What is the best WMLRF?

The best WMLRF is a Sig Sauer KILO8K-ABS Gen II paired with the new Sightlok RF-1 gen 3. Nothing else offers this combination of features, high-performance, and value-for-money.

With this combo you get the best of all possible worlds, including:

– the best commercial hand-held rangefinder
– the longest ranging distance
– the best ballistics software
– the best environmental sensors
– the best integration with Kestrel wind meters
– the best and most flexible mounting system
– the best durability
– the best warranties & support

You also avoid:

1. being forced to use inferior technology just because it’s a WMLRF
2. being unable to range targets you don’t want to point your weapon at
3. being locked-in to a platform and technology that rapidly becomes obselete
4. battery life problems
5. cold weather performance issues
6. bright LED displays that give away your position at night
7. dealing with Chinese companies that gaslight you when you need support
8. bluetooth remote-related connection and battery issues
9. divergence between visible aiming laser and IR ranging laser
10. large front lens that reflects sunlight and moonlight
11. a tedious and time-consuming compass calibration process
12. firmware bugs that never get fixed
13. broken continuous ranging features
14. slope calculations mistakenly pulled from mobile phone rather than rifle
15. missing critical environmental sensors

In this article we’re going to examine each of these points to validate them. We’re going to start with the disadvantanges of standard WMLRF like the Vortex Impact 4000 and the Tango Fire 4000.

1. Being forced to use inferior technology just because it’s a WMLRF
One of the biggest problems with the WMLRF devices on the market is that technologically, they are inferior to much less expensive handheld rangefinders. For example, a $129 Sig Sauer KILO2200 offers better ranging performance, ballistics software, warranty, and support than either the Tango Fire 4000 and the Vortex Impact 4000. When you buy one of these purpose-built WMLRF devices, you’re essentially paying $1500 for a $129 rangefinder in a fancy box. Here’s a ranging comparison, for example:

Ranging animals (Deer/Elk):
Sig Sauer KILO2200: 1,300 yards
Tango Fire 4000: 1,200 yards
Vortex Impact 4000: 1,100 yards

2. Being unable to range targets you don’t want to point your weapon at
Pointing your weapon at everything you want to range is cumbersome and sometimes just impractical. With the Sightlok rangefinder mount, you don’t have that problem. You can flip a lever and snap the rangefinder off the rail, range the target, and snap the rangefinder back on, without losing the rangefinder zero with the optic. No dedicated WMLRF can do that.

3. Being locked-in to a platform and technology that rapidly becomes obselete
Rangefinders are high-tech tools. Every year, the technology advances, becomes smarter, easier-to-use, and more accurate. The advantage of using a Sightlok RF-1 mount is when the time comes to upgrade, you swap out the high tech portion, the handheld rangefinder, and save on having to also replace the expensive precision mounting hardware that makes WMLRF so expensive.

4. Battery life problems
WMLRF are notorious for burning though batteries quickly. And batteries dying quickly not just in the rangefinder itself, but also in the Bluetooth remote which runs on a separate battery. WMLRF’s all have a large LED or OLED display that chews though the small batteries that power them. By comparison, most Sig Sauer laser rangefinders provide approximately 4,000 individual range calculations on a single standard CR2 lithium battery. So while you can pretty much count on your WMLRF battery dying while you’re in the field, a Sig Sauer handheld rangefinder battery can endure months of active use.

5. Cold weather performance issues
Every commercial rangefinder is succeptable to cold weather, and the batteries themselves are impacted by cold weather. But in cold weather, the Sightlok RF-1 with a QD/QR mount can simply be snapped off the rail and kept warm in your pocket until the time comes to range. That’s something that cannot be done as easily with a purpose-build WMLRF, which may lose zero if detached, or require unbolting, or may be be tied to the rifle by the rat’s tail remote.

6. Bright LED displays that give away your position at night
Some WMRLF are better about this than others, but every WMLRF has a display that emits light, and that light can reflect off your face at the worst possible moment, revealing your position to adversaries and predators. In many circumstances, having your face lit up by a digital display may simply not be an option.

To learn more about the Sightlok RF-1, click here.

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