As with my previous 2021, 2020, 2019 and 2018 threads, the purpose of this thread is to provide a catalog of this years reviews and articles, give you a behind the scenes look at what I am working on as it is worked on, and provide a place for your input and comments.
In the past, some years reviews have had themes, such as 2021's focus or ~$2k scopes. Other years, such as 2020, have featured collections of individual product reviews with no theme uniting them. This year looks to be without a unifying theme.
A cutaway illustration of the Leica Geovid Pro's guts
Leica 10x32 Geovid Pro Rangefinding Binoculars
What we really want from ideal range finding binoculars is frankly asking a lot. We want to be able to replace our current field glass, replace our laser rangefinder, and ideally also have our firing solution displayed in the glass so that we don't have to type our values into a solver, consult our phone, or consult a printed dope sheet. It is a lot to ask, but the benefits are obvious. We would gain a tremendously faster and less error prone shot routine, and less gear to carry. Over the years, rangefinding binos have gotten better at most of these things we want them to do. That being said, most, if not all, have had at least one major shortcoming whether that be glass that really isn't really up to quality bino standards, a heavy bulky uncomfortable package, limited laser range, range limitations on the ballistic solver, or a downright poor ballistic solver.
With the Geovid Pro's, Leica is essentially trying to be the complete solution. The Pro's are compact open hinge birdwaching style binos that aim to be as optically good and comfortable as the quality birdwatching binos your probably using for field glass. The Pro's can be paired with AB via Kestrel or your phone to provide non EU-neutered long distance ballistic solutions that are the quality you would expect from AB and can integrate the Kestrel wind sensor. The binoculars contain onboard temp, pressure, and angle sensors that integrate with AB. Leica has also created a GPS map integration feature they are calling ProTrack that you can use to tag the map location where you ranged an animal to help you navigate there and actually find the prize after the shot. I'm quite interested to try this feature out. I think it might be useful for a good bit more than just tracking game. This feature also works with or without cell signal as you are likely to be using it mostly in places without any cell reception.
Mantis X10 Elite training system
The Mantis X10 review was started late last year and is actually finished at this time and awaiting response / comments from the Mantis folks.
Mantis is a smartphone based training system company. They produce a variety of Laser indicator training systems as well as an accelerometer based product. Regarding the laser systems, they have both a laser training system based on the Pink Rhino laser training bullet (a cartridge sized laser that goes where a cartridge would go), and a second system for the AR-15 that replaces the bolt carrier group and actually resets the trigger itself so you can rapid fire.
The Mantis system I will be reviewing is the Mantis X10 Elite. This is an accelerometer based training system that attaches to the pic rail on you firearm and records its movement throughout the shot process. It can be used for both dry fire and live fire and can be used with various adapters for firearms not possessing a pic rail. The MantisX is also a software product. You interface with it through a smartphone app which automates and archives your training and provides tips for improvement. In addition to the base unit, I have obtained a few adapters for the mantis to try it out on various different platforms such as handgun, shotgun, and precision rifle. My initial thought it that it is probably most useful in the context of handgun but I'll be interested to see what else it can do.
Sightron SIII PLR FFP 6-24X50 Zero Stop
Due to Covid / collapse of the global supply chain issues last year, Sightron delayed the FFP version of their new PLR scope until mid 2022. The SIII PLR FFP is a more full featured version of the SIIISS624X50LRFFP/MH scope a reviewed 3 years ago. This new scope has the same optical design that I have continued to appreciate even more over the past 3 years but adds 10mil / turn, a zero stop, illumination, more elevation adjustment range (29.1mil), a tree reticle, even closer focus (20M). It retains fairly light weight (28oz).
That is all I have scheduled so far for this year. I'm kicking around a couple straight up articles such as the how to quantify precision article that has just never gotten done, one about 3d scanning and printing for precision shooting, and maybe a few others. We will see if any of that gets done. For now this is the roundup though.
