In the past, when I thought of Sig Sauer, my brain exploded with images of world-class firearms (pistols mostly), magazines and grips. That’s why when Providence Marketing’s Luke Hartle pulled a Sig-branded rangefinder from his pouch at a recent archery shoot and said, “Dude, you gotta give this thing a go,” the only response I could muster was a blank stare. Sig … rangefinder? I had no clue.
Yes, I often refer to myself as a “gear nut” and after returning from the shoot and punching some verbage into Google, I quickly realized Field & Stream magazine gave the KILO2000 one of its coveted 2015 “Best Of The Best” awards. Just how did I miss this product? You don’t hear much about Sig in the world of archery, and when I phoned the equipment editor for another bowhunting magazine his reply was, “Sig makes a rangefinder? Cool.”
After trying (unsuccessfully) to steal Hartle’s rangefinder because I was so impressed with its many purposeful features, I just had to get my hands on one and spread the message about this first-class rangefinder. Every archer should know about the Sig KILO2000.
Rather than regurgitating press releases and specs that can be found at www.sigoptics.com, my goal is to give you the nuts and bolts – why this handheld beauty is a must-have for serious bowhunters.
First, I can promise that I’ve never used a rangefinder that provides a quicker yardage return. Sig calls this patented LightWave DSP technology, but all I know is I click on a target and the return is reading in my crystal-clear screen the second my index finger releases the button. I also love the “red” digital readout. I don’t know about you, but I get a lot of my bowhunting opportunities at dawn and dusk, and nothing shows up like red. What about reading “red” during those bright sunny days? I’ve tested it in these conditions for a week now and I have zero complaints.
I also love the ergonomics of this rangefinder. What else would you expect from a leading firearms manufacturer, right? I’m not sure what type of coating it is, but the area around the easy-to-access rectangular “range” button promises a comfortable, no-slip grip for your index, middle and ring fingers. In addition, this same rubber-like material is found along the bottom side of the rangefinder where it rests against your thumb and palm-swell area.
The clarity is second to none, and you can chalk this up to the rangefinder’s Spectracoat – a highly efficient, ultra-wide broadband anti-reflection lens coating that reduces surface reflections to minute levels across the entire visible spectrum. I found the clarity to be true regardless of the natural lighting conditions. The adjustable ocular eye-piece is a breeze to use and turns without any sticking, humps or bumps.
I agree that it’s likely, other than the “cool factor,” that bowhunters won’t care too much about the rangefinder’s ability to detect reflective objects out to 3,400 yards, but I quickly took note of how efficient it is at ranging bowhunting-close items. I figure if I can put it on a tree at 700 yards and it gives me an instant yardage readout, anything inside 100 yards is automatic. This proved to be the case. Not once have received a blank reading or had to push the button on a bowhunting-close target more than once. Put the illuminated red circle on the target and depress the range button – it’s that simple – and the rangefinder’s built-in AMR (Angle Modified Range) mode utilizes an on-board inclinometer that reads incline/decline angle and modifies the ballistic shooting range to the target. Awesome!
Overall, I don’t have a single negative thing to say about this rangefinder. It currently resides in my rangefinder pocket on my bino harness and will be my go-to choice in the coming months.
