[Review] Sig Sauer Romeo 5

Shotguns are reliable weapons and our best home defense shotgun article explains why. With our country suffering from one burglary every 30 seconds, it’s a necessity to have one. But almost no one seems to tackle the topic of getting a red dot sight for this baddie. Red dot sights can help you target an intruder and fire accurate shots. One example is the popular SIG Sauer Romeo 5. Despite coming from a big brand, is it a high-quality red dot sight for your shotgun? We’ll find that out in the next sections.

If you’ve read my other articles, you’d already know that I am a hardcore gun hobbyist. Besides guns, I also collect hundreds of gun accessories. I have a few gun brands that I like and this includes SIG Sauer. With their latest P365 release, I couldn’t resist and bought myself one.

Even though SIG Sauer’s best known for its firearms, there’s nothing much to say about its accessories yet. As such, we’ll put one of the company’s red dot sights to the test. In this article, we’ll talk about the SIG Sauer Romeo 5. But before we jump to that, let’s take a look at this sight’s pros and cons.

The SIG Sauer Romeo 5 is a 2 minute of angle (MOA)-red dot sight designed as an accessory for shotguns. Its name came from William Shakespeare’s famous tragedy, “Romeo and Juliet.” Besides the simple yet clever title of the sight, I’ve read positive reviews on it. There are many other models of this sight like the Romeo 4 and Romeo 8H. What’s more is that you can pair it up with a Juliet magnifier to get yourself a Romeo and Juliet combo. Don’t get me wrong, SIG Sauer is one of my favorite gun brands. I liked how SIG produces the best firearms like the P210. But can we say the same about their red dot sights like the Romeo 5?

The Brand SIG Sauer

SIG Sauer is a popular, long-standing gun company and its influence stays strong to this day. In 1853, Friedrich Peyer Im Hof established the brand along with two other cofounders. After two millennia later, the company’s main headquarters relocated to New Hampshire.  As of this writing, its central office’s location remains the same. Most famous for its handguns, SIG Sauer saw many downfalls in the past. With only 130 employees left, the brand almost went bankrupt around 2004. But with CEO Ron Cohen’s idea to manufacture AR-15 style rifles, SIG Sauer regained its position. Many Americans loved SIG Sauer’s guns and became loyal followers of the label. Although it sells rifles and gun accessories, crafting handguns is its specialty.

From this, you can say that SIG Sauer has earned a positive reputation within the gun community. But this doesn’t mean that the company’s products are flawless. It has also earned negative reviews, most of which revolve around pricing. Most of its items are expensive, making it a struggle for many to buy one of its items. Despite the high cost, the quality of their products is top-notch. If you plan on investing a hefty sum in this brand, you’re guaranteed a superb gun or accessory.

What’s even more interesting is the fact that SIG Sauer doesn’t make its Romeo sights at all. Instead, it signed a contract with Chinese company Holosun to do the job for the company. Even if Holosun develops the Romeo sights, all rights still belong to SIG Sauer.

Who Is the SIG Sauer Romeo 5 For?

From the name and appearance itself, you can already tell who this sight’s target audiences are. Due to the sight’s capabilities, I’d say that it caters to both home defense and military purposes. Thus, both civilians and armed professionals can make the best use of this sight. Its illumination and scope attributes are applicable for defense and short-range shooting. But sniper rifle users and hunters should steer away from using the Romeo 5. This is because the sight has limited magnification in general.

SIG Sauer Romeo 5 Specifications 

Unlike most red dot sights, the Romeo 5 has 10 different illumination settings. This, of course, includes night vision options. We’ll discuss the sight’s other parts as we proceed further down our review. First, let’s look at the Romeo 5’s full specs:

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SIG Sauer Romeo 5: Hands-on Review

From the table, you might already know what this sight can do and deliver. Without further ado, let’s review this red dot sight.

Unboxing

Most sights come in attractive glossy or black cardboard boxes when shipped. But that’s not the case when it comes to Romeo 5. The sight comes in a brown cardboard box with its logo on the surface. Many buyers, including I, found the packaging plain-looking on the get-go. Still, what matters is the sight itself, right?

After opening the box, you’ll find all the sight components tucked inside. This includes the Romeo 5 itself, an adjustment tool, and a battery. It also has a black cleaning cloth placed in a small resealable bag. Plus, the sight itself comes with an already attached Picatinny low mount riser. To my liking, black foam padding covers all the parts for extra protection. 

Appearance

The Romeo 5 is one of the smallest red dot sights sold in today’s market. Given its 62mm x 38mm x 38mm dimensions, it’s compact enough to store away in your pocket. It could fit right into your palm, making it ideal for portable carry. Also, its mass of 5.1 ounces makes it light and doesn’t add to the weight of your gun. But if you’re looking for more color options, I’m afraid you’d have to sit this one out. The sight is only available to buy in its standard all-black glory.

