Which EOTECH ??????

[rkfulgor1]

Ok, I need your help.... I have a Colt A3 .223 I will be using for work. I need an EO for my optics...I have looked at the 512,517 personally.. I like the 517 a little better, ( eye relief ). I will not be required to have long range shots, this is mainly for an Active Shooter scenario... Can I get some opinions ?????

Thanks

[King]

Is an eotech your only option? I personally prefer the aimpoints due to reliability/battery life

[kwando]

Is an eotech your only option? I personally prefer the aimpoints due to reliability/battery life

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[Spdu4ia]

I'm personally saving for a 516 with the 123 batteries since they are shorter than the standard batteries. Also looking into aimpoint but I prefer the eye relief from the eotech as well.

[275RLTW]

1) there is no eye relief on a holographic sight
2) either EoTech will work the same. it is a difference of co witness height and type of batteries you want to use.

Find a good deal on a used one and run the hell out of it. If you already carry CR 123 batteries for your flashlights then go with the model that uses those batteries. If you prefer AAs, then look for that one.

[lead_magnet]

Aimpoint, especially for work. The battery life on EoTechs sucks balls and they are both the same thing anyway. Plus (the thing everyone overlooks when choosing one of these things) the Aimpoint has a rotating knob for brightness selection, meaning you can go from full bright to full dim and any level in between in a matter of a second. The EoTech forces you to first turn it on, whereas the Aimpoint is left on because the battery lasts for 5 years, then push this stupid little button up or down for brightness several times until you get where you like it. Then if you go from a dark environment to light or vise-versa, you have to do that bullshit again and hope you don't need your sight in the meantime. Not to mention, do that with gloves on in a hurry, HAHAHA. This is coming from a guy who has Aimpoints on his home weapons, but is issued an EoTech on my duty rifle.

EoTechs SUCK NUTS, sorry, I know everyone loves them, but they are not user friendly. They are fancy, and the reticle looks cool, but they just don't pass the bill in terms of what you get for your money, and when you life depends on it.

[kwando]

I was tossed up between EOTech and Aimpoint and choose aimpoint strictly for the battery life.

[rkfulgor1]

eo's not my only option.. but not going to spend a grand to have a acog.. only types authorized by dept... and when I meant eye relief.. to me it seemed easier to look through... battieries not an problem yet..cause not sure which light I'm going to use...

[Kaiser.Shooter]

If I read correctly OP never asked what to choose, an US Eotech OR Swedish Aimpoint ( paying a couple hundreds more $$$ makes you think you save on batteries and support the swedish economy)
Go XPS for co-witness and EXPS for lower 1/3 co-witness, transverse battery placement saves real estate of the top rail.

[lead_magnet]

I'm not concerned with what county produces what. To be frank, I give much more of a shit about which one is more apt to keep the OP from being killed. I just had to search a grocery store at 1 am by myself that was the potential site of burg in progress with my EoTech that required that my hand to be away from fire control no less than three times. The original question may not have been the direct subject of my answer, but that doesn't disqualify it. If someone asks me what bologna to choose, I'll always tell you to choose pastrami, doesn't mean I'm wrong.

Its not about saving on batteries, its about saving on seconds that can mean your LIFE, who gives a rats ass who gets the $5 dollars I spent on more batteries that are in the optic that is at the side of my dead body? That logic is weak, myopic and flawed.

[Kaiser.Shooter]

Trijicon reflex sights no batteries at all, tritium and fiber optics powered so you don't take your hand away from fire control... oops weak logic again I guess

[lead_magnet]

The trijicon reflex has shitty glass (blue tint when looking through the sight) and a dim sight picture, especially when in a dark environment looking into a bright one, so yeah pretty much.

Look, I don't make any more money if Aimpoint does or not, and I don't care about brand names. It is just a matter what does the job better. If the reflex was so badass why wouldn't every Police department and military branch be using this brand new and awesome technology? Wait, its not brand new, it is many many years old, and still sucks ass. Does it require batteries? No. Does it use fiber optics? Yep. Does that make it worth a shit? Nope. Moving on...

EoTechs have a fancy reticle and they seem really high tech which attracts alot of people to the sight, but when put into real situations they just don't make sense. The same goes for the reflex. I wouldn't trust my life to either, and I feel obligated to make people aware of this. Anyone who wants to see what I'm talking about first hand can PM me for a demonstration of both sights. I am an NRA certified patrol rifle instructor, and more importantly I don't buy into the hype. IMHO, don't trust your EoTech to be there for you when you need it most.

[lead_magnet]

On a second note, I've made my point, feel free to continue the discussion but I've said what I needed to say and I don't want to turn this into a dick measuring contest. I always run out of tape measure before things can get sorted out anyway :P. I just feel obligated to inform people of my findings in hopes that it might save someone's life. That's all. If you feel EoTech is a better decision for you, then get one. It doesn't matter to me, I don't own a gun store, and I don't profit from the sale of either sight. I just honestly feel (wait I thought women said "feel" and men said "think") that the Aimpoint is a better choice. I've been in gun classes where I've had to give guys batteries for their EoTech that they just pulled out of their rifle case that was dead, while my Aimpoint had been left on since last January, lmao.

In short... It's all good homie, peace out brah.

[Spdu4ia]

I find this very interesting because I've been very set on getting an eotech . I'm not a professional and is going on a range and home defense gun. I had chosen to go with the eotech for the large sight picture but the more I hear people that "use" their weapons go with aimloint it makes me wonder. Why did you have to remove your hand 3 times on the eotech in your situation? How would that situation have been didn't with the aimpoint. Also why do you have an eotech mounted if you prefer the aimpoint?

