[taylor6400]

I know this has been discussed to death here and at arforums, BUT i need some optics suggestions/reviews. I cant bring myself to spend the hi$ at this point. I am thinking SPOT. But anyone used the Bushnell Holosight? Or SPOT for that matter that wants to give a personal review? Or anyother inexpensive suggestions from personal experience? Or maybe in the end i will just give in and drop the jack for an EOTech or AP. But any input at this point will help! S&W M&P15A by the way.

 

[Hooz]

I know this has been discussed to death here and at arforums, BUT i need some optics suggestions/reviews. I cant bring myself to spend the hi$ at this point. I am thinking SPOT. But anyone used the Bushnell Holosight? Or SPOT for that matter that wants to give a personal review? Or anyother inexpensive suggestions from personal experience? Or maybe in the end i will just give in and drop the jack for an EOTech or AP. But any input at this point will help! S&W M&P15A by the way.

The Bushnell Holosight is EXACTLY the same as the EOTech, minus the armored hood. I own both.

The durability of the EOTech is better, but if you don't plan on beating the crap out of it, the Bushnell works exactly the same.

 

[ORD]

The holosights are not bad at all for the money, but don't plan on subjecting it to any adverse conditions or heavy use. It won't hold up as well as the EOTechs will in my experience.

As for the S.P.O.T., there was a good thread about a week or so ago on that optic/mount. My experience with them has been excellent, and they are just plain tough as nails!!

Here is the ARFCOM review which has got to be one of the most brutal "field tests" of a piece of equipment I have read in a while and the SPOT took it.

http://archive.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=3&f=18&t=253934

 

[KingAirDriver]

I'd heard it a million times before prior to buying my Aimpoint, "Buy cheap, get cheap." So, I went ahead and spent the money on an AP ML2. I really love it. I've never shot with an EO, but have looked through one and REALLY liked it. Almost made me wish I had went with it over the AP, but the battery life of the AP helped make my decision.

Now, with that said, I've since heard a LOT of good stuff about some of the lower line optics out there. I've taken a couple of rifle classes with guys who had some BSA Red Dots and/or TruGlos on their rifles. They really seemed to like them.

I can't tell ya either way to go, just to have fun on a tough decision! ;-)

 

[longtalltechsan]

I have the SPOT and really like it. Although mine has been limited only to attacks by paper zombies. But I have read the other reviews and the torture test and it fared very well.

 

[ForTehNguyen]

The Bushnell Holosight is EXACTLY the same as the EOTech, minus the armored hood. I own both.

The durability of the EOTech is better, but if you don't plan on beating the crap out of it, the Bushnell works exactly the same.

yes bushnell holosight is actually made by eotech I heard but just labelled as bushnell. I zeroed mine in on sunday and it was dead accurate. I got mine for $200 new in box from some guy on AR15.com

 

[Caligula]

I know this has been discussed to death here and at arforums, BUT i need some optics suggestions/reviews. I cant bring myself to spend the hi$ at this point. I am thinking SPOT. But anyone used the Bushnell Holosight? Or SPOT for that matter that wants to give a personal review? Or anyother inexpensive suggestions from personal experience? Or maybe in the end i will just give in and drop the jack for an EOTech or AP. But any input at this point will help! S&W M&P15A by the way.

I pretty much made this exact thread about two weeks ago. I was looking at optics for my MP15 also, go figure. Anyway, I debated back and forth over the Bushnell Holo or an EOTech and in the end I went with the AP ML2. Battery life and talking to several people who sold there EOTech's for Aimpoints is why I went that way. I figured I would want an AP some day so I went ahead and splurged. If I had gone the other way I would have gone with the Bushnell Holo over the EOTech for the reasons above. Same optic for much less just not as durable and no NV.

just my .02

 

[Motobuddy]

I'm going to be testing a Burris 300205 I ordered, it can be gotten from 196.00 to 230.00 depending on where you shop. It seems to have good reviews right now all I can offer is second hand opinions based on my own research. Soon I can tell you hands on though. As long as you accept your optics are only as good as your budget this could be one of the better deals in that price range. Main complaint I have heard is it can be a little too opaque for some peoples taste.

 

[Mercmar]

As long as you don't require "Rambolista" equipment, it's pretty hard to beat a plain ol' Pro Point 3. I have one that's survived .44 mag recoil. Just installed one on the carry handle of my A2 Bushy Shorty and will sight it in this afternoon. Got the PDP3 on sale @ Optics Planet @ $84, with no tax and free shipping.

 

[thehinge]

I dunno if this helps:
If you look around you can find EOTechs for low to mid-$300 range. AP battery life is crazy - something like 10,000 POH and I know folks that leave them on 24/7 for HD/SHTF use. The EOTech 510 can eat 'N' batteries, 550 less so with lithium AA's. The 553 has a built-in riser but I know folks that have had the throw levers break and went back to the 550 with a LaRue, etc. riser.

With that said: folks who have done more combat-style shooting than I ever will tell me that the EOTech is absolutely the fastest optic for 0 to 30yds or so when you look at it strictly from a speed perspective. Consider the 1 moa center dot with a rear magnifier and now you have a decent little setup should you need to reach out a bit with good accuracy.

