NOTE: THE FOLLOWING REVIEW IS COPYRIGHT 2009 BY James Bell Jr.
ALL RIGHTS ARE RESERVED.
EOTech 552.A65 Holographic Weapon Sight
Electro-Optics Technology, Inc
3600 Green Court
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48105 USA
734-741-8868 [VOICE]
734-741-8221 [FAX]
CQB [Close Quarters Battle, also called Close Quarters Combat or CQC] is the area you get into when operating as a part of a police building entry team or when on patrol in a hostile nation performing building clearing. In CQB you will be using a pistol or a shorter carbine. Your engagement distances will be as close as your nose out to 5 to 7 to 15 feet [door to center or far corner of room], to maybe 25 feet when clearing a larger building or 50-75 feet outside of the building.
Projected aiming assist lasers and weapon-mounted lights are always handy here. As I always teach - Give Yourself Every Advantage. While iron sights are always good and you need to be good with them, you really need an optic that allows you to easily engage the target at any of these ranges. Magnification is usually not desired in CQB, but you also don't want to sell yourself short - you should be equipped for engagements at more extended ranges as well.
The Aimpoint sight has been a staple in this area of weapons arts, but after some lab and field testing I now have a new favorite. Holographic weapons sights are the wave of the future for CQB. Their ease of use combined with lack of magnification make them idea to the task.
EOTech offers several LE/Military versions of their Holographic Weapon Sight. For being such an advanced unit, it comes in a very simple white box with the sight and accessories packed in Styrofoam. A multilingual instruction manual is also included.
All of the EOTech units are designed to mount on weaver or picatinny rails. A thumbscrew with coin slot is included by default, and a hex head screw and allen wrench are included in the box as an alternate means of securing the unit.
The optical section is nitrogen filled to make it fog proof. They are waterproof to either 10 or 33 feet depending on the model.
Units taking type N batteries offer 100 hours of use per set of batteries and have a compact case [4 inches], while AA battery models are rated at 500 hours per set but have a case that is one inch longer than the N units. This battery life is NOT overstated, and may be somewhat understated with lithium batteries. The unit I was sent is still on the first set of batteries after several MONTHS of frequent use and testing. We replace them in operation about once per year.
All models have a user-selectable 8 hour or 4 hour automatic shutoff. A low battery is indicated by a flashing reticle for the first 5 seconds after activation.
There are 20 total visible brightness levels on all models.
There are two rectangular buttons on the back of the unit. These are used to turn the unit on and off, and to adjust the reticle brightness. The one on the right increases the brightness and the one on the left decreases it. Pressing either button will activate the unit at brightness level 12 out of 20 and will determine how long the automatic shutoff feature will wait.
The Controls On The EOTech 552.A65
To start it up with a 4-hour automatic shutoff, press the left [brightness down] button.
To start it up with an 8-hour automatic shutoff, press the right [brightness up] button.
To deactivate the unit, press both buttons at the same time.
The buttons are rubberized and slightly raised, and while being small are easy to operate - even while wearing tactical or shooting gloves. I tested this one wearing HATCH SOG-L100 Tactical Operators Gloves and noted no difficulties.
Some models feature compatibility with NV optics. There are 10 different levels of brightness in NV mode, with the brightest of these being also seen with the naked eye in very low lighting. On these models, a third round button is included slightly higher than - and centered between - the brightness up and down buttons. Pressing this button while the EOTech unit is off turns it on in NV mode at a brightness level of 4 out of 10 and sets an 8 hour automatic shutoff. Pressing it while the unit is on toggles it into - or out of - NV mode. The up and down buttons are used to adjust the brightness in the NV modes as well.
Mil-Spec models are equipped with what they call a "roll-bar". This is a metal hood covering and protecting the top optical section of the sight. All of the internal electronics are epoxy potted for shock resistance. Our test unit was dropped several times (both intentionally and accidentally) without causing changes in either point of impact or brightness.
The military has a major contract to purchase these, and I have spoken to men over in the middle east who have put them through their paces in hard combat. They will do the job.
There are few markings on the outside of the unit. The EOTech company logo is on the right side in subdued white...
And the company logo and words FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT/MILITARY USE are on the left side in subdued white, as is a small and easily removed yellow "laser device" sticker.
I have seen high-speed operators use small strips of black electrical tape or even some flat black paint to cover over the writing. For normal LEO purposes I don't see this as being necessary.
Here is a rundown of the ordering specs and options for each unit. The factory references them by by the model and reticle in the format 5xx.yyy
The Model 511 - Uses Type N Batteries. No NV mode. WP to 10 feet.
The Model 512 - Uses AA Batteries. No NV mode. WP to 10 feet.
The Model 551 - Uses Type N Batteries. NV modes included. WP to 33 feet.
The Model 552 - Uses AA Batteries. NV Modes included. WP to 33 feet.
