State-of-the-art ranging and ballistics from Sig Sauer! But such functionality does come at a cost, writes Chris Parkin in his review of the KILO10K-ABS binos.
Visually, Sig Sauer’s Kilo10K-ABS binoculars are a pair of 10x42 roof prism binoculars. But critically they are also a platform for a multitude of long-range shooting ballistic functions.
The 10x magnification is an industry standard and, with individually focused eyepieces, gives a crisp view of both the image and internal reticle and data displays in the right tube. Each eyecup has four telescopic locations, with rubber coatings on the individual focus collars and the central overall image focus dial. No lens caps are supplied, but the binos are protected by a supplied chest harness with flip over cover, additional pockets for spare batteries, and the small anemometer that connects to the internal solver via Bluetooth.
Two upper control buttons operate the laser rangefinder and mode controls. The first press lights up the rangefinder and internal display; the second tells you the range to the aimed target in metres or yards.
The unit is named ‘10K’ for its 10,000yd effective range. I never went past 1,500m but will attest to the fact that the laser is powerful and displayed reliable, accurate readings to 0.1m precision in some very bright incoming sunlight, which often overcomes weaker lasers. So far, so good.
The image quality in daylight is bright and sharp with crisp focus, no chromatic aberration and flat focus across the field of view. Image focus showed plentiful depth of field and it was easy enough to primarily focus through foliage to ping quarry species when necessary.
This article will only scratch the surface of what’s available here because the suite of instrumentation is vast. The binos have an on-board compass and clinometer, as well as atmospheric sensors for temperature, pressure and humidity. Rangefinding modes for line of sight, angle modified range and cooperative measurements for any BDX (Ballistic Data Exchange) tools such as riflescopes are possible. There are five target modes capturing first, best, last, extended range and fog-bound targets. The screen is a sharp-detail AMOLED display and is easy to view, with multiple contrast settings that will automatically adjust to ambient light conditions.
A major feature is the incorporation of Applied Ballistics software to calculate a primary firing solution based on all the recorded factors. There’s a complete AB bullet database, up to 25 custom bullet profiles and eight onboard ballistic groups, and you can also store ballistic profiles in the unit. It calculates using G1 or G7 ballistic coefficients and works beautifully – but only as well as the quality of your data for all variables, including muzzle velocity as well as what it measures itself. You can upload current BCs to an onboard database and all readouts are available in MOA and mrad to suit your optical preferences, with many critical variables displayed on screen as well as incorporated into the calculations. Everything runs from a supplied CR2 battery.
Overall construction was excellent. The harness has quick-release buckles at all critical locations and was very snug. I liked it far more than I expected; it never felt bulky and distributed the weight evenly across my shoulders and back.
The user guide comes in a well-presented book that any buyer needs to work through with patience to get the best from the unit. Even though most of the tools are integrated, the anemometer is a separate component. It is supplied in its own small clamshell case and features a conventional ¼" UNC tripod thread with spindle and lanyard attachments.
BDX enables connection to a Kestrel 5700 Elite or Garmin Foretrex, both of which I used. The Kestrel certainly aids easier visual reference and calculation, with simpler visual menu displays that don’t require you to be looking through the binoculars. If you want to include navigation, BaseMap functionality provides remote waypoints on ranged targets that can be configured with Sig’s BDX app. This would be great for tracking downed game, especially over broken, mountainous terrain. Bluetooth 5.x enables multiple Bluetooth connections and improved connectivity to BDX-enabled riflescopes and sights if the electronic world is your thing.
Conclusion
This is a fantastically capable tool – if the functionality is something you think will be helpful to you – with a great pair of binoculars tagged on. The excellent chest harness and instruction book reinforce the capabilities, but you will need to show patience and understanding of the concepts involved as the Kilo won’t do it all for you, no matter how many tools it employs. The rangefinder, with its multiple reticle choices, is without doubt one of the most accurate and powerful I have used. I would have loved to have been able to hang onto this unit and pushed it way further.
Contact
Highland Outdoors
01858 880491
Tech specs
Magnification: 10x
Objective lens diameter: 42mm
Field of view: 6.1º
Eye relief: 18mm
Overall length: 5.7"/145mm
Height: 2.5"/63.5mm
Overall width: 5"/127mm
Weight: 32oz/910g
Laser divergence: 1.5x0.06MRAD
Waterproofing: IPX-4
Battery: 1xCR2
Run time: 4,000 ranges
Dioptre adjustment range: +/-3
Colour: Flat dark earth
Reticles: Circle, duplex, box + milling grid
Display type: 304x256 active matrix OLED
Range on deer: Up to 3,000yd/2,700m
Range on trees: Up to 4,000yd/3,600m
Max reflective: Up to 10,000yd/9,100m
SRP: £3,214.99