AR Optics

[qualcorp]

Aimpoint battery life
EXPS3-0
* Brightness Adjustment Range: 110,000:1 brightest to lowest
* Power Source: (1) 123 lithium battery
* Battery Life: 600 continuous hours at nominal setting 1
* Auto Battery Check Indicator: Flashing reticle upon start-up
* Auto Shut-down: At 8 hrs- programmable to 4 hrs

That's 150, four hour range sessions, per life of a single battery. Not a big deal. The the 1MOA dot size and unlimited eye relief were the game changers for me. Throw in the versatility of G23FTS , that arrived today....well - I'll let you know on that one

I'm glad you like your Eotech, but as nice as 150 4 hour range sessions is, it's not quite the same, for a defensive use rifle, as just being able to pick it up and use it because the battery life is so go there's no reason to ever switch off the optic. Both sights have unlimited eye relief.

Word that. Night stand is M2 and G21 Is the EOtech system 'fragile' you think?

IF you don't use your AR as a nightstand gun, great. But if you do, it's a significant difference.

[Hmac]

Ack! Things must be rough down there in the Twin Cities. Before I'd keep a loaded AR15 on my nightstand, I'd start locking my doors at night.

My home defense plan is three Golden Retrievers, locked and loaded. Don't need to worry about switching 'em on, either.

[farmerj]

metro is an issue?

I live in a community of 295. We have had a sex offender, assault, meth lab, drug dealer and gang violence all in the last 4 years hear.

And I am supposed to be more worried about the metro area?

[Norsesmithy]

I'm more likely to use a nightstand gun to shoot coyotes. Infinitely more likely, because I've actually done that.

As far as to the Eotech fragility, I'm sure that most people aren't going to break one, and I'm sure that I wouldn't break one. But it's fairly well established that the level of abuse required to break an eotech is lower than it is for an aimpoint. I don't know that it matters all that much, though, because, with the exception of competition, I can't think of a use for a rifle that would approach the abuse level needed to break the eotech, where the always on feature of the theoretically more durable sight wouldn't start to become important.

But that's a view from behind a keyboard, my AR currently sits dotless because I'm saving up for a high buck 1-6x.

[farmerj]

I'm more likely to use a nightstand gun to shoot coyotes. Infinitely more likely, because I've actually done that.
.......
But that's a view from behind a keyboard, my AR currently sits dotless because I'm saving up for a high buck 1-6x.

I can see that. As well as a nice 1-6X being more useful

[Consummate]

Where's the range report on the G23FTS, pal?!

[qualcorp]

Where's the range report on the G23FTS, pal?!

waiting on the EXPS3-0, go figure, got the cart in front of the horse, delivery by days end 02/20/12, Monday-fun day. The combo will occupy some rail estate.

[Hmac]

metro is an issue?

I live in a community of 295. We have had a sex offender, assault, meth lab, drug dealer and gang violence all in the last 4 years hear.

And I am supposed to be more worried about the metro area?

Yikes! If we had all of that going on, I would start locking my doors. Maybe even get another Golden Retriever!

Who's worried about the metro area? Their crime rate doesn't affect the contents of my nightstand.

[Hmac]

Where's the range report on the G23FTS, pal?!

waiting on the EXPS3-0, go figure, got the cart in front of the horse, delivery by days end 02/20/12, Monday-fun day. The combo will occupy some rail estate.

It should all fit just fine on the receiver. Try not to mount the optic across gap between receiver and handguard rail.

[qualcorp]

Finally!! Have it mounted on my blaster...couldn’t be happier, thanks for the input and helping me with a difficult decision given all the fine, and rather spendy options out there.

[David]

There's always some moron who comes into threads like these and makes a suggestion that is way outside of the original poster's stated parameters. I'll be that guy today. My reason isn't really to suggest that you get the optic I'm going to recommend (particularly since you already got one—congrats, by the way, looks like you found a set up that does exactly what you want!), but rather to debate the point made somewhere above, that, basically, you can't have the best of both worlds in one optic. After all, a lot of people will read a thread looking for advice on the same topic, and those people might not have the same specifications. Anyway...

I got an Elcan Specter DR a while back, and I don't think I'll ever get another full-size optic. It's a better red-dot than any Aimpoint I've ever used, and also better than the best 4X ACOG I've ever used. Ultra clear glass, rugged as hell, and a simple flick of a lever switches between 1x and 4x. When you do that, one lens rotates out of the way, which means that you have basically two fixed scopes in one unit, so the focus and optical path is always perfect. With a variable, you have to adjust to get the best focus, and you generally have to twist a knob to switch between magnifications, which is slower. Want a little more magnification than that? There's a 1.5-6X model as well. The illumination on the reticle also switches between a large cross hair and a small dot, so you can have the quick-acquisition EOTech sort of reticle, or a nice, small, Aimpoint sort of dot. It's also got the largest field-of-view of any similar optic made by any manufacturer.

There's a bit of a weight penalty, although it's considerably lighter than a dot-scope and a magnifier together. It's very solid, all metal, no plastic, so you pay for that with weight. Their literature says that it has long eye relief, and while good, it's not really any better than some of my ACOGs at 2.75 inches. The back-up sights can be angled left or right if you're into that, but no matter where they are they are small and unobtrusive. It uses a battery, but the battery seems to last a very long time. I've left it on before for days at a time and it still hasn't run out. I also love that some of their literature says that their optics are meant for hard use, and they don't look pretty when they come out of the shop. It's got a really nice, industrial look and feel to it. Finally, the windage and elevation adjustments are really solid, and easy to use without tools (you'll need a coin or something for the windage adjustment, but the elevation adjustment is a nice, big, serrated wheel).

For comparison purposes, I've got dozens of other optics, including everything I've mentioned here and more, so I'm not just singing the praises of the only optic I've got. It, without a doubt, fulfills all of its intended roles extremely well. If anyone is looking for a "do-everything" kind of optic, you'll be satisfied.

You can see more info about it here: http://www.elcansightingsystems.com/pro ... sights.php

Oh, never mind the MSRP. Like everything else out there, the street price is considerably lower by hundreds.

[vertstang]

The Elcan specter looks like a great optic! If I only had 2K to spend....