My review:
Image: is adequate… after you adjust the settings (the out of the box settings are garbage). It’s not the best 640 I’ve looked through, but not the worst either. I’d say it's comparable to my Bering Optics Yoter LRF… not as good… but close. (Display Brightness: 5; Image Contrast: 6; Image Sharpness: 15; Image Brightness: 6).
LRF: … was frustrating at first, the range was way off. Then I did a test, compared it to my 10k’s on the side of a big building and it was spot on. So I checked alignment of the LRF with the LRF viewfinder and that is where the problem was. Now that I know where the ‘actual’ LRF is aimed and ignore the LRF viewfinder it works really well. I wish you could move the viewfinder to match the actual, but not a huge deal.
Also, the LRF has a scan option. If you hold the LRF button down it goes into a scan mode and gives you constant readings. This would be very useful if you were to use the “Digital Ballistic Reticle” at the same time. You could track an animal on the run while getting yardages and use the custom reticle to account for drop.
Custom Reticles & Applied Ballistics: There are 2 types of reticles that utilize the AB software:
- The “Digital Ballistic Reticle”. This is a custom reticle for your gun profile that has subtensions matched to your bullet profile. This Reticle is embedded in the scope, so even when you cycle power the same custom reticle comes back up.
- The “Profile: ...” reticle is NOT embedded in the scope (this is the reticle that works with the LRF and moves the crosshairs after you press the range button to give you the exact drop you need for that distance). As soon as the scope is powered off, you need to re-sync to the app to the scope for it to work. The custom profile will work as long as the scope is powered on, even if the app (phone) is disconnected. But as soon you cycle power on the scope you will need to re-sync the app. Also, since its AB ultralite, it only accounts for temp and altitude; there is no option for entering in wind. The scope does not have internal environmental sensors, it uses data from your phone. When you open the “Sights” menu of the app your phone automatically gets the current temp and alt, or you can enter it manually.
Profiles can NOT be stored on the scope. The only way to change the gun profile is to link it to the app. With that being said, connecting the app is super easy and fast. It takes 10 seconds to open the app, pair, and link the profile.
Zeroing the scope: Once you have the scope zero’d, the settings stay embedded in the scope, not the app. So any profile you load from the app will use the same zero settings. Also, there are no X-Y coordinates displayed that you can write down. In other words, every gun profile that you load from the app will use the same zero setting. Not a big deal if you always use the same gun with the same bullet, but if you move the scope from one gun to another, or use a totally different bullet, then it's a huge deal. Since the X-Y coordinates are not displayed, then the only way to re-zero it for a different profile is to shoot groups. I feel this was an oversight of Sig and I hope they address it.
PROS: The menu and button layout is excellent, very easy and user friendly. I like the automatic video record with recoil option. The app is very easy to use and even easier to connect to the scope, and the use of AB is a big deal for me. The batteries last several hours, even without turning the unit off. And of course the Lifetime warranty.
CONS: The only big con I have is how the gun zero’s are stored (that is just stupid). A lot of people complain about the image, I don’t think it's that bad, it’s not a game changer for me. It would be nice if I could align the LRF viewfinder with the actual LRF beam, but again, not a game changer. I wish you could store gun profiles on the scope and not need the app every time.
SUMMARY: It's not the perfect scope. The lifetime warranty and use of Applied Ballistics are big enough positives that it overshadows the small negatives in my opinion. I plan on keeping my scope. I really hope they fix the zeroing issue I have though.
Hope this helps someone out.