I have a Clonepoint + EOTech, and like both. EOTech sits on SHTF setup. My next shortish build will probably get a real AP if I find one at the right price.

 

[ThumperMX113]

yes bushnell holosight is actually made by eotech I heard but just labelled as bushnell. I zeroed mine in on sunday and it was dead accurate. I got mine for $200 new in box from some guy on AR15.com

Not true.

 

[Caligula]

^ To an extent it is. I would have phrased it differently but L3 technologies makes both the EOTech and Bushnell Holosights.

"A Bushnell Holosight 510021 for hunting and target handguns is a good choice and is made to withstand severe recoil, and is a good choice for shotguns as well. Since they are made by Eotech, you can be sure of the quality."

^from Optics planet.com

Holographic Weapon Sights - Eotech, Bushnell , ATN Red Dot Holographic Sights on Sale w/ Free UPS

 

[ThumperMX113]

It's definitely not relabeled though.

 

[JhankG]

I own the SPOT and could not be any happier with it. The only downside is battery life, but I am willing to deal with that since I am saving a few hundred dollars by getting it instead of an Aimpoint. It is clear, the dot is bright (11 brightness settings), and it is tough as hell. DO IT.

 

[Caligula]

It's definitely not relabeled though.

I agree, that's why I would have phrased it differently.

 

[Gator1]

My son just bought an MP-15 and set it up with the Eotech L-3 holographic sight, along with the 4x magnifier. We were using standard 55 gr, rated at about 3240 fps in a 24 inch barrel, and we used some 45 gr, rated at 3600 fps. These, of course were out of the short barrel of the MP-15. The sight used AA batteries, with about 1000 hour estimated time, with a 4 hour and 8 hour auto-cutoff. After sighting it in, we shot using the first and second pond dams on our farm as the backstop for our targets. I can tell you, if you miss with this rifle, it is you and not the rifle. My sense is the sight and magnifier were a bit pricey, but very effective. If you ask my son to hit a squirrel, you had better tell him whether you want the left eye, or the right eye. He will be reloading for this rifle and his 1911, and my 9mm and .357 magnums and .38 spl.

 

[ThumperMX113]

Go Gators.

 

[crat0837]

Go Gators.

You surely meant to say "GO FSU" right? Sure they got whooped the other day, but FSU is clearly the better of the two! 8)

 

[ThumperMX113]

You surely meant to say "GO FSU" right? Sure they got whooped the other day, but FSU is clearly the better of the two! 8)

It's like a bad dream you just can't wake up from, right? :lol:

 

[KEVWYO]

Just a few observations from experience .....

Loved my Aimpoint Comp ML2 but for me the tube type style caused me to "one eye" things too much. I could do both eyes open but I always had this "double vision" thing going on such that I defintely knew I was looking through a tube. YMMV. I certainly having nothing bad to say about the product and if that is what you want you will in all likelihood be very happy with that choice.

My "n" style battery Bushnell Holosight is mounted to a Beretta Storm. The two were made for each other in my opinion. When it comes to instinctive and quick target acquisition from a couple of feet to 35-40 yards it just can't be beat. The downside is battery life on this particular model isn't very good. That being said my EoTech with the "AA" lithium Energizer batteries .....

...... is just like the Bushnell Holosight with a bit of added "armor" :wink: .... and much longer battery life. Even Duracell's give it pretty decent battery life but the lithium's are just like the Energizer bunny ......

For me, I can very easily do both eyes open with the EoTech setup out to 100 yards depending on target size. Just this past weekend I was putting all my shots at 115 yards into a human torso size target. At 50 yards all shots were inside a 6" circle (braced .... not off hand). However, shooting that doggone pop can at 115 yards required me to "one eye" it and I shot a couple mags trying to hit that one darned pop can! Turns out I must have shot low at least once causing something to nick the can and the water to leak out slowly because I found several holes in the can from bullets that should've made the can "explode". Moral of the story .... you can shoot relatively accurately out to 115 yards with my 44 year old eyes (no glasses) if you want to.

Now .... I have been actively looking for an optic that could do both a CQB type scenario and yet allow for a 300 yard shot if wanted. Basically, I am looking for a 1 to 4x scope with illuminated reticle without breaking the bank. There is the Millet DMS which gets pretty good reviews. I don't like it's reticle but that is from a internet view and not an actual view. There are the Trijicon's which says quality from the letter "T" but also means shelling out more than a few bucks. I hear Bushnell has some type of similar scope but I have yet to find it. There are a number of illuminated and magnified scopes out there that seem to be quality based on a few reviews I've read .... and if the price tag seems to be any type of accurate indicator they probably are great and will make you breakfast in the morning if need be .... :wink:.

That said one scope that has my attention and probably my debit card number written all over it eventually is the Burris XTR. Depending on version you can get just the scope or a small red dot attached to it.

For me I am wanting to do just the scope. It has an illuminated reticle and if I understand correctly even if not illuminated there is still a traditional reticle. The XTR is a 1-4x with a .223 BDC. The reticle seems a bit busy but I think I could deal with it. It doesn't seem to be any "busier" than perhaps a Millet or Trijicon. My only concern goes back to my issue of doing a "one eye" when shooting closer (50 yards and less) because of the tube type style.

I wish scopes were like clothes ... try them on .... see how they fit ......