Sig Sauer is well known in the shooting world for their finely crafted handguns, rifles and all things that go BANG. Recently, I was given the opportunity to test a new offering from the renowned firearms manufacturer that makes no noise whatsoever, the Sig Optics Tango 6 rifle scope. Sig Sauer recently opened a separate optics branch headquartered in Portland Oregon. And has quietly broke into the electro optics segment with some very interesting products. They now offer a full line of optics including; red dot sights, hunting & tactical scopes, spotting scopes, binoculars, rangefinders and even a thermal reflex sight. I also heard rumors that Sig Optics has acquired some of Leupolds engineers. Which may explain why they set up shop 7.5 miles from their headquarters.

I recently wrote an article on the Ruger Precision Rifle as well as an upgrade path to that platform. While building this affordable platform, I was researched a suitable optic to place atop this precision rifle. Many hours were spent looking into the current proven offerings from Nightforce, Vortex and Leupold. I also tapped into my network of long distance shooters and snipers to see what they thought. When I came across Sig Optics line of scopes, I was intrigued.

As it turns out, they actually design the scope in Oregon but build the Tango 6 in Japan. Which is actually a good thing. The Japanese are world renowned “glass-smiths.” I’m not sure, but I may have just invented that word. I’ve spent a lot of money over the years on photography equipment and the Japanese “L” glass found in the Cannon lenses are trusted by top photographers worldwide. Bottom line, these folks know how to grind glass with ridiculous precision.

Sig Sauer Tango 6 Precision Rifle Scope

Based on my requirements and what I want to achieve, I settled on the 5-30x56mm Tango 6 rifle scope. My initial intent with the Ruger Precision Rifle build was to keep it affordable. So before you bust my balls for putting an optic that retails for $2500 on a $1500 rifle, hear me out. The Sig Optics Tango 6 has every feature and specification that I was looking for, no compromises at all. The input I was receiving from “real-world” precision shooters was to never skimp on the optics. The surprisingly low price of the budget friendly Ruger Precision Rifle allowed me to spend a bit more than originally planned. There’s an old saying, “buy once, cry once” and I’m now a subscriber to that line of thinking.

My experience as a shooter was fine tuned while a member of the 75th Ranger Regiment. But the majority of my time in Regiment was positioned behind my trusty M-4 Carbine. What I never had a chance to do, aside from a few weapons familiarization days with the sniper section, was to learn the craft of long range shooting. Now that I’m a civilian, I decided to enroll in long range classes at the Marksmanship Training Center in Michigan. And I can say after completing several days of classes in various weather and lighting conditions. I’m glad I went with the Sig Optics Tango 6 rifle scope. I’m currently working on a review of those classes for those interested so stay tuned.

High Wind Shooting with the Tango 6

First Focal Plane (FFP)

The complete features and specs of the Sig Optics Tango 6 can be found on their website but I’ll highlight a few of my favorites. I like to keep things simple and the less math I have to do, the better chance I have of success. For that reason, a First Focal Plane (FFP) reticle was a requirement for me. The first focal plane allows me to use the reticle to measure targets at unknown distances at any power magnification. Due to the reticle enlarging as you increase power magnification. This maintains the size relationship between the target and reticle.

Second focal plane scopes require you to set the power at the manufacturers preset magnification for measuring a target using the reticle. Secondly, the MIL turrets and MIL reticle require no conversion like the old military MIL/MOA reticle/turrets further simplifying adjustments to elevation or windage. Less math required equals happy Ranger.

56mm Objective Lens

The large 56mm objective lens and 34mm main tube let in the maximum amount of light. Allowing the shooter to not only see the targets more clearly, but extend how far you can push into low light shooting situations. Think of it like a funnel for light rather than fluid. Rifle scopes using 30mm tubes and 44mm objective lenses equate to a more restrictive funnel so less light will fill the shooters eye. The quality of the glass and the large objective lens are what set apart high end optics from their lower cost counterparts. The 34mm main tube also allow an impressive 23.3MIL or 80 MOA of elevation adjustment depending on which reticle you choose. This level of adjustment is a must as you push out past the 1000 yard mark.

Zero-Stop

The “zero-stop” feature, although not a necessity, is really nice to have. While shooting at Marksmanship Training Center, the blocks of instruction were held in the classroom as well as the range. The ability to just spin the elevation turret until it stops at your designated 100 yard zero was nice as we headed back to the classroom. Knowing your rifle and optics starting point is critical and the Sig Optics Tango 6 make it fool proof with the zero-stop feature. Other students were referencing data books for the zero settings on their scopes or counting clicks until they returned to zero.

Illumination

The Hellfire illuminated reticle uses fiber optic technology for illumination in low light shooting situations. The Sig Optics Tango 6 is equipped with a MRAD reticle that can be illuminated at 9 different visible intensities and 2 NV settings featuring “off” positions between each setting. In addition, Sig Optics uses a motion sensing technology called MOTAC. If you leave the reticle in the “on” position, it will automatically power down after idle for 2 minutes to conserve the battery. Once the sensor detects the slightest movement, MOTAC immediately powers up the reticle allowing you to get on target without the need to turn the power dial back on.

Custom Ballistic Turrets

Sig Ballistic Turrets (SBT) is another innovative feature that may appeal to certain shooters. The SBT is a custom, laser etched elevation turret that perfectly matches the ballistics of your shooting system. You provide SIG with your bullet specifications, ballistic coefficient, muzzle velocity, elevation, and other environmental factors. And they’ll build a custom turret for you to install on your scope. This allows the shooter to dial the scope quickly for correct bullet drop compensation at any range. Sig Optics provides the purchaser 1 SBT for their Tango series scope once you provide the necessary ballistic information.