Next, let’s talk about the sight’s other features. First, it is a 2 MOA red dot that provides 10 illumination settings. The settings include eight daylight and two NV options. These help adjust the sight’s visibility in all light conditions, making it versatile. As I’ve said earlier, its M1913 Picatinny interface allows you to mount the sight on many guns that permit it. Since it has a compact design, this proves disadvantageous to users with large hand sizes. As such, you might have a hard time fumbling over the exact buttons to press while adjusting it.

Ease of Operation

With its general design, I like how simple yet detailed the parts are. The illumination buttons are crisp and responsive to the touch. Plus, it’s easy to adjust your brightness settings since the buttons’ placements are at the top of the sight. You can also see the windage and the elevation caps positioned on the side. During real-time shooting, accessing the caps poses no problems. But rotating them is another story altogether. To fix this, you need to twist the caps several times for them to rotate in a smooth manner. I noticed this happening the first few times I used the sight. As such, spend some time tweaking the caps before using the Romeo 5 for a real shooting simulation.

Magnification is also another issue. Since it’s 1x, you’ll have very limited scope with this sight. This is the same problem that all other Romeo models, including the latest Romeo 8H, faces. Thus, the Romeo 5 isn’t an ideal accessory for long-range shooting. For better results, I recommend using it in mid-to short-range shooting distances. I tried putting this on my Mossberg 500 for indoor dry firing practice three times. From those times, it’s convenient to scope a paper target up close with the Romeo 5.

Still, I commend this sight for its long-lasting battery life. It can last up to 50,000 hours despite continuous use. But with the highest illumination settings, that number could dwindle to 45,000 hours.

Ease of Handling

Since it already has its mount attached, there’s not much issue placing this sight on your gun. You can perch it on top of your shotgun, aim at your target, and fire away. Moreover, you can fit it in any gun that has a Picatinny rail feature. Even though it’s versatile in this case, I have one minor issue about the Romeo 5. The mount consists of plastic, a material that’s not ideal on a red dot sight. If you either mishandle or drop the sight, expect damages or even breakages of your Romeo 5’s mount. Hence, proceed to hold your sight with caution and care.

Features

If I have to mention one of Romeo 5’s most notable features, it’s the sight’s parallax-free aiming. No matter where your eye position is, the red dot stays locked on to your target. To add, this also offers you unlimited eye relief. As such, you can still zone in on your target while finding a comfortable stance for your eye.

SIG Sauer also offers a warranty called Infinite Guarantee to their buyers. This doesn’t only apply to the Romeo 5 but with their other sights as well. In case you get defects on your sight, SIG Sauer can repair it for you with no extra fees needed. Plus, you don’t need to present your receipt nor warranty card to fix or replace your broken Romeo 5. Like its name, you can use this warranty any time you wish to. Still, keep in mind that this doesn’t cover misuse and intentional damages.

Also, the Romeo 5 has an official waterproof rating of IPX-7. Many consider this rating higher compared to most of today’s competing red dot sights. Even when submerged in water for up to 1 meter, it stays durable and functional. It’s also fog proof, making it suitable to use even in foggy or misty areas.

Taking the SIG Sauer Romeo 5 Apart

There’s not much to say about the Romeo 5’s breakdown except for its important components. First, the M1913 Picatinny low-mount riser is detachable by default. It’s made of plastic and has a black finish. Second, the sight’s circle-shaped battery part aims to fit a CR2032 battery well. Third, the windage and elevation caps are removable using the sight adjustment tool.

Even so, I still found one issue with the Romeo 5 while I tried disassembling it. First, its battery is a bit tricky to take off. Hence, you need to use either a coin or screwdriver to remove it. This can get pretty annoying to do, especially if you plan to clean your sight with a cloth. But reassembling it is the more pleasant part. You can reattach the mount back in one push and screw the battery cap with ease. Also, tweaking the windage and elevation caps back with the adjustment tool is quick and easy. Now that we’re done with the basics, let’s see how the Romeo 5 performs in action.

Using the Red Dot Sight 

For a 2 MOA Red dot, it’s light, comfortable, and easy to use. As discussed earlier, the buttons are crisp when clicked with a finger. For instance, I can spam the buttons in quick succession while I’m in the middle of a dry firing session. Still, I tried my best not to knock or bump my sight on hard surfaces. Since the mount is plastic, the possibility of it breaking is high. Meanwhile, adjusting the windage and elevation caps went smoother than I expected. Since I tweaked them in my home garage, it’s no shocker why the caps are easier to rotate.

Accuracy

As a 2 MOA Red dot, the Romeo 5 lets you fire more accurate and faster shots toward your target. Moreover, the red dot stays in place regardless of which angle you use to scope with this sight. Thus, you’ll have unlimited eye relief while using it in live action. Even if you’re moving or not, you can still expect to fire accurate shots.

