EOTech XPS torture test (pics)

Tactical Gear Optics & Mounts
1

22 June, 2011

I recently bought an XPS 2-0 because for a long time, I have been an Aimpoint fan. My dislike of EOTechs has been known for a very long time by those that know me, and all previous experiences with EOTechs has lead to failures of one sort or another. Seeing EOTechs fail while trying to zero, turning off and then not turning back on, and battery compartments failing to keep enough pressure on the batteries so the sight can work are mainly what I have seen. I have heard of other things like the sight falling off of weapons while firing are probably due to operator error IMO, but still show the problems with the sight mounting that, in my opinion, Aimpoints don’t have.

Today, I received my XPS 2-0 in the mail, and eagerly ripped open the package to see the almost pristine XPS 2-0 in the plastic case. I immediately took the thumb screw cross bolt and installed the hex key cross bolt. After co-witnessing the sight with my already zeroed irons, I turned the rifle over and dropped it on the floor, optic first. The rifle weighs about 8 pounds with the optic and mag in the weapon, and a one (1) foot drop gives the sight about a 200 G loading on it, given the carpet and floor probably flexed a little when the rifle hit it.

[edit]
a = ∆V/∆t

a = 44.2 g
∆V = 4.42 - 0
∆t = .1s
[/edit]

I immediately checked the zero on the sight to see if it shifted at all and was not surprised that when co-witnessing, the reticule MOVED. I re-zeroed it and then did the test again. But this time the reticule didn’t move, and I was wondering what I had done differently between the first and second test. I found out later that the large aperture and small aperture sight pictures look different to me. When checking the two apertures, I noticed the exact same shift between large and small in the EOTech window. This is the first time that I have seen this happen, because my previous Aimpoints bloomed a slight amount, due to my astigmatism, and caused the dot to be about 4-6 MOA except in bright sunlight. My Troy sights also stay down 99% of the time so I never noticed this before. I have dropped the rifle optic first, condition three, about two dozen times now. It has yet to lose its co-witness zero. I am going to take it to the range and get an actual zero and start bashing the optic against a 4x4 about a hundred times to see if it loses its actual zero soon.

I am going to be dropping and bashing the EOTech more as I continue to use the rifle, and will be updating this thread as I go along. I will also be getting an ADM mount for the EOTech in a few days, and the next update will include a review for the EOTech + ADM mount. For now, here are some pictures.

I would also like to add that when comparing the weight of the XPS to the T-1 that sat on my rifle before, the EOTech is significantly heavier. I am not exactly sure how much heavier, but in my caveman style of weighing each in one hand at the same time, the EOTech feels about twice as heavy vs the T-1 in a Larue mount. More to come later.

2

The reason why it appeared to move but did not has much to do with the nature of the small aperature sight. It acts like a lens (you’ll also find that the reticle isn’t as ‘blurry’ when looking at it through the small aperature for the same reason. The 0-2 sight is too big to act as a lens.

Here’s a short video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5on1id-0m4Y

3

Send it to DD and have them perform the same tests as they did with the Aimpoint T1.

https://danieldefense.com/TortureTest

4

Thank you Dave. The more you know!

5

I am going to attempt as many of those same tests as I can with this rifle and sight combo. I will video tape it as well.

6

subscribed definitely interested in this.

Chad

7

Make sure you remember to turn it on when the time comes that you need it most.

8

Beat the shit out of it.

This is the first Eotech I’ve been interested in, I want to use the ACOG on my MP15-22 on something else and have be debating getting an XPS for the MP15-22.

9

Please leave snarky comments like this out of the thread. I am doing a destructive test on the EOTech to see if it can stand up to abuse that Aimpoints have done in the past and to see if Aimpoints truly are more durable than EOTechs. If you read my post, it does say that I am an Aimpoint guy, and that all my previous RDS were Aimpoints.

10

Tagged for further info/testing

11

Want to see how it fares as well…

12

Well I like both optics, but I wound up getting both. Thanks optics planet for showing me the great sale as I was checking out w/ my OPMOD EXPS.

Subscribed; because I’d like to see the carnage that hopefully will ensue.

13

Interested in the outcome of this…

14

Would like to see how this fairs against the aimpoint T1. Especially after Daniel Denfense did that torture test.

15

Just sighted the XPS in for 100. I will post when I have filmed the video which may be a week or two until I can get away form the FUD ranges and out in the country.

16

I have been playing around with the EOTech XPS 2-0 in my apartment and the local FUD range for a day or so now, getting the sight zeroed at 100 yards, playing with the tension on the locking lever on the ADM mount, and getting the feel for the sight. The last piece of the puzzle was the ADM EOTech mount. I hadn’t played with an ADM mount before yesterday nor seen one in person so I wasn’t sure what to expect.

The seller of the mount said that he had two Larue mounts and two ADM mounts. He sold the Larue mounts (right before I PMed him for one of them), but said that he had a ADM mount that I could buy instead. Since this sight was going to be a big experiment anyways, I obliged. I am a big fan of the locking lever. Unlike the Larue mount, where you swing a lever and the topside of the lever crushes the picatinny rail holding the mount in place, the ADM mount has a large clamp section that slides under the picatinny rail section that doesn’t mar the underside of the rail section. I couldn’t care less what the aesthetics of my rifle are as long as it works, but it may be a deciding factor with other buyers. (Some people may note that I am a bit of a geek and my rifles are an extension of that fact.) You may notice in the first picture that I witness marked the cross bolt of the mount. I did this because when the mount is off the weapon, the lever can be pushed with relative ease from the other side of the mount and the nut spun with your fingers. I did this without realizing once when I was playing around with the mount off the weapon.

The mount does retain zero when taken on and off the weapon, with only a .5” shift in POA/POI between five (5) mount/un-mounts with five (5) shot groups with each remount of the optic at 100 yards. Good enough for a combat optic IMO.

I did notice that the optic mount could be torqued with enough pressure due to the lever being at the back of the mount because of the design of the optic. I don’t know if this is the same for the Larue mount though. Videos of some tests when I can get out of the city and do some more fun stuff, but until then, be patient.

17

I have had an XPS on my duty 6920 for about a year now. After being thrown in squad cars rifle rack or bouncing around in trunk for so lomg its full of scratches, dents, and dings. Never had to adjust rezero since day one. I like the 8 hr shut off feature as I can turn it on at the begining of my shift and not worry about turning it off when I am done. I have other self defense tools at home so I dont need an optic thats running 24/7 on my duty rig.

Will be interested to see the OPs torture test.

18

I would be wholly impressed to see if the EoTech can last just half as long as the Aimpoint T-1…the weight doesn’t help its inertial mass either when it’s dropped or thrown…

19

Agreed. I have been considering an EoTech XPS2 or XPS3, but after watching the DD video it just seems foolish to not put the money toward a T1. The EoTech still interests the hell out of me, though.

Thanks OP for your work. I have a feeling we’re all going to be surprised at the abuse that this thing can take.

20

Thanks for this test! I have been running an XPS-2 for over a year now. I dont throw it off a roof or anything but I am NOT easy on it by any means. Its pretty dinged up and fell out of the truck a few times.

I do like the fact it goes back to zero when re-mounted. Now if they could only do something about the battery life…it would be a serious competitor against Aimpoint (which I also own)