Preview – SIG SAUER’s P320 RX ROMEO1

Photos by Kenda Lenseigne

Just When You Thought it Couldn’t Get Any Better — A Look at the SIG P320 RX

Red-dot sights make everything better. Just think how accurately you could brush your teeth or how fast you could answer your smartphone with a red-dot mounted. They can do all that and more. I’d put a red-dot on all my appliances if possible. I must admit a bit of a jaded perspective as most of my competitive shooting career has been with a red-dot.

A red-dot is simpler to use than iron sights. That doesn’t mean it’s easy. I think back to the first time I dropped the hammer on a pistola with a dot. It was magical. Just put the red dot on the target, and that’s where the bullet goes. The gun almost shoots by itself. Insert rude awakening. I believe the bullet hit the back berm, but can’t be sure.

Delusions of being an action-movie star, sending blazingly accurate rounds downrange without even looking were laid to rest. The realization is quick that just because the sighting system (or any other part of the firearm for that matter) is “more better” doesn’t mean you can skimp on the important stuff. The fundamentals of good shooting still need to be there. Grip, stance, and trigger control are all the same. It’s in the sight alignment arena that the advantage comes into play. Simply put, movie magic does not exist.

Red-dots have a definite leg up on iron sights. The fact that you don’t need to switch focus back and forth from sights to target, but simply superimpose the dot on the target is the biggest advantage. The dot is much easier to see than irons, especially with aging eyes that aren’t what they used to be. The target area is more visible without iron sights impeding the view, making it easier to shoot with both eyes open. All this pales in comparison to the cool factor of having a frickin’ laser saddled on your gun.

On the other hand, there are a few disadvantages. Red-dots are electronic, and no matter how bulletproof the companies say they are, failure can occur. Whether that means the electronics or the ability to hold zero. The most common disadvantage is simply the difficulty in finding the dot. This is very prevalent with someone who hasn’t put many rounds downrange with a red-dot. A look of confusion follows the shot when the dot evaporates from view and the shooter spends eons adjusting grip, stance, and bobbing his head trying to find the dot again. Not a pretty sight.

Optical sights have been riding long guns forever, and nowadays you’re hard pressed to find a rifle without some sort of mounted optic. In the realm of long guns, iron sights are circling the drain. Until recently the use of optics on a pistol was looked at as a novelty or for gamers on their race guns. Laser sights were about as crazy as the industry went. Technology has come a long way since Arnold kicked in Sarah Connor’s door waving his long-slide .45 with a laser that looked like a silver Maglite mounted on it.

It seems the size of electronic devices is inversely proportional to their state of advancement, and the gun industry is finally catching up with the rest of the tech world. Mini red-dot sights are a perfect example of this, as they keep getting smaller by the minute. Pistol manufacturers are now making way for progress by offering optics-ready guns that have the slides milled just right to make the red-dot feel at home.

The latest company to join the fray has been in the firearms business since the mid 1800s. SIG SAUER is a name that doesn’t need any explanation and in the last decade have broadened their horizons to include training, ammo, suppressors, and optics. Anyone who’s familiar with this company knows they don’t skimp when it comes to quality, and it’s evident in their new endeavors. The feeling of quality cannot be faked.

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