The SIG Sauer Optic Roundup

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I’ve been a fan of SIG Sauer optics since purchasing a Tango4 3-­12x42mm scope in 2016. For its time (and $900 price point), it packed a lot of features such as a first-focal-plane (FFP) reticle, center-­dot reticle, lockable zero, alternate on-­and-­off illumination, and rev counter. I have since used the BDX line of optics for hunting and precision rifle shooting. SIG Sauer optics made significant inroads with hunters, competitive shooters and the U.S. military. Here are some of my favorites from SIG Sauer’s current lineup.

Tango-­MSR LPVO 1-­10x26mm (FFP)

Low-­power variable optics (LPVO) give us the flexibility to shoot close quarters out to the terminal effectiveness of many small-­caliber centerfire cartridges. One-­power (1X) allows the illuminated reticle to be used as if it were a red-dot reflex sight. Powering up to as much as 10X, depending on model, offers magnification for medium- and long-­range shooting. The Tango-­MSR is an LPVO that is available in several models: 1-­6X, 1-­8X and 1-­10X. These are offered with FFP and second-focal-plane (SFP) reticles. The models share the same horseshoe design with an open center dot, and have ballistic drop compensating (BDC) subtensions designed for 5.56 and 7.62 NATO cartridges. The reticle also includes ranging hashmarks, wind markers for 5 and 10 mph winds and moving target markers.

I most recently reviewed the 1-­10x26mm model with features I would expect to find on an LPVO: Capped turrets, a removable throw lever, and illumination dial. Each click of the turret moves the reticle .5 MOA, and there is 100 MOA of travel for elevation and windage. The illumination has 11 brightness settings with the max setting being easily visible in bright light. Cranking the illumination dial up will light up the horseshoe and center dot.

The glass is on par with optics in its $700 price range. It has nice contrast and definition and good edge-­to-­edge clarity until it reaches 7X, where the image noticeably degrades. This is not uncommon with comparable scopes, though. I found the power ring to be very smooth while offering enough resistance that it won’t easily move from its power setting.

Weighing 21.9 ounces, the Tango-­MSR 1-­10x26mm is only 2 to 4 ounces heavier than some of the 1-6X LPVO optics I’ve evaluated. It was impressive considering that the Tango-­MSR 1-­10x26mm has a 34mm maintube and greater magnification.

A nice feature is the lasered white leveling line on the left side of the scope. To level the scope, simply center the line in the scope ring gap; no bubble level kit is needed.

Tango-MSR prices range from $500 for the 1-­6X SFP model to $840 for the 1-­10X with FFP reticle. What makes the Tango-­MSR 1-­10x26mm a great choice is the included aluminum cantilever mount and lay-­flat, flip-­back caps.

Tango6T 1-­6x24mm DVO

If you’re going to put an LPVO through the wringer, you’ll need one that is military-­tough. None fit the bill better than the Tango6T 1-­6X24mm DVO (Direct View Optic). It is the third Tango6T chosen by the U.S. Department of Defense for the U.S. military. The DVO model is used on M4A1 carbines, which are commonly issued throughout the U.S. Army.

The Tango6T 1-­6x24mm DVO uses extra-­low dispersion (ED) glass, which offers high definition and high light transmission. The lenses have an abrasion-­resistant coating called “LensArmor” and an ultra-­wide broadband, anti-­reflection coating called “SpectraCoat.” It has a waterproof rating of IPX-­8, which means that the scope will withstand continuous complete immersion at 20 meters.

Since the Tango6T 1-­6x24mm DVO was designed for the M4A1 carbine, it uses the DWLR 556 FFP reticle, which is a BDC reticle tailored to the military’s 5.56x45 NATO round. The reticle includes ranging subtensions, wind holds for 5 and 10 mph, and dots for moving targets.

The reticle is illuminated using fiber-­optic technology and has two night vision (NV) settings and nine brightness levels. The benefit of fiber-­optic technology is that the reticle stays crisp, and, even at the brightest setting, the edges of the dot don’t “bloom” out. This allows for a clear view of the target and precise dot position.

To activate the illumination knob, pull the illumination ring away from the body to unlock it, then turn it to the desired brightness setting. The ring alternates from “On” to “Off” with each click, allowing you to be one click away from the last setting.

Looking through the scope, you can tell it is a notch above the Tango-­MSR models. It is sharper and provides a clearer image throughout the 6X range. At 1X power, the reticle is easy to pick up and use as if it were a reflex sight, and the numbers are clear as you go beyond 2X power. I found the reticle thickness throughout the power band to be just right, and all the controls had enough friction to keep them from accidentally moving due to activity or incidental contact.

When you purchase the Tango6T 1-­6x24mm DVO, you’ll open the box and find it mounted in the Alpha4 mount, ready to be put in action. The kit also includes lay-­flat flip caps, a three-­position throw lever and a flash-­kill cover.

Romeo2 1x30mm

Are you having a tough time choosing between an open-­ or closed-­emitter reflex sight? You may find the enclosed emitter too bulky, but you want one to protect the emitter from bad weather. Now, with the Romeo2 1x30mm, you can have both in one convertible unit. The Romeo2 appears like a standard red-­dot sight, but it can be converted from enclosed to exposed.