All units are available with one of the following two reticles:
A 65MOA ring with a 1 MOA dot in the center[.A65 models] This is their standard unit.
A 1 MOA dot centered in the sight [.D1 models].
The reticle is not user replaceable, and the sight employs no magnification.
Adjustment screws [adjustable with either a flat screwdriver or coin] are located on the right side of the sight and cover +/- 40 MOA in both windage and elevation. I found this to be more than sufficient for any functional, safe firearm.
The field of view is considered by the factory to be 30 yards when looking out to 100 yards with your eye 4 inches from the sight. Since there is no magnification - and due to the way the sight works - you can easily keep both eyes open when using it.
Our testing in-house was performed on both 16" and 20" AR-15's, and on a 9mm Mech Tech CCU for the Glock 17.
The particular unit we tested was the Model 552.A65.
If you have never seen a holographic sight, they project an image that appears to float in front of your eye. This is substantially different - especially in the EOTech - from a conventional red dot sight. In the case of the EOTech sights, they project a red reticle onto a protected glass surface by means of a red laser. The .A65 reticle makes it highly versatile for both CQB where I found that it truly excels, and for reasonable distance accuracy using that 1 MIL dot.
The EOTech reticle in co-witness position on an AR-15
For those of you who have never tried a similar optic system, the principle of the EOTech sight is best demonstrated by a visit to the EOTech website. Justice can not be done in print. A link is included at the bottom of this page to the EOTech-inc site where an interactive demonstration is available.
Basically, the reticle image is recorded EVERYWHERE on the glass surface. Once you sight it in, no matter where you look through the EOTech, the reticle image you see will be on target. Even if the glass surface is mostly covered in mud or is partially damaged, you will be able to see a sighted-in, on-target image of the reticle in the non-covered or non-damaged portion of the glass surface. I tested this by covering all of the glass except for a VERY small portion. It works, and it works well. This feature alone may save your life. It offers so many advantages to those of us involved in situations where we may need to go into CQB situations or other combat situations where the optic may have to go through some rough use.
As with all firearm optics, subjective analysis always plays a part. Whenever I test an optical product, I always invite others to try it and get their opinions. Invariably I find opinions which are similar or identical to mine, and I find opinions which are 100% opposite.
The first step for me when I am testing an optical product for any weapon is to use a Alpec Team Accurizer Laser Boresighter. In this case, starting on the AR-15, I started by mounting the optic and bore sighting with a Alpec .223 Accurizer Laser Boresighter. This device is the same size as a .223 round, and when inserted into the chamber sends a laser straight down the barrel. I have a convenient location for sighting in at 27 yards. It works very well for this purpose, and with the EOTech 552.A65 I found that I could easily get the center dot on the reticle to superimpose over the laser dot emitted by the Alpec unit.
This translated to hits being VERY close to perfect at the range. In fact, I was able to get perfect hits out over 150 yards after sighting the units together at 27 yards. Not bad for having sighted the device without firing a live round.
One of the better ways to use the EOTech unit is to "co-witness" it with the iron sights. This places the EOTech 552.A65 between the rear sight/carry handle and the front sight. When you are looking through the sight mounted in this manner, you are also looking through the iron sights. It gives you the best of both worlds, and provides a near-instant backup in the event of the failure of the EOTech unit or the batteries in it.
I was able to accomplish this with several different mounting systems. EOTech offers several suited to A3 or A4 platforms as well as the MP5. Their co-witness mount for the A-2 platform worked very well. I also tried the 552.A65 mounted on an M-4 with First Samco M44S handguards. These are equipped with picatinny rails on 4 sides. This placed it in an excellent co-witness position.
I know there are people out there who will say that the M-44S handguards for the M-4 or carbine version of the AR-15/M-16 from First Samco are not solid enough to be used with optics. In my experience they proved to be adequate to the task - even after putting the firearm through some rather stressful maneuvers, and even after a co-worker dropped it once. The 552.A65 stayed sighted in and required no adjustments while mounted on the M-44S handguards.
The 552.A65 Mounted On A Carbine-Length AR-15 In Co-Witness Position On First Samco M44 Handguards.
A Laser Devices AR-2A Aiming Laser is Mounted In Front Of The Front Sight, And An ACE M4 SOCOM Collapsable Stock Is On The Back.
One of the more fun tests I put the 552.A65 through was heading out for some rabbit hunting. This was an excellent test in more ways than one as the lighting varied from direct hard sun to very low light at dusk.
For this test the 552.A65 was mounted on a Bushmaster 16" pre-ban carbine upper on a PWA pre-ban lower. Ammunition used was Federal 64gr JSP. The unit had only been laser-bore sighted for this test. We only saw two bunnies on this trip. The first bunny we took aim at was very fast and evaded almost of the shots, but did get a small nick on his backside from one in our party with a .223. About 5 seconds later he took a hit from a .22 rimfire with Remington Viper ammo from an operator in a better position than I was in. The bunny jumped straight up in the air, quivered in midair, and then ran again like lightning.
