In the world of shooting, accuracy is everything, and your holographic sight can make or break your shot. I tested the best options on Amazon to help you improve your shooting precision.
FYI, prices and ratings are accurate as of time of writing.
1. EOTECH EXPS3 - Holographic Weapon Sight
Top-rated: 1,266 ratings | 195 answered questions
Credit: Amazon.com
Highlight: Comes with a 10-year limited warranty.
Helpful review: "I purchased this for a deployment after my issue M-68 (Aimpoint sight) was missing a screw that apparently no one can find a replacement for. I decided to get this for the deployment and was not disappointed in the least.
The housing easily survives the rugged bumps and bruises of getting in and out of vehicles and worse than that my privates have decided they wanted to play with it some too and see what it was all about. For those that don't know, military grade equipment undergoes testing for the most hostile environments.
The first thing I tested was the parallax for this sight, which is basically how accurate the sight is while not maintaining the same body position and eye position. As expected, if the dot is on the target you are getting a hit. As winter has set in, I am testing its ability to maintain a zero in varying temperatures.
Unlike some previous reporting, it seems this issue has been solved since discovery a few years ago. The brightness settings and NV settings work perfectly. The sight goes from barely visible to blindingly bright with its 20 settings. The NV has 10 setting levels and they are equally impressive. Although the battery life is not the insane hours of the Aimpoints, I never had problems. Also the unit warns you if the battery is low.
This sight allows you to use your backup iron sights with a lower third co-witness. I also paired this sight with the Vortex VMX-3T flip magnifier. This took the sight to the next level. The ability to have either 1x magnification or instantly change to 3x magnification is amazing. And the magnification makes having a 1 MOA dot even more important.
PROS:
- Durability - survived the hands of Army privates.
- Brightness settings for almost any ambient light.
- AMAZING Parallax with almost no drift between shooting positions.
CONS:
- Expensive - but if my life could depend on it why not.
A FEW WORDS FROM A FRIEND:
I usually wear my glasses to aid in what I see. That being said, when I aim down the sight with EXPS3-0 [WITH MY GLASSES EQUIPPED], the reticle will appear fuzzy, pixelated, but clear enough to where I can tell it’s a doughnut of death. This sight is made to where you aren’t meant to focus on the reticle, but rather your target in front of your reticle with both eyes open.
Now without my glasses equipped, the astigmatism will be much WORSE. Everyone’s eyes are built differently, but mine- when I aim down the sight without aid of my spectrum, it is VERY blurry to where I feel I’d rather switch to my backup iron sights or better yet, make sure that I have my glasses on me at all times. I hardly see the dot in the middle of the reticle, but just a red blurry circle in a window.
So if you have astigmatism, this will be something you have to think about. Do you really want to spend that much money on a product that hardly correlates with your eyes? Unless you’re willingly-able to accept that risk, it is a great holographic sight. Especially if you have 20/20 vision, you’d have nothing to worry about.
The case is excellent, and was hard to open at first, but aside that- you get a sticker, warranty options, gray soft foam inside the plastic case, and of course the sight itself- ready to be mounted. You don’t even need batteries yet to install on the inside of the sight, so it was easy upon first delivery. Got mine two days earlier than expected, overall a worthy purchase. Can’t say the same for others though, you’d probably have to read more reviews on what they have to say." — Andrea & Anthony
Get it from Amazon now: $674.99 & FREE Returns
2. Vortex AMG UH-1 Gen II - Holographic Sight
Top-rated: 342 ratings | 42 answered questions
Credit: Amazon.com
Highlight: Improved sight picture through the enlarged viewing window; easy battery changes with the toolless battery cover.
Helpful review: "I purchased both the Eotech EXPS 3-0 and Vortex AMG UH-1 to compare them. I received genuine products on both. I fully expected the Eotech to have the more crisp reticle, and boy I was wrong.
RETICLE:
I have to say comparing them, the vortex hologram is easier to pick up with my 37 year old astigmatism eyes. The outer ring on the Vortex picks up much faster and gives me a slightly more precise center dot. The reticle has a slightly brighter color compared to the Eotech. The Eotech reticle is very slightly more blurry, which is a lot if you have astigmatism. I have previous experience with Eotechs and I know you need to focus on the target so that's not the issue. It's just not as crisp as the Vortex. This is a big problem when you need to shoot accurately. Under a magnifier both will be more clear due to the diopter on the magnifier.
BATTERY LIFE:
CR123A on both. 1500 hours on the UH-1, 600 hours on the Eotech. 8 hours auto off Eotech, 14 hours auto off Vortex. This is an advantage for the Vortex if you want to leave it on while you sleep or if you are LEO you can turn it on for a work shift.
