EOTech 510 Series 512-A65 Holographic CQB Weapon Sight

Being an older gentleman with cross dominant eyesight and the necessity of wearing eyeglasses with prism correction, I found the EOTech 512-A65 to be everything that it claimed for use on my AR-15 M4. The confidence that I got locating the target and scoring great groups had me smiling. It was more in my price range than the newer XPSX model and found out it was manufactured in 2016 with all the updates to cure any old complaints. I did purchase the GG&G covers shortly after the original purchase of the slight, to protect it. They were also more than I expected for looks and protection. I recommend the products highly and found Customer Service representative, Derick, very knowledgeable, informative and helpful (You don't find this kind of service often now days).

First off, and this may not be specific to the EOTech sight, but I no longer have to wear correct lenses now when I shoot. Prior to getting this this sight I was forced to wear my reading glasses in order to focus on the front sight of my AR15. With this sight, I can now wear standard eye pro and can see both the sight and target clearly–so one problem was solved. Specific to the this sight, I had 4 criteria for my red dot search; 1) price, 2) battery type (I loath the coin cell batteries) and battery life 3) durability, 4) field of view and eye relief.1) As for price this is a bit expensive, but seeing has how you can easily spend upwards of $800 I think this one is reasonable. Remember, you get what you pay for.2) This optic runs on 2 AA batteries which are very easy to find and relatively cheap. At 2,500 hours the battery life is not the best (some run for as long as 40,000 hours), but that's still a very long time and if will auto shutoff after 4 or 8 hours. I just keep fresh batteries in my gun case, problem solved.3) I checked YouTube for red dot punishment videos, and this thing took a licking and still held zero. I dropped mine on concrete the first day at the range, and no issues.4) The FOV is fantastic, and the eye-relief is unlimited! I plan on buying one for my M1A which has the picatinny rail mounted forward of the receiver, so a long eye relief is required.This sight is easy to zero. I progressed from 25, 50, 75, to 100 yards.The only thing I don't like is the brightness setting. This sight has 20 brightness adjustments. Every time you turn it on it reverts back to setting #12, it does not remember your last setting.

This Optic was excellent in '04-'05 when I used it n Mosul, Iraq as part of the U.S. Army Infantry (1/24 Infantry). It was the same model. This Optic stood up to incredible use and abuse. The Red Circle with the 1 MOA Dot is beautifully sharp when compared to other Red Dots (including the CompM2 Aimpoints I have used).I was so pleased with this Optic in the military that I saved up the money to get it as a civilian for my Bushmaster AR-15. I am on a tight budget and this is not an easy price to pay for a Red Dot site but it has been worth it. This thing will last longer and perform better than anything I have tried. I must state that I have never used an Eotech Magnifier with this product so I cannot speak to that.The Con I listed above is not much of a Con when you consider why this Optic is heavier than most other Red Dots. As stated, this red dot is much more durable which will add a bit of weight (small amount). The 2 AA batteries to power the optic will add more weight than a tiny lithium watch battery (the kind many other Red Dot Sights use). However, if you buy Lithium AA's for this optic, they weigh less and last longer.There is no question that this brand is the best in its field (in my opinion) and that this particular optic can handle anything you can throw at it. For AR-15/M4 users:The question is… if you are using it for an M4/AR-15, do you have an A2 or A3? Since the AA Battery compartment makes the base of this model (512) somewhat long it helps to have the metal picatinny rails instead of just the oval/circular plastic hand-guard. Most metal picatinny rail hand-gaurds will line up well with the picatinny rail directly in front of (where this optic will rest). Since the length is in the front of this optic it must be pushed forward (just over the picatinny rail on the top of the hand-guard). If you have only the A2 plastic hand-guard you will not be able to slide this optic forward enough for optimal performance. There are Three Solutions to this problem: 1) Buy picatinny hand-guards that will fit your AR-15 2) Buy the 516 Eotech Optic instead of the 512 (as it is a bit shorter in front) 3) Use this model with the Plastic hand-guards anyway and it will still work well (you just won't have the option to try to adjust it to optimal placement)Pros: Durability, Long Battery Life, Rectangular HUD, Sharp Optic, Easy to Use Cons: Slightly Heavier than most other Red Dot Optics (Due to Batteries – AA – and Extra Shell for Durability)