Taking Optics By Force: Sig Sauer Optics

As I wrote in my blog piece last year, SIG SAUER is a well-known and respected brand when it comes to top-shelf firearms and tactical products but optics are a new venture for them.

When they hit the hunting market, they hit it hard, with innovation and quality at an affordable price across all product categories, including rangefinders, binoculars, spotting scopes and riflescopes. They have since paced themselves beyond most others in an extremely competitive category and continue to deliver excellent optical solutions for hunters out West. If you want to read more about their Zulu binoculars and Kilo rangefinders head over to the Eastmans’ Blog and give my post on SIG SAUER Optics a read. I know you’ll come away more than curious to get their products in your hands.

In this blog we are going to look at three more products offered by SIG. The Oscar 3 10-20x30MM handheld spotter, their new Oscar 7 20-60x82MM angled eyepiece spotter and lastly the award-winning Whiskey 5 3-15x44MM riflescope. For more detailed information on all these products check out www.sigoptics.com. First up is the Oscar 3…

Oscar 3

When I first got this spotter I was immediately intrigued. I could see the use for shooters on SWAT teams and in military units but had a hard time seeing the use for hunters – until I used it in the field.

This little spotter has a variable power range from 10X-20X, plenty of reach for mid-range glassing and trophy judging. But a handheld optic on 20X is surely shaky, and it is, if you don’t engage the SOS, or Sig Optic Stabilizer. This nifty feature is a gyroscopic stabilizer that dramatically reduces shaking and vibration so the higher power can be utilized, and I will tell you firsthand it works exceptionally well.

The Oscar 3 was with me on every hunt last year and I found myself using it more than my binos in a lot of situations. It really came in handy on my bonsai antelope hunt where I was covering country and wanting to quickly size up every buck I saw.

It weighs in at 16 ounces and is worth the weight savings when backpack hunting in areas where you don’t need the extra power of a full-scale spotter. And if you need the extra reach of the long glass, the Oscar 7 should be on your short list and we’ll get to that one next. With a retail price around $599.99 the Oscar 3 deserves consideration when expanding your optics arsenal.

Oscar 7

SIG just launched this spotter earlier this year after releasing a 65MM version last year. For those hunts where you are counting ounces give the Oscar 5 a look as it weighs in at 53 ounces but for 95% of the rest of the year and only 11 ounces more, the Oscar 7 should be your go-to.

With that extra 11 ounces you get an 82MM objective (meaning improved low-light performance) and a 60X top end versus a 45X. That extra 15X saves boot leather when the miles are laid out in front of you.

Aside from the increased power, the Oscar 7 also sports an angled eyepiece. I will be the first to admit that I never really gave eyepiece orientation any thought until I started getting more serious about my glassing. I will never go back to a straight. Long days behind a spotter are taxing enough and I have come to love the reduced neck strain the angled eyepiece provides. I would go so far as to say it increases your possibility of success because you are willing to keep your eye in the scope longer.

At the heart of the Oscar 7 is their HDX optical design that incorporates extra-low dispersion glass with high light transmittance glass that are fully multi-coated with BAK4 prisms. This combination of features gives you excellent image clarity and light transmission across a wide range of light conditions.

The housing is fully armored for impact resistance and increased grip in wet conditions. A twist up eyecup provides a custom fit and the dual-speed focus delivers rapid target acquisition and a fine focus for the detailed work. An integral sunshade helps reduce glare and potential hunt ending sun glint in the early morning and late evening hours when the sun is low on the horizon.

The Oscar 7 is fully water and fogproof and retails for around $1,499. A more than an appealing price point for the level of performance you are getting.

Whiskey 5 Riflescope

Built to the same exacting standards of ruggedness and dependability as the rest of their optics line is the Whiskey 5. This riflescope also features the same HDX optical design as the Oscar 7, improving your ability to clearly see in the critical low-light hours of the day. I feel the 3-15x44MM strikes the ideal balance between magnification, physical weight and size for hunters out West.

You have your choice of three reticle options with two of those being illuminated. The reticle is set in the second focal plane meaning the crosshairs will stay a constant size and the target will grow or shrink with magnification. This is especially advantageous for shooters making precise shots at extended ranges on smaller targets.

The adjustments on the turret vary depending on which reticle from ¼ MOA to 1 CM. You can also get a custom turret (SBT SIG Ballistic Turret) cut to match the exact ballistics of your rifle and load. It’s also fully waterproof and fogproof to stand up to the rigors of the most demanding hunting conditions. For around $1,000 it’s an excellent choice to top your favorite rifle.