SIG Sauer’s Romeo X Pistol Reflex Sight Review
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Discover SIG Sauer's groundbreaking Romeo X Pistol Reflex Sight, a rugged precision optic trusted by the military. It's now available for civilians. And Hook & Barrel has the review.
SIG Sauer’s Wilsonville, Oregon Electro Optics manufacturing plant is home to some of the most advanced manufacturing equipment in the optics world. At any given time, multi-million dollar robots — numbering in the hundreds — are turning out top-tier electro-optics that surpass the demands of even the country’s most demanding customer: the United States Military.
Recently, Hook & Barrel got an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at how the process works. We met with the men and women behind the machines, and we also picked the brains of the exceedingly talented engineers who have designed some of the world’s best optics.
Additionally, we snagged a sneak peek at the new MIL-SPEC Romeo-M17 and its civilian cousin, the Romeo X. I guess we can let you in on the secret…
SIG Sauer Romeo X Pistol Reflex Sight Review
The Basics of the SIG Sauer Romeo X Pistol Reflex Sight
Inspired by the MIL-SPEC Romeo-M17, SIG introduced a new line of pistol reflex sights for civilians, the Romeo X.
For those that might not be familiar with military issue firearms, SIG’s XM17 Modular Handgun System won a contract with the Army back in 2017 . Since then, the Navy, Marines, Air Force, and Space Force added the tech as well.
The Romeo X is the civilian version of the Romeo-M17 reflex sight. While it may not share the same Coyote Tan color the M17 has, it certainly contains all the same rugged and precision components of its military brother.
Sig sent Hook & Barrel the compact and the pro version. We paired the compact with SIG’s P365 Macro and locked the Romeo X Pro to the P320 AXG Legion. The Deltapoint Pro footprint also allows you to mount the Pro to a wide range of firearms not limited to SIG’s line of pistols. I must admit, however, you're missing out if you don’t have the P320 AXG Legion; we'll leave it at that.
The Romeo X Compact uses the Shield RMSc footprint and will mount to any P365 firearms or S&W Shield firearms. If you're a compact carry type of person I highly recommend purchasing the Sig Sauer P365 Macro with the Romeo X Compact reflex sight.
Behind The Scenes with the SIG Sauer Romeo X Pistol Reflex Sight
When touring the manufacturing plant we witnessed the hundreds of millions of dollars that go into making these optics. Now, I’m not even going to remotely pretend I was able to comprehend all the complex dialog and terminology the engineers explained to us over the course of our trip, but I was able to take one thing away from the tour. It's clear that SIG doesn't settle for anything less than perfection when building these optics.
Everything from the strength of the housing to the smoothness of the glass is tested for any imperfection, even if it can’t be seen by the naked eye.
Durability is no exception either. When you watch a man drop a pistol on a cinderblock from 10 feet up with the optic hitting the concrete first and then bring it to the range to shoot a steel target course, well, it speaks volumes and gets the point across quickly.
Tension Springs Offer Low-Pro Experience
SIG uses a patented tension spring inside the Romeo X and Romeo M17, making it extremely low profile. This allows you to co-witness the iron sites with the illuminated red dot. The reticle adjustment screws give a tactile click when making adjustments to the point of aim, good for one .5MOA with every click.
Once you are dialed in that tension spring holds the zero for you — regardless of what you throw at it. The battery time is good for 20,000 hours of use and IPX-7 waterproof-rated. If that isn’t enough to make you a believer in the Romeo-X's durability, SIG slapped an infinity guarantee on the optic that backs it for life.
More Features of Note
A couple more key features worth noting are the Aspheric Lens Technology (ALT) and SpectraCoat.
The ALT prevents the fisheye effect or distortion on the outer edge of the glass. This makes target acquisition easy on the eyes, as though you weren’t looking through anything at all. In addition, the SpectraCoat is an anti-reflection coating that provides superior light transmission across the entire visible spectrum. Rain, snow, fog, sand, dark, or sun, the Sig Sauer Romeo X provides the clarity you need when making the shot. Speaking of dark, SIG also incorporates their DARC coating which is optimized for Gen 3 night vision — just in case.
There are 12 daytime illumination settings and 3 night vision settings with 2 different reticle options for an endless array of possible circumstances.
Our favorite was the circle dot which is a red dot center with a circle around it so you can easily find the reticle when drawing the weapon to get on target fast. The reticles do turn off when the gun is stationary or holstered with a compatible Magnetac holster. It turns back on when the gun is drawn.
Final Thoughts: SIG Sauer Romeo X Pistol Reflex Sight
Even though the price is on the higher end for a reflex sight ($459.99 for the Pro and $399.99 for Compact) there is no doubt in our mind it is worth every penny.
The Romeo-X line of optics is one of the most capable line of optics we have ever reviewed. Between its durability and state-of-the-art technology, the Romeo-X gets our vote for the top reflex sight available for civilians in the market today.