SIG Sauer ROMEO-M17, the MHS pistol red dot sight
SIG Sauer introduces the ROMEO-M17 red dot sight, specifically conceived for the M17 and M18 MHS pistols currently serving as the standard sidearms of the US Armed Forces
The 2023 edition of the NRA Annual Meeting & Exhibits, held in Indianapolis in mid-April, saw SIG Sauer finally introduce the SIG Sauer ROMEO-M17 red dot sight, the culmination of a long development process that started back in 2017 when the SIG Sauer M17 and M18 pistols – variants of the extremely successful P320 – were officially selected to replace the Beretta M9 as the service sidearms for the US Armed Forces.
The SIG Sauer ROMEO-M17 red dot sight has been developed to mount on SIG Sauer's proprietary SIG-LOC mounting interface, which is machined only on the slide of M17 and M18 pistols.
This means that the ROMEO-M17 will only fit M17/M18 military issue, surplus, and commemorative pistols with a single optics plate mounting screw, and will not fit any other pistols – for the time being, that is.
SIG Sauer ROMEO-M17 red dot sight – right side
SIG Sauer ROMEO-M17 red dot sight – left side
Built around a coyote tan 7075-T6 aluminum alloy housing, the SIG Sauer ROMEO-M17 pistol fits the SIG-LOC optics ready slides via a single screw with a 40 in·lb (4,5 n·m) torque level. The ROMEO-M17 mounts from underneath the pistol slide, re-using the MHS pistol rear sight block and sight block screw to facilitate zeroing and co-witnessing.
The optical glass lenses of the ROMEO-M17 red dot sight feature a D.A.R.C. (Dark Adaptive Reticles & Coatings) treatment to provide ideal reticle brightness and target clarity while using Gen3+ night vision devices. Machined anti-reflection grooves on all rear surfaces reduce glare for operation in high environmental lighting conditions.
The SIG Sauer ROMEO-M17 is powered by a single CR2032 battery, hosted in a side-mounted compartment with a threaded battery cap, for easy battery changes without the need to remove the optic from the firearm. A high-efficiency point source LED emitter generates a 2-MOA dot with a 32-MOA circle reticle, independently selectable (circle only, dot only, or circle/dot combination) and adjustable on a 40 MOA range in elevation and an 80 MOA range in drift.
Windage and elevation adjustments have tactile clicks. Adjustment screws are slotted, for use with any small flat-blade tool. Adjustment resolution is 1.5 MOA per click.
Two independent brightness adjustment buttons, located on the left side of the housing, are recessed within a protective plate and can be activated even with gloves on. Buttons have bump features above UP and below DOWN, so they can be determined by feel.
The red dot can be adjusted on 15 different brightness settings, three of which are optimized for use with Gen 3+ NV devices. The SIG Sauer ROMEO-M17 also features magnetic and motion-activated illumination; depending on the selected level of brightness, a single CR2032 battery can offer up to 20.000 hours of continuous use.
The SIG Sauer ROMEO-M17 is 6 cm / 2.4" long overall, 2,2 cm / 0.9" wide and 2,7 cm / 1.1" high, weighs in at barely 42 grams / 1.5 oz and is waterproof to 35 meters of depth.
Other features of the SIG Sauer ROMEO-M17 red dot sight include an integrated gas deflector on the front of the housing and two drainage holes machined in the sides of the housing, just behind the rear sealed window, to allow pooled liquid to escape when the optic goes from a vertical position (such as in a holster) to a horizontal position (such as shooting).
The SIG Sauer ROMEO-M17 red dot sight is currently being distributed on the US market at a manufacturer's suggested retail price of $809.99. For information concerning export availability and pricing, please refer to your closest international SIG Sauer distributor.