Eotech EXPS…Fastest Rifle Optic?
I had been wanting to try out an Eotech holographic optic for many, many years. As a long time Aimpoint fan for a simple but bomb proof red dot, I totally missed the Eotech boat. Brownells of course sells both Aimpoints and Eotech…so naturally I looked to them for all of my optics needs. Seems that people have a seemingly love or hate relationship with Eotech holographic optics. Some of this can be attributed to the drama a number of years back surrounding these optics having zero shifting issues with extreme temperature changes, but were still issued to many of our military. Eotech of course paid a huge price for this, literally AND in the public’s eye, but vowed to fix these issues.
Last year a good friend of mine, out of the blue got me an FDE Eotech EXPS 3-0. I had been wanting to try one of these out to see what the fuss is all about. Of course it comes in a very nice case. It is rather large…side to side than a typical red dot, but it also has a huge window for looking through to get your sight picture. Eotech uses what’s affectionately called the “donut of death” reticle. Upon first glance at the reticle, it appears somewhat fuzzy, but this is by design… Eotech did this so that you focus on your target instead of the reticle. If using a magnifier, however, my understanding is that it clears or sharpens up. Eotech offers both a 3x and 5x magnifier for use with their holographic sights.
First range impressions with the Eotech EXPS was how clear it was. That unusually large window truly aids in giving a huge sight picture for engaging multiple targets. It was at that point, I realized what people had been talking about. I’ve had a number of range sessions using my new found crush, the Eotech EXPS 3-0 and each time I’m thoroughly impressed. It’s FAST!!! I found myself engaging multiple targets at speeds much faster than in the past. Now I’m not the best shooter out there…there are probably millions of folks who perform better, but for me, I felt way more confidetn with this optic, than just the normal red dots I had been using in the past. I found myself really wanting to head over to Brownells and picking up the Eotech competitor from Vortex…the UH-1. Hope to do so at some point down the road.
Now this Eotech isn’t without it’s flaws. The biggest gripe that I and others share are the battery life, especially when compared to a standard red dot. Most of your quality red dot optics will boast battery life of 30,000 to 50,000 hours. This is a crazy amount of battery life! The Eotech only has a mere 1,000 hours in comparison. The other advantage the red dot has in a lot of cases is some sort of sleep mode or shake awake feature….you turn it on, sight it in and leave it be. It will turn off, but if not, it will have a crazy long battery life. Just set a yearly schedule for battery replacement and you’re good. The Eotech’s main handicap is these 2 items. Because of this, it’s hard to recommend one for a home defense scenario.
Despite the battery flaw, I do recommend the Eotech holographic sight. They’re definitely on the pricey side, but there are good sales from time to time over at Brownells as swell as coupons to save a few bucks. This has quickly become one of my favorite optics and I look forward to trying out some of their competitors.