Sig BDX system for a long range hunt...

[avon7]

So my rifle is a 300 win Mag Christensen Arms Carbon Classic (Old model with the Rem 700 action). This is for a Ibex hunt in Kyrgyzstan in Nov (depending on this virus situation, otherwise it will be pushed back to 2021)
Im worried about the guides, they wont give me time to stuff around getting a firing solution from a Kestrel. I know what these guys can be like, it's a case of " hurry shoot shoot"
Well i wont be pressured into rushing and taking a shot that i'm not happy with but I do want a quick firing solution for long range. For that reason i'm going to get a Sig BDX scope, range finder combo. I also have a Kestral 5700 with 4DOF that I will be initially using in the App to provide real altitude and temperature.
My issue is that there is a bunch of different BDX combos available. I'm thinking about the KILO 1400 BDX RANGE FINDER & SIERRA 3 3.5-10X42 SCOPE but am interested to see what members here would suggest and if anyone has any experience with them.
Cheers...

 

[Wedgy]

I have not used the BDX but I run the Kilo2400 and G7BR2 and can say with certainty the Sig is less reliable in extreme weather. Both give almost identical firing solutions but the Sig has a few more features. Might be something to consider.

 

[sp6x6]

what type temps you have issue with

 

[Wedgy]

It sat in the car overnight to about 10F and wouldn't give any data until afternoon, wasn't the batteries. Did almost the same thing when left in the sun on a 100F+ day but worked fine later.

 

[Wedgy]

I should walk that back a bit in all fairness... I did not read the directions for the Sig, I watched Andy Backus' great programming video and went to town. It may say "do not freeze or bake" in the manual but I didn't read it. When I keep it on my body and haven't had an issue but the girlfriend takes offense on cold nights.

 

[rammac]

I've got the Kilo 3000 BDX binoculars and they work very well. I don't own any of the BDX scopes but I've tested them at the gun store that I work at and they seem to work well enough that intend to buy the scope too.

 

[Buck Fever]

How long are your shots?

If you want to go past 800 yards, you probably want to do ABX mode which means a 2400BDX or 3000BDX LRF and a Kestrel with bluetooth and Applied Ballistics software, not Hornady 4DOF. Cameraland is selling Kestrel Sportsman CONX meters new without packaging for $250 (evidently they are from unsold Bushnell CONX bundles), that's a great deal and they can be upgraded to Elite for $190 (if you want better solutions for transonic flight).

It might make sense to bring a backup scope and LRF combo just to make sure you don't have to resort to dialing if something breaks. This could probably be a very cheap BDX combo unless your shots will all be 800+ yards, then you will need at least a 2400BDX LRF but the scope can be the cheapest BDX if you like.

 

[avon7]

How long are your shots?

If you want to go past 800 yards, you probably want to do ABX mode which means a 2400BDX or 3000BDX LRF and a Kestrel with bluetooth and Applied Ballistics software, not Hornady 4DOF. Cameraland is selling Kestrel Sportsman CONX meters new without packaging for $250 (evidently they are from unsold Bushnell CONX bundles), that's a great deal and they can be upgraded to Elite for $190 (if you want better solutions for transonic flight).

It might make sense to bring a backup scope and LRF combo just to make sure you don't have to resort to dialing if something breaks. This could probably be a very cheap BDX combo unless your shots will all be 800+ yards, then you will need at least a 2400BDX LRF but the scope can be the cheapest BDX if you like.

Thanks for that, I recon 600 yards will be my maximum...

 

[Korhil78]

If the sig kilo ABS gives you all of the in formation like pressure, humidity, temp and has a wind meter to attach along with applied ballistics why would you need a kestrel to go along with it?

 

[rammac]

The Kestral Elite provides the ballistic solution for the scope at ranges beyond 800 yards.
The ABS does not communicate with BDX products.

The BDX products are designed to use the ballistic computer of the Kestral Elite for long range use. Without the Kestral Elite you can only resolve ballistics information out to 800 yards with the BDX device's internal ballistics computer (ABU). Beyond 800 yards Sig figures that you'll need a more advanced ballistic computer (ABE or ABX) that uses atmospheric data. I can only assume that putting the atmospheric sensors in to the BDX products would make them more prone to failure and more bulky so my guess is that Sig decided to use a proven product that did all of that already - the Kestral 5700 Elite, especially since long range shooters typically use a Kestral before they shoot anyways.

With the BDX system you can either program the devices (range finder and scope) with fixed weather data or you can use devices that provide current weather information. The Kestral has a ballistics computer that is capabile of determining elevation and windage corrections for any range that you supply. I bought the Kilo 3000 BDX binos. I downloaded the BDX app to my phone and with that app I programmed the binos with a ballistic table. I used a fixed set of atmospheric data (temp, wind, altitude). Now when I go out to the field I just use the binos without the phone and I get standard ballistic data out to 800 yards.

If I wanted more precise ballistic data then I'd get the Kestral 5700 Elite. I would take both devices to the field and when I range a target the Kestral will produce a solution that includes accounting for atmospheric conditions. I keep the Kestral on, I range the target and I get an instant solution (displayed both on the Kestral and the binos) out to the maximum range of the binos (5,000 yards on reflective targets according to Sig, personally I've only heard that it works out to about 4,700 yards, but who cares, I'll never shoot at those kinds of ranges anyways).

If I add the scope to the system then when I shoot the range with the binos, then the scope will show an aim point automatically (to 800 yards without the Kestral and out to 5,000 yards with the Kestral).

 

[Loggerdude]

You will want to consider if the system is legal where you are going to hunt.

 

[rammac]

I'm sure that hunting in Kyrgyzstan requires a guide and I'd bet that the OP has talked with the guides about optics.

 

[Buck Fever]

I don't believe you need the Elite upgrade to use ABX mode with a Kestrel.

If you want to take really long shots, the Elite upgrade makes sense but I would be a lot more enthusiastic about it if it was $50-60 instead of $190.

The 4DOF Kestrel is interesting because from what I hear it does firing solutions that agree with Applied Ballistics Elite but it does not work with BDX for ABX mode (Applied Ballistics eXternal). Since Kestrel doesn't have to pay Applied Ballistics for a software license, the 4DOF is about the same retail price as a Kestrel 5700 Sportsman (unless you buy the CONX version from Cameraland).

If Sig had chosen Hornady 4DOF for its ballistic solver, BDX could do really long shots for $190 less.

I think you can even put 4DOF firmware on the Kestrel CONX so you can take advantage of the Cameraland deal but doing so makes it incompatible with Sig BDX ABX mode.

 

[rammac]

The only real difference between the two Kestral models is the ballistic engine. I prefer the Elite model because it uses the Applied Ballistics engine. The bullet library is larger with more brands of bullets, and the drag curves were derived from actual field testing.