Sig Sauer has given a sneak peek of its latest Romeo optic, the RomeoM17 which was specifically designed from the bottom up for the US Army’s XM17 Modular Handgun System. The RomeoM17 optic is one of the optics from the Electro-Optic division at Sig and rumor is, it won’t be the last.
The basic design of the RomeoM17 optic is an under-mounted optic, one of the first of its kind, that won’t need suppressor height sights to use with it. On the M17 pistol, the optic plate and rear sight are removed leaving a hole in the slide and the RomeoM17 fits in that hole. The optic toes in the front of the hole and it cams down with two recoil lugs from underneath. The rear sight hole is still present in the slide, so the user can remount the rear sight with ease.
The user is able to maintain the full co-witness of the sights with the optics, negating the need for suppressor height sights. The sight locks into place on the slide thanks to the 40 pounds per inch torque spec on the mounting cams.
So, what’s so special about the RomeoM17? According to a source at Sig, you are supposed to think of the optic as a shrunk-down micro red dot on a rifle. It’s a tough and reliable optic with loads of features.
For one, it has a completely protected emitter, meaning it is water-, dirt-, and dust-resistant at all times. The RomeoM17 is completely sealed and has been gas purged so there will never be any fogging from changes in weather. The RomeoM17 has an IPX7 water rating and beyond, according to the company.
The optic is durable as well. It has been drop tested from five feet onto bare concrete and has withstood ten thousand rounds, at a minimum, of 9mm Plus P fire. The source from Sig stated that this is the best pistol optic the unit has ever made, and there are more like it coming.
The RomeoM17 has an outstanding battery life as well. It has a side-mounted 2032 battery that gives the optic a minimum 20k hour life on the medium brightness setting without any battery-saving options employed. The optic boasts 15 different brightness levels, with three directly dedicated to night vision.
The optic is a circle dot reticle featuring a 2 MOA dot within the 32 MOA circle. Users can swap between the reticles with the rear left button to cycle through the options. The fully US-assembled optic has no set price as of yet, considering it was developed for the DoD, but the company estimates the commercial version of the RomeoM17 optic to be similar in pricing to the Romeo2, in the ballpark of $600-$700.
