I found a little treasure in the pile of press releases that slide across my desk each morning. We haven’t seen much of the optics line since Sig Sauer’s awesomely aggressive “we make it all” multi-line launch at Shot Show 2015. We will be seeing more of these before 2016, with a recent announcement that Sig’s Kilo 2000 rangefinder has started trickling out to dealers.

The initial rangefinder at Shot was pitched as the Kilo 1600, but it seems that Sig has bumped the range and bumped the model number as a result. Here’s the big important numbers up front:

Reflective targets at 3,400 yards
Trees at 1,500 yards
Deer at 1,200 yards

That initial pitch of 3,400 yards to a hard target is pretty damn impressive. That’s getting into the territory of my old Vectronix Terrapin.

But the tree and deer distances are a little more realistic. They’re squarely up against Leica’s 1600-B, and well over the 800,900,1200 yard range of the Leupold RX-1200i. Of course these are all manufacturer’s numbers, and in the world of laser range finding there’s always wiggle room. We’ll have to wait for a hands on to see if Sig’s numbers or accurate, or if they’ve calculated for “optimum conditions.”

Sig’s other big feature in the Kilo is an automatic brightness adjustment for the red illuminated display. Not a bad idea really, as long as it works consistently. At the start of a new shooting trip I often bring my Vortex 1000 up to range and realize I’ve left it too bright or too dark from the last go.

The other feature that’s pretty standard for a decent rangefinder these days is the integrated inclinometer. This takes into account some basic bullet physics: when you shoot uphill or downhill, the bullet experiences less gravity (and hence drop) than the straight line distance. If that’s a weird concept to you, let me know in the comments and I’ll try to write it out. I spent a few years behind a gun counter explaining it to disbelievers using white-boards and sock-puppets.

The final interesting feature is the HyperScan. I’m awfully curious to check this out and see if it works as advertised. The idea is that in scan mode the rangefinder pings at 4x a second, meaning your much more likely to get a usable yardage your first time. With all my past rangefinders, I’ve tried to hit a target on the upwards end of their rated capability, gotten the “no range” dashes, and had to ping 3-6 more times to get an actual distance. If HyperScan actually counters this, that would go a long way to making Sig Sauer’s official yardages more reliable.

Andy York at Sig Sauer has confirmed in an interview that they are aiming to have a major product launch at least once a year. We’ll have to wait and see what Shot Show 2016 has in store for the broadening Sig brand.

If you’re interested in the entire press release and not just my ramblings, you can find it below:

The KILO2000 from SIG SAUER® has set a New Standard in Range Finding

NEWINGTON, N.H. (November 16, 2015) – The recent introduction of the highly innovative SIG SAUER Electro-Optics Division took SHOT Show 2015 by storm. This new line of premium, high performance optics boasts some of the most advanced technology that the industry has ever seen. A member of this all-new SIG SAUER product line that truly has the ability to set the standard for its category is the KILO2000 Rangefinder.

Extreme accuracy was the goal throughout the engineering process of the KILO2000. Updating at 4x per second in HyperScan mode, the KILO2000 rangefinder with patented LightWave™ DSP technology is amazingly fast as well. Couple that with the ability to range reflective targets at 3,400 yards, trees at 1,500 yards, and deer at 1,200 yards for simple, intuitive long distance ranging.

The built-in inclinometer of the KILO2000 calculates AMR™ (Angle Modified Range) for angled shots to ensure accuracy. Our proprietary Lumatic OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) Display™, automatically adjusts display intensity to match ambient light conditions, bright in bright conditions and dim in twilight to protect the shooter’s eye. As opposed to other products, the KILO’s simplified user interface clearly displays system status, but while ranging, only provides the necessary range data. At a very compact size of 7 X 25mm, the capabilities of the KILO2000 have created a rangefinder fit for any situation a shooter might encounter.

SPECIFICATIONS:
Magnification- 7X
Objective Clear Aperture- 25mm
Exit Pupil- 3.6mm
Eye Relief- 15mm
Angular (FOV)- 6°
FOV 100 Yards- 34.6ft
Range Response- .25 SEC
Laser Divergence – 1.4 MRAD
Scanning- YES
Range Accuracy Under 100 Yards- .1 yds
Max Range- 3400yds (Reflective) 1200yds (Deer) and 1500yds (Trees)
Weight (Includes Battery)- 7.5oz
Estimated Retail Pricing- $499.99

SIG SAUER® INFINITE GUARANTEE™
We will repair or replace your SIG SAUER product in the event it becomes damaged or defective, at no charge to you. If we cannot repair your product, we will replace it with a product in perfect working order of equal or better physical condition. It doesn’t matter how it happened, whose fault it was, or where you purchased it.