Optic opinion/advice

Colten519 · February 6, 2017, 07:37 AM

So I have my eye on a eotech exps-3 that I found a good deal in for 500$. I've always wanted an eotech. Can y'all give me some advice one ether I should go ahead and get it or save some of that for parts and get a cheaper red dot like a vortex or something that is still reliable.

Thanks

MarkCO · February 6, 2017, 08:38 AM

http://www.holosun.com/store/index.p...&product_id=93

Eazyeach · February 6, 2017, 08:42 AM

I have an eotech and I personally love it. There will be people hating on eotech coming along shortly. And that's ok. I'd go check them out to make sure you like the reticle in person. It did take me a minute to get used to it. You keep both eyes open and look at the target not like a traditional scope where you close one eye.

Fine Figure of a Man · February 6, 2017, 10:04 AM

I had an Eotec for couple years. Didn't hate it but didn't like it that much either.
I tried it on my Super Redhawk 44. It was OK but I much prefer the Ultra Dot I have on it now. Tried it on an AR but experienced the problems with holding zero that led to the recall. I sent it in for a refund. I planned on getting an Aim Point to replace it but after reading a lot of good reviews on the Primary Arms Advanced Micro Dot I bought one. At around $200 with the mount I thought it was worth a try. It's small, light, very quick to acquire and the battery life is supposed to be years (my eotech was hard on batteries and I never left it on).
I have only had it a few months but so far it works great.

Colten519 · February 6, 2017, 10:12 AM

Let me add a little more info. I'm looking for something with either a built in 3x magnification or I'll get a 3x magnifier

marine6680 · February 6, 2017, 02:32 PM

I like the holographic nature of eotechs, it's pretty neat.

But I am concerned about their issues with thermal shift, which I do not think have been solved fully.

I also dislike the lower battery life...

In the end I prefer a red dot like an Aimpoint, but brands like Holosun, primary arms, and the new Sig offerings... have gained a good reputation for being almost as good as Aimpoint but for less... In the case of Sig optics, I have seen several people claim they may be more expensive than Holosun and primary arms, but are closer to Aimpoint than the others...

With the 50000hr+ battery life of these optics, you can leave them on constantly, for a ready to go rifle... great for a defensive setup.

I do not recommend magnifiers... they may provide a better view of the target, but they also magnify the reticle as well, meaning you do not really gain any precision... a reticle that covers half the target, will still cover half the target when using the magnifier, the target will just look bigger.

If magnification is important, look into a 1-4x scope or a low power fixed magnification prismatic scope.

But make a list of priorities, if rapid sight acquisition is most important, a non magnified optic is best.

Destructo6 · February 9, 2017, 08:21 AM

Quote:

But I am concerned about their issues with thermal shift, which I do not think have been solved fully.

The EOTECH's thermal shift isn't any worse than the other top red dots out there. The issue is that they claimed, to government agencies and the public, that theirs had zero thermal shift, which they knew was not true.

DubC-Hicks · February 9, 2017, 12:45 PM

I had an XPS2 for a few years, and always liked it for the most part. Except battery life, which was absolutely TERRIBLE. It seemed I was replacing batteries every time I went to use the rifle. I'll say I never did notice any shift of zero at any time, it was always dead on. Then after a couple years, I noticed the reticle starting to disappear or get very faint in some parts of the screen. Started googling around, and found it was delamination of the lens, and was fairly common. I sent it back, and was told 6-8 weeks to fix it. 13 weeks later, got it back, good as new. A month later, I'm shooting and the reticle starts disappearing again. Needless to say, I sent it back for a refund that time. This was all on a 14.5 middy 5.56, no excessive recoil.

Used my refund money and bought an Aimpoint PRO and some ammo. Battery life is NICE. I liked the EOtech reticle more, but I'll deal with the 2moa dot on the PRO.