Sig Kilo 10K-ABS HD Rangefinding Binoculars
Since entering the optics business a few years ago, Sig has been big into Rangefinding products and also into the integration of electronic functions into optics. This was apparent in the integration of an electronic level in their flagship precison rifle scope, the Tango 6 5-30x56 I reviewed last year. This year they introduced a few new rangefinding products, the flagship of which is this Kilo 10K-ABS HD binocular. The 10k's biggest selling point is, of course, the 10,000 yd maximum reflective target ranging distance, a number far in excess of anything other consumer level product. Other features of note are: the integrated AB elite ballistic calculator, multi-line OLED display, 1.5x.06 mil beam divergence, 30 profile onboard storage, multi-mode ranging, included weatherflow wind meter, a zero-able reticle for laser aiming, BDX 2.0 system compatibility, and BaseMap remote point drop functionality. As with the Leica Geovid Pro 32's I reviewed earlier this year I expect the 10k to be a hit product and I'm interested to test it out, especially it's juicy laser. It's a big year for laser rangefinders for sure.
Sig Kilo 10K- ABS HD binos and a Sierra 6BDS 3-18x44mm rifle scope to pair with it.
Sig BDX 2.0 System and Sierra 6BDS 3-18x44mm rifle scope
While taking a look at the Kilo 10K binos I also thought it would be really interesting to examine Sig's BDX 2.0 system. This is their system wherein you pair ballistic calculator equipped LRF binos with a scope capable of illuminating the reticle at the point calculated to be the correct aiming solution for a target ranged by the binos. There have been a number of products over the years that provided this sort of automatic, reticle shows you where to shoot, functionality. Most have been scopes with a rangefinder and calculator built in such as the Burris Eliminator series, Swarovski dS, and the much hyped TrackingPoint system. Sig's BDX concept is an ecosystem instead of a single all in one unit. With BDX, the user can pair any in a range of rangefinding products with any in a range of rifle scopes. I think the system will be interesting to examine. I want to see both what an experienced precision rifle shooter can get out of it and also what performance a novice going down the instruction sheet might expect.
In the past, some years reviews have had themes, such as 2021's focus or ~$2k scopes. Other years, such as 2020, have featured collections of individual product reviews with no theme uniting them. This year looks to be without a unifying theme.
A cutaway illustration of the Leica Geovid Pro's guts
Leica 10x32 Geovid Pro Rangefinding Binoculars
What we really want from ideal range finding binoculars is frankly asking a lot. We want to be able to replace our current field glass, replace our laser rangefinder, and ideally also have our firing solution displayed in the glass so that we don't have to type our values into a solver, consult our phone, or consult a printed dope sheet. It is a lot to ask, but the benefits are obvious. We would gain a tremendously faster and less error prone shot routine, and less gear to carry. Over the years, rangefinding binos have gotten better at most of these things we want them to do. That being said, most, if not all, have had at least one major shortcoming whether that be glass that really isn't really up to quality bino standards, a heavy bulky uncomfortable package, limited laser range, range limitations on the ballistic solver, or a downright poor ballistic solver.
With the Geovid Pro's, Leica is essentially trying to be the complete solution. The Pro's are compact open hinge birdwaching style binos that aim to be as optically good and comfortable as the quality birdwatching binos your probably using for field glass. The Pro's can be paired with AB via Kestrel or your phone to provide non EU-neutered long distance ballistic solutions that are the quality you would expect from AB and can integrate the Kestrel wind sensor. The binoculars contain onboard temp, pressure, and angle sensors that integrate with AB. Leica has also created a GPS map integration feature they are calling ProTrack that you can use to tag the map location where you ranged an animal to help you navigate there and actually find the prize after the shot. I'm quite interested to try this feature out. I think it might be useful for a good bit more than just tracking game. This feature also works with or without cell signal as you are likely to be using it mostly in places without any cell reception.