[lead_magnet]

I have an EoTech on my duty weapon because thats what was issued and I have no choice.

You know what, this will be easier to explain in another method. I'm going to shoot a quick video for you later today explaining my thoughts and my reasons. I'll post it up later tonight.

[Graves]

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[275RLTW]

Aimpoint vs EoTech:

Sight picture:
The 4 MOA dot on the Aimpoint vs the 1 MOA dot and 65 MOA ring on the EoTech
-I found the EoTech easy to acquire, however
-the large ring on the EoTech took my focus away from the smaller dot and my accuracy suffered. I began shooting center mass vs hitting a shirt button
-after several runs on various drills and deployments, I found I was faster overall with the Aimpoint and acuracy didn't suffer

Features:
2 up/down buttons on EoTech vs single knob on Aimpoint
-while the EoTech has a 4 or 8 hr battery life Murphy's Law states that a fight will start 8 hrs and 5 minutes after you turn your EoTech on. Pressing the buttons under stress and to adjust the intensity was a PITA.
-Aimpoint allows you to turn it on and leave it on until 5 years later. I change the battery every year so I have no worries about it not being on. The know is easy to adjust for intensity, under stress and with gloves on, and it's in a location where it is not blocked by a magnifier or rear BUIS.

I run Aimpoints but if you are only allowed EoTechs, then figure out which one has the batteries you get for free and go with it.

[IShouldDoThisAllTheTime]

EoTechs were cool when they came out, but the world has moved on. Aimpoint beats EoTech in every way except price. They require far less manipulation (particularly the "always on" feature), what manipulation they do require is simpler/faster/more intuitive, and they are FAR more rugged. But don't take some random internet commando's word for it. Call James Yeager or Clint Smith or Southnarc or John Farnam and ask them which ones break more often and by what margin.

That said, EoTechs do have the price advantage. If that's all you an afford and you don't want to wait, get it. You can always sell it later and get (most of) your money back, or else move it to a practice gun when you're ready to upgrade.


which one has the batteries you get for free and go with it.

Yes. Once you make a decision about manufacturer, battery availability ought to play a huge role in deciding which model to go with. The CR123 availability situation is way better now than it was even five years ago, these days they're right next to the register at Walgreens; and if you have a hookup and you already use them for everything else, then sticking with that makes some sense. But AA availability still beats CR123 handily, those are everywhere including kids' toys, remote controls, and the kitchen drawer of every home in the US. To me this is a strong argument for the 512 or CompM4.

The Aimpoint Micros are neat, but they are likely to be the only thing you own that runs on that particular type of button cell. IMO you have to REALLY be hurting for weight and space on your rails for the tradeoff to make sense.

[275RLTW]

But don't take some random internet commando's word for it. Call James Yeager or Clint Smith or Southnarc or John Farnam and ask them which ones break more often and by what margin.



I thought you said NOT to listen to internet commandos???

[IShouldDoThisAllTheTime]

Fair enough that you may have a beef with this instructor or that one, but these schools do see thousands of students per year and they do see things break under hard use. That is an invaluable set of data.

[275RLTW]

Fair enough that you may have a beef with this instructor or that one, but these schools do see thousands of students per year and they do see things break under hard use. That is an invaluable set of data.


My mistake. I was talking about my experiences in the field... much different environment than flat ranges, even compared to SouthNarcs' courses.
...then again, I've never taught a class before (you're new & won't get that, ie I'm being sarcastic there)

At least we agree on optics.

[IShouldDoThisAllTheTime]

My mistake. I was talking about my experiences in the field... much different environment than flat ranges, even compared to SouthNarcs' courses.
...then again, I've never taught a class before (you're new & won't get that, ie I'm being sarcastic there)

At least we agree on optics.

A square range is admittedly and necessarily a poor simulation of the real world. So if a piece of equipment doesn't work *there*....

So yeah, I guess I don't get it. "It" being where we are disagreeing at all.

*shrug*

[Bad Dog]

I have the 512 on my Ruger SR-556 and I'm very pleased with it. Eye relief has never been an issue, neither has battery life. Just mu 2 cents worth.

[RANGERRON72]

Good comments above on why to use an Aimpoint, I am going to rethink my shopping list........Thanks.

[Hoser]

Aimpoint over an EOtech anyday and all day.

[Mick-Boy]

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.

If it was my money, the Aimpoint T1 is hard to beat.

[Singlestack]

I went with an Aimpoint CompM4, and couldn't be happier. My buddy runs an Eo 512. The M4 is indestructible and has the best battery life in the industry. Both optics use AA batteries, which for both of as is important as we have AAs in our flashlights and other electronics. His 512 has had the battery contact issue reported widely elsewhere (there is a decent workaround), while the M4 just....runs. I think the fast reticle brightness adjustment of the aimpoint can be a noticeable advantage, especially if transitioning from light-dark, or vice versa.

[mahabali]

I recently had the same question, it was between the EXPS2-2 for about $509 and the T-1 2MOA in a Larue mount for about $660. Decided on the T-1. Not here yet but I think I made the right choice. I had 3 Primary Arms micros and they were great for the price but I sold all of my budget optics. Also picked up a Trijicon 1.5x16 TA44SG-10 :)

[Colombia28]

I have a 516 and love it. Went with the 516 opposed to the popular 512 since it takes up less rail space. More than a XPS or EXP, but still less than a 512, 517, or 552. Only downside is the 123 batteries are very expensive.

[willie52]

I use a 557 and love it just make sure to turn it off.