There are more and more scopes on the market that provide a 6x zoom system. The Sig Sauer Sierra 6BDX is one of those top-of-the-line riflescope lineups to fit that bill.
BDX System
But not only is the optic itself impressive, but the BDX system coming with the scope is also amazing. Sig Sauer provides seamless integration between optics and electronics to make it easier to acquire a target.
Optical System
The latest addition to the Sierra BDX system and riflescopes comes with a 6x zoom and the BDX 2.0 platform. The BDX system allows linking the scope with a BDX connected rangefinder through Bluetooth. The distance between the two devices can be up to 30 yards.
The optics of the Sierra 6 BDX provides a 95% light transmission. The focal plane comes with the BDX-R2 reticle with 194 LEDs.
Electronic Components
Adding the electronics to the traditional riflescope optics enables completely new uses. In the case of the Sierra6BDX, it makes it possible to switch between nine different BDC (Ballistic Drop Compensation) reticles. You can pick the one that matches your ammunition and rifle.
BDX Capabilities
We touched earlier on the BDX system. It is, in our opinion, the direction the riflescope and hunting optics industry will go over the next years. Sig developed a platform that connects your scope with a rangefinder and your smartphone. While being able to use those three pieces together is producing the best results, you can use the scope by itself.
When you hook up the riflescope with the rangefinder, you can get distance information sent from the RF to the scope. Connecting the scope to the smartphone introduces your ability to download the ballistic data for your rifle and ammunition. The processing in the scope then takes that data to provide you with guidance on elevation and Windage for your shot.
Linking with your phone – Applied Ballistics
The third component in the BDX system is your phone. Sig Sauer’s app, Applied Ballistics, lives on your smartphone.
Turn on Bluetooth on your phone. That’ll enable you to pair the app with the scope. Once the Sierra is connected, you’ll see a little blue light come on.
At that moment, you can select the ballistics profile of your rifle and cartridge or enter the data manually. While it’s straightforward to do, it’s also quite time-consuming to do on a smartphone.
Sig would probably be better off providing a desktop app that allows you to enter the data with a keyboard. Having a keyboard would speed things up considerably. You can certainly try to hook up a keyboard to your phone to make the data entry go quicker.
Once that initial data is loaded and synced between the phone and the Sierra 6BDX, you can zero your rifle at various ranges. You have the app guide you and provide feedback on how far off your first shot(s) is/are. The app will submit adjustments to the scope, and your next shots should be on target.
BDX Reticle
The reticle contains a large number of tiny LEDs. Based on distance, elevation, Windage, and ballistic information, the scope calculates your holds. You place the lit-up LED on the reticle over your target and pull the trigger. It’ll make your life so much easier, and your chance of shooting your target increases dramatically.
The BDX-R2 reticle on the Sierra 6BDX consists of 194 LEDs. Compared to the first version of the reticle that you can find in the Sierra 3BDX, it has thinner lines and more LEDs to guide you to use holds for Windage and elevation to acquire your target reliably. The original BDX reticle had pretty thick lines, which could be irritating when you try to acquire a target.
The BDX reticle has an integrated cant indicator in the viewfinder. You’ll find an arrow-shaped LED on the left and right of the viewfinder to indicate when you’re off. When the LED on one of the sides lights up, then you have to push that side up to get your scope level – What is a rifle scope bubble level? Find the best scope level to prevent canting.
You can adjust the illumination on the reticle through 8 Day and 2 Night Vision settings.
Sig Sauer’s KinETHIC System
Another exciting feature of the BDX setup is the Kinethic system. It lets the shooter know if a shot is outside of lethality.
You, as the shooter, can set thresholds for your definition of when a shot will result in an ethical kill either based on energy or velocity. The Kinethic system automatically updates those thresholds based on your current environmental conditions.
A parameter that might change the calculations and results might be the altitude, terrain, etc. The maximum distance you set initially will increase or decrease on those environmental parameters.
A blinking dot will warn you if the shot is outside of your specific parameters. You certainly also can switch the KinETHIC system entirely off if you prefer not to receive that guidance.
Technical Specs
Below are the technical specs of the Sierra 6BDX scopes that are currently available. All of these scopes use 2 CR2032 batteries that are readily available at many stores.
Each scope comes equipped with the BDX 2.0 reticle with 194 LEDs. The LEDs are OLEDs that light up in orange.
The Elevation and Windage travel is for a maximum of 60 MOA at 100 yards for each of the scopes. You can adapt Windage and elevation in 0.25 MOA.
| 2-12x40mm | 3-18x44mm | 5-30x56mm | |
| Tube Diameter | 30mm | 30mm | 34mm |
| Field of View | 8.7′ to 52.5′ at 100 yards | 5.8′ – 34.9′ at 100 Yards | 3.5′ – 21′ at 100 Yards |
| Eye Relief | 3.9 inches | 3.7 inches | 3.7 inches |
| Parallax | fixed to 100 yards | adjustable | adjustable |
| Weight | 21.4oz | 23.8oz | 30.4oz |
Final Thoughts
Sig Sauer’s Sierra 6BDX is a glimpse into the future of hunting and shooting. The electronic components, combined with extraordinary lenses, make it a fantastic package. The build is solid and the scope holds zero well.
Combining the scope with a rangefinder and your smartphone makes it quite simple to shoot and hit your target. The guidance provided to make a lethal shot is terrific.
Sig Sauer addressed some of the downsides of the BDX-1 reticle. The thick reticle lines are gone, and the reticle has been reworked. The new BDX 2.0 system has a whopping 194 LEDs to guide you to make the perfect shot.
We don’t know what the future holds, but the BDX system is a step in the direction that we’ll see over the coming years. Electronic components will supplement the optical systems of a rifle scope and improve target acquisition and shooting accuracy.
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