Sig Romeo MSR Review

The Romeo MSR is one of Sig’s entry-level red dots that costs less than a hundred bucks (discounted price from Amazon) at the time of writing this article. We tested this affordable optic first-hand. Read on to see our full Sig Romeo MSR review.

Bottom Line

Sig is to optics as Disney is to Star Wars. They’re milking all they can with the Sig name as they have entered full-blast production of closed, open, and red dot sights, as well as scopes. But it’s not all marketing, though, because you can’t get the Romeo MSR’s optics from any other brands at this price point.

Pros​

• Affordable
• Clear optics
• Night vision-compatible
• Crisp windage and elevation adjustments
• Waterproof and shockproof
• Comes with lens caps

Cons

• No motion-activated wake-up
• A separate tool is needed to do POA adjustments
• Illumination controls are difficult to adjust
• Flip caps are tough to open and close quickly
• Only 20,000 hours of battery life (at lowest setting)

Hands-On Review Video

What Customers Say​

It is decent enough. But the light bleeds a little out the front.

I. Koch

It was almost zeroed in right out of the box, windage was spot on out of the box and elevation only needed a slight adjustment. I would buy another one.

Greg Hall

Alternatives

Better Battery Life: Holosun 403B

The Holosun 403b comes in an all-metal construction and can accommodate several mounting options. It’s made from 6061 T6 Aluminum and comes with a protective rubber cover included in the box.

The fit and finish are comparable with other quality optics of this type. The sight is pretty compact and the glass clarity is good for the price. At first glance, it seems like a great value.

In our hands-on review of the Holosun 403b, it really impressed for a value optic.

Pros 

• Comes with a Shake Awake feature
• Comes with a limited lifetime warranty
• Night-vision compatible
• Long battery life (50,000 hours)
• Lightweight
• Affordable

Cons 

• Low-quality battery tray
• Red reflection visible in some lighting conditions

Hands-On Review Video

Better Performance: Sig Romeo5

The Romeo5 provides an incredible sight picture given its price point. Plus its lenses are covered in anti-reflection coatings that help decrease surface reflections, allowing optimum light transmission, crispness, and clarity. 

Romeo5’s 40,000 hours battery life. Its battery is loaded at the side which is convenient since you don’t need to dismount the red dot when changing batteries.

Its Motion-Activated Illumination (MOTAC) feature plays a big role in power saving as it automatically turns off the red dot when it’s not in use and automatically turns on once you pick up your gun. This feat makes the Romeo5 a reliable home defense weapon as it’s always ready for action.

Pros

• Night-vision compatible
• Affordable
• Long battery life
• Comes with a motion-activated illumination
• Comes with a transferable, lifetime warranty

Cons

• There’s a bit of distortion at the edge of the optic
• Finish gets scraped off easily
• Comes with a bulky mount

Hands-On Review Video

Sig Romeo MSR Specifications

• Color: BLACK
• Style: Red dot sight
• Item Dimensions LxWxH: 3.54 x 1.97 x 2.56 inches
• Item Weight: 0.31 Pounds
• Material: Aluminum
• Objective Lens Diameter: 20 Millimeters
• Magnification: 1x

First Impressions: Sig Romeo MSR

Sig Romeo MSR Features

Illumination Controls

The illumination controls were a little too tight. We presume it was for water tightness, but it made adjustments more challenging than Romeo 5-style controls. 

Hopefully, these will loosen up over time and become easier to manipulate. We definitely saw that trend as we used it more and more.

The illumination isn’t motion-activated, so you’ll have to crank it all the way up or down every time you bring out your gun rather than just leaving it on your favorite setting and relying on it to come on when you pick up your gun. The Romeo MSR comes with 12 total settings (10 daytime + 3 NV), so that’s a lot of distance to travel from the top to the bottom end of the adjustment range, especially for stiff controls!!!. 

It would be nice if it had intermediate off positions just for the reason. ;)

Field of View

Brightness is adequate even in full sun with a crisp dot and well-adjusted settings. It’s not an ACOG, so don’t expect that kind of clarity or you’ll be disappointed.

As expected, parallax is not an issue at range but will likely show up in close quarters.

POA Adjustments

The adjustments are crisp and audible. Feedback and tracking are also good like most optics from Sig.

Night Vision

For its price point, having night vision-compatible settings is a good bargain. With the Romeo MSR, you’ll get the functions of a clear red dot during the day and a night vision device at night. This extends your shooting time from dusk to dawn! 

But then again, if you can spring for thousands of dollars in NV gear, are you buying a $100 red dot sight?

I think not . . . .

Lifetime Warranty

Knowing you can have your optic replaced in case you get a defective unit or it gets damaged during your range time is a great bonus. Plus, the warranty is transferable.

Sig Romeo MSR Score Card

Features	Since this is a budget-tier optic, there aren’t a lot of noteworthy features, aside from the included batteries, night vision compatible settings, and skeletonized riser.	3
Reliability	The Romeo MSR holds zero well and has good optics. It also offers fast target acquisition.	4
Build & Finish	The Romeo MSR comes with a robust and simple design that can handle recoil well. We deducted points for the minor blemishes and residual liquid on the lenses on ours.	3
Accuracy	We achieved decent groups during our range time as the red dot allowed us to shoot with both eyes open.	4
Value	You get what you pay for with the Romeo MSR. However, near this price point, we prefer the Romeo 5.	4
Overall	The Sig Romeo MSR works, it gets the job done with good optics and decent battery life for its price.	3.6

Conclusion​

After our range time, here’s our verdict. The Romeo MSR is a value option with clear glass but its light settings are tough to adjust. If you really beat up your optics you’d appreciate having the lens caps as the first line of defense.

All in all, we prefer the Romeo5 for just a little more coin.

If you want to compare the Romeo MSR with the Romeo 5, here’s our Sig Romeo 5 Red Dot review.