Are Eotech and Aimpoint worth the money?

[Lone_Sheep_Dog]

I am thinking about getting a holographic sight like an Eotech for my colt 6920. I am hesitating because of the price. Do you think they are worth the money for just target shooting? I typically shoot targets between 25 to 50 yards using my carry handle iron sights. Is it really that much more fun with an Eotech? I've never tried one.

 

[Bullnettles]

I have a Vortex that I use on my fun AR and it has gotten muddy, rained on, hit, and it still holds zero. It was $150 and I think it's worth more. My only issues are it's made in China and the lens covers SEEM cheap... They still "flip open" and snap shut. Lifetime warranty of they ever go south. I'd buy another if I was to get a red dot again, no questions asked. Aimpoints are pretty awesome though. IMO, EOTech having no cover for the lens turned me off of them.

 

[Destructo6]

For plinking at the range, probably not.

For shooting where speed counts, yes.

For a little less money, try out one of their non-night vision versions.

 

[HorseSoldier]

+1 what Destructo said. If you're ever shooting for time at combat marksmanship sort of ranges, it's hard to beat a quality red dot. Which one is its own big debate, and really boils down to both what you need and what you prefer.

IMO, EOTech having no cover for the lens turned me off of them.

There are flip ups available for the EOTechs.

 

[alfack]

I think EOTech, Aimpoint and Trijicon are all worth the dough. Nothing like being able to keep both eyes open and make well placed shots in a short amount of time.

 

[Bullnettles]

@HorseSoldier - I learned my one fact for the day . I'd only seen the covers before, that's pretty neat. On the both eyes open, I couldn't agree more.

 

[Bill_Rights]

Well, Lone_Sheep_Dog, let's see... Worth the money? Fun? Maybe the wrong way to look at it or the wrong questions.

I bought one of the EOTechs for my SHTF semi-auto .308 rifle. IF indeed the S__t ever did hit the fan, there is utterly no question in my mind it will have been worth the money. Even if I only ever get into one life-or-death shooting situation in my entire life, it will have been worth the money. I'm thinking you've looked at the features and know why they're so good? But the three biggies are fast target acq (you put reticle on target versus lining up four things: your eye, the rear sight, the front sight and the target), head-up both-eyes-open situational awarenes and variable lighted reticle for low/no light. The first two, with the 64/2 MOA circle-dot reticle, make it very possible to lead and hit moving targets (how many SHTF shots will be stationary? - at most, the first one, maybe).

But you asked, "Worth the money for just target shooting?" Uhhhh, probably "No." But, I have had fun practicing with the EOTech for SHTF situations, such as rapid fire on moving targets. That's more open field "play" than paper punching at the range, though. At the range, the EOTech is a easy, reliable paper puncher at the 25-50 yard distances you mentioned with , you guessed it! - 2 MOA repeatability (the same as the inner dot of the reticle). But the EOTech will not do justice to the 300+ yard capability of your 5.56 or my .308. It is not supposed to - it is a 100 yard and less sight (at least with my unaided eyes); maybe 200 yards for "minute of torso" accuracy. [You can get flip-aside 3x or 4x magnifiers for the EOTech, but they cost as much as the holosight itself.]

So, long way of saying, the EOTech is not "fun", unless you juice up the action somehow. Then it's a hoot. It is not fun to punch stationary paper at the closer 1X magnification ranges because it is too easy - no challenge. It is not fun to try to punch paper at 6X and 10X ranges because, with 1X, I can't properly see the target - too challenging. So, to juice it up and get an appropriate and fun challenge, I want to practice standing, off-hand shooting at mid ranges (100-150 yds) to see how close to the (supported) 2 MOA I can get to. Another fun thing is, one of my ranges has timed flip-to-present target holders, with random intervals between presentations. If you start with the rifle at chest carry (or even on a sling over your back), that's a challenge, to get your reaction time faster. Anyway, you get the idea. The EOTech is a deadly tool for close-quarters combat when targets are running, bullets are flying and the shooter is loaded with adrenaline. That's why the military and SWAT teams use it. You take it out of that enviroment to punch hanging paper and, uhhhh, it's not as interesting.