Mantis X10 Elite training system
The Mantis X10 review was started late last year and is actually finished at this time and awaiting response / comments from the Mantis folks.
Mantis is a smartphone based training system company. They produce a variety of Laser indicator training systems as well as an accelerometer based product. Regarding the laser systems, they have both a laser training system based on the Pink Rhino laser training bullet (a cartridge sized laser that goes where a cartridge would go), and a second system for the AR-15 that replaces the bolt carrier group and actually resets the trigger itself so you can rapid fire.
The Mantis system I will be reviewing is the Mantis X10 Elite. This is an accelerometer based training system that attaches to the pic rail on you firearm and records its movement throughout the shot process. It can be used for both dry fire and live fire and can be used with various adapters for firearms not possessing a pic rail. The MantisX is also a software product. You interface with it through a smartphone app which automates and archives your training and provides tips for improvement. In addition to the base unit, I have obtained a few adapters for the mantis to try it out on various different platforms such as handgun, shotgun, and precision rifle. My initial thought it that it is probably most useful in the context of handgun but I'll be interested to see what else it can do.
Sightron SIII PLR FFP 6-24X50 Zero Stop
Due to Covid / collapse of the global supply chain issues last year, Sightron delayed the FFP version of their new PLR scope until mid 2022. The SIII PLR FFP is a more full featured version of the SIIISS624X50LRFFP/MH scope a reviewed 3 years ago. This new scope has the same optical design that I have continued to appreciate even more over the past 3 years but adds 10mil / turn, a zero stop, illumination, more elevation adjustment range (29.1mil), a tree reticle, even closer focus (20M). It retains fairly light weight (28oz).
That is all I have scheduled so far for this year. I'm kicking around a couple straight up articles such as the how to quantify precision article that has just never gotten done, one about 3d scanning and printing for precision shooting, and maybe a few others. We will see if any of that gets done. For now this is the roundup though.
Sig Kilo 10K-ABS HD Rangefinding Binoculars
Since entering the optics business a few years ago, Sig has been big into Rangefinding products and also into the integration of electronic functions into optics. This was apparent in the integration of an electronic level in their flagship precison rifle scope, the Tango 6 5-30x56 I reviewed last year. This year they introduced a few new rangefinding products, the flagship of which is this Kilo 10K-ABS HD binocular. The 10k's biggest selling point is, of course, the 10,000 yd maximum reflective target ranging distance, a number far in excess of anything other consumer level product. Other features of note are: the integrated AB elite ballistic calculator, multi-line OLED display, 1.5x.06 mil beam divergence, 30 profile onboard storage, multi-mode ranging, included weatherflow wind meter, a zero-able reticle for laser aiming, BDX 2.0 system compatibility, and BaseMap remote point drop functionality. As with the Leica Geovid Pro 32's I reviewed earlier this year I expect the 10k to be a hit product and I'm interested to test it out, especially it's juicy laser. It's a big year for laser rangefinders for sure.
Sig Kilo 10K- ABS HD binos and a Sierra 6BDS 3-18x44mm rifle scope to pair with it.
Sig BDX 2.0 System and Sierra 6BDS 3-18x44mm rifle scope
While taking a look at the Kilo 10K binos I also thought it would be really interesting to examine Sig's BDX 2.0 system. This is their system wherein you pair ballistic calculator equipped LRF binos with a scope capable of illuminating the reticle at the point calculated to be the correct aiming solution for a target ranged by the binos. There have been a number of products over the years that provided this sort of automatic, reticle shows you where to shoot, functionality. Most have been scopes with a rangefinder and calculator built in such as the Burris Eliminator series, Swarovski dS, and the much hyped TrackingPoint system. Sig's BDX concept is an ecosystem instead of a single all in one unit. With BDX, the user can pair any in a range of rangefinding products with any in a range of rifle scopes. I think the system will be interesting to examine. I want to see both what an experienced precision rifle shooter can get out of it and also what performance a novice going down the instruction sheet might expect.
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