Hey yall,
I am thinking about an optic for my M&P15A. I know I want to go with a no magnification (for now) red dot. So naturally I debated in my mind about Aimpoint vs. EOTech. I decided on EOTech because of the 65 MOA reticle, larger sight window, and ease of control. Also for the fact that I don’t have to buy a seperate mount for the EOTech like I would for the Aimpoint. Plus it looks really cool. Also, it takes AA batteries, which are easy to find and cheaper than batteries for an Aimpoint. Okay now my question is will my Troy folding rear battlesight co-whitness wit the EOTech? Im pretty sure that I have read that it will, but I just want to be sure. The best deal I have found on the 512 is $409 plus tax from G&R Tactical. It also comes with a free surefire flash light. Any suggestions for me before I drop this kind of dough on a sight? Anybody know of a cheaper place to buy one new? Anybody got a used one they want to get rid of?
I recently bought an Eotech 557 and so far am happy with it. Only thing with the 557 is it is raised by 7mm over some of the other Eotech sights and doesn’t co-witness well with my BUIS. Also, if you have any astigmatism in your sighting eye make sure you wear corrective lenses as the reticule will tend to bloom on you (look fuzzy).
Forgot to mention that $409 is a good price and Eotech is offering a $30 rebate on the 512 until January 2010.
I personally prefer the 511 over the 512, just for the shorter length. It does require lithium N batteries instead of the AA ones, but for me, space was an issue so its worth the pricer batteries. 511 is 4" long and the 512 is 5 5/16".
You’ll have an absolute co-witness with that set-up. Many prefer a 1/3 co-witness, but you can always add a LaRue LT-110 mount to your 512 if you ever decide to go that route.
I’d recommend you read Kyle Lamb’s book, Green Eyes & Black Rifles and start educating yourself. Kyle, and other instructors, also offer excellent carbine classes that will help maximize your potential with you S&W.
You can get the new XPS2-0 version of the Eotech with a $50 factory rebate, which will put you right around what you planned on paying for the 512. Benefits of the new design are a better, more durable battery box design, and it gets about the same battery life on one CR123 lithium battery (readily available for $1 each from BatteryJunction). I recently replaced my 512 with the XPS, and I really like it so far.
I also highly recommend the LaRue QD riser mount as it gives you the “lower 1/3” co-witness, which gives you a less cluttered sight picture & better peripheral vision.
Im running a 512 on my S&W15 on a Larue, so far so good, have only got a couple of hundres rnds down range so far, but like the openess of the 512 over the tube red dots. Im going to get a set of covers, that it is about the only draw back that I can see.
Godd luck.
I highly recommend that you try the optics against each other and try out the different types of cowitness with different BUIS arraingements.
An absolute cowitness precludes some of the abilities of RDSs. It also reduces the effectiveness of BUIS configurations other than with a folding rear. There are some specific circumstances in which absolute cowitness is really nice, but those applications are not really apparent until higher skill-sets are achieved, and are for a specific role. A lower 1/3 cowitness is much more flexible.
A 512 mounted directly to the flat top will provide an absolute co-witness. I almost guarantee thought hat if you tried both an absolute and a 1/3 witness, you would much prefer the 1/3.
As a former owner of an Eotech 512 and current owner of Aimpoints I too suggest shooting them side by side.
The extra battery life will more than pay for a mount over the life of the optic. And after running the Eotech for sometime as an absolute cowitness I found I wanted 1/3 which required a seperate mount anyway.
I find the reticle of the Aimpoint faster and the rheostat easier to adjust on the run.
Lastly I found the Aimpoints less bulky and lighter.
Have you considered the Eotech 517? Same AA batteries as the 512 but side control buttons (which I find easier to reach) and a built-in 7mm riser for a 1/3 cowitness.
Tomac
I’m running the 512 with Troy BUIS. It co-witnesses perfectly, and I have the HK Style Troy front sight, and the reticle fits inside the front sight curve and makes it even easier to use
If you go with the EOTech, avoid the ones that run on the N type batteries. I find that the N type batteries don’t last long at all and are expensive. I believe it’s the 511 and 551 that run on the N type batteries. There is nothing wrong with the optic, it’s the batteries. That has been my experience. YMMV.