Thanks to the fortuitous largess of the NSSF and SIG-Sauer, I recently won a NSSF Gearbox from SIG-Sauer, whose largesse impressed me. Essentially, gun-wise, I got a P320 RX Compact, inherently equipped with a Romeo1 RDS, and a M400 Tread rifle, highly upgraded by SIG to include, among much other ancillary gear, their Romeo5 RDS.
Whole I'd previously had an opportunity to use a Glock Gen5 G19 MOS with a Leopold RDS, and having thoroughly gone through GJM's experiences, I was hesitant to make the leap into trying a RDS. My win enabled me to hop into the experience of RDSsing, at zero expense....works for me.
I got the P320 much quicker than I expected, even taking into account Washing state's new rules. Paperwork filled out Tuesday, approved very quickly, pistol picked up on Friday, just in time to be inspected, cleaned and lubed for Saturday's club IDPA match. For those using a P320 Compact, there is a correct (and incorrect) positioning orientation necessary for successful assembly of the RSA into the slide...essentially, the flats of the end of the RSA need to be vertically aligned with the slide at the lug attachment point on the barrel.
Notice that I didn't have time to zero....while most reviews I read of the P320RX stated that it was perfectly zeroed at the factory, the factory zero was significantly off for me-the gun shot significantly low and to the left. Some of that undoubtedly was due to my unfamiliarity with the P320's triggerpull (which I find to be a bit light and soft/mushy, totally unlike those on my Glocks and dissimilar to my HK VP40's pull {which I find to be a bit lighter and softer than the pulls on Glocks}), but essentially on the Saturday match I did a protracted reliability test more than anything else (although the gun groups magnificently). It also rained continuously throughout the entire match (like that never happens in the Seattle area in the fall....) adding to the fun, and I continuously SO'ed for the match.
Apres match, I went to a square range and re-zeroed. Being a right-hand shooter and left-eye dominant probably threw the factory zero out of viability for me, but now things to be squared away. I plan on running it again at another club IDPA match this coming Saturday (with dryer weather forecast-we'll see...)
My neophyte RDS take-aways:
1. Gun needs to be personally zeroed (duh-lesson learned); I used the second lowest dimmest dot intensity to effect a precise zero for greatest accuracy/least dot blooming; for the Saturday match, I'll start out at the second lowest "Day" intensity, and adjust according to prevailing light/weather conditions.
2. SIG provided me with my choice of holster out of their selection; I elected to go with the Mitch Rosen Express properly cut for the RDS. Nice holster, no issues or break-in issues.
3. Rain and GSR eventually provided a haze on my RDS screen, easily wiped away with a microfiber cloth; otherwise, the Romeo1's weatherproofing seems quite good.
4. I have the steel Romeo1 surround shroud inbound; whole not necessarily inherently required, I'll feel better with it installed, and more comfortable in introducing the gun into my carry/duty rotation.
5. No issues with the gun whatsoever. Slingshotting (as opposed to getting the slide into battery from slidelock via tripping the slide release) occasionally resulted in some slide hesitation to going totally into battery at the last portion of the slide run-forward, but a push at the rear of the slide expeditiously accomplished that. I'd originally lubed the rails with TW25B, but have now switched to Lucas Red "N" Tacky #2, which I've come to prefer; we'll see how it works on Saturday. Using the slide release to go from slidelock into battery seems the best practice for this gun, though. The slide stop is ambidextrous and sufficiently protrusive for ergonomic use.
6. Cartridges used so far have been SIG's own 115 gr. ball, and some assorted Sellier & Bellot 124 gr ball and American Eagle 124 gr ball, all worked fine. This weekend I'll be using the American Eagle and Sellier & Bellot 124 grainers throughout.
7. I like how the BUIS are SIG's suppressor-height tritiums; nice belt-and-suspenders approach.
8. Although the OEM medium grip shell seems to work nicely, eventually I'll likely experient with the Small Carry shell, and an XCompact shell. This gun may just be an ideal 9mm for my wife, if she likes the RDS and ergos. I like the night/limited light shooting capabilities of the RDS, particularly for a non-dedicated shooter.
9. Magazines are made in italy, presumably by MecGar; they're very nicely made and finished. Eventually Check-Mate will be providing me with some of their contract M17/M18 magazines for me to T&E.
I'm still very much in the initial RDS/P320 learning curve, but I'm optimistic. As my P320 is an October 2019 production piece, it'll be interesting to see if all the P320 bugs have been successfully ironed out. As many of you know, I've been vicariously skeptical of the P320 and SIG vis-a-vis it; this will give me some real empirical experience on it (sample size of one and all that).
Best, Jon