By the way, I don't recall the full history, but the EOTech was developed in the 1950s for civilian shotgunners to shoot birds on the wing. THAT kind of shooting DOES have all those features: moving targets, lots of shooting all at once and good adrenaline flowing!

 

[RockyMtnTactical]

Yes. You ponied up the dough for the 6920, obviously you like quality.

 

[Girodin]

For plinking at the range, probably not.

For shooting where speed counts, yes.

+1. For the type of shooting you describe I don't see much advantage to a red dot or reason to spend the money unless you'd just like to have one. When speed counts that is when a red dot is nice to have. Such situations are also likely to be they type of scenario in which you want something than works.

For a competition gun or a social work gun I like an aimpoint or the like and consider it money well spent.

 

[bukijin]

For me yes... I'm really happy with my Eotech....and it is a lot of fun to shoot with. You would never be making a mistake by buying Eotech, Aimpoint or Trijicon.

 

[halfded]

Check out Primary Arms. They sell high quality aimpoint clones for a reasonable price. I got one of the multi-reticle sights and it's worked great so far.

 

[Gary G23]

If your life depends on your gun they are worth it.

 

[rifleman14]

halfded, ive been looking for an inexpensive red dot for my AR but all of the ones in my price range seem to have at least one bad review that makes me worry. let me know how you like that red dot after awhile and the quality on it and if it stays good for you, i might try one out. PM me if youd like, it would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you,

Dylan

 

[dom1104]

I bought a Primary Arms M4 red dot, for like 85 bucks I think.

Uses a AA battery <nice> have used it for many many many hours, and forgot to turn it off once for a week, and its still havesnt gone thru 1 battery <nice>

Keeps its zero <nice>, zero is repeatable when I change it between 22lr and 5.56 <nice>.

The only thing I dont like about it, is... its not an eotech.

But it will do till the EOtech money builds up, and then I will switch it to another plinker.

I can easily reccomend them.

 

[Zerodefect]

Yes.

A 6920 deserves a good optic like the Aimpoint ML3,M3, M2, Ml2, or T1. For defense it's much faster than irons, and IME, more accurate. A Larue LT129 is what I recommend to mount the regular Aimpoints.

We've been having some minor problems with the Eotechs. Eotechs been good about fixing that. Also the Aimpoint can be left on all year.

 

[physhphude]

Totally worth it.

However, There are cheaper alternatives.
The aimpoint clones are generally lower quality than equivalent red dots of the same price.

The ultradot is a not well known alternative. Used exclusively over Aimpoints in bullseye pistol, it's probably more accurate under 100 yards than the Aimpoint.

Battery life is 20,000 hours (about 2 years), not as good as the Aimpoint, but longer than any other red dot.

Build quality is good, it can handle being on a .45 slide.

Other options are Adco red dot, and millet sp1.

Good optics are always worth the price. If you can afford it, get it.

You can get the compact acogs at swfa for 550, That's what I recommend.

 

[Lloyd Smale]

Im not much of an eotec fan i cant see an optic for a defense gun that will shut off on a timer to save batterys. It could happen at a very inopertune time. I have aimpoints and trijicon acogs and an accupoint and there only flaw is there price. I also have been playing with a vortex strikefire. It seems like a great optic for the price. Only downside is it too times out. The battery life isnt as long as an aimpoint but still would be long enough to leave on if a guy got into a routine and changed batterys every 6 months or so. the ars i have with aimpoints are left on all the time. Grabbing a gun in the middle of the night and having to turn on an optic isnt a great idea in my book. the aimpoints can be left on all the time and batterys will last years like that. I still swap out batterys every new years when i do the smoke detectors though. Batterys are cheap and replaceing them is cheap insurance. Trijicons are better yet they are allways on and dont use batterys. id love to see a trinium powered aimpoint or eotec. I think the sight to watch is the vortex. Its a very high quality unit for the money. I talked to the tech there and he said there considering one that the auto shutoff can be disabled if that happens id buy a couple more. Give them a couple years and id about bet they will have a sight with just as good battery life, just as rugged and for half the price of a aimpoint.

