EOTech holographic sights

[electronman1729]

Was thinking of getting an EOTech for the AR-15. What are the advantages of these sights? Are there any brands that wont empty my pockets?

[DANGERTASTIC!]

There are cheaper brands. Those cheaper brands are junk.

There is a reason Eotech and Aimpoint are the price they are.

You can usually find some good deals on ebay and this forum and other forums.

You notice the advantages immediately when you mount it. Your sight aquisition is super fast. This means faster target aquisition.

It comes down to personal preference between Eotech and Aimpoint. I used to own an XPS series Eotech.

I prefer Aimpoint. The battery life in my M3 is 5 years vesrus the Eotechs 500 hours and auto shutoff.

I dont know about anyone else, but I dont want to worry about turning my optic on when I need it the most.

They are parallax free meaning, put the dot on your target and pull the trigger. As long as you can see that dot, thats where your shot is going.

Another big difference between the two brands is the mount.
Eotech is an "Absolute co-witness". Aimponts depend on what mount you put on, I have an M68CCO with M68CCO mount Co-witness.

My comp M3 is lower 1/3. Which I like best. There are no benefits to having absolute co-witness.

I recommend you go to a dealer and check some out. Take some money with you!

[mutt]

There is only one EOTech. Knock off/counterfeits aren't worth your time or money. If you're patient you can usually get a nicely used one here for around $300 or less. Well worth it. The biggest advantage is quick target acquisition and targeting with both eyes open. Once you learn how to use one, you'll never want to go back to just irons.

I have both EOTech's and Aimpoints. I prefer the Aimpoints for the reasons Dangertastic listed above. You can get an Aimpoint PRO with mount for around $410.
https://www.primaryarms.com/Aimpoint_PRO_Patrol_Rifle_Optic_p/aimpoint12841.htm

Eotech 512 with a knockoff magnifier can be had for $415
https://www.primaryarms.com/EOTech_512_Holosight_p/512.a65.htm

Both are excellent options.

[mcantar18c]

Check out Trijicon's red dot offerings. Good products and some of them can be had for a bit less than the EOTechs.
I personally like the RMRs. Rugged as hell, small enough that they don't take up too much real estate, less cluttered sight picture than the EOTech.

[modarmory]

i think it depends on if you just need a day sight or if you'd like a sight that is day and night vision compatiable. Aimpoint makes some nice sights as well.
If you'd like to compare to primary arms: www.modarmory.com (http://www.modarmory.com)
We are distributors of aimpoint and eotech products. If you have questions feel free to contact us and we are more then happy to find out more specifics of what you are looking for.

[jhood001]

I've been considering some optics for one my ARs for a while now, and I've decided to go with an Eotech.

I've used a 5-series before, but I'm currently interested in the XPS series because they're.... smaller? Honestly, I think that is the only reason.

Has anyone used both a 5 series and an XPS that can explain some pros/cons to me based on their experience?

Thanks in advance.

[Fromk]

I'm a big fan of Eotechs for quick red dot style sights and especially of the xps line. They take up a lot less rail, you only need one battery, and the reticle is just a little sharper. I'm guessing that last one is mostly because it's a newer generation. They all seem a bit pricey if this is your first big optic purchase but totally worth it.

[IShouldDoThisAllTheTime]

I have, use, and love both EOTech and Aimpoint.

I prefer Aimpoint for battery life issues -- depending on the model you get 5-8 years of runtime off a single battery, which means you can just leave it turned on and never have to worry about it.

EOTechs will turn themselves off after 4-8 hours (depending) from the last time a button was pressed. You can just tap the brightness up and back down every few hours to keep them running, but if you ever have to grab it in a hurry you have to remember to turn it on.

This will be second-order hearsay for you, so *take it with whatever size grain of salt you feel appropriate*: Clint Smith of Thunder Ranch claims EOTechs are too fragile for serious use, that they frequently lose zero and just plain break far more often than Aimpoint or Trijicon. Indeed there was one in my Urban Rifle class that was having trouble all week -- but there were four others (including mine) that ran just fine. Clint does see a lot of people (and their gear) come through, so I do pay attention to his opinion. FWIW YMMV ETC.

