Sig Sauer Whiskey 5 Riflescope Review
By Justin Crossley, Rokslide Assistant Editor
As a rifle hunter and long-range shooter, I know a quality scope is as important as the rifle it’s mounted on. I have used a lot of the popular scopes available today, so when I heard that Sig Electro-Optics was coming out with the Whiskey 5 I was intrigued. Then after Craig (Sig Sauer Rep) gave us a full rundown at the 2017 Shot show I knew it was a rifle scope I wanted to try. It was a long wait from January to early September when I finally got the scope in my hands and mounted on my rifle for testing.
Sig Electro-Optics offers the Whiskey 5 in a handful of magnification and objective sizes ranging from 1-5x20mm up to 5-25x52mm. The Whiskey 5 features a 30mm main tube and a second focal plane reticle which I prefer for my uses. Sig Electro-Optics also offers the Tango series of scopes for shooters who prefer FFP. The scope I chose was a 3-15x52mm with the illuminated, MOA Milling Hunter reticle.
Some key features
- 5x optical zoom
- Included SBT (Sig Ballistic Turret) custom ballistic turret
- 25 MOA per turret revolution
- Levelplex digital anti-cant system
- Locking TH-100 tactical hunter elevation turret
- Covered windage turret
- Illuminated reticle
- 27.9 oz with battery installed
- MOTAC (motion activated illumination system) saves battery life
- Side parallax adjustment
Mounting the scope on my AR15 was a breeze using my Nightforce Ultralite Unimount. An added benefit with the Levelplex digital anti-cant system is how easy it is to assure the scope is mounted plumb with the rifle. With the included tools and user manual, zeroing the scope was simple enough and I was quickly ready for testing. I really liked the crisp feel of each click as I adjusted the elevation and windage turrets.
My first test after sighting in was a couple days of coyote hunting. We hunted from early morning to late into the night. I found the 4” of eye relief made it easy to get full view in the scope even while wearing thick hunting clothes. In our first calling set of the morning, I noticed the Whiskey 5 was bright and clear. The field of view at 3x was great for getting on moving coyotes as they ran in to the call and at 15x I had the zoom needed for longer shots. When the sun went down and we switched to our green spotlights the illuminated reticle was easy to see without washing out the target.
After testing the Whiskey 5 on my predator rifle I wanted to get it out for some longer shots and big game hunting. I decided the Christensen Arms Mesa in 300wm would be a good fit. Mounting the Whiskey 5 on the Mesa proved to be a little more difficult. This was due to the mounting area and overall length of the main tube is short which put the objective bell right above the thicker, chamber area of the barrel. I had to order some “high” Talley scope rings for the required clearance. Mounting the scope higher means some stocks may require an added cheek piece or pad to get a proper cheek weld. On the Mesa, I was able to hunt without one but it wasn’t ideal.
On opening day of my first antelope hunt, I found myself crawling through the low Wyoming grass with my son and friend Rob to close the distance on a herd of antelope with a couple nice bucks. We made it to within 250 yards and set up for the shot. I ranged the biggest buck with my Sig Kilo 2400 ABS rangefinder and dialed the elevation turret to correct for the distance. Rob did the same with his rifle and Kilo 2400 rangefinder. He had first shot and dropped his buck in its tracks with a perfectly placed heart shot. At the shot, the herd of antelope scattered and ran to our right then quickly stopped not knowing what had happened. I spotted another nice buck. I ranged him at 256 yards and knew I didn’t need any elevation adjustment. At the report of the Mesa, my first antelope dropped in his tracks less than 100 yards from the first buck.
Along with a few hunting trips, I also tested the Whiskey 5 on paper, steel, and rock targets from 100 to over 1100 yards. At our home range of 100 yards, I tested the scope travel by shooting a group, dialing up 10 MOA and shooting another group. The scope tracked perfectly. Each time I tested the Whiskey 5 on long distance steel and rock targets it dialed accurately and I’m fully confident in its consistency.
With Sig’s lifetime transferable warranty and five-year electronic component warranty, you know you’re covered if something goes wrong with your scope. The locking, 25 MOA per revolution elevation turret is perfect for those high-stress hunting situations. I feel this scope is extremely versatile and will continue to rely on it in the field and at the range.
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