The nation’s 911 force is now officially authorizing pistol quals with a red dot optic, provided it is one very specific system.
On March 13, Marine Administrative Message (MARADMINS) 104/26 updated that the service’s Marksmanship Program will include the paragraph, “Marines are authorized to use unit funded Using Unit Responsibility Item, M17 Romeo red dot optic, National Stock Number 1240-01-713-9795 for Combat Pistol Program (CPP) qualifications.”
In short, so long as the SIG M17 Romeo sight is used– which was designed specifically for the P320-based M17 and M18 9mm Modular Handgun System– and it is bought with unit funds, the country’s premier amphibious warfare force can run red dots in qualifications.
The Romeo M17 sight (NSN: 1240-01-713-9795), seen attached to an M17 MHS handgun, is a mil-spec, fully enclosed and gas-purged red dot reflex sight with a distortion-free glass aspheric lens. It is submersible to depths up to 35 meters. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
The optic incorporates a high-efficiency point source red LED emitter, with 2 MOA dot/32 MOA circle reticle, independent brightness adjustment buttons, 15 brightness settings including night vision settings, and a side-mounted CR2032 battery compartment with a threaded battery cap so the optic does not need to be removed from the pistol for battery changes. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
Completely U.S. made and constructed of forged 7075 aluminum with a beryllium copper flexure arm (more on that in a minute) the Romeo M17 has an extremely low deck height so that armorers can reuse standard iron sights, has 15 illumination settings (including three for use with Gen 3+ night vision), beats drop and submersion tests, and, importantly, has an integral loaded chamber gas deflector shield that keeps the MHS from gassing up the lens after 10-15 rounds.
The Romeo M17 is a hoss. This installed example we saw dropped from 10 feet onto concrete at SIG’s plant in Oregon earlier this year with nothing but cosmetic damage to the housing. SIG explained to Guns.com that the Romeo M17 has surpassed 100,000 rounds in testing without loss of zero or parts breakage. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)That magical Romeo M17 flexure arm. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)Installed near the base of the Romeo M17, the arm provides a backbone – so to speak – for the sight, cutting down on the number of parts that can fail. That, combined with the unique mounting process used on the sight that gives it six points of contact with the pistol host, makes it so tough. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
Marines deployed with the Fleet have already been seen with red dot-equipped M17 Romeo-equipped M18s and Surefire X300 white lights.
A U.S. Marine with Maritime Special Purpose Force, 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable), fires an M18 pistol during a qualification range aboard San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock USS Fort Lauderdale (LPD 28), while underway in the Caribbean Sea, Feb. 22, 2026. (U.S. Marine Corps photo)
An inset of the above image, clearly showing the M17 Romeo on an M18 MHS pistol. (U.S. Marine Corps photo)
The Marines adopted the M18 in 2019, ordering 35,000 of the SIGs to not only replace legacy Beretta M9s but also the Colt M45A1 CQB .45ACP railgun and the M007 Glock.
Army Maj. Gen. Fox Conner ordered an armed military guard for the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on 24 March 1926, and it has been maintained with honor ever since.
The Tomb, located at Arlington National Cemetery, was dedicated on Armistice Day (now Veterans Day) in 1921, but was at first unguarded. Responding to concerns that the site was not receiving the proper respect from tourists, Conner, then the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Army, ordered a guard drawn from the 3rd Cavalry Regiment at nearby Fort Myer (now Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall). The original day guard was extended to a round-the-clock watch in 1937.
Today, a single M14-armed volunteer Sentinel stands guard over the Tomb at any given moment, with two reliefs rotating on a 24-hour shift. The Sentinels are changed every hour (on the hour) in winter months (October through March), and every half hour during the warmer months from April through September.
U.S. Soldiers with the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) perform the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington, Virginia, March 18, 2026. (Photo: Laura Buchta/U.S. Army)
In an ode to the 21-gun salute to the Unknowns, as described by Arlington National Cemetery, “The Tomb Guard marches exactly 21 steps down the black mat behind the Tomb, turns, faces east for 21 seconds, turns and faces north for 21 seconds, then takes 21 steps down the mat and repeats the process.”
