SIG Sauer’s New XRAY5: The Solid-State Matrix Red Dot Explained
Every pistol red dot sold today works on essentially the same plan. An LED emitter sits on a carrier plate, and screws and springs nudge that plate to adjust windage and elevation. The SIG Sauer XRAY5 drops that plan entirely and is pitched as the world's first solid-state advanced red dot. SIG Sauer calls it "Precision built, precision kept," and sums up the thinking in one line: "Zeroed In Seconds Not Magazines." Let’s take a look at something completely new!
The core of the XRAY5 is a fixed 15x15 matrix of 225 individually illuminated dots, permanently bonded in place. Because the matrix never moves, there is no carrier plate, no adjustment screws and no springs to wear out or shake loose. Windage and elevation are changed by lighting a different dot in the matrix, so zeroing becomes a digital operation with no tools and no counting clicks. Each dot measures 3.5 MOA.
On the optical side, the XRAY5 is a reflex sight with an unusual layout. The collimating lens sits in the roof of the housing, outside the shooter's field of view. The reticle reflects off that roof aspheric lens, then off the flat glass at the front of the optic, then back to the eye. The shooter always looks through flat glass with no curved lens in the way. SIG Sauer's patented Zero Distortion Optical system, abbreviated ZDO, is the name for this arrangement, and it is meant to give a lens-free line of sight to downrange targets.
SIG Sauer also positions the XRAY5 against holographic and waveguide optics. Holographic designs project a 3D reticle onto flat glass, which takes a lot of energy and is said to give only about 10% of the battery runtime of an LED emitter. They can also show strobing or streaking when the optic moves quickly. The XRAY5 instead offers the 10,000+ hour runtime of a modern LED emitter, with no flicker, strobing or streaking.
The XRAY5 is fully enclosed. All four footprint versions have a sealed rear window and an Argon gas-purged optical system that is fog-proof and waterproof to IPX8, which keeps dust, water, mud, snow and sand off the emitter. The durability results quoted for the XRAY5 are:
- More than 100,000 consecutive rounds of live-fire endurance without failure or loss of zero
- Submersion to 4 ATM (132 feet) of pressurized depth without failure or loss of zero
- Multiple drops from 8 feet onto concrete without failure or loss of zero
The app and what it unlocks
I honestly never expected a pistol optic to get an App, yet here we are. Essential functions live on the optic itself. Two control buttons handle power on and off, reticle brightness, windage and elevation adjustments and Lockout Mode, so the app is optional.
The XRAY5 App, available for iOS and Android, adds the rest of the feature list: digital zeroing, multiple zero profiles, LightFight, a Round Counter, MOTAC, auto-off settings and a battery life indicator. Bluetooth can be switched off from the app or from the optic to save battery or avoid pairing.
Multiple zero profiles replace the single zero of a traditional red dot. LightFight pairs the optic over Bluetooth with a compatible SIG Sauer FOXTROT LF weapon light. When the light comes on, the reticle immediately jumps to a much higher brightness, which fixes the washed-out dot that a strong light on the target can cause. This is not an auto-brightness feature. It only activates with the light, so the reticle is not constantly chasing changing lighting conditions, and two modes are available in the app settings.
Four footprints, six models
The XRAY5 comes in four mounting footprints:
- PRO: top-mount with the DeltaPoint PRO (DPP) footprint
- COMPACT: top-mount with the Shield RMSc footprint
- SIG-LOC PRO: mounts from underneath the slide on the P211, the P385 and recent SIG-LOC versions of the P320 and P226X
- SIG-LOC COMPACT: mounts from underneath the slide on recent SIG-LOC versions of the P365
Six models are listed, and SIG Sauer has not published a ship date. For prices, just scroll down.
SIG Sauer XRAY5 key features:
- Solid-state architecture with a fixed 15x15 matrix of 225 digital zero dots
- 3.5 MOA dot size
- Digital windage and elevation, adjustable by buttons or the app, with no tools
- Multiple zero profiles
- Zero Distortion Optical (ZDO) system with a roof-mounted collimating lens and flat front glass
- Fully enclosed, Argon gas-purged, IPX8 waterproof, submersible to 132 feet
- LightFight Bluetooth pairing with a compatible FOXTROT LF weapon light
- Round Counter with 5-round calibration
- MOTAC, auto-off settings and a battery life indicator in the app
- Two control buttons on the optic for power, brightness, adjustments and Lockout Mode
SIG Sauer XRAY5 models and prices:
- XRAY5 ENCLOSED PRO: $549.99
- XRAY5 ENCLOSED COMPACT: $499.99
- XRAY5 SIG-LOC PRO: $599.99
- XRAY5 SIG-LOC COMPACT: $549.99
- XRAY5 PRO and FOXTROT2R LightFight Combo: $699.99
- XRAY5 COMPACT and FOXTROT2R LightFight Combo: $649.99
TFBTV also has you covered with a quick review:
For SIG Sauer’s own product page: https://www.sigsauer.com/electro-optics/red-dot-sights/xray5.html
I am thinking that with an even larger matrix, it would be possible to create your own specialty reticles for shotgun patterns (round, per choke), UAVs, bullet drops, etc.
Would you trade a mechanical red dot for a solid-state one with no moving parts?
If this post has you ready to hit the range, head over to gunranges.com - a free directory to help you find shooting ranges near you, wherever you are in the United States.
Ex-Arctic Ranger. Competitive practical shooter and hunter with a European focus. Always ready to increase my collection of modern semi-automatics, optics, thermals and suppressors. TCCC Certified. Occasionaly seen in a 6x6 Bug Out Vehicle, always with a big smile.
More by Eric B
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I'm not what anyone would call a SIG fanboy, but this is actually really interesting! Dot sights have become like ARs, where everyone and their Malinois has a model they hype up as superawesomazing while doing nothing new or exciting whatsoever, but this finally does seem like more of a revolutionary jump than an evolutionary step. Definitely looking forward to hearing from end users how this performs in real world action.
I love the idea of having a larger matrix that could include different reticle designs for shotgun patterns and windage adjustments, and since this is already all Bluetooth fancy, if they can pair the multi-zero function with a rangefinder and switch on the fly it could be a game-changer for things like PCC competition and drone defense.
Sig is constantly innovating and bringing new stuff to market and this optic is getting lots of looks.