Sig Sauer Remotely Disabling BDX Rangefinders & Scopes – Our Argument with Nick Vitalbo, Applied Ballistics CEO

The team at Sightlok are big fans of the Sig Sauer BDX platform, and actively use it. Applied Ballistics, the company, is the main developer of Sig BDX platform. Needless to say Applied Ballistics is an awesome company that builds awesome software.

But that doesn’t mean there’s no room for improvement. And one area that needs changing is their policy of disabling Sig BDX devices remotely if the Sig app detects the end user is not running the latest firmware.

This is something we’ve been very vocal about both publicly and privately with Sig and Applied Ballistics management.

Applied Ballistics Denies Remotely Disabling User Gear
The following is our exchange with Nick Vitalbo, CEO of Applied Ballistics. For the record, Nick vehemently denies that Sig/AB is remotely disabling devices:

“Regarding Sig’s BDX application: As the primary author of its codebase, I can confirm that neither Sig nor any company we partner with has ever forced a firmware update and remotely shut down a device. (although to be 100% accurate in such a statement – the device enters a bootloader mode and does restart – but I think that is different from what you are stating in your email). I’m not sure where this information is coming from, but it’s categorically incorrect.”

Our Actual Experience Conflicts With AB Denial
But our own experience, as BDX users, suggests Nick is not being entirely transparent about this. Because between our small team at Sightlok, we own 8 BDX rangefinders, and all of them have been disabled one time or another by the Sig BDX app. Every time because the app demanded a firmware update. And at least once, an update almost bricked a rangefinder and we had to go though a bunch of steps with Sig support to get it functioning again. The process took 2 hours and disrupted a day of shooting. The fact is that Sig Sauer rangefinders stop calculating ballistic solutions when the Sig app detects older firmware on the rangefinders. Which means the BDX portion of the device is functionally disabled. These disabled BDX rangefinders do not display the dope, nor can they send dope to BDX scopes. Not to mention that the BDX scopes themselves are also being remotely disabled such that they cannot receive dope from any BDX rangefinder until they also have their firmware updated. How could Nick not know this?

AB Claim That Updates Benefit Users
Nick went on to say this:

“Firmware updates are critical for fixing software issues, ensuring devices remain functional, and delivering new features that evolve with technological capabilities over time.”

So while Nick denies AB is doing this, he seems to also be supportive of a forceful update policy, claiming it’s a benefit for users. Honestly, we feel this policy is outrageous. It makes us furious as Sig BDX users, and it makes us feel shame as a Sig Sauer dealer.

Our Rebuttal
So we didn’t mince words when Applied Ballistics tried to dismiss our concerns and pass this policy off as one that had the interests of Sig BDX users in mind. Here’s a portion of our emailed response to Applied Ballistics:

“This comment is particularly irritating because not only does it show denial and disregard for the problem, you’re turning things upside down and implying Sig/AB are doing people a favor as you fuck up their devices. Imagine what would happen if Microsoft sent out a mandatory update that bricked machines and/or made them functionally unusable. You’d have complete chaos across the business world and a billion dollar class-action lawsuit.

And I’m sure you don’t pull this nonsense with your military devices, but if you did, American soldiers would probably be dead as a result, and you’d probably never win another military contract.

Stop with the mandatory updates already. The devices are working, Sig/AB firmware updates are breaking them.

And by the way, it’s customary and standard practice in the software world to post a public record of firmware updates, what firmware version X fixes or enhances, etc. You don’t just send random unannounced unknown shit out and ram it down the throats of customers. lol.”

The Issue of Bricked Rangefinders
And it’s not just an issue of disabling BDX devices remotely. There’s a major problem with firmware bricking BDX devices. Here’s a user, for example, that’s had to send his BDX rangefinders back to Sig 3 years in a row because Sig’s firmware updates kept bricking his devices.