 

[Kingcreek]

Im not much of an eotec fan i cant see an optic for a defense gun that will shut off on a timer to save batterys. It could happen at a very inopertune time.

Unless you are in some really deep stuff, 8 hours SHOULD be enough time to sort things out.
The holos provide a definite advantage in speed/ target aquisition. If you think you might need that, then it makes sense to spend the extra money for the quality and the reliability.

 

[MetalHead]

Bill Rights covered it as far as I'm concerned, I have a failing right eye but the 65 moa circle with center dot still works for me and the sight is zeroed for either eye, a real help as this 50 year old learns to shoot lefty. The 512 isn't so bad for price when you factor in you don't have to buy a high priced mount. I figure it's range is as good as with standard iron sights of a AR15-A1 but for me everything is in focus, no need for reading glasses needed!!!

Noticed a nice looking sight from Millet the other day I want to know more about.

As to those who gripe about the auto shutoff, if you turn the EOTech off and on every time you take a leak so that you reset the timer, there should be no problem. Carry a spare set of lithiums in the buttstock if that makes you feel better.

 

[hso]

If it's for range shooting/plinking you don't need the ruggedness of the Eotech/Aimpoint/Trijicons, BUT you don't want to go cheap off brand either.

You'll need to spend more than you think you should have to, but the zero won't wander and the thing won't fog up.

If you're going to take it to carbine courses you should go with the Eotech/Aimpoint/Trijicon because of the beating handed out in the courses. Nothing worse than spending a hundred hours on the range only to have your gear fail in a course when it gets pushed really hard.

 

[WardenWolf]

Are they worth the money? That depends on your point of view and what you plan to do with it. In my personal opinion, no, unless you REALLY need the extra features the more expensive sights provide. You can get a VERY high quality product from Adco for far less money, ranging from tube red dots to holographic sights. I will personally attest to their quality and durability. It's up to you what you want to pay for, but my money goes to Adco.

By the way, I tend to prefer tube red dots over holographic sights, as they are a bit more intuitive as to where you should position your head to see the dot and they also self-shade to prevent washout from very bright lights from above and to the sides. They're also quite a bit more durable. Some people like the coolness factor of a holographic sight, but it really doesn't add anything.

 

[Jaybird78]

I just bought my first Aimpoint (M2 w/mount special from S.W.F.A.) and I couldn't be happier. It is truly a first class optic and the speed of hitting targets is amazing.

That being said, buy once and cry once.

Just start saving your pennies and keep using your irons. Everyone could probably stand a little practice with irons anyhow. By the time you have some cash saved up you will know (research) what you want.

Someone mentioned above you "ponyed" up the cash for the Colt, do it justice by buying a quality optic. I've seen it time and time again at the range. Someone buys a $600+ rifle and puts a $70.00 scope on it. Will it work, sure but you won't get the full potential. :banghead:

Good luck.

 

[GrimmLV]

Short answer... yes!

Yes. You ponied up the dough for the 6920, obviously you like quality.

+1

 

[c919]

Yes. I can't speak for Aimpoints or Trijicons, but my Eotech is awesome. It just depends on what you want it to do for you. If you plan on shooting out past 50 yds, you will need to get a magnifier as well, but up close is a blast with an Eotech.

These type sights are battle sights, pure and simple. They're not made to be used as long distance scopes. They're made for quick target acquisition, large field of view (both eyes open), basically CQB scenarios.

 

[ArmedBear]

The ultradot is a not well known alternative. Used exclusively over Aimpoints in bullseye pistol, it's probably more accurate under 100 yards than the Aimpoint.

Ditto.

Got one. Worked well for me this year. Will be buying more. The Ultradots are damn good sights.