The two relief Sentinels, along with two (E-5) Assistant Relief Commanders and a sidearm-carrying (E-6) Relief Commander, are on duty in their quarters under the Memorial Room of the Tomb’s Amphitheater. The pistol is loaded with a 21-round magazine.
Since 2018, the Relief Commanders have carried specially made ceremonial SIG Sauer P320 M17 9mm pistols that carry a high-polish DLC coating and are filled with details honoring their task– while still being functional. They replaced a set of Beretta-made M9s, which were used by the guard since 1988, walking on over 11,000 consecutive days.
Each of the current four pistols bears a name — Silence, Respect, Dignity, or Perseverance— which is featured on the dust cover. The wood grip panels come from the decking of the old cruiser USS Olympia, which brought the Great War Unknown from France in 1921. The removable optics plate is engraved with a copy of the Greek Figures featured on the east panel of the Tomb, representing Peace, Victory, and Valor, repeated on the magazine floor plates. The front sight contains a vial of marble dust collected from the Tomb of the Vietnam Unknown in 1998 when he was disinterred for identification. The cocking serrations on the slide are engraved “XXI” in an ode to the 21-gun salute. Further, they all use a serial number which includes “02JUL37”, the date the guard went 24-hours.
The four serial numbers are: LS02JUL37A21 (Silence), LS02JUL37B21 (Respect), LS02JUL37C21 (Dignity), and LS02JUL37D21 (Perseverance).
Silence. (Graphic by Staff Sgt. Oscar Toscano/U.S. Army.)
Dignity. (Graphic by Staff Sgt. Oscar Toscano/U.S. Army.)
Perseverance. (Graphic by Staff Sgt. Oscar Toscano/U.S. Army.)
Respect also contains a discreet internal engraving honoring MSG Jared Van Aalst, a Delta Force operator killed in action in 2009, and subsequently laid to rest at Arlington. (Graphic by Staff Sgt. Oscar Toscano/U.S. Army.)
The slides of the four Ceremonial M17s use a rear “XXI” cocking serration. (Photo: Staff Sgt. Oscar Toscano/U.S. Army.)
The optics plate is engraved with three Greek figures. As noted by the Army, “Peace holding a dove, Victory holding a palm branch, and Valor holding a sword. Victory stands between peace and valor to reward the devotion and sacrifice that went with courage to make the cause of righteousness triumphant.” (Photos: Staff Sgt. Oscar Toscano/U.S. Army.)
The grips feature the crest of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Identification Badge on one side and the 4th Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment crest on the other. Note the engraved magazine base pads. (Photos: Staff Sgt. Oscar Toscano/U.S. Army.)
SIG has a fifth mock-up Tomb pistol in its museum in New Hampshire. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
We recently attended the SIG Sauer Next Event in New Hampshire and got the scoop on the company’s new hardware for 2025.
The new guns included SIG’s first entry into the double-stack 1911 pistol category, a soft recoiling .380, a “Fluxed” P365, modernized P226s, the return of the vaunted 516 rifle, a Cross Sawtooth in 6.5 PRC, an AR-10 platform in the spicy .277 Fury, at least three new suppressors, and a ton of new optics.
Below is a quick rundown, and you can expect much more on all these platforms in the coming days and weeks.
P211-GTO Series
Don’t let the name fool you into thinking this is SIG’s evolution of the P210. The new P211-GTO instead builds on the company’s 20 years of experience with the 1911 platform (exemplified by the new X-Carry series) but in a double-stack format.
Built with lots of buy-in from Team SIG’s pro shooters, the P211 runs P320 mags, has a Delta Point Pro footprint, a usable ambi slide catch, and sports a 3D printed muzzle compensator/brake at the end of the 4.4-inch bull barrel.
Plus, it’s an 80-series, which means it’s drop safe (rare in double-stack 1911s), but somehow still has a good 3.5-pound trigger.
Ready for USPSA Open competition divisions (or Limited Optics with the comp removed from the non-threaded barrel), it ships with one 23-rounder and two 21-rounders.
Unlike some guns in the same space, it has a steel frame with an aluminum rather than a polymer grip.
