All posts tagged AK sights

Compact sights that get the job done

eotech sights After you gain experience in Law Enforcement you realize that hits matter more than MOA groups.   I’ve been through so much training and had so much range experience that having an accurate rifle does not mean you are going to win a fight.  There are plenty of bad guys that can’t shoot for shit and they still can kill special forces guys if they spray enough gun fire at them.   Ricochet bullets can kill and even body amour mentions on the trama plates that they can cause ricochets so you know bullets don’t always fly straight.  The trend in recent years has been towards red dots and even though Trijicon, Aimpoint and Eotechs have been around for a long time, there are a lot of variations between all of them.  Many of our customers ask for advice but it’s really about what you want to see and  how you use them.

I personally have a strong preference toward Eotech sights and I’m a big fan of the Eotech EXPS2-0 sight.  I have been using Eotech sights for almost 8yrs and only had one battery issue, but wear and tear has to be expected and most of the big name companies have good warranties so you can send them  in for repairs.  My eyes still pickup the Eotech gun sight better than a red dot because red dots always seem to chase the targets to me.   The Eotech sights do have variations in reticles and for longer range engagements you may want the circle with the 2 dot system.  I am a big fan of the Eotech magnifiers.

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Are Eotech sights out dated?

eotech sightsWe have had a ton of people stop in our store and ask us if we sell Aimpoint but unfortunately the distributor that we use to deal with no longer is carrying them.  If we wanted to be a direct dealer for them, we’d probable not get product for another 6 months or more considering the craze that is going on in  the Country.   Aimpoints are probable the best price combat durable red dot optics but I am not a big fan of them.  My eyes tend to track the Eotech sights or a Circle dot reticle like the TA44 from Trijicon better than a red dot.   Lasers and Red dots seem to race around on targets and they also can obscure targets depending on the size of the dots.  Trijicon does  have a 1.75 MOA dot that is very nice but there are still some issues with that optic that I recently have found at fault.

After all of these optics are tested out, many of our customers still go back to the Eotech sights.  Primarily because they are zero magnification and you can keep both eyes  open when using Eotech sights which is very important if  there are close quarters engagements which statistically occurs for Law Enforcement.   I have been running the Eotech 512 for about 8yrs and only a battery contact came loose on it.  I do have the Gen 2 Magnifier on it but I could probable be better off if I was running the Eotech 516 or the EXPS2-0 which have the buttons on the left side which is what you have to think about if you are thinking about adding on the Magnifier later on.

 

 

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Solar Power Optics are here

We have seen fiber optic cables for years, Tritium and illuminated reticles now for several years.   There are always pros and cons about which is better, Aimpoint, Eotech or Trijicon, but the reality about all of these optics is that they will all change once battery or solar technology improves.   The most advanced optic we have seen so far is the Trijicon SRS sights because it has a solar cell as well as battery power and will give you 2-5years of illumination depending on how much sun you are working in.   For anyone working over seas, having an optic like a battery powered Eotech can make it a high maintenance thing to worry about how many batteries you have left.

We have seen great advancements with Surefire and Streamlight flashlights this year and the breakthrough rechargeable batteries will be right around the corner.  We are  hoping to see the Trijicon reflex sights for sale, expand upon this solar technology and possible bring in some more reticle options.  We have a very large body of customers that still prefer the Eotech reticles but the TA26 sights have gained interest.   Trijicon optics are on the high end but the Warranty and durability of the optics are hard to compete against.  Is there really much competition?

 

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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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