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So since there doesn't seem to be much in the way of reviews on this, I figured I'd add at least a little info to the hive mind 
. First, some background on how I've gotten here.
I've been running a Holosun 403B on my Ruger Mini 14 for about 2 years. When it works, it's a nice little RDS, but mine has been questionable from day one. For those not familiar with the 403, it incorporates a "shake awake" feature that allows the RDS to power down when not in use, but then wakes up instantly when moved. This is a large part of the reason it's rated for up to 50K hours of battery life. Do the math, that's more than 5 years. Well, my Ruger spends most of its time in the corner of my closet, but it seemed like every time I pulled it out, the battery was dead. After the 3rd or 4th battery change in the first year, I finally thought to check my battery stash, turns out I had a batch that were dead in the package, so much for the Energizer bunny. So I switched to Duracells, that seemed to solve the battery issue. But the last time I took it out, at first, it wouldn't come on at all, then I couldn't adjust the dot intensity. Enough, I contacted Holosun, it's in their hands now, I'm waiting to hear what they say. In the meantime, I still wanted a RDS on my Ruger, so it was time to go shopping, and needless to say, I wasn't shopping for another Holosun. Which brings me to the Sig.
So my shopping parameters were long battery life, long enough to leave on all the time and change batteries once a year. 2 MOA dot, turn it up and it's good for CQB type shooting, turn it down and it's good for "precision" shooting out to at least a couple hundred yards, and larger targets out to 400 or more, the farthest I've shot this setup. $200 limit, this isn't a battle rifle, it's primarily a range toy, so no Aimpoint budget. Motion activated, yeah, it's one more thing to go wrong, but if it contributes to the long battery life, I'll take the risk.
So although there are a lot of red dots in that price range, battery life and dot size eliminated a lot of them. With Holosun off my list, the Sigs kept coming out at the top of the reviews. The Romeo 5 would have been a near identical replacement for the 403, but I got caught up by the larger lens size, 30mm vs. 20, and the difference in battery uses, 2032 vs. a single AA. The final deciding factor was battery life, the Rome 7 is rated for over 60K hours! So finally I get to it.
So the Romeo 7 is a full size RDS rather than a micro or compact. As I said, 30mm lenses vs. 20, along with the very robust build, it makes this a heavyweight in the world of red dots, it tips the scale at over 12 oz., about 4X the Romeo 5 or the 403. I knew this going it, and I think I'll be okay with it, but that weight difference is quite noticeable on the Mini 14. Mine is an early model, so the only way to mount an optic is on the UltiMAK rail, over the barrel. Makes it muzzle heavy, time will tell if it's TOO muzzle heavy. I don't think it would matter as much on a typical flat top AR, the weight would be more centered.
It comes nicely equipped with flip up lens covers, a screw in flash kill, 2 mounts, one low with hex bolt, one higher with QD, and a quality (I hope) Energizer lithium AA battery. Battery mounts on the side and can be changed without removing the sight. Glass is very clear, and the dot is very sharp and round, and stays that way on all but the very highest settings. The larger lenses are nice, it makes it very easy to pick up the dot, and shooting with both eyes open makes the whole unit sort of disappear, all you see is the dot, which is just what you want, of course. W/E knobs are capped, tethered, and armored, which can make them a bit difficult to get to, but once set, how often do you need to adjust them? Added bonus, the caps also function as tools for the W/E adjustments, no need for a screwdriver or coin. It also includes a "shake awake" feature, Sig calls it MOTAC, and it seems to work well. The sight powers down after about 2 minutes of inactivity, then wakes up with motion or vibration. I checked, it's pretty sensitive, a light tap on the butt woke it back up. Price was actually just over my budget, with tax it came in at $206 from Optics Planet. Kudos to OP, BTW, they included free 2 day shipping, ordered on Sunday, had it Wednesday.
So I still haven't made it to the range yet, but so far, I'm pretty impressed with it. I really like this unit, so I'm hoping the weight isn't an issue. Durability and battery life are yet to be determined, but I suspect it will do well on both. Not much else I can add now, but will either update this post or start a new one once I get it to the range. Sorry I got so long winded, later.