The Romeo2 is available with a 3 MOA or 6 MOA dot, and Circle or Dual reticle. All versions are compatible with a Romeo1 Pro or R2 footprint. It is compact for use on a pistol and even has a rear notch to align suppressor-­height sights. The aluminum housing is robust enough for most applications, but if you’re seeking an extra layer of protection the kit includes a steel shroud. To turn the Romeo2 into an enclosed emitter, install the full shroud and polycarbonate rear lens. The hood and shrouds hook onto the front of the housing and two T6 screws secure it to the body. The kit also comes with a rubber protective cover with a built-­in magnet that shuts off the red dot.

The simplicity of the shroud design is also echoed in the battery tray. The tray is side loading, which makes it convenient to swap out batteries without removing the optic and having to re-zero the sight. To replace the battery, press the tray release button on the back of the housing, and push in the battery tray to pop it out. There’s no need to worry about losing screws removing the optic or re-zeroing the reticle.

The Romeo2 has a motion detection system that turns the unit off after two minutes. Once motion is detected, the unit powers on to the last brightness setting.

The sight has three night vision and 12 daylight illumination settings. SIG Sauer includes its “Infinite Guarantee” as a bonus.

Kilo6 HD Binoculars

With a built-­in rangefinder and the Applied Ballistics engine, once you’ve used the Kilo6 HD 10x42mm binoculars, you won’t want to go back to regular binoculars. Being able to glass an animal and immediately get a distance along with elevation and wind holds reduces the amount of gear you take to the field and saves valuable time. The Kilo6 HD has so many features that it could fill an article on its own. Allow me to cover what I think are the most relevant to a hunter or long-­range shooter.

The Kilo6 HD has a rubberized overmolded skin and a waterproof rating of IPX-­7. It comes embedded with ballistic groups that you choose through the settings menu in the binoculars. The groups are drop tables for popular cartridges from .223 Rem. to .338 Magnum; they even include muzzleloader and crossbow trajectories. The groups are the same that are found in the BDX line of scopes, which allows the shooter to use the same group number for both optics without having to bond them with the BDX app.

The binoculars include a “Line-­of-­Sight” mode, which corrects the distance to the target based on the shooting angle.

To feed your own cartridge data to the binocular, you have to use the BDX app. The BDX app serves several purposes: It stores cartridge information; it is a ballistic calculator; it is a portal to bond BDX devices; and it allows you to set up a custom BDC reticle for SIG Sauer’s BDX-powered riflescopes.

The Kilo6 HD has two great added features, one is the ability to pair it with a Bluetooth-­enabled Kestrel or Garmin, which have Applied Ballistics built-­n. This allows you to feed ballistic and wind data from the device into the binoculars. The other feature is the compatibility of the Kilo6 HD with the BaseMap app. Using the binoculars tethered to the app by Bluetooth, you can range a distance to set a location on the map. The benefits are numerous, including easy navigation to a downed animal or marking a hunting spot.

The external features are what you come to expect from the Kilo line: Two diopter adjustments and a simple two-­button process to activate the rangefinder and access the Settings menu. The internal OLED display has a clean and intuitive interface; after ranging it will display the range and ballistic solution separately.

Sierra6BDX 3-­18x44mm

The Sierra6BDX scope is a “smart scope” that shows you the elevation and wind holdovers as a little red, illuminated dot on the reticle. Using the Sierra6BDX scope feels like cheating. Simply range a target with a SIG Sauer BDX rangefinder, place the compensated red-dot reticle on the target, and squeeze the trigger for a first-­round hit. The convenience of this point-­and-­shoot system has a short learning curve though, but SIG Sauer made it as easy as possible, even for those adverse to using technology.

If you didn’t know, BDX is an acronym for Ballistic Data Xchange. The Sierra6BDX has built-­in drop tables that are used to display a bullet drop compensated reticle. Technically, the scope can be used like a traditional scope. The BDX-­R2 reticle offers wind and elevation holdovers, but it’s like using a smartwatch to tell time only. The BDX features can be summoned using the scope or by using SIG Sauer’s BDX app, which is free. To use the scope without the app, SIG Sauer’s built-­in trajectory presets exist for popular cartridges. The presets are found in the BDX Groups card. Once a preset is entered, the vertical crosshair illuminates up to 5 dots, giving the BDC reticle in 100-­yard increments from 0 to 400 yards. There is no setting for wind value here.

To take full advantage of the scope’s BDX features, use the BDX app. The app allows you to pair a BDX rangefinder to the scope and input your actual load and wind data. You can even create a custom BDC reticle. Using the full features of BDX allows you to range a target with a BDX rangefinder, and the elevation and wind hold automatically show up as dots in the scope. It can’t get simpler than that while hunting. My only gripe about the scope is that it only shows wind holds if a full value wind is 1 MRAD (3.5 MOA) or stronger. 

Since wind holds are almost linear, wind is easy to compensate for by using the 1 MRAD dot as a visual reference and halving the distance between the center of the reticle and the dot, if the wind is 6 mph.

Although the scope has useful electronic features, SIG Sauer did not sacrifice the quality of its glass. All of the controls felt smooth, and the lenses are as good as in other scopes for this price range. It offers excellent detail in shadowed areas and very good edge-­to-­edge clarity. The illuminated dots are daylight bright, and the fact that this is an FFP scope allows us to magnify the reticle for a more precise hold on long-­range targets.

Summary

SIG Sauer optics have come a long way since making their initial splash into the market. They continue to seize awards and innovate affordable optics for all shooters. 

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