Review: SIG SAUER TANGO MSR 1-6X
The Best LPVO for under $300
A Budget LPVO made by the Venerable Sig Sauer
LPVOs or Low Powered Variable Optics have taken the shooting world by storm in recent years. Much like red dots, as LPVOs hit the consumer market and more and more manufacturers began producing them, the price point of entry dropped significantly in recent years.
However, that has created a market where LPVO offerings can be had for as low as $160 on the low end, and the high end easily coming to thousands of dollars. Quality in between varies as highly as the price range.
So when an LPVO with an MSRP comes on the market for $300 from a company as well respected as Sig Sauer, the community takes notice.
Where to buy?
Sig Tango MSR 1-6X LPVO
The Sig Tango MSR 1-6x is a great budget LPVO with a lot of features that make it unique in the industry.
Features Made for the Modern Sporting Rifle
Enter the Sig Sauer Tango MSR, which is short for Modern Sporting Rifle. The Tango MSR in 1-6x is a second focal plane low powered variable optic that definitely surpasses expectations at the price point. A more expensive 1-10x variety is also available in First Focal Plane for a higher price tag.
For a 1-6x scope, second focal plane is usually preferable for most applications. If you aren’t familiar with the difference between First Focal Plane and Second Focal Plane, check out our guide here.
Today I’ll be reviewing the 1-6x version. Let’s talk about the pros and cons.
Pro: Durability, Con: Heavy Weight
The scope is durable, it’s very heavy built and has a very durable finish. The scope mount itself is also very heavy duty and feels like it could take a beating. Check out our video review above and you’ll see exactly what I mean
However with this extremely tough and rugged build comes a great deal of weight. The scope is massive. It’s heavier and larger than any other LPVO I own or have encountered. The scope alone weighs 1.24 lbs without mount, and 1.6 lbs with mount, adding a bit of weight to your rifle.
So while it is durable, it adds a bit of weight to your rifle compared to other optics.
Pro : Glass Clarity for a Budget Optic
The MSR has pretty clear glass for a $300 optic. I also own Primary Arms LPVOs of a similar price point (note, Gen 1 and Gen 2 LPVOs, there have been some great reviews recently for the Gen3 Primary Arms offerings) and the Tango MSR has those beat. Mine is incredibly clear both on 1X and still fairly clear at 6x although you start to see distortion and haze at 6x. It also beats out the Generation 1 Vortex Strike Eagles in my side by side experience (not neccesarily true of the new Gen 2 Strike Eagle though).
It’s not Japanese glass clear, the Tango MSR is made in China, but it is still very good for this price point of optic.
Pro: Excellent Reticle (Sig’s BDC-6 Reticle)
The MSR ships with Sig’s BDC6 MOA reticle. The reticle has a simple BDC pattern with adjustments for windage. The dot surrounded by a horse shoe also makes it very easy to pick up and focus on targets at close ranges, especially with the illumination engaged.
Pro: Easy to Level
I also appreciate the level line on the side of the optic. The line functionally allows you to level the scope when mounting against the rings, which I verified using an actual level. This allows you to easily level the scope when installing, as well as to quickly see if the scope has shifted at all while shooting.
This is such a simple quality of life feature that I hardly ever see implemented on other LPVOs. It’s wild to me that only Sig as far as I know has thought to implement this.
Neutral: Scope Controls are Middle of the Road
I also appreciate that Sig desnged the throw level handle integrated directly into the magnification ring, so you don’t need to deal with any detachable levers. The turrets on scope aren’t the best. They are a little bit mushy, but they’re typical of this price range. They do audibly click and do seem to line up to the suggested 0.25 MOA.
Neutral: Reticle Illumination Brightness
Speaking of which, The Tango MSR has 11 brightness settings. The illumination isn’t the brightest on this optic. I’ve found that I often need to turn this up to max brightness on a sunny day, but it does provide enough contrast against dark backdrops.
Con: Eye Box is okay, but better on some other LPVOs
The biggest issue on this scope is the eye box at 6x. Your cheek weld has to be absolutely perfect, and there is very little margin for error before you lose the image entirely, which makes transitioning between targets a little bit difficult over time. However, at 1x the eyebox is much more forgiving. I have no issues transitioning shots quickly between targets.
So overall the eyebox is okay. It’s better on a few other LPVOs in the price range that I’ve tried, and worse on others, so in this regard the Tango MSR is pretty middle of the road regarding its eyebox for inexpensive LPVOs.
I haven’t had the chance to shoot it out past a few hundred yards, but I haven’t had any issues with the scope not holding zero and I’m able to shoot 1MOA typically quite easily with this optic.
Conclusions
Overall I really like this scope. It’s priced really well for what it is. It isn’t as nice as the Burris RT6 for a little bit more money, and definitely not as good as the Vortex viper gen 2 PST for a couple hundred dollars more. The new Primary Arms Nova is also likely to give the Sig MSR a run for its money.
However, given its incredibly low price tag for what it is, its definitely a great value LPVO. Hats off to Sig for providing an LPVO that is very affordable for the average consumer and the modern sporting rifle. It very much lives up to its name.
Sig Tango MSR 1-6X LPVO
The Sig Tango MSR 1-6x is a great budget LPVO with a lot of features that make it unique in the industry.