MSRP is $2,300, which is on par with a base model OA 2311. Just saying.
P365-Luxe Series
Probably the easiest-handling P365 on the market, the new P365 Luxe is a 12-shot .380 ACP with an X-length grip frame and an integral expansion chamber style comp. The result is a double-stack micro compact that runs smoothly and just hangs on target.
This one feels more like a .22 when it comes to recoil than a .380, a round that is notoriously snappy in small pistols.
P365-FLUX
SIG released a Legion-series P320 Flux Raider last year, just as the P365 Flux hit the market, so it’s a no-brainer for the company to debut a Legion-series P365 Flux this year. Billed by Ben with Flux as a “rifle in your pants,” it will be available in both braced pistol and stocked SBR formats, with the ability to carry 50 rounds on the gun when stored.
We were quickly and easily able to hit reduced plates at 50 yards from behind cover with one.
It sports a 6-inch slide (a first for the P365), but when the Flux is folded, it is still just roughly the length of a WML-clad Glock 17.
P226X Legion
Everyone who loves modern combat pistols has a soft spot for the P226, but the platform is a bit dated, pushing 50 years in service. However, the updated new P226X Legion (4.4-inch barrel) and P226X Legion Carry (3.8-inch barrel) include X5 compatibility, optics-ready slides, XRAY3 day/night sights, and bull barrels with 35/35-degree reverse target crowns. You also have the Legion treatment complete with Gray Cerakote and enhanced ergos.
Plus, SIG plans a dozen different SKUs of these guns with options for user-adjustable AX1 single-action-only or AX2 DA/SA trigger systems.
The new SIG P226X Legion models will come in both 3.8-inch and 4.4-inch lengths as well as DA/SA and SAO triggers.
516 Mohawk
The original SIG 516 was an AR-15-style rifle that utilized a short-stroke gas piston system that sprang from the minds of the same guys who invented the HK 416. Renowned for its reliability, the 516 nonetheless was put out to pasture in 2019 while its 7.62 NATO-chambered big brother, the 716, endured and won huge (like India big) military contracts around the globe.
Now, the 516 is back in the Mohawk variant, which now includes a non-reciprocating side charging handle– ideal for use in prone or compressed positions– along with fully-ambi surface controls.
Still a piston gun with an adjustable gas system, it carries a 16-inch cold hammer forged barrel with a 1:7-inch twist rate, a free-floating M-LOK handguard, a 6-position Magpul DT stock, and a Matchlite Duo trigger.
6.8 Hyp rifle
SIG made headlines a couple of years ago with the MCX Spear and its GI brother, the M7 NGSW rifle. Giving the market a direct impingement AR-10 platform that is purpose-built for .277 SIG Fury– the commercial 6.8x51mm cartridge as used in the Spear/NGSW– the Hyp (Hy Pressure) is beefed up to be able to handle the massive 80,000 psi SAAMI spec maximum average chamber pressure of the round.
The cost is about $2K, which sounds high but is still a good bit cheaper than the MCX Spear.
Cross Sawtooth in 6.5 PRC
SIG debuted the sub-7-pound Cross Sawtooth last year, complete with a Proof Research carbon fiber barrel, 2-stage match trigger, AICS magwell, and a fully adjustable stock. New for 2025 is the gun in 6.5 PRC, a popular hard-hitting round that takes the performance of the 6.5 Creedmoor and turns it up to 11.
The new SIG Cross Sawtooth in 6.5 PRC ships with a 22-inch 1:8 twist barrel and weighs 6.9 pounds.
Endure, Hexium, and TiN Can suppressors
SIG debuted three new suppressors last week, including the low back-pressure Hexium as well as the .30 caliber 6-inch Endure, and 9-inch TiN Can titanium bolt gun suppressors. All are made with additive manufacturing techniques (3d printed) and have modular endcaps.
Available in both Inconel and titanium in 5.56. 300BLK, and 7.62 NATO, the new SIG Hexium series has a 3D printed core and a Hub taper direct thread mount. Note the external hexagonal pattern with black Cerakote.
