We know that there are optic reviews out there, but let’s face it, some just don’t give enough information.
We didn’t make that mistake during out EOTech 512 sight review.
As a matter of fact, we dug deep to help you figure out of if the EOTech 512 is the best holographic sight for you and if it’s something you should purchase or not.
EOTech 512 A65 Review – What We Will Go Over
Below is what we will go over in our full review of the EOTech 512:
- Quick Overview of EOTech
- EOTech 512.A65 out of the box
- What we found at the range
- Is the EOTech 512 the best holographic sight?
- EOTech 512 best price
- Final thoughts about the EOTech 512 optic
Who is EOTech? – A Quick Company Overview
EOTech is a weapon optics manufacturer, and a great one at that. There were actually the first optics company to introduce holographic weapon sights into the world.
They wanted to help competition shooters and hunters get greater accuracy and faster target acquisition, so they created the holographic sight (which is considered a red dot sight).
in 2005, one of the largest defense companies, L-3 Communications, acquired EOTech to help with its efforts in weapon defense.
Today, the EOTech product line continues to grow and improve getting into other optic technologies such as night vision, thermal, illumination and other increased aiming capabilities.
EOTech 512.A65 Out Of The Box
My first impression of the sight out of the box was professional. The EOTech 512 comes in a hard plastic case which made it feel very professional. I know that older versions of the 512 used to come packaged in a cardboard box, so L-3 has really upped their game in providing a good container for a high quality scope.
This was something that was nice considering the price point of most EOTechs.
As I was holding it, it felt strong and durable. For years EOTech made amazing high quality products and L-3 continues to do so with EOTech sights.
The first thing I noticed with the EOTech 512 holographic sight was the square glass shape instead of a traditional circle glass found in the majority of scopes and sights.
The 512 is also an older sight and doesn’t have an updated design, but still looks good on my AR-15, so I’m ok with its age.
It’s also a little bulky due to the AA batteries that it uses rather than flat batteries. I don’t mind it too much since I typically have AA batteries laying around somewhere, but it definitely affects the size of the EOTech 512.A65.
I also noticed that to adjust the scope for windage and elevation, the EOTech 512 requires a flat head screwdriver or a coin. Not a big deal at all, as this ensures that the adjustments won’t accidentally adjust themselves, but will require you to have the proper tools if you need to adjust on the spot.
The other adjustments for the A65 reticle are directly at the front of the scope. This is where you can adjust the brightness of the reticle and turn it on and off.
Specs
Length/Width/Height: 5.6″ x 2″ x 2.5″
Weight: 11.5 oz
Mount: 1″ Weaver or MIL-STD-1912 rail
Water Resistant: Submersible to 10 ft. depth
Night Vision Compatibility: None
Power Source: Two AA Batteries; supports lithium, alkaline, or rechargeable
Battery Life: 1000 hours
Field Test – What We Found
We were super excited to take it out to the range to test it out for a full EOTech 512 review.
It was a great optic for around $400 and awesome on my AR-15. It’s super rugges and really can handle anything, but let’s get into the details.
Equipping the EOTech 512 was super easy. It took a whopping 60 seconds, maybe. All I had to do was slip it on to the upper and tighten it into place with a flat head screw driver and it was on.
After it was equipped, it was time to test it out.
I noticed that the A65 is really unlike any other reticle I’ve seen. It has a 1 MOA red dot in the center, but surrounding the red dot is an outer circle that is 65 MOA.
I mentioned the square lens and glass which is something that I actually liked. This allowed me to have a great field of view, something that is great for fast target acquisition.
It also didn’t have ANY parallax. No matter the position of my eye and where I looked through the sight, the reticle stayed on target. This was a big bonus as I knew that it didn’t matter my position looking through it. If I could see what I was aiming at, I knew that that’s exactly what it would shoot at.
I used the sight a lot. I took it on a total of 6 other field tests because of its popularity in the scope world to make sure that I could have a thorough review of the EOTech 512.
And it held zero through all of that time and after all of the rounds I put it through. That’s something that I would have expected spending for a sight in the $400 range.
Something to note. The reticle shuts itself off after 4 hrs to save battery. This is crucial because the 512 sucks up a ton of battery life since it’s a holographic sight. One set of AA batteries will last about 1000 hours.
Is the EOTech 512 the Best Holographic Sight?
This is a great question and something to consider as the EOTech 512 is a great sight and one of the first holographic sights ever made. Also to remember, EOTech was the first company to introduce holographic sights.
But is the EOTech 512.A65 the best when it comes to holographic optics?
In our opinion, EOTech makes some of the best holographic scopes on the market. They aren’t the only one any more, paving the way for other optic manufacturers, and you can find some really high quality holographic scopes from these other companies too.
But when considering the best holographic sight, there are a lot of other factors to consider, one of which is the price.
In most cases, holographic sights are generally more expensive than other red dot sights, granted they are far superior as well.
When you are in a situation where you need to have repeat firing, you want a sight or optic that will give you the best opportunity to hit your target efficiently, and fast.
Red dot sights can sometimes be harder to see when looking though it in regards to field of view, whereas most holographics sights have a wider field of view increasing the speed of target acquisition.
Also, with holographic sights, the aiming dot usually stays the same size, even when magnified. The dot in red dot sights usually will increase in size the same margin as your target when magnified.
So when considering the EOTech as the best holographic sight, we feel that it’s one of the best out there. If you are looking to get the best holographic sight for the money, the EOTech 512 is a little more expensive than other holographic sights, but there’s a reason that it is one of the top selling holographic sights on the market.
This and the reason of how easy it is to not only equip on your weapon but adjust as well, give the EOTech 512 a high user friendly score that makes it one of the best holographic optics out there.
EOTech 512 Best Price
So with all this being said, now it’s time to find the best price for the EOTech 512. Lots of places sell optics and it’s important to find a great EOTech 512 and not spend more than you need to.
On EOTech’s website the MSRP for the optic is $459. So you should not be spending more than that on an EOTech 512 or you are overspending.
Consider other options like Cheaper Than Dirt, or even at Amazon.
Final Thoughts – EOTech 512 Review
This EOTech 512 A65 Review was a fun review. We consider the EOTech 512 one of the best rifle optics out there and one of the best holographic sights you can get for an AR.
With features like quick installation, easy adjustments, amazing a65 reticle, no parallax, and made with very high quality, there’s no wonder that the EOTech 512.A65 is one of the best selling sights on the market today.
Overall, we highly recommend you get this sight if it’s something you can afford. You will be very happy with its durability and it will last a long time for you.
Hopefully our in-depth EOTech 512 review was worth your while and you got all of the information that you will need to determine if it’s the best holographic sight for you!
Stay safe and happy shooting!