EOTech XPS 3-2

[Paulo_Santos]

I just got my EOTech XPS 3-2 and to my surprise, it actually works so far.[BD][BD] AFter reading about all the regurgitated horror stories on the internet, I'm surprised mine didn't actually explode once I turned it on. As a precaution, I did have my wife turn it on for me.[BD][BD]

Anyway, this is just a small preview. I plan on putting it through some good testing in the upcoming months and I'll do a full review on it. I think it will go very well with my Aimpoint 3xMagnifier. One of the things I was curious about was the distance of the two dots. I read the manual that it came with and it indicated that it was calibrated using the M855 ammo with a MV of 2900 FPS with a 50 yard zero. So the center dot is calibrated for 50/200 yard zero and the second dot is for 500 yards. And as many of you EOTech owners already know, the bottom of the reticle is the holdover for 7 yards. So with that info, I plugged it in to the JBM program and I came up with the distance/drop of the 2nd dot:

Ammo: M855.
BC: .304.
MV: 2900 FPS.
Zero Range: 50 yards.
Sight Height: 2.6".
2nd dot: -2.8 MILS/-9.7 MOA.

So with that info, anyone that knows how to use a ballistic program can figure out what their holdovers are. Once I do the review, I will put up some examples using different ammo with different zeroes, but for now, here is an example of what the holdovers will look like using the Hornady .223 75 GR BTHP ammo with a MV of 2550 FPS:

Ammo: Hornady 75 GR BTHP.
BC: .395.
MV: 2550 FPS.
Sight Height: 2.6".
Zero Range: 100 yards.

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f376/paulosantos/EOTechXPS3-2.jpg

As you can see, with the Hornady .223 75 GR BTHP ammo, the 2nd dot is for 423 yards. The good part is that directy in between the two dots (-1.4 MILS), it is exactly 300 yards, which is very handy when shooting out to 300 yards.

[Bushwacker4]

I'll be looking forward to this. I've been debating on an XPS for a while now.

[Paulo_Santos]

Finally was able to make it out to the range today. I co-witnessed the XPS with the irons and it got me on paper at 50 yards. I was able to zero it at 50 yards in 6 rounds. I then took it out to 100 yards where I did my final zero. The weather was freezing cold, sunny, and still snow on the ground from the last snow we had. In my experience, this is the toughest condition for a lit reticle and it worked with no problem.

I later went to the 300 yard range where to see how the BDC reticle matched up. From my calculations using the handloads of the Hornady 55 GR FMJ/BT with a MV of 2900 FPS (more like 2800 FPS in the cold temperature), 300 yards should have been right between both dots. I did 3 10 round shot groups using the FBI man sized targets and it was dead on at 300 yards. If you have an FBI target, at 300 yards, place the center dot on the top of the paper and the lower dot on the bottom of the papaer and pull the trigger and it will strike right in the center. So for any target, just place the target right in between the two dots at 300 yards and you will be on. I definitely recommend the 100 yard zero.

I'm also going to do a long term battery test starting today. Everyday, I'll turn the reticle on witht he 8-hour setting and see how long the battery lasts. I know some people complain about the auto shut off feature of the EOTechs, but with a battery live that they have, the auto shut off is a must, IMHO.

[Eric]

Since I'm running an XPS (2-0 version though), I will be interested in the battery test. Like many electronic devices, I think that actual battery life is less than advertised.

[Eric]

I'll be looking forward to this. I've been debating on an XPS for a while now. If you make your purchase prior to the end of the year you can take advantage of the $50 rebate.

[SilentType]

It's good that this test is starting during the coldest months of the year. I have read that low temperatures can decrease battery life so I'll be interested to see if the low temps at the range have any effect.