[IShouldDoThisAllTheTime]

Oh, and while the units that take smaller batteries (CR2, CR123, button cells, etc) are nice and compact and stuff, there is something to be said for those that run on AAs. Pretty much every home in the US has a bunch of AAs lying around, and you can always raid the remote control to your TV in a pinch. :)

[Singlestack]

That was my motivation for getting an Aimpoint Comp M4. Although I agree that the CR123 Lithium is a better technical solution for optics, it doesn't hold a candle to AA availability. For SHTF, that was a consideration for me. Also nice the AA gives me 8 year life in the M4! Although the M4 is expensive, you do get a mount with it.

Singlestack

[Mick-Boy]

To avoid turning this into a EOTech Vs. Whatever thread I'll just post my observations on EOTechs

I have owned an EOTech 552, 553 and XPS 3-0. I have worked at two organizations that issue EOtechs as an option for a zero magnification optic (552s and 553s).

PROs:

-The reticle is easy to acquire. It's a 1MOA dot surrounded by a 65MOA circle. I'm not convinced that a 1 MOA dot has any real benefits over a 2 or 4 but it's a selling point for some shooters.
-The batteries (AA and CR123 respectively) are easy to get.
-The 65 MOA ring can be roughly used for leading or holds with a little learning curve.

CONs:

-Short battery life. Take what the company tells you for battery life and subtract 30%. As soon as the reticle flashes when you turn it on you need to be swapping batteries. It may die 10 hours or 10 minutes later.
-Poorly designed battery compartment (not applicable for the XPS series). Each time you fire the weapon the batteries act like little pistons moving back and forth. It's VERY common for one or both of the springs in the battery compartment to become dislodged causing the sight to fail.
-Wandering zeros. I've seen multiple sights in both the 552 and 553 families fail to hold a zero.

My opinion is that the EOTechs still have too many fleas to make them worth the money. There are some fantastic offerings from other companies in the same price range that don't have the same failings. Ultimately it's your money though.

[jhood001]

I never considered the battery type issue at all, and after doing some searching and seeing the issues the Eotech 5 series can potentially have, I'm now back to looking at Aimpoints.

I'm glad I asked here, and thank you all for the feedback.

The sight I use will only be used for recreation. With that said, can anyone sell me on spending the additional 200$ to go from an M2/M3 to an M4? I do plan on adding a 3x magnifier.

[modarmory]

If you will be shooting coyotes or need night vision capability then you should spend the extra $$. Also you have an increased battery life with the more $$ models. Then you have the ability to have either 2 MOA or 4MOA.
I never considered the battery type issue at all, and after doing some searching and seeing the issues the Eotech 5 series can potentially have, I'm now back to looking at Aimpoints.

I'm glad I asked here, and thank you all for the feedback.

The sight I use will only be used for recreation. With that said, can anyone sell me on spending the additional 200$ to go from an M2/M3 to an M4? I do plan on adding a 3x magnifier.

[jhood001]

Done deal. Thanks again for helping me make up my mind.

Comp M3 - 2 MOA
A.R.M.S. 22M68 Mount
Co-Witness Cantilever Spacer

Some of this stuff:
http://www.mountsplus.com/mm5/graphics/00000001/LLR-SGR-NR1.gif

$557.95 shipped

[kilovictor]

what is that "stuff"?

[jhood001]

what is that "stuff"?

Rosin for scope rings I guess. ::shrug::

[kilovictor]

oh, for lapping or something? not on an aimpoint though right? [Swim]

[olopc]

I have the Eotech 512 and am very happy with the battery life and build quality.

Midway offered great service for my purchase: http://www.midwayusa.com/product/453878/eotech-512-holographic-weapon-sight-65-moa-circle-with-1-moa-dot-reticle-matte-aa-battery

Battery life should not be a major consideration, in my opinion, unless you are using it a ton.

I have tried one of the $75 cheapies and it was terrible quality - straight from China.