any errors in our report? Please share your opinion below!