All posts tagged Holographic sights

Eotech sights, 512 vs 516 and what about magnifiers?

eotech sights I remember being to ranges when I was a kid and seeing the guys with the AR15s and the 3-9×40 scopes and thinking that was the pinnacle of coolness.   If you are target shooting, hunting or on a really tight budget, something like that might be good for you but for close quarters defensive applications, the need for magnification is very low.   Most Police Officers we deal with don’t even see the magnifiers on their guns because many of those guys are even on even tighter budgets.  They use what they know they need and Trijicon ACOGS are something rarely  used in the Law Enforcement community because they don’t need a rifle scope with 3.5X or 4X.  That actually can slow you down with your AR15  or M16 carbine.  The Eotech 512 with the AA Batteries is still the most popular but the XPS and EXPS optics have gained traction because they are lighter and smaller.

On some of my Daniel Defense M4 carbines I am running an Eotech 512 because I find the AA batteries to be more common, but if you bulk buy and stock the CR123 batteries they will work well for you.   Many of the guys running the Eotech sights with the CR123 batteries use those because the weapon mounted flashlights like the TLR1, TLR 3 laser combo use the same batteries so mixing up the battery types is somewhat of an issue.   Battery life can be betwee 600 hrs and 1300 hrs but for domestic purposes having access to batteries shouldn’t be an issue.  Keeping AA batteries or CR123 batteries around is something that should just be as important as having 5.56 ammunition.   If you want magnification you can run a Gen 3 magnifier later.

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Moving away from battery reliant optics?

I remember when Eotech sights and red dots were showing up on gun ranges about 15yrs ago and how high tech they were.  They were because you were basically getting an F16 gun sight on a Carbine and it was so easy to see targets and engage them quickly.   I have good eye sight for my age but there have been many times I have taken friends and family members as well as students to the range and people had trouble looking through optics.  The best thing about low magnification optics is that is less of a problem for them.  Aimpoint is still probable the king of the red dots but Trijicon has the SRS red dot out now and we have a few of them inbound.

Having AA batteries around for your firearm optic is easy and it’s a very common battery to find.  There have been design changes to Eotech sights because it was common for the gun sight to have issues with the battery contacts when the batteries were put in forward in relation to the firearm.  I assume it had something to do with barrel harmonics but I have witnessed this first hand.  The smaller CR123 batter is being used more than the AA batteries and you’ll get a shorter smaller optic.  There are always trade offs with firearm optics and even trijicon is moving towards battery powered optics.

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Eotech feedback

There are always pros and cons of using optics but Eotech gun sights are the number one selling optic for Law Enforcement.   The Eotech sights are designed for close range engagements but there are limitations due to the reticle and lack of magnification once engaging a target.  The Eotech Magnifiers can give you more range at the flip of a switch and can always be flipped back to their original position in no time.There has been a understanding in the Law Enforcement and Military world that putting a scope or glass on a firearm doesn’t mean it’s a fragile thing.

Sure we know that Eotech gun sights and accessories can break and come loose, but much about mounting optics and reliability is about the manufacturer and the operator that mounted it. From what our customers tell us,  Eotech sights are the fastest close quarters fighting optics and the Eotech magnifiers gives you medium range capabilities. When you are looking for speed and not for target shooting or hunting, and you want a fast close quarters gun fighting weapon without compromising your ability to engage targets at medium ranges, the Eotech magnifier is the way to go. The Eotech gun sights are the fast target acquisition optics and the 3x magnifier will give you a clearer view of targets in low light and medium ranges that normally would be obscured by red dots or illuminated reticles. For medium range engagements the Eotech Magnifier helps id targets at longer ranges.

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Eotech range report on the 512

The newer Eotech gun sights are all being made with the power buttons on the left side and not in the back.  If you have the older models, you’ll probable have some issues like I did with the Eotech Magnifiers.   I had to leave a bit of a gap between mine just so I would be able to get  my hands in between them to turn it off and on.  The way my present M4 Carbine setup is, I can still use the older models, but It should does make it easier to just use your left hand them (if you are right handed) to turn the power up and down.   The magnifiers really make a difference, but its one of those never ending responses  I get about “Couldn’t I just have got an ACOG for that price?”

Sure you could, but you’ll have a lot of trouble using a Trijicon ACOG in short ranges.   If you look at the ranges most engagements take place in, there is almost no need for magnification.   A few friends of mine that were in Iraq said the Trijicon ACOGS they had came in real handy to spot wires from roadside bombs.   The Eotech sights you the widest field of view of any optic I know of and that makes rapid engagements of multiple targets very easy and fast.  Getting the first hits in is more important that how tight your groups were.

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