GLASS:
I spent a lot of time looking through both of them in various lighting conditions. The UH-1 has a very slight blue tint that isn't really noticeable - I have to really try hard to tell, but that bluish notch filter is part of what gives it a significantly better battery life over the Eotech. The Eotech is a little more clear. Both have a little bit of excess adhesive around the glass.
SIZE:
The Vortex looks huge, but is actually smaller in every dimension except for the hood. It can also mount farther forward on the upper receiver, and leaves 1 more rail slot available compared to the Eotech.
PRICE:
Some companies are taking advantage of the scarcity of the UH-1 and I don't blame them. Check around as they pop up at Academy for the correct price. It's cheaper than some Eotech models, which is not the main factor when you want the best but I'll happily take it.
WARRANTY:
Vortex has a no questions asked forever warranty. If you shoot your sight with a 12 gauge and then boil it in a pot of acid, Vortex will replace it. I take care of my stuff, but it's still nice having that peace of mind when dealing with electronics. Eotech is kind of a poor company if you need customer service. They really don't stand behind their product beyond 2 years, and they make that clear when you open the box. Imagine the service you get at the DMV. L3 doesn't care about their civilian customers. They are essentially government companies.
AESTHETICS:
Everyone knows looking cool is the most important thing, so if your gun is an instagram model you should probably consider the Eotech.
Overall, I can say the Vortex is a superior optic with a better price and warranty. Target acquisition is fast and very accurate. It's well built, and if it fell it could handle the impact. I have recommended this to all my friends." — Scott Cote
Get it from Amazon now: $579.00 & FREE Returns
3. EOTECH EXPS2 - Holographic Weapon Sight
Top-rated: 794 ratings | 75 answered questions
Credit: Amazon.com
Highlight: Green Reticle - 6x easier to see than red during daytime operation.
Helpful review: "I have an astigmatism that prevents me from using red dot sights. I tried all the major budget options, Vortex's lineup, Aimpoints, and the Trijicon MRO. The MRO was the clearest, yet still starburst quite bad. I began to panic after going through all these options, rethinking the meaning of life, and the cost of Lasik. Then I picked up an Eotech 300Blackout at my local gun store to look at. While the reticle was a little fuzzy, some research showed that that model has had issues with a less than clear reticle, and therefore I purchased the EXPS2-0. I have had it out of the box for 30 minutes and am in love.
The reticle is crispier than fried chicken. Build quality is solid, and with several military friends who swear by Eotech, I'm confident it will stand up well to use on my 300blk pistol. For those wondering, this is an authentic Eotech, it comes with a hard case, warranty card, etc. Seems there are a lot of clones on Amazon, yet no worries with this seller.
A FEW WORDS FROM A FRIEND:
I have used EoTech sights for a while now, and have yet to be disappointed. I used to have the EoTech 512 Holo sight, but I needed room on my rail for a magnifier and the backup sights with respect to how I like my optics organized. I like the overall length of the sight and the fact that the battery is perpendicular to the barrel to avoid any intermittent battery disconnects that would happen every so often (very rarely) when I would fire the .308 with my old 512. If you are looking for a high quality compact version of the 512, 552, or the other "AA" battery versions, and you do not need night vision capability, this is the sight you are looking for. The sight may be pricey, but you get exactly what you pay for, a solid, rugged, and bright optic that will be there when you need it. 5 Stars!
REVIEW FROM AN AR-15 BUDDY:
When I was in a position to, once again, add an AR-15 to my firearms collection, I gave lots of consideration and did lots of research as to whether I'd go with a red dot, holographic, or rifle scope for my optics choice. I finally gave in and went with this EOtech EXPS-2.0, with the red reticle. I LOVE IT!! As someone with nearsightedness, I was leaning towards a rifle scope that I could focus on my eye strength/weakness, and give myself an edge, but, as a combat vet, I also realized that if I ever had to use it in close quarters, I didn't want to lose an edge. So I chose this holographic sight to split the difference and I've been happy with the decision. Very clear glass! The reticle is very bright, even in the CA sunshine where I take it out to have fun. Battery life has been amazing. And, when it comes down to it, and when you use it properly, it improves your sight picture acquisition time, as well as helps your precision. My photo above is from this weekend and that is at 100 yards. A few groups are MOA and possibly sub-MOA. Can't hate on that." — Luke Marshall
Get it from Amazon now: $599.00 & FREE Returns
4. EOTECH 512 - Holographic Weapon Sight
Top-rated: 1,249 ratings | 256 answered questions
Credit: Amazon.com
Highlight: Has 20 brightness settings for use in any lighting scenario.