Dave
. First, some background on how I've gotten here.I've been running a Holosun 403B on my Ruger Mini 14 for about 2 years. When it works, it's a nice little RDS, but mine has been questionable from day one. For those not familiar with the 403, it incorporates a "shake awake" feature that allows the RDS to power down when not in use, but then wakes up instantly when moved. This is a large part of the reason it's rated for up to 50K hours of battery life. Do the math, that's more than 5 years. Well, my Ruger spends most of its time in the corner of my closet, but it seemed like every time I pulled it out, the battery was dead. After the 3rd or 4th battery change in the first year, I finally thought to check my battery stash, turns out I had a batch that were dead in the package, so much for the Energizer bunny
. So I switched to Duracells, that seemed to solve the battery issue. But the last time I took it out, at first, it wouldn't come on at all, then I couldn't adjust the dot intensity. Enough, I contacted Holosun, it's in their hands now, I'm waiting to hear what they say. In the meantime, I still wanted a RDS on my Ruger, so it was time to go shopping, and needless to say, I wasn't shopping for another Holosun. Which brings me to the Sig.So my shopping parameters were long battery life, long enough to leave on all the time and change batteries once a year. 2 MOA dot, turn it up and it's good for CQB type shooting, turn it down and it's good for "precision" shooting out to at least a couple hundred yards, and larger targets out to 400 or more, the farthest I've shot this setup. $200 limit, this isn't a battle rifle, it's primarily a range toy, so no Aimpoint budget. Motion activated, yeah, it's one more thing to go wrong, but if it contributes to the long battery life, I'll take the risk.
So although there are a lot of red dots in that price range, battery life and dot size eliminated a lot of them. With Holosun off my list, the Sigs kept coming out at the top of the reviews. The Romeo 5 would have been a near identical replacement for the 403, but I got caught up by the larger lens size, 30mm vs. 20, and the difference in battery uses, 2032 vs. a single AA. The final deciding factor was battery life, the Rome 7 is rated for over 60K hours! So finally I get to it
.So the Romeo 7 is a full size RDS rather than a micro or compact. As I said, 30mm lenses vs. 20, along with the very robust build, it makes this a heavyweight in the world of red dots, it tips the scale at over 12 oz., about 4X the Romeo 5 or the 403. I knew this going it, and I think I'll be okay with it, but that weight difference is quite noticeable on the Mini 14. Mine is an early model, so the only way to mount an optic is on the UltiMAK rail, over the barrel. Makes it muzzle heavy, time will tell if it's TOO muzzle heavy. I don't think it would matter as much on a typical flat top AR, the weight would be more centered.
It comes nicely equipped with flip up lens covers, a screw in flash kill, 2 mounts, one low with hex bolt, one higher with QD, and a quality (I hope) Energizer lithium AA battery. Battery mounts on the side and can be changed without removing the sight. Glass is very clear, and the dot is very sharp and round, and stays that way on all but the very highest settings. The larger lenses are nice, it makes it very easy to pick up the dot, and shooting with both eyes open makes the whole unit sort of disappear, all you see is the dot, which is just what you want, of course. W/E knobs are capped, tethered, and armored, which can make them a bit difficult to get to, but once set, how often do you need to adjust them? Added bonus, the caps also function as tools for the W/E adjustments, no need for a screwdriver or coin. It also includes a "shake awake" feature, Sig calls it MOTAC, and it seems to work well. The sight powers down after about 2 minutes of inactivity, then wakes up with motion or vibration. I checked, it's pretty sensitive, a light tap on the butt woke it back up. Price was actually just over my budget, with tax it came in at $206 from Optics Planet. Kudos to OP, BTW, they included free 2 day shipping, ordered on Sunday, had it Wednesday.
So I still haven't made it to the range yet, but so far, I'm pretty impressed with it. I really like this unit, so I'm hoping the weight isn't an issue. Durability and battery life are yet to be determined, but I suspect it will do well on both. Not much else I can add now, but will either update this post or start a new one once I get it to the range. Sorry I got so long winded
, later.Dave