The Endure features a compact length of 6 inches and a weight of just 11 ounces for enhanced portability in the field. Note the distinctive external topographic pattern with a black Cerakote finish.
The SIG TiN Can suppressor features an overall length of 9 inches while still hitting the scales at just 18 ounces. Like the Endure and Hexium, it runs a Hub taper direct thread mount.
Optics
SIG had a whole table full of advanced optics to debut at the event, including the Bravo6T BDX riflescope, Kilo Warp weapon-mounted rangefinder/ballistic calculator, Oscar6 HDX Pro spotting scope, and the paired Romeo8T-AMR red dot and Juliet3T-AMR magnifier.
The new SIG Bravo6T is a first focal plane riflescope with eTRAK elevation dial and onboard environmental sensors for pressure, temperature, and humidity. The company will be offering it in both a 3-18x44mm and 5-30x56mm format with easy-to-adjust turrets and a 35mm tube. Reticles include MRAD DEV-L 2.0 and Milling 2.0. Note the ALPHA5 mount with an LRF diving board. The ask is $2,399-$2,499, depending on the variant.
The Kilo Warp is SIG’s first on-gun rangefinder, able to sister to traditional glass via a diving board on the tube. After about 30 seconds of instruction, we were able to easily measure unknown distances and get an automatic dope that matched the glass to ballistics and atmospherics via Bluetooth to parent Bravo6Ts, then make no-problem hits at 100 and 650 yards from a Sawtooth. The ask is $1,999, which makes a Bravo6T/Kilo Warp combo a $4,500 piece of glass.
The Oscar 6 uses optical image stabilization to allow use offhand, which means in a pinch, you can leave the tripod at home. We were easily glassing to 1,000 yards with it and calling shots at 650. The cost is $1,999.
The Romeo8T-/Juliet3T-AMR combo runs right at $1K ($100 more if bought separately) and gives the user a red dot and magnifier system using SIG’s new Automatic Modified Reticle, which incorporates magnets to automatically transition the reticle when the magnifier is flipped into and out of view. It has a big 40mm lens while being billed as 30 percent smaller than similar sights. Sealed, they are IPX8 waterproof and fog proof and have a 50,000-hour battery life on a common CR123.
SIG Sauer isn’t well-known for its 1911 line, but the company has invested enough time to create an excellent entry to the genre in the XCarry series.
SIG has been in the 1911 game for over 20 years, entering the market around 2004. They hit the ground running and were one of the first M1913 “railgun” pistol makers available then continued to enhance the century-old design and produced models with characteristic styling including the Granite, Super Target, and Spartan.
The SIG 1911 Fastback Nightmare– one of the best gun names ever– was always a favorite of ours. (All photos: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
Today, SIG catalogs five distinctive 1911 variants in .45 ACP, a more or less classic stainless 5-inch barreled government model for California markets, and four 1911-X models which balance classic engineering with modern features– namely a direct cut for Shield RMSc optics footprints, an excellent flat-faced trigger, and an accessory rail. Two of these 1911-X models are Emperor Scorpions and as such sports a Coyote PVD finish over a steel slide and frame, offered in both government and commander (SIG calls it Carry) sizes.
Then there is the all-black 1911-XFull (5-inch) and 1911-XCarry (4.25-inch), the latter of which we feature in this review. Like the rest of SIG’s 1911s, they use stainless steel frames and slides but carry the company’s traditional black Nitron finish just like the well-loved P226s, P229s, etc.
The SIG Sauer 1911-XCarry. This model was sent to us with an optional SIG Romeo-X Compact 3 MOA fully enclosed mailbox-style red dot optic installed, a package that is available to consumers.
The commander-length 1911-XCarry runs a 4.25-inch barrel which gives it an overall length of 8 inches.
In WWII, the Army had 12 War Department-owned and operated plants dedicated to making small arms ammunition, around the clock.
These plants slowly shuttered post-war, with brief respites caused by Korea and Vietnam, until the Twin Cities Army Ammunition Plant, which had been placed on “standby” in 1976, was finally closed in 2005, leaving only Lake City AAP in Independence, Missouri as the only remaining Army small arms plant.