Helpful review: "Since writing my initial review, I have taken this sight to the range 6+ times. I can actually shoot groups @ 50 yards (150 feet) where the holes in the paper are actually touching each other. I am not talking about just doing this once and a while - I am talking about actually shooting out the bulls-eye on my target.
I swear to God, it feels like my rounds are guided to the target by a magnet! I haven't had to adjust my sight since I sighted it the first time - I just instinctively shoot high (aim a tad higher than the target) when shooting at targets beyond 100 yards or more. I am very satisfied with this purchase: the HWS really is the gold standard when it comes to red dot sights.
The review below covers everything from my experience buying the cheap EOTech knock offs to co-witnessing your sights (the right way) to the rail adapter on the HWS. Please read if you are considering purchasing the HWS because I present you with a lot of specifics about how to set this sight up the proper way.
MY INITIAL REVIEW:
I made the mistake of purchasing one of the mislabeled EOTech clones for my 6.8mm SPC M4A3 only to realize that the old adage, "you get what you pay for," applies specifically and directly to weapon sights.
What this experience taught me is that I really like the EOTech design. You can't get a better sight for an AR-15/M-4 design than EOTech because these sights were specifically designed to work with that platform/firearm. The Chinese knockoff was a disaster - it couldn't stand up to recoil and had a cheap plastic battery compartment. I sent it back, grew a pair and bought the real deal (512 HWS).
I couldn't be happier with my purchase. I took it to the range yesterday and the thing was already sighted in for my rifle (I had to make some fine adjustments for targets at the 100 meter range but I was impressed). The EOTech sights do come looking a little grainy compared to other reflex sights that use LED projectors. I called the company (just to make sure I didn't get a defective unit - very good customer service by the way) and they said the granular look of the reticule comes from the lasers in the sight.
THIS WAS THEIR (L3'S) EXPLANATION:
LED's are good BUT they are not as good (in terms of accuracy, durability and exactness) as lasers. Most cheaper units (like ATN, the EOTech knockoffs, AimShot and NcStar) use LED reflection to produce a sight picture - the trade off is that there is no compensation for the angle of reflection (producing an image that does not adjust or reflect evenly). This is why the red dots on those sights often look like an oval or have edges that look blurred and distorted. This is also why those red dot sights are notoriously difficult to sight in (and remain sighted in after several hundred rounds are put through your weapon).
Aimpoint and L3 have corrected this problem by using lasers but the trade off is that this design is more expensive. A lot of people say the price difference is due to the little sticker on the side of these products - they don't know what they are talking about. Let them find out the hard way. If you are a serious shooter - L3 and Aimpoint should be the natural choices you gravitate towards.
I've been involved in the sport (competitive shooting) since I was honorably discharged from the military. Over the course of that time, I've purchased Barsaka, Bushnell, ATN, EOTech Knockoffs and some other cheaper brands. If I had ponied up the money right from the jump - I would have actually saved money and time because I wouldn't have wasted the expense, rounds and time sighting in 6 other sights (all costing around $100).
CO-WITNESSING YOUR SIGHT:
Many people talk about co-witnessing their red dots with their Iron sights. This seems redundant and pointless. The entire point of a red dot sight was to reduce the amount of time it took to accurately sight-in on a target. If you are still using your Irons (both back and front in conjunction with a red dot in between), you take the same amount of time to sight in as if the red dot wasn't even there (because you are doing the exact same thing). True Co-witness with a red dot is using the front sight as a lower referent point (meaning the pin of the front sight) to center your red dot both horizontally and vertically.
L3 built this sight with that exact purpose in mind. This sight is built 1.6 inches above the rail, which means you can still see the front sight in the sight picture but it appears exactly low enough to not obscure your target (you want to be able to see above and below your point of aim - this is the main problem with "irons").
This consideration is something most amateurs don't account for when they "Co-Witness" their weapons the wrong way. With EOTech sights, your front sight pin should line up with the "tick" at the 6 O'Clock position on the reticule circle. That's why I described your front sight's pin as a reference point, not as a point of aim. It's an easily (and quickly) referenced position to place your aiming reticule when shooting so you can instinctively shoot your zero every time.
