After two years of continuous use, here is my review of the Sig Sauer Romeo 5.
As the Co-Founder of Tactical Hyve, I am a serious trainer and shooter who gets to use and test different types of weapons and gear, so you don’t have to. This review will take an in-depth look at the Romeo 5 red dot optic from Sig Sauer.
If you are looking for an affordable red dot that provides the basics for optimum operational safety, this could be the sight for you.
What is a Sig Romeo 5 Red Dot?
The Sig Sauer Romeo 5 1x20mm is a purpose-built budget red dot sight that offers the basics in a robust and compact design.
If it looks familiar, you are likely familiar with Holosun products. Word in the street is that the Sig Sauer Romeo 5 is manufactured by Holosun–so they look very similar.
The Sig Romeo 5 is a great, low-cost red dot. This is a great option if you’re on a tight budget.
The lowest price we found is $129.99 at Palmetto State Armory.
(Price accurate at the time of writing.)
What’s in the Box?
Romeo 5 Red Dot Optic with 1.41” (co-witness) Riser pre-mounted
M1913 Picatinny Low Mount
Instruction Booklet
Lens cleaner cloth
One Piece Silicon Reticle Cover
Mounting Point Attachment Key
(1) CR 2032 Battery
Technical Specifications
Reticle: 2 MOA Red Dot
Battery Type: (1) CR2032
Brightness Settings: 8 day time/ 2 NV
Battery Life: 40,000+ Hours
Adjustment Increments: 1 MOA
Total Adjustment Travel: (Elevation and Windage) 100 MOA
Height 38.6mm
Weight: 5.1oz
Mount Type: M1913 T10 Low Profile and T10 1.41” Riser (co-witness)
Waterproof Rating: IPX-7 (1 meter for 30 minutes)
Sig Romeo 5 Features
2 MOA Red Dot provides 10 Illumination settings (8 day/ 2 NV) which is pretty standard.
MOTAC (Motion Activated Illumination) shake awake setting that is very sensitive.
Picatinny interface allows industry-standard mounting options on almost every modern Tactical firearm.
Includes both low and high riser co-witness 1.41″ mounts giving you the latitude to pair your optic with a wide variety of platforms.
The IPX-7 rating provides dependable fog and waterproof performance during use in adverse conditions.
First Impressions
I purchased a Sig Sauer Romeo 5 red dot sight two years ago. By then, I had seen some in use, and they were recommended to me by trusted sources.
Until then, I had only used what was issued to me while working among armed military professionals, including red dot sights from Aimpoint and EOTech.
Given the price of the sights from Aimpoint and EOtech, I was interested to see what a more budget-friendly red dot sight could do.
From the start, I was impressed with the Sig Sauer Romeo 5 optic considering its price point. It doesn’t have some of the modern features found on more expensive offerings, such as a quick disconnect mount or built-on reticle covers.
It did, however, come with industry-standard mounting options and a detachable rubber lens cover, which seemed to be up to the task. Looking it over, I knew the 2 MOA red dot and unlimited eye relief would give me a great point of aim and point of impact with every shot.
On Range Performance
As far as running the Romeo 5 red dot sight on the range, I generally sight in point of aim point of impact at 50 yards. This gives me a good aiming point out to 200 yards.
For a budget red dot sight, I found the Sig Romeo 5 red dot sight to have the as-expected unlimited eye relief and ultra-low parallax during rapid target acquisition on the range. So far, the Sig Romeo 5 has given me a parallax-free shooting experience.
Sig Romeo 5 Build Quality
The Sig Sauer Romeo 5 was built to be a lightweight, compact red dot sight. The sight adjustments and battery covers are very secure and low profile. The reticle brightness button controls are located on the top of the optic housing.
They are covered by a rubber membrane that is still intact, though showing a little wear. Having used this optic for two years, I’d say it has held up very well.
Durability
For me, guns and their many accouterments are merely tools to do a job. Now, these jobs vary greatly, but as far as the Sig Sauer Romeo 5 is concerned, it has been a general range and CQB training optic.
I typically don’t baby or act overly protective of tools during use, so normal wear and tear happens. That being said, the Romeo 5 red dot sight still works as well for me today as it did out of the box. I think it’s plenty durable for its price point.
Reticle Clarity
Out of the box, I noticed the 2 MOA red dot (there is also a green dot version) was about the same as the Aimpoint CompM2 regarding clarity, which I consider the industry standard.
The red dot remains parallel and does not shift during use. I haven’t had to re-sight in the dot. I would have thrown it away if it did shift during use and needed to be re-sighted.
The reticle has ten adjustable illumination settings, 8 for daylight and 2 for night vision, which works fine with military-grade tubes. If the reticle is too bright for present light conditions, then you will see the halo effect while aiming, but this is to be expected.
I found adjustments to fit any light conditions easy to accomplish during use. The Sig Sauer Romeo 5 pairs nicely with the Sig Sauer Juliet 3 Micro Magnifier.
The Sig Romeo 5 2 MOA red dot provides optimum operational versatility. In my opinion, it is the go-to MOA size for a 1x aiming solution.