Even at that, Lake City was run on contract at first by Olin-Winchester, then Northrop Grumman, and, since 2019, by Olin-Winchester once again.
Well, the Army is moving ahead with the construction of its first new small arms ammunition factory in decades, and it will be dedicated to making ammo for the Next Generation Squad Weapons.
The new 450,000 sq. ft., facility, built on the Lake City AAP campus, had its groundbreaking on Feb. 5.
It will feature modern manufacturing systems capable of producing “all components” of 6.8×51 Common Cartridge ammunition as part of the NGSW program.
The 6.8x51mm, seen in SIG-loaded 113-grain ball for the NGSW program and a .277 Fury commercial load (white tip). (Photos: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
The Army specified this includes “cartridge case and projectile manufacturing, energetic operations for loading and charging ammunition, product packaging, process quality controls, testing laboratories, maintenance operations, and administrative areas.”
Opening by 2028 (ish), it is expected to be able to make upwards of 400 million rounds a year– against Lake City’s legacy capacity to make 1.4 billion rounds of all other calibers. Until then, 6.8 is sole-sourced through SIG.
The Fuse, SIG Sauer’s newest P365 gets its name, says the company, as it is the “fusion of capability and concealment.” This is due to still being carry-sized while featuring all the goodies one could want, including a removable magwell, nickel-plated flat-faced trigger, LXG grip module with interchangeable backstraps, optics-ready (RMSc footprint) slide, easily co-witnessing iron sights, and extended 21-round magazines.
All this for well under $800.
I put 1,000 rounds through one in the past couple of months.
The Army’s Next Generation Squad Weapon program, which SIG won in April 2022, aims to use the XM7 rifle to replace the M4 Carbine series with America’s warfighters and the XM250 machine gun to do the same for the M249 Squad Automatic Weapon. While the M4 and M249 are 5.56 NATO platforms, the new NGSW series will use the Army’s new 6.8 Common Cartridge family of ammunition.
An infantryman with the 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment (Strike Force), 2nd Brigade (Strike), 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), executes chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear defense (CBRN defense) day qualification with the Next Generation Squad Weapon-Rifle and Fire Control while operationally testing at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. (Photo Credit: Mark Scovell, Visual Information Specialist, U.S. Army Operational Test Command)
That’s what makes the newest MCX Spear variant offered commercially so cool, as it is chambered not in SIG’s consumer .277 Fury variant of the cartridge but in 6.8x51mm – and SIG plans to make overruns of Army ammo available to consumers.
The rifles will still be able to shoot dimensionally identical .277 Fury, while other caliber options such as .308 and 6.5 CM are a barrel swap away.
Plus, there is military overrun ammo inbound.
The military overrun ammo on hand was 113-grain copper solid ball in 20-round boxes, 460-round cans, and 920-round crates. With a .330 ballistic coefficient and 3,200 FPS velocity out of a 16-inch barrel, these rounds spec out at 2,569 foot-pounds of energy at the muzzle. The case is a brass/stainless steel hybrid that allows for increased muzzle velocity/energy compared to traditional brass.
I recently attended SIG’s Next event in New Hampshire last week and thought it was interesting that, among the boatload of new products introduced, the company debuted two very different models of the same pistol– the P226.
The P226 was designed in 1984 – before SIG had even established a presence in the U.S. – to compete for the coveted XM9 Service Pistol Trials to replace the much-loved but aging M1911A1. While the P226 was only narrowly edged out by the Beretta 92 over an issue of cost per unit, the U.S. Navy SEALs would soon adopt the pistol and use it for decades. Well beyond this employment by the country’s frogmen, the P226 rapidly became the sidearm of choice for law enforcement customers and savvy consumers – not to mention hundreds of movies, games, and TV shows.
With their smooth dust covers (sans accessory rail) and pebbled grips, for instance in this specimen from the Vault, the old-school P226 is instantly recognizable.
As the standard P226s cataloged by SIG today have evolved into something that outwardly looks a good bit different from the pistols of the 1980s and 90s, the company has gone retro for a limited run of 40th-anniversary guns that share all the same feature set of those original handguns to include an alloy frame, double-stack 15+1 round magazines, a double-action/single-action trigger system, and a 4.4-inch barrel.
