Problem #1: Sig Forcing Users to Update Firmware and Disabling BDX Scopes and Rangefinders if the User Declines, and These Firmware Updates Are Known to Brick Rangefinders.
When you connect your BDX rangefinder to the BDX app, Sig checks your rangefinder’s firmware version. If Sig decides your firmware needs updating, the BDX app forces you to update it and disables your BDX rangefinder (and occasionally your BDX scope as well) until you comply.
What?!
That’s right. Just plain unacceptable.
We’re an official Sig Sauer dealer, and we’re still coming out and saying point blank that this forced-update policy is stupid, idiotic, Orwellian, obnoxious, and dangerous. And it makes us angry. Fuck whoever came up with this nonsense. Is Sig going to cancel our dealership for making these statements? Maybe. Frankly, we don’t care. We represent the interests of shooters and nobody else. Stupid is stupid, period.
The decision to update firmware belongs to the user. (And if your rangefinder already works perfectly, leave it alone.)
Sig should not be remotely disabling user devices under any circumstances. Rangefinders are mission-critical tools. We have spoken to both Sig Sauer Electro-Optics and Applied Ballistics management about this problem. We’ve even argued about the problem with the CEO of Applied Ballistics, Nick Vitalbo. Managers at both companies are adamant that forcing updates on unwilling users somehow makes the world a better place. What’s worse, many BDX rangefinder users are finding these firmware updates can brick their rangefinder. Here’s a user, for example, who has had to send his BDX rangefinders back to Sig 3 years in a row because of failed firmware updates. To the best of our knowledge, Sig has not fixed the bricking problem.
Use Your Sig KILO5K as a Weapon-Mounted Laser Rangefinder
The Sightlok RF-1 mounts your Sig KILO5K on your rifle’s rail, so you range exactly where you’re aiming.
See how to turn your Sig KILO5K into a weapon-mounted laser rangefinder
Problem #2: Confusing & Deceptive Features (the Built-in Ballistic Calculator Is Limited to 800 Yards)
The Sig KILO5K has an Applied Ballistics calculator built in and “5K” in its name, so many shooters assume they get firing solutions out to 5,000 yards. Well, that’s wrong. The KILO5K’s built-in ballistic calculator stops at 800 yards. To get firing solutions at longer distances, you need to spend another $700 on a Kestrel or Garmin device with a built-in AB Elite module, or buy the next model up, the Sig KILO8K-ABS. Sig makes zero effort to tell buyers about this limit. In fact, Sig is courting deception with its Amazon description:
ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY; The new KILO5K 7×25 mm laser rangefinder monocular has a maximum reflective range of 5,000 yards and includes Applied Ballistics Ultralite onboard along with environmental sensors and supports BDX External (BDX-X) for connecting to external devices such as Kestrel and Garmin devices.
Notice there’s no mention of the 800-yard limit or the need for expensive external devices. Not good, Sig.
Problem #3: Real-World Range Is Up to 2,500 Yards, Half the Claimed 5,000 Yards
Sig advertises a maximum range of 5,000 yards for the KILO5K. Users report effective ranges of about 2,500 yards in ideal conditions. That 2,500-yard range is enough for most practical shooting, but don’t buy the KILO5K expecting 5,000 yards.
Problem #4: Total Dependency on a Smartphone to Update the Ballistic Engine
The KILO5K usually works as it should if you have a charged, modern smartphone with a recent operating system, an internet connection, and all the firmware updates Sig wants to ram down your throat. What if your phone battery dies? Well, then you’re stuck. You have no way to update the ballistic profile in your KILO5K. What if your phone’s operating system is a couple of years old? Then the latest BDX app can fail to install or stop working on your phone. There are a lot of potential pitfalls when you rely on mobile electronics to manage a device your life may depend on. In a SHTF scenario, things don’t always work out beautifully. In our opinion, excessive reliance on technology is a risk. If you can live with the KILO5K’s phone dependency, you’ll likely find the KILO5K fine.
Problem #5: Easy to “Lose” Critical Ballistic Profiles, and There’s No Way to Back Them Up
Say you update or reinstall the BDX app on your phone. Either way, you lose all the ballistic profiles stored in the app. When you sync the app with your KILO5K again, the KILO5K “loses” all your ballistic profiles too. What if you spent 15 hours out in the field truing your ballistic coefficient? Well, tough luck, Charlie. Ya need to go do it again, because the KILO5K lost your info. If you use a KILO5K, write down every ballistic profile in a notebook so a glitch can’t wipe it out.
Overview of the Sig KILO5K Rangefinder
The Sig KILO5K is Sig’s second most expensive rangefinder, after the Sig KILO8K-ABS.
What’s Included in the Package
When you buy the Sig KILO5K, you get:
– The rangefinder
– A carrying case
Main Features and Advantages
All-in-One Solution
The KILO5K runs Applied Ballistics Ultralite (see problem #2 for its range limit) and stores your custom ballistic profiles. You enter your rifle’s details in Sig’s BDX app, and the KILO5K then gives you accurate holdovers and firing solutions for that rifle.
Easy to Use
Once you’ve entered your ballistic data, you just range the target, and the KILO5K shows you the firing solution immediately.
The Sig KILO5K is compatible with the Sightlok RF-1 rangefinder mount, which lets you use the KILO5K as a weapon-mounted laser rangefinder (WMLRF). You can quickly detach the RF-1 from the rail when you want to range a target you don’t want to point your muzzle at, and reattach when you’re done, while maintaining an accurate co-witness between your rangefinder and scope.
Our Verdict on the Sig KILO5K
Do we use the Sig Sauer KILO5K rangefinder ourselves? Yes.
Do we recommend this rangefinder? Ultimately, yes.
Is it flawless? No.
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