The Sig Romeo 5 does show some slight parallax, but If you keep your eye straight behind the optic in line with the sight, you”ll be fine.
Waterproofing
The Sig Sauer Romeo 5 has been tested in complete water immersion by many sources. The Sig Romeo 5 has achieved a rating of dependable waterproof IPX 7. This means the Romeo 5 is rated for complete water immersion up to one meter for thirty minutes.
So for certain applications, dependable waterproof IPX 7-rated red dot sights are going to be a must for any maritime operations.
Anti-fog
As stated above, being a waterproof IPX 7-rated red dot optic, I haven’t had any trouble maintaining fog-proof performance. The dependable waterproof construction that allows complete water immersion makes the optic virtually fog proof.
The fog-proof performance includes being able to perform a quick battery replacement without any problems as well.
Sig Romeo 5 Adjustments
Brightness
Brightness adjustments are too easy; simply push the buttons located on the top of the optic housing marked + for brighter and – for dimmer.
Sighting In
To adjust for bullet impact, you must remove the non-attached caps off of the adjustment knobs located on the top for elevation and the right side for windage. The caps themselves are tools for making adjustments.
The top of the cap fits in the groove on the increment wheel. You could also use a small screwdriver or the lip of a bullet casing.
Power Source
The power source for Sig Sauer romeo5 red dot sights are single-side loading CR 2032 battery. This type of battery is pretty common for a red dot sight. The housing cap is found on the right side forward of the windage adjustment knob.
Changing Battery
It is easy to get off by hand due to the cap’s grip texturing, though a groove is cut into it for a tool-assisted tighter seal. Side loading for quick battery replacement is accomplished with relative ease.
Motion Activated Illumination Powers
The MOTAC (Motion Activated Illumination), which senses motion and powers on, must be doing its job to extend battery life. A feature such as MOTAC, which automatically turns on when the red dot senses motion, gives you optimum operational safety.
Battery Life
Sig Sauer claims to have achieved enhanced 40,000-hour battery life for this 2 MOA red dot without changing the battery. I don’t keep track of battery life, but I haven’t replaced the battery yet.
Mounting Options
The Sig Sauer Romeo 5 red dot optic provides industry-standard mounting options which comply with the integrated m1913 picatinny interface. The first is the co-witness 1.41” riser mount or high mount, which pairs well with iron sights.
The second is an m1913 Picatinny low mount riser designed for pistols, shotguns, and SMG’s. I haven’t used the low mount, but it seems as robust as the high mount.
Neither riser mount is quick detach capable; instead, the riser mount attachment relies on a provided star pattern torque wrench. These two options are well-built and switching them out is easy enough.
The m1913 Picatinny interface provides industry-standard pic rail mounting options universal to almost all long guns on the U.S. market.
Watch My Video Review
Final Thoughts
The Sig Romeo 5 is a great, low-cost red dot. This is a great option if you’re on a tight budget.
The lowest price we found is $129.99 at Palmetto State Armory.
(Price accurate at the time of writing.)
I believe the Sig Sauer Romeo 5 performs very well for a budget compact red dot sight. It cannot do everything that red dot optics in higher price points can do, but these other offerings can cost two to four times as much or more.
For a sub $200 red dot, I have found it to be a very sturdy and reliable optic for general use. Compared to other red dots at this price point, I am very impressed.
The Sig Sauer Romeo 5 comes with many features for its price. It comes with both a high and low mount, which gives you two viewing angle options right out of the box.
The Sig Romeo 5 already stated fog proof performance is due to the dependable waterproof IPX 7-rated construction.
The MOTAC motion-activated illumination senses motion and powers the enhanced 40,000-hour battery life.
I have run these compact red dot sights on the PSA Jakl, Sig Sauer Rattler, FN Scar Light, and various AR-15 variants.
I recommend the Romeo 5 red dot sight to civilians and armed professionals.
From serious to casual use, I have found the Romeo 5 red dot a robust 1x aiming solution. I feel confident in relying on my Sig Sauer Romeo 5 compact red dot to defend what I hold dear because it is a great optic.
Thank you for your time on this. Although not to the levels you put them through, my experience and tests with the Romeo 5 show the exact same results, confidence and need to have. Cheers Sir, I appreciate … and an “OOH RAH” so you know where I’m coming from, LOL
Great review! Thank you for your write-up.
After watching your YouTube video and reading your article on the Romeo5, I was sold and used your supplied link to the Amazon site. The seller was supposedly the Sig Sauer store, so I bought one. When I received the unit I noticed that the sender wasn’t Sig, but a third party vendor. After watching vids on how to spot a fake Romeo5, I determined mine was, and bought another unit from a well-known sporting goods store. Side-by-side comparisons revealed that indeed, the Amazon unit is a fake. I just hope that this vendor is around long enough to receive the bogus unit and issue a refund. Indeed, “caveat emptor”.
Wow! Sorry to hear you got a fake one!!
Would the Reomo 5x be a good sight hunting out to 200 yards most shots are closer to 75 yards