The P226 40th Anniversary Model. Rather than plastic like the originals, the grips are special aluminum models supplied by Hogue. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
The P226 XFive Reserve
The new P226 XFive Reserve carries many of the top-tier features of the all-steel American XFive line including an extended beavertail grip, undercut trigger guard, extended magwell, and a factory Delta Point Pro/RMR footprint while still keeping suppressor height XRay3 day/night sights. It also has an SAO system with a three-position AX3 trigger installed that is fully adjustable for pull weight and overtravel while the trigger shoe is removable and adjustable for length of pull.
However, while the standard P226 XFive is all matte-brushed stainless, the new Reserve variant carries a high-polish DLC coating on its stainless slide and frame, a look complemented by a blacked-out set of intricate GridLOK grip panels. Further, to help tame recoil on this 48-ounce (!) 9mm, the slide is fitted with an integral compensator/expansion chamber akin to that seen on the P320 XTen Comp.
The P226 XFive Reserve, with a high polish DLC coating rather than SIG’s more pedestrian nitron finish, is stunning. (Chris Eger/Guns.com)
With the P365 micro 9mm platform not even a decade old, SIG has updated the platform with the new Fuse variant that includes all the features expected on a full-sized practical/tactical pistol.
The new SIG Sauer P365 Fuse gets its name, says the company, as it is the “fusion of capability and concealment,” being still carry-sized while clocking in with a very full feature-set that includes a removable magwell, nickel-plated flat-faced trigger, LXG grip module with interchangeable backstraps, optics-ready (RMSc footprint) slide with decent iron sights, and extended 21-round magazines.
The new SIG Sauer P365 Fuse. (All Photos: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
The pistol will be available in at least three different SKUs, including one shipping with two 21-round and one 17-round magazine, another with a Romeo X Compact micro red dot installed (shown above), and a state-compliant (10-round mag) version.
The P365 Fuse compared to the P365 XMacro Comp. Note the Fuse is a bit longer but remains the same height and width. Both use SIG’s 17+1 round flush fit P365 mags and accept extended magazines as well– which we will get into.
For a frame of reference, the full-sized P320-M17 specs out at 8 inches overall, with its standard 4.7-inch barrel, just a skosh bigger than the Fuse. However, don’t let that one spec confuse you, as the P365 variant is much slimmer, shorter in height, and almost a half-pound lighter. Keep in mind both are shown with 21-round mags inserted and with corresponding versions of the Romeo X enclosed red dot.
A North Carolina unit is the first in the National Guard to field test the new SIG Sauer-made XM7 and the XM250, which is replacing the M4/M4A1 carbine and M249 Squad Automatic Weapon, respectively.
The 30th Armored Brigade Combat Team, a National Guard outfit that carries the “Old Hickory” lineage of the World War I & II era infantry division of the same number, earlier this month conducted a qualification table range session with the Army’s Next Generation Squad Weapon platforms at Fort Liberty (formerly Fort Bragg), North Carolina.
The unit is the first in the Guard to receive the XM7 and XM250, just months after the first regular Army unit, the famed 101st Airborne Division, began receiving their NGSWs.
A soldier of the 30th ABCT, a North Carolina Army National Guard unit, with the XM7 on the range at Fort Liberty earlier this month. (Photo: Cpl. Nigel Hatcher/U.S. Army)
This comes as ADM Daryl Caudle, commander of the U.S. Fleet Forces Command, toured SIG Sauer’s new Academy and SIG Experience Center in Newington, New Hampshire, earlier this month. Images released by the Pentagon show Caudle and staff inspecting the state-of-the-art facility where over 480,000 M17 and M18 handguns have been produced for the military thus far.
And include Caudle handling an NSGW.
240610-N-XX999-1001 NEWINGTON, N.H. (June 10, 2024) Adm. Daryl Caudle, commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command, examines a firearm during a leadership meeting and tour at SIG SAUER Academy and Experience Center (SEC) in Newington, New Hampshire, June 10.
Of note, the Marines have been interested in the platform going back to 2020.