ANOTHER CONSIDERATION:
Lastly and maybe most importantly, there is a huge difference between the rail adapter on my EOTech and that of the rest. The attachment profile (when you take it off and then put it back on) leaves a 1 MOA differential @ 100 yards. This means - at a 100 yard target - your error in point of aim will be 1 inch off your original sight in. On most of my other sights, due to defects in the design of the adapter, I had as much as 20 MOA in differential - meaning my shot was almost 2 feet off when I reattached my Baraska sight.
Consequentially - cheaper sights mandated that they stay permanently attached to your weapon in order to remain accurate (and even when I did this - I would lose zero if I dropped my weapon or "nudged" the sight the wrong way). You really don't have to worry about this problem with L3 products or Aimpoint red dot sights - you can take them off and reattach them without losing zero (within 1 MOA differential).
IN CONCLUSION:
Look, I know this review has gone on forever. I am trying to help you avoid the mistakes I've made (and save you some green). These are considerations and conclusions I've come to after several years of experience with all different types of reflex/holo/red dot products. L3 designed their weapon sights to survive shock, explosions (within reason) and the tender loving care of combat.
The ringing endorsement of the Special Operations community in the US military should seal the deal with all reasonable people because green berets and navy SEALs know how to put products, like a weapon sight, through its paces. If these weapon sights are good enough for the Special Operations Community - they are good enough for anything I could possibly use them for. I hope you make the right choice." — Mat Grasham
Get it from Amazon now: $426.00 & FREE Returns
5. EOTECH XPS2 - Holographic Weapon Sight
Top-rated: 42 ratings | 81 answered questions
Credit: Amazon.com
Highlight: Up to 10-feet water-resistance capability.
Helpful review: "This weapon sight is a very nice product and well worth the expensive price tag. First of all this sight is designed for quick, close engagements, under 100 yards. The outer ring makes it very fast to pick up targets at close ranges of 10-15 yards or so. I like that it has a 1 MOA dot which only covers 1 inch of your target when aiming at 100 yards. It features crisp clear optics and it is parallax free. That means no matter where your head is positioned behind the sight if you can see that center dot that is where your rounds are going.
It was very easy to get it sighted-in at 50 yards. Each click adjusts it about 1/4 inch at 50 yards or 1/2 inch at 100 yards. I would recommend using a bench rest or bipod to sight it in to make things easier.
Like I said this sight is designed for close quarters fast acquisition of targets under 100 yards. If you really want to shoot long distances you would probably be better served using iron sights or some sort of scope which can be adjusted on the fly.
This optic has very clear glass and it's a breeze to shoot with both eyes open. When aiming you maintain a nice wide field of view which I like. Be sure to mount it as far forward on your weapon's receiver as possible so you get the widest view. It has unlimited eye relief so it doesn't have to be close to your eye for the reticle to be clear.
I have put a few hundred rounds through mine and haven't experienced any sort of malfunctions when shooting a 5.56mm round. If I have any problems with it down the road I will update the review but for now it's working great. It seems to have a very rugged aluminum hood surrounding the internal optics and I feel confident it could survive a fairly hard drop. Also it is rated waterproof to 33 feet. I personally have not dropped or submerged it however.
It weighs about 8 ounces which is a little bit more than the Aimpoint micro and those ounces could be a consideration if you have a very lightweight weapon system. Also the Aimpoint's batteries will last years as opposed to the Eotech's advertised 500 hours. I ultimately decided on the Eotech because I like having the outer ring for shooting drills, it has a smaller 1 MOA target dot, and it is also a bit cheaper.
PROS:
- Outer targeting ring for quick acquisition of targets at close ranges.
- Crisp clear targeting reticle easy to pick up with both eyes open.
- Allows shooter to maintain very large field of view.
- No parallax, point of aim wont change depending on where your head is positioned.
- Unlimited eye relief.
- Crystal clear optics.
- Seems to be fairly rugged.
- 1 MOA dot is the smallest available on any red dot optic.
CONS:
- Substantially shorter battery life than Aimpoint.
- Takes a CR123 battery which is expensive and a little harder to find.
- Weighs about twice as much as an Aimpoint Micro and is wider.
IMPORTANT:
Remember to alway use caution when handling firearms and practice proper gun safety procedures. Don't get complacent, because that's when accidents happen (i.e. clear your weapon EVERY time you handle it).
Overall, I am very enthusiastic about the EOTech XPS2-0. This is a beautiful, robust sight. It is not inexpensive and not everyone will want to spend as much money on the sight as many firearms cost. But for those who want the best in a non-magnified optical red-dot-sight, the XPS2-0 is an outstanding solution. Highly recommended without reservation." — Roger J. Buffington
Get it from Amazon now: $665.00 & FREE Returns
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