Currently under evaluation by the US Army under the Soldier Enhancement Program, the new ROMEOM17 red dot sight from SIG SAUER was designed specifically for use with the Modular Handgun System.
When SIG offered a version of P320 to the US Army for the MHS program they included a feature not included in the formal requirement, a means to mount a red dot optic to the slide via the Leupold Delta Point Pro footprint, which at the time was the industry standard.
Last year, the Army decided to take advantage of that feature and called upon industry to provide samples of red dot sights for use with the M17 and M18 pistols variants of MHS. Evaluating these optics under SEP, the Army plans to issue National Stock Numbers to candidate optics it deems acceptable for use with MHS. Rather than issue a formal requirement for this enabler, it will be up to the individual units to determine which of the authorized optics they want to outfit their pistols with. This also allows the Army to revisit the subject more regularly than they would if they commenced a formal program.
I sat down with John Nichols, Product Manager for Pistol Optics, during the recent SIG Range Day in Las Vegas and he went over some of the background of the ROMEOM17.
SIG Electro Optics took a look at the pistol and realized that while they could use the existing DPP footprint to mount a sight, they could also mount it from the underside of the slide and patented the idea.
This offers a couple of advantages. First, there’s no bulky mounting plate so the sight remains as low as possible. Second, it integrates the standard height rear sight. Finally, it allows use of the standard front sight so there’s no need to replace the front sight with a suppressor height model. The armorer can reuse the pistol’s tritium rear and front sights which means less work for the armorer and lower first for the unit.
It is held in place with one bolt tightened to 40 inch pounds and there are two points which keep it aligned during mounting.
In addition to the mounting patent, SIG also has a patent for a shield to prevent the front lens of the optic from gas released during the firing cycle from the loaded chamber indicator port.
The sight is Argon gas purged and completely sealed. The base on the other hand has drainage holes.
It is adjustable for elevation and windage. Mimicking a full-sized telescopic optic, the internal Flexure System has fewer moving parts than other adjustments.
The reticle is selectable 32 MOA Circle or 2 MOA dot and offers 15 brightness settings. It also incorporates Magnetech technology to help maintain battery life. The sight features toolless battery removal and replacement for the CR2032 which is a standard battery in the stock system.
In order to give shooters a tactile cue under stress, they included slight protrusions indicating the button increases or decreases the intensity of the LED.
During manufacture, the sight is anodized in Black and then receives elite level Cerakote in Coyote. This means that the interior of the shroud is completely Black for easier sighting.
While the ROMEOM17 is initially only for military customers, it’s simply because of the compatibility with standard P320 slides. A commercial version is in the works.
The ROMEOM17 is assembled in Oregon.