While testing this at my local range, I noticed a few setbacks. My first issue focuses on the sight’s lens. They become reflective when viewed from certain angles. This makes me lose my proper scope on a target, especially during sunny days. Thus, I don’t recommend using this under broad daylight. Next is the sight’s red dot light itself. Once paired with a bright tactical flashlight, it’s harder to find the red dot on your sight. To avoid this, position your flashlight below the sight or near your gun’s trigger.

Ease of Use

Like I’ve said before, the Romeo 5’s simple interface makes it easy to operate. Since the buttons are on top of it, you can adjust your illumination settings using your fingers. Plus, the Motion Activated Illumination (MOTAC) feature helps conserve your sight’s battery. After a few minutes of inactivity, it shuts itself off. But if you pick your gun up again with the sight installed, it powers back on. This is because MOTAC relies on movement to reactivate the sight. Once it detects motion, the sight powers on again.

Reliability

Let’s revisit the question we have before: is SIG Sauer’s Romeo 5 reliable like its handguns? To answer this, let’s first list the things that I don’t like about this sight. Stiff elevation and battery caps, reflective lens, plastic mount, and limited magnification. If we take a second look, these aren’t serious issues when using it. Most of these downsides only occur when you configure it, not while you’re using it. Hence, I can say that this is a decent red dot sight for your rifle or shotgun. In brief, it’s reliable for close-range shooting and home defense purposes. As long as you can master its features, then this sight is a good buy.

Also, the attributes it offers are all available for a price of less than $200. This makes it one of the cheapest yet high-quality sights out there. If you’re into cheap, compact, and functional sights, then the Romeo 5 is your match.

Competition

There are many sights like the Romeo 5 in today’s retail landscape. To help you decide which one to get, let’s discuss this sight’s competition on the market.

SIG Sauer Romeo 5 vs. Romeo 8H

Belonging in the same Romeo series, both the Romeo 5 and Romeo 8H share similar features. They’re both IPX-7 rated, have MOTAC, and offer unlimited eye relief. But when it comes to longer battery life, I’d lean toward the Romeo 8H. Compared to the Romeo 5, it uses a CR123A as its main battery. Thus, it can run up to 100,000 hours of continuous use, which is 50,000 hours ahead of the Romeo 5.

SIG Sauer Romeo 5 vs. Predator V3

With its 2.25 x 1.75 x 2 dimensions, the Predator V3 is smaller than the Romeo 5. From this, you can already tell the difference between the two sights. When it comes to design, I’ll go with the Romeo 5. This is because it’s easier to operate and the elevation caps are on the sight’s side. But for daytime use, I’d prefer the Predator V3. It uses O-rings for reflective lens protection, something that the Romeo 5 doesn’t have. 

SIG Sauer Romeo 5 vs. Feyachi RDS-22

Like the Romeo 8H, the Feyachi RDS-22 also shares many similarities with the Romeo 5. But what makes it unique from the latter is its 11 intensity levels of brightness. For hunting, I’d go with the Feyachi RDS-22. Its protective lens cover prevents your lens from becoming reflective at certain angles. This gives you a clearer scope of your game compared to the Romeo 5. Plus, its shockproof feature makes it more durable when hit on hard surfaces. Thus, the Feyachi RDS-22 is better for its sturdier and more durable design.

Accessories

Now that we’re done with our Romeo 5 review, it’s time to know how to use the sight to its fullest potential. As such, here are two accessories that can help you familiarize and use your sight with ease.

TrustFire MC3 Tactical Flashlight

The TrustFire MC3 Tactical Flashlight is a great match for your Romeo 5. Its 2,500 lumens power allows you to spot targets in closed spaces like rooms. This makes it an ideal accessory to pair for your sight when it comes to home defense. To prevent it from overlapping with your sight’s red dot, you can attach it under your gun.

Outdoor Tactical Molle Pouch Bag

If you’re looking for extra space to store your sight, I’d recommend the Outdoor Tactical Molle Pouch Bag. Its adjustable MOLLE system lets you hang extra pouches like small first aid kits. With its 6-inch x 4-inch x 3-inch dimensions, you can stash your sight and phone in its main compartment.

Conclusion

With the increase of burglary cases, many focus on home defense more than ever. As such, the desire of owning red dot sights for guns becomes stronger in today’s market. Hence, I can say that many gun owners would buy themselves a Romeo 5. The sight gives the user a lightweight, bright, and easy-to-use shotgun accessory. Plus, it has a 50,000-hour battery life and comes with an unlimited warranty from SIG Sauer. You can get all its superb features for only less than $200, making it a sweet bargain. Besides top-tier firearms, SIG Sauer also impresses people with its high-class accessories. Since the P365’s release, the production of new accessories is more than possible.

If you’re looking for more buying options, you can check out our best red dot sights for shotguns article. The Romeo 5 is one out of many red dot sights, which performs well with shotguns. Plus, knowing more excellent sights can help you decide which one to get for your shooting needs.