I’ve been a fan of Sig Sauer products for years. Owning 8 different Sig firearms and several of their optics.
Including their best affordable red dot rifle optic, the Sig Sauer Romeo 7S.
SIG Romeo 7S
Sig Sauer isn’t new to the world of closed red dot sight. But it seems like they are listening to user feedback and making adjustments to their product line to make them even better.
The competition for a budget-friendly red dot optic is fierce and crowded. But in my opinion, Sig Sauer pulls away from the pack with the Romeo 7S. While the name Romeo 7S might make people think of the "other" Romeo 7, which is slightly longer and has a larger objective lens.
I can assure you this may share part of the name of its bigger brother but it’s an entirely new optic. Let’s take a closer look at what we are dealing with.
Dimensions
Length: 3/18"
Height: 2.59"
Width: 2.08"
Weight: 7.7 Ounces
Optical Information
Magnification: 1X
Objective Lens: 22 mm
Adjustment Increments: .5 MOA
Dot Size: 2 MOA
Settings: 9 Daytime Positions / 2 Night Vision Positions
Simple And Compact Controls. Photo: Rick Dembroski
When I ordered this optic, I knew it was going on my 12.5" AR-15 SBR. So I wanted something simple and compact with a high degree of quality control and durability. My first impression of the Sig Sauer Romeo 7S was that it seemed like a combination of the wildly popular Romeo 5 and the older Romeo 7. It was an odd feeling. I really like the Romeo 5 but I felt there was always something missing. And when I held the Romeo 7S in my hands it became more clear.
The supplied M1913 style mount on this optic is simple and it works, with no lever or twist just a simple nut to attach the optic to the rifle of your choice. This is similar to other Sig red dots but it puts its own twist on it. The mount features a solid base and an improvement over other types of mounts Sig uses.
When I bring a rifle up to shoot and look for my sight picture, the presence of a large open box directly under my ocular lens throws me off for a second. This is why all of my other red dot sights feature 3rd party mounts so I can be more comfortable. I know some shooters will tell me to practice more but shooting is about making things work for you, not against you. Final mounting requires nothing more than a screwdriver, socket or nut driver to tighten down the single nut.
Controls / Battery
The windage and elevation controls on this optic are recessed but do not feature a cover or cap. This is similar to the latest versions in the Romeo 5 family. This is something I have come to enjoy rather than messing with covers and screw-down caps. Each adjustment is solid and tactile. You can easily tell if you are making the required adjustments during sighting in. High marks to Sig Sauer for not messing with something that users like.
Illumination controls on the SIG Romeo 7S are located on the back of the optic next to the ocular lens. The controls turn clockwise with the first two positions being for night vision and the next 9 for regular illumination. Changing from one position to the next is crisp and audible via a well-textured round knob. It’s small enough to be unobtrusive but easily grasped with gloved hands. A feature borrowed from the bigger and older Romeo 7. The only difference is that the Romeo 7S controls are a little smaller given it’s connected to a smaller tube.
Power comes from a single AAA battery which is reminiscent of the Romeo 5 family. However, this single battery on a medium setting is projected to have a 50,000-hour run time according to Sig Sauer.
Photo:Rick Dembroski
Starting 1 December I am starting my own test cycle with the battery life. I intend to turn the optic on setting #4 and leave it on and check it in 2,000-hour increments and document it. I’m actually looking forward to creating a run time log and tracking the life of the battery.
Lenses & Covers
A pair of 22 mm lenses on the Romeo 7S offer shooters unlimited eye relief and parallax-free operation. What that means in English is that the 2 MOA dot remains parallel to the rifle bore regardless of the angle of your eye to the optic. The pair of lenses are better than many others in the same price range.
Sig uses a proprietary coating to reduce glare while enhancing light transmission through the optic. It may be the secret sauce that Sig puts on the lenses during production but in the end, it results in a very clear optic that does not cause excess eye irritation during test and evaluation sessions on a 10.5" SBR and 16" AR.
The optic is supplied with two clear flip-up style lens covers which I grew to enjoy. Historically on my other red dot optics, I refrain from putting lens covers on them entirely. So I was new to using covers on short red dot optics. Each of the covers is spring-loaded and easily snapped into the up position with minimal pressure on the simple tab located at the 6 O’clock position. Closing and keeping the covers snapped down could be a little tricky and I found I had to make sure it was securely over the ridge.
This isn’t meant to be a negative comment about the covers. Just a note that a few times when I thought I had the cover securely locked down, it popped back open. The nice part of the design is that if an end user wanted to remove them and never use them again the optic wouldn’t look like it was missing something or be affected negatively at all.
Price
The MSRP on the Sig Romeo 7S is $177.99 from the Sig Sauer website but some companies routinely run special pricing on it. I recently used my funds to purchase this for $99.99 at Palmetto State Armory during one of their last internet flyer campaigns. At the same price as the Romeo 5, it was worth the risk for me to take a gamble on an untested optic. I was happy I rolled the dice and picked one up.
Conclusion
Overall my opinion is that the Sig Romeo 7S is well worth the asking price. It feels like they combined all the best features of several of their optics. And this is the natural evolution of budget-friendly optics that the company offers.
Great quality control, easy-to-use features, no extra frills, and a price point that is budget-friendly. It’s hard to ask for more. When you combine all of that with the Sig Infinite Guarantee (Lifetime Warranty) it makes a great deal even better.
If you are in the market for a compact red or green dot optic for any rifle, I would highly suggest the Romeo 7S. I would advise anyone in the market that they should take the time to research and look closer at the Sig Romeo 7S.
I can easily see this being at home on any rifle from a Ruger 10/22 to a pistol caliber carbine or any military sporting rifle with a 1913-style rail.
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