Do any Sig Sauer rangefinder's angle compensation work below 45F?

[MNDan]

Hi - I've been through 3 Sig 1600BDX's and they all share the same problem. The angle measured by the rangefinder locks to a single angle regardless of the angle I am pointing it at when below 45F.

The first one locked in at 61 degrees, which meant the rangefinder thought 20 yard targets that were on level ground were actually 8 yards away (yikes!). Sig Sauer's customer service was great in that I had someone on the phone easily and they sent me a new one. The second one locked in at 19 degrees once below 45F. I'm on my third one now - it locks in at 0 degrees but it's still useless for me here in MN (it's cold here!). This was all with new batteries, so that's not the issue.

This is easy for you to test if you'd like - put your rangefinder in the fridge for an hour, then take it outside and, using LOS or whichever mode shows you the degree angle it's being held at, range high and low and see if it ever changes. Mine don't, and I hate to think of people being out late season making bad shots because the angle compensation isn't working correctly. I'm guessing this is a design defect. Bummer, because otherwise I love the red LED, size, and optics.

Let me know if you see the same problem - thanks!
MNDan

 

[Montucky]

I have the 2400 ABS & it has worked flawlessly in sub zero temps. Your BDX should do the same. I would contact SIG & tell em your story. Their Customer Seems is awesome!…..that’s also good on you to test your equipment prior to use….

 

[Elk botherer]

Hi - I've been through 3 Sig 1600BDX's and they all share the same problem. The angle measured by the rangefinder locks to a single angle regardless of the angle I am pointing it at when below 45F.

The first one locked in at 61 degrees, which meant the rangefinder thought 20 yard targets that were on level ground were actually 8 yards away (yikes!). Sig Sauer's customer service was great in that I had someone on the phone easily and they sent me a new one. The second one locked in at 19 degrees once below 45F. I'm on my third one now - it locks in at 0 degrees but it's still useless for me here in MN (it's cold here!). This was all with new batteries, so that's not the issue.

This is easy for you to test if you'd like - put your rangefinder in the fridge for an hour, then take it outside and, using LOS or whichever mode shows you the degree angle it's being held at, range high and low and see if it ever changes. Mine don't, and I hate to think of people being out late season making bad shots because the angle compensation isn't working correctly. I'm guessing this is a design defect. Bummer, because otherwise I love the red LED, size, and optics.

Let me know if you see the same problem - thanks!
MNDan

I have the Kilo2200bdx and the angle readout worked just fine this November when I shot my elk and it was -6 F. Granted, it operates a little slower and the range is reduced when it’s cold, but I’ve found if I keep it under my outer jacket it works pretty decent and doesn’t fog up. I found that out the hard way on a multi day backcountry deer hunt in single digit temps and had a great buck pop up and I couldn’t range anything past 400 yards. Fortunately I was able to close the gap and made the harvest. Maybe it’s a 1600bdx thing? Hope you find a solution. Good luck.

 

[BSLugnut]

I had the same issue.
I asked for a refund and have purchased the Kilo3k.

 

[MNDan]

Thanks for the replies! Maybe this problem is just limited to 1600BDX's - I'll give them a call (again) and see if I can work out a deal for a Kilo3k since they don't have the issue.

MNDan

 

[MNDan]

Gave them a call and they are gonna swap it for a 3K and said it's a known issue with all 1600BDX's. Two thumbs up for Sig's customer service!

 

[tclipse]

Gave them a call and they are gonna swap it for a 3K and said it's a known issue with all 1600BDX's. Two thumbs up for Sig's customer service!

How did your 3k end up working for you? Not seeing many reviews on them but am looking at picking one up with the BF/CM sales.

 

[MNDan]

It's decent - it has a smaller LED display, which I liked, but optically I think it's inferior to the 1600BDX. Something about the eye relief isn't great and there is always that greyish blur around the image. I've since bought a Leupold RX-Fulldraw 5 which is very similar optically to the 1600BDX, but also works below 45F.