Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics What's the Scoop on the Sig Kilo 2000?

Ouch!.......


Casey

I had a Leupold RX 1000iTBR. It would range trees out to just under a thousand yards regularly. I thought it was great, but when I heard the Sig could go twice that, I wanted one.

Then I read the bad reviews and decided to hold off. But then Cabelas had them for $350. And I had a $45 off coupon for a purchase over 300, plus I had points. So I decided to try it.

I sold my Leupold here in the classifieds two days ago. I stopped by Cabelas and got the Sig. On the way home at dusk I stopped to try it. Even at dusk when it should be working well, I wasn't impressed at all. I ran out of light and went home after a few minutes.

Yesterday I went across the street and tried it out again. It was sunny out. I stopped to range some black angus. I know the feeder is 506 yards from where I parked.(Ranged it with the Leupold before.) The Sig would get a range maybe once out of ten. It did get a hereford (red and white) every time. So I thought maybe it doesn't like the black cows, but since I might range bears or moose, that doesn't make me happy.

I did get some cottonwoods at 1164, but it wouldn't do any pines over 800. I got a house at 1700 once out of about ten tries.

I was in the car, so the laser wasn't cold. I'll order a new batter, but the laser says this batter is good.

I'll give it one more try, but this will in no way range an outhouse at over 2K like in the picture above. Right now I'm really let down. I'll give it one more try, then take it back to Cabelas and swithc it for another if they have any left.

And yes, I'm bracing my arms and holding still. Not ranging a huge black cow at 500 yards is really bad performance.

Bummer.

I got an official email response from Sig today. I paraphrase. Lithium battery chemistry no good at 0F. There can be no fault in the RF that would account for poor performance in the cold, other than the cold battery. Just so the facts are straight, they did not tell me to keep the battery in my wallet...

Also heard to make sure battery cap is screwed down tight.

FWIW, it's half way dark outside and I just tried my (old)Zeiss PRF.


Stepped out the front door and it instantly zapped grass/snow out to 500-600 yards(which is as far as there is grass/snow)....


Gave quick readings on houses at 1000-1200 yards.



Of course the unit is at balmy 6F ambient, I'm sure it wouldn't work at all when it is 0F.....
(1-2 year old CR2 Energizer lithium photo battery)


What battery does the Sig take?

My Sig came with a Panasonic CR2. I ordered two Energizers from Amazon today and they should be here in two days. However, the battery it came with checks out as "good" and at 3 volts on the voltage meter.

Elk hunting this year west of Dillon it was 10 degrees out at 9100 feet. The howling wind made it feel extra nice. My Leupold ranged the elk first try at 560. Then again at 510 when they came out of a draw. A rangefinder that can't take a little cold is a very poor tool.

I'll keep messing with mine with the new battery and then see what it does in the cold.

These things look like hit and miss. I ranged a black Angus bull at 1,350 on a sunny day with mine.

Quit bringing real world experience of how a rangefinder is actually used to the conversation. Ranging black angus on a sunny, warm day is a much better real world test...

I wanted a new sig, but decided I'd wait.
I'm keeping my old Leica lrf 1200.
Mounted it on a tripod this year on my coues hunt, and it worked perfectly.

How 'bout if it was sunny very cold day? Is that real world experience? Just checking.

No, cause' you and I both know you pulled it out of your warm truck and used it.



Aside, I'd love to know what passes for "very cold" in Grant's Pass... because I guarantee it's not what passes for "very cold" here.

The question is, what are you going to buy when the Leica lrf 1200 quits working and Leica refuses to warranty it or service it at your expense? BTDT. Mt solution was to get a Vortex Ranger 1000. No issues so far.

Brad, you got me there. It did come out of the warm truck, my gaymoble Honda Ridgeline, and 28* is a very cold day here. On the east side of the Cascades a very cold day is zero.

Wasn't trying to pick on you Ring, just that we all hunt different geography, and that creates "our reality." Of course, that reality is not everyone's, and I've used my Leica on all-day elk hunts well south of -20F and it worked. But a guy in the northern Yukon might laugh at -20*F!

And so on...

Mine's still at Sig...

That's my concern with Leica, and why I'm leaning towards a Vortex 1500.


Casey

I had the Sig for a very short time. It wouldn't come close to a Leica 1600b, so the Sig went down the road and the Leica stayed home.

I've had my Leica 1200 for going on 13 years. Warranty not needed yet.

Mine doesn't work worth a schitt in 0 degree weather. Great at 30+ schitt at 0.

Yikes, put me in the lucky camp then. I have used my Kilo side by side with the trusty Swaro LRF for the last 6 months and the sig crushed it.

Cold, hot, sunny, rainy, the Kilo outperformed the Swaro.

I hope that it continues to impress.