Applied Ballistic’s Response to Bricked Rangefinder Issue
Nick explained that the hardware design was partly at fault for these failures:

“I’m familiar with the “stacked updates” mess on those devices. The hardware manufacturer’s two-chip design made the firmware process a nightmare—upgrading both processors was fragile as hell. Users, Sig, AB, and even me—we all felt the pain. Those double upgrades (needed for some bug fixes) were the culprit, and that’s why some functionality, like ranging, hung on when one chip survived the update. I’d never recommend a dual-processor setup if it can be avoided. In fact, that’s why Sig dropped BDX for the K-Series—moving to a single-processor architecture fixed most of it.”

Our Appeal
To which our response is, if you know the hardware is “fragile as hell” why in the hell are you taking chances with it? Can’t you just leave users alone with their fragile but functional devices and allow them to update if they choose to update, rather than forcing an update which has a decent probability of breaking the devices?

All in all, Nick was a gentleman about it and took our criticism in a mature and respectful way, and we appreciate that. But to the best of our knowledge, between Sig and AB, this policy has remained unchanged, and we’re still fearful every time we use the BDX app that the app is going to try and force an update that could either disable the rangefinder, screw up our ballistic profiles, or brick our hardware entirely.

Sig Sauer Silent on this Issue
Just a final note on this issue, the only time we’ve messaged Andy York, the head of Sig Sauer Electo-Optics, was about this problem. Unfortunately, he didn’t respond to our message. Which, frankly, is understandable since Sig Sauer (and AB for that matter) are big defense contractors and Andy’s hands are probably full with DoD contracts. We also spoke with another Sig Electro-Optics executive who echoed Nick’s assertion that mandatory firmware updates was a policy that ultimately benefits the end user.

So why are we putting this information out there?

We’re doing it because the damage this policy poses to end users is immeasurable. What is the cost of wreaking someone’s day of shooting? What is the cost of wreaking a hunting trip? Surely thousands of dollars in many cases. And it seems AB/Sig management gives no consideration to these losses.

These Are Mission Critical Devices
And it’s not just about monetary losses. AB/Sig needs to take a moment and reflect on the fact that these are mission critical devices. This isn’t someone’s vacuum cleaner. People’s lives can depend on these devices functioning properly. You don’t just casually remotely disable someone’s rangefinder and riflescope because you feel like it, or because you think you’re doing them a favor by updating their software. This policy defies common sense and reason. Which is why we’re making as much noise as possible trying to bring a change to this policy.

When Are They Going to Stop? Are They Really Gonna Pull This Nonsense on a $10,000 Sig KILO WARP Rangefinder?
Let’s not forget that Sig Sauer is moving upscale with their BDX offerings. The new Sig KILO WARP WMLRF models cost $2,000 and $10,000 respectively. The new BRAVO8T-BDX scopes cost $2,400. Is Sig/AB going to continue this destructive and nonsensical policy and remotely disable $2,000 and $10,000 devices? If so, they need to be prepared for even louder backlash, because users of a $10,000 rangefinder are going to go ballistic (pun intended) if their high-end WMLRF gets remotely disabled in the middle of a day of shooting because Nick decided they could use a firmware update.

Hopefully by giving this issue additional exposure, eventually Sig and AB will conclude that forced updates are not a good idea, and end this policy for good. Which would be a win for BDX users everywhere.

Yes, We Still Recommend Sig Sauer BDX Rangefinders
And by the way, yes, we still recommend Sig Sauer BDX rangefinders because they’re awesome gear in spite of our gripes. If you’re in the market for a Sig rangefinder, here’s 5 legit reasons to buy it from us:

1. We actually use BDX system on our rifles and know the tech inside-out
2. We publish 100% honest and unbiased reviews of Sig optics
3. We offer timely, expert support to all our customers
4. We’ll match or beat whatever price you see on Amazon or elsewhere, just call us or text us at +1 503 433 2300 for an instant price match.
5. Products come directly from Sig warehouses which eliminates the chance you’ll receive a counterfeit. (Online retailers like Amazon are struggling with fake brand name riflescopes and other optics).

Buy a Sig Sauer KILO5K rangefinder from us here.
Buy a Sig Sauer KILO8K-ABS rangefinder from us here.
Pre-order the new Sig Sauer KILO WARP rangefinder from us here.

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