I began to wonder if this was Terminator bunny.
He decided to hide in a dark area below a tree. It was nearing dusk, and all I could see was a lighter grey area in a field of black. I saw him run in there, so I knew it was him. He was about 25 feet away.
I raised the AR-15 and the A65 reticle appeared in my sight. It was adjusted for a brighter area, but I had kept my eye on the tango. I dropped the brightness a few notches and could again clearly see the lighter gray with the reticle floating over it. This was not required as I was still on target, but it was a good opportunity to test adjusting the sight when going from one lighting extreme to another. It was easy and fast.
I placed the center dot on him and fired one shot. A "thump" immediately followed. Tango down.
We also did some shooting at distance targets. When shooting at distance - and depending on the size of the target - very often the target is completely or mostly enclosed within the outer circle on the reticle - making it very easy to place the 1 MIL dot right on them. I found that if I needed to adjust the brightness, the operation was quick and I was able to stay on target - or get back on target if I was lazy - easily. Adjustments while staying on target are not difficult with a bit of practice. The wide field of view is very nice, and the EOTech 552.A65 greatly facilitates the ability to shoot with both eyes open.
This is handy when moving from outdoors to indoors syuch as a building-clearing op. It is easy and fast to adjust the brightness and keep the optic completely usable in whatever lighting conditions you are in. At CQB ranges, just put the big circle on the target and you have a shot.
When shooting at greater distances of over 100 yards I will confess that I prefer a magnifying optic. If that was my primary duty or application for this firearm, I would select a magnifying optic over the EOtech. However, CQB and intermediate ranges are another story.
I found the EOTech 522.A65 to be the best CQB optic I have tried, and it is more than adequate at intermediate ranges as well. At close ranges the outer circle on the reticle is more than adequate to put the round where it needs to be. It is fast, and at CQB ranges the circle is less than or equal to the size of the kill zone. I found that I picked it up MUCH faster than the iron sights, and the lack of magnification at CQB ranges makes it greatly preferable in my book.
It was so easy that even a non-practiced individual at the shooting range could rapidly put shots where they needed to go at CQB and even intermediate ranges. It is an excellent tool to help you rapidly get on target, and unlike a projected aiming assist laser, it does not let the target know you are coming.
It is also well suited when you find you must use gas masks or other breathing protection. The reticle could be quickly adjusted to be optimally visible after putting the mask on, and the wide field of view is another big plus.
The 552.A65 also features a mode which makes it compatible with night vision devices. This is especially suited to persons on entry teams, hostage rescue details, or other situations where you are issued NVD's and is one of the areas where the 552.A65 really "shines". In testing with several sets of goggles I found the lowest settings to work very well. The higher NV compatible settings caused several of the more sensitive units to go into protection mode and dim the image. The highest of these settings was visible to the naked eye when in a very dark room. The lower settings were absolutely ideal. I found that getting shots on target quickly and switching from target to target was greatly facilitated by this optic, far more than with others we tested.
The only claim that I found to be "untrue" made about the 552.A65 is that there is "no visible signature" projected forward from the unit. OVERALL this IS true. However, if the brightness is turned up all the way, in low lighting you can indeed see the reticle projected forward. For no practical purpose that I encountered would you ever turn the brightness on the unit all the way up - most especially in lower lighting conditions. It was painful in daylight to look through it at maximum brightness without using very dark glasses. I can't imagine doing this in low light, but under those conditions it is possible to cause an image to be visible from the front.
I have heard some field reports of units failing, but we found the reliability of this unit to be excellent. It was accidentally dropped and intentionally dropped and continued to function. It also kept zero. The manufacturer offers excellent warranty support. The warranty is 2 years.
As with all optical products, your mileage will vary. I had people look at it who said they prefer their ACOG or their Aimpoints. I have had people look at it and change their minds about the ACOG and the Aimpoint. There is so much that is subjective about what people like and do not like about optics that you can find an opinion or review to justify anything.
The biggest perceived problem prior to anyone actually trying it was the need to change the brightness when the lighting conditions changed. When it came time to trying it out, this turned out to be a minimal or non-issue. When the need exists you can rapidly hit the controls - even while keeping the fiream on target, after a little practice. Different eyes will react differently. I tend to keep the brightness on the low side except when staying outdoors in brighter lighting. This works for me, you may find a method that works better for you.
As for me, I think the EOTech 552.A65 is the best CQB sight around. I prefer it over the Aimpoint and definitely over the ACOG for CQB. It also works well at extended ranges, although I personally prefer a magnified optic for those purposes. I love the EOTech 552.A65, and plan to have one on all of my CQB-duty firearms in the future, and I will be incorporating it into my training classes too.
-- James Bell, Jr. -JeepGunner / ATVGunner / HondaGunner
Click Here To Visit The EOTech Website To Learn More About The 552.A65