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The Sig Romeo 5 is a popular red dot that shows up on red dot roundups all over the place. But is its reputation deserved?
In this Sig Romeo 5 review, we’ll look into just that.
I’ll draw on my lifetime of experience with firearms, plus my time handling the Sig Romeo 5 itself, to break down all of the advantages and disadvantages of this red dot sight.
We’ll start with a general overview of the sight, then break down the Sig Romeo 5 feature by feature. Next, I’ll talk about what I specifically do and don’t like before finishing up by answering some frequently asked questions about the red dot.
Now let’s dive in.
Sig Romeo 5 Overview
If you’re looking for an affordable but decent quality red dot, then the Sig Sauer Romeo 5 is a great choice.
It features a 2 MOA red dot on a 20mm objective lens.
You get 100 MOA of adjustment for both windage and elevation, with a 1 MOA adjustment increment.
The entire unit is fairly compact. It’s 62.7mm long, 38.1mm wide, and 38.6mm tall. It weighs 51 ounces.
It comes with two mounts, a T10 Torx low profile M1913 Picatinny riser mount, plus a T10 Torx 1.41” riser mount. That gives you options for using the Romeo 5 alone or co-witnessed with iron sights.
The Romeo 5 is IPX 7 waterproof, which means it can withstand submersion up to 1 meter. It’s also fog proof. The aluminum body makes the sight even more rugged without adding weight.
It uses a single CR2032 battery, which provides up to 40,000 hours of battery life.
Sig incorporated MOTAC (Motion Activated Illumination) technology into the Romeo 5. The red dot automatically illuminates when motion is sensed, then powers down after motion stops.
This not only extends battery life by turning off the red dot when it’s not in use, but it also ensures that your red dot is on when necessary. There’s no pulling your optic to your eye, only to realize you never hit the power button, causing you to miss your shot.
Speaking of the dot, this sight has 10 total settings, including 8 daytime brightness settings and 2 night vision settings.
Features of Sig Romeo 5
Alright, now that we’ve taken a comprehensive look at the Sig Sauer Romeo 5 red dot sight overall, let’s break it down feature by feature.
Dot
The Romeo 5 has a 2 MOA red dot. This size has advantages and disadvantages. The small size means that you don’t have to worry about the dot obscuring targets, especially at longer ranges. On the other hand, smaller dots don’t allow for as quick target acquisition as large dots do.
With that said, the Romeo 5 has multiple brightness settings. Setting the dot to a higher brightness makes the dot appear larger, offsetting the smaller dot. You get 8 different daylight settings to choose from, plus 2 night vision settings.
Sight Picture
The Sig Sauer Romeo 5 has a 20mm objective lens, which is on the smaller end of the standard range for a red dot. A larger objective lens would be nice, since it would, in turn, provide a larger sight picture. However, that would require a trade-off in the overall size of the unit.
The lenses have anti-reflective coatings. These coatings prevent light from being reflected off of the glass lenses and instead allow it to travel through the glass. Better light transmission gives a brighter, clearer sight picture in low light, prevents glare in bright light, and provides a crisper, higher definition image at all light levels.
Durability
The Romeo 5 is IPX7 waterproof and fog proof, which means it can be submerged up to 1 meter, and it has a rugged aluminum body.
While I don’t exactly recommend throwing this sight around or taking a swim with it, it’s plenty durable enough to stand up to normal use.
Mounting System
This sight comes with an M1913 Picatinny low mount riser as well as a 1.41-inch riser mount.
The first allows you to mount the Romeo 5 with a low profile for use as a primary optic. The second is just the right height to co-witness with iron sights. Since they’re both Picatinny mounts, they both can be used with any gun with a Picatinny rail.
However, these mounts aren’t the most durable. I haven’t had a problem with them firsthand, but I do know that others have had issues. As far as problems go, however, a broken mount isn’t the worst thing that could happen. Replacing a Picatinny mount is cheap and easy.
Battery
To power the Romeo 5, you’ll need a single CR2032 battery. These batteries are easy to find and very affordable. You can expect up to 40,000 hours of battery life from a single battery.
MOTAC, which allows the sight to automatically illuminate if a motion sensor is triggered then power back down after the motion stops, helps extend the battery even more.
Size
The last feature I want to talk about is size.
The Sig Sauer Romeo 5 is a relatively compact red dot sight. It measures 62.7mm in length, 38.1mm in width, and 38.6mm in height. It weighs in at 51 ounces.
Things I Like
- Night vision compatibility
- 10 brightness settings
- Versatile mounting system
- Durability
- Clear sight picture
- Accessible, affordable battery
Things I Don’t Like
- The durability of the mount isn’t the greatest. Fortunately, it’s super easy to replace it with a more rugged mount.
- Would like to see a larger objective lens, but that would require the sight to be bulkier.
- I’d also like to see more dot sizes to choose from.
Pricing
The Romeo 5 represents a great value, giving you a good quality red dot sight for a reasonable price.
Sig Sauer gives the Romeo 5 an MSRP of $149.99. However, MSRP is, as usual, significantly higher than you can actually expect to pay. At the time of writing, the Romeo 5 is listed for $118.99 on Amazon.
At the same time, it holds its own with other red dots, even many that are more expensive.
Is the Sig Romeo 5 for you?
Well, that depends.
The Sig Sauer Romeo 5 isn’t the best red dot sight out there. If you have a higher budget, you can definitely get a better red dot sight or even a reflex sight.
For the budget, however, it’s a great value. If you’re looking at between $100 and $200, the Sig Romeo 5 is hard to beat and is even at the lower end of that budget.
Your needs also matter. As an unmagnified optic, the Romeo 5 isn’t for long-distance, precision shooting. Though the Romeo 5 can be paired with a magnifier to help extend its range, you’ll still want a more powerful optic if you’re doing precision long-range shooting.
Sig specifically makes the Juliet magnifier to go with the Romeo platform (get it? Romeo and Juliet?). The Juliet is available in a few different magnification strengths, including 3x, 4x, and 6x.
Is the Romeo 5 a good sight?
The Romeo 5 is a good sight for its purpose. It’s intended for short-range shooting. If you try to use it for long-range, you obviously won’t get the performance that you need.
With night vision compatibility, a versatile mounting system, solid construction, and excellent optical clarity, the Romeo 5 is a great value.
How far can you shoot with a Sig Romeo 5?
I wouldn’t rely on the Romeo 5 alone for accurate shots at ranges any further than 100 yards. You can pair the Romeo 5 with a magnifier to extend the range, but you’re still better off using a proper magnified optic.
Does the Military Use the SIG Romeo 5?
The Romeo 5 has seen some military use, such as by British Special Air Service (SAS) operators, but it is not used by the US military. It’s no slouch when it comes to fieldwork though, and it has been adopted by law enforcement agencies, including the FBI.
Final Verdict
Overall, the Sig Sauer Romeo 5 is a great red dot sight, especially at its price point.
With great features like fully multi-coated lenses, 10 brightness settings, night vision compatibility, and more, the Romeo 5 stands out among other red dots at the same budget and even outclasses many red dots that come at a much higher price.
Sure, it’s not perfect. I would like to see more dot size options and higher-quality mounts, as well as perhaps a larger objective lens. However, the first and last are mostly my personal preferences, not an objective statement of the quality of the scope. As for the mount, that’s a pretty minor issue, but a really cheap and easy fix if you do have problems.
Bottom line: if you’re looking for a high-quality red dot sight for ranges under about 100 yards and at a price range under $150, you need to look no further than the Sig Sauer Romeo 5.