February 6, 2017, 07:37 AM	#1
Colten519 Senior Member Join Date: January 10, 2016 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 115	Optic opinion/advice So I have my eye on a eotech exps-3 that I found a good deal in for 500$. I've always wanted an eotech. Can y'all give me some advice one ether I should go ahead and get it or save some of that for parts and get a cheaper red dot like a vortex or something that is still reliable. Thanks

February 6, 2017, 08:38 AM	#2
MarkCO Senior Member Join Date: October 21, 1998 Location: Colorado, USA Posts: 4,307	http://www.holosun.com/store/index.p...&product_id=93 __________________ Good Shooting, MarkCO www.CarbonArms.us

February 9, 2017, 12:45 PM	#8
DubC-Hicks Senior Member Join Date: December 20, 2009 Location: Backwoods, Northern MI Posts: 1,031	I had an XPS2 for a few years, and always liked it for the most part. Except battery life, which was absolutely TERRIBLE. It seemed I was replacing batteries every time I went to use the rifle. I'll say I never did notice any shift of zero at any time, it was always dead on. Then after a couple years, I noticed the reticle starting to disappear or get very faint in some parts of the screen. Started googling around, and found it was delamination of the lens, and was fairly common. I sent it back, and was told 6-8 weeks to fix it. 13 weeks later, got it back, good as new. A month later, I'm shooting and the reticle starts disappearing again. Needless to say, I sent it back for a refund that time. This was all on a 14.5 middy 5.56, no excessive recoil. Used my refund money and bought an Aimpoint PRO and some ammo. Battery life is NICE. I liked the EOtech reticle more, but I'll deal with the 2moa dot on the PRO. __________________ ”Gun control is like trying to reduce drunk driving by making it tougher for sober people to own cars.” ~Unknown

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February 6, 2017, 08:42 AM	#3
Eazyeach Senior Member Join Date: January 14, 2014 Posts: 706	I have an eotech and I personally love it. There will be people hating on eotech coming along shortly. And that's ok. I'd go check them out to make sure you like the reticle in person. It did take me a minute to get used to it. You keep both eyes open and look at the target not like a traditional scope where you close one eye.

February 6, 2017, 10:04 AM	#4
Fine Figure of a Man Member Join Date: October 15, 2016 Posts: 64	I had an Eotec for couple years. Didn't hate it but didn't like it that much either. I tried it on my Super Redhawk 44. It was OK but I much prefer the Ultra Dot I have on it now. Tried it on an AR but experienced the problems with holding zero that led to the recall. I sent it in for a refund. I planned on getting an Aim Point to replace it but after reading a lot of good reviews on the Primary Arms Advanced Micro Dot I bought one. At around $200 with the mount I thought it was worth a try. It's small, light, very quick to acquire and the battery life is supposed to be years (my eotech was hard on batteries and I never left it on). I have only had it a few months but so far it works great.

February 6, 2017, 10:12 AM	#5
Colten519 Senior Member Join Date: January 10, 2016 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 115	Let me add a little more info. I'm looking for something with either a built in 3x magnification or I'll get a 3x magnifier

February 6, 2017, 02:32 PM	#6
marine6680 Senior Member Join Date: July 24, 2012 Location: Parker, CO Posts: 4,594	I like the holographic nature of eotechs, it's pretty neat. But I am concerned about their issues with thermal shift, which I do not think have been solved fully. I also dislike the lower battery life... In the end I prefer a red dot like an Aimpoint, but brands like Holosun, primary arms, and the new Sig offerings... have gained a good reputation for being almost as good as Aimpoint but for less... In the case of Sig optics, I have seen several people claim they may be more expensive than Holosun and primary arms, but are closer to Aimpoint than the others... With the 50000hr+ battery life of these optics, you can leave them on constantly, for a ready to go rifle... great for a defensive setup. I do not recommend magnifiers... they may provide a better view of the target, but they also magnify the reticle as well, meaning you do not really gain any precision... a reticle that covers half the target, will still cover half the target when using the magnifier, the target will just look bigger. If magnification is important, look into a 1-4x scope or a low power fixed magnification prismatic scope. But make a list of priorities, if rapid sight acquisition is most important, a non magnified optic is best.