EOTech EXPS2 Holographic Weapon Sight Review

Like all of EOTech’s holographic weapon sights, the EXPS2 HWS uses a hologram of the reticle that is embedded into the sight display window and is illuminated by a 0.08 mW 650 nm Class II laser diode to form a virtual image of the reticle. EOTech was one of the first—if not the first—companies to offer such sights, and it has been producing them since 1996. The company says holographic sights are optically and electronically superior to red-dot sights, although they tend to have shorter battery life.

Speaking of battery life, the EXPS2 is powered by a lithium 123 battery, and battery life is rated at 600 continuous hours at setting 12 at room temperature. The sight is offered with two red reticle versions. You can have the 68-minute circle with vertical and horizontal stadia and a single 1-MOA aiming dot (which is the one I’ve been using), or you can have the 68-minute circle with vertical and horizontal stadia and two 1-MOA aiming dots. The reticle is adjustable for windage and elevation via two easy-to-access screws on the unit’s right-hand side. Each click adjusts the reticle 0.5 MOA, and there are 40 MOA of travel.

The reticle also is adjustable for brightness and has 20 settings that are managed with two push buttons located on the left-hand side. The buttons also serve as the on-off switch. All controls are flush with the sides of the unit.

The EXPS2 HWS has an eight-hour auto-shutdown or a four-hour auto-shutdown depending on which button is used to turn on the sight. It also has an auto battery check indicator.

The EXPS2 also features a quick-detach lever that fits 1-inch Weaver and MIL STD-1913 rails. Eye relief is unlimited. The unit’s protective hood is constructed of durable aluminum, and the EXPS2 HWS is fog-resistant and water-resistant, submersible to 33 feet.

The unit measures 3.8x2.3x2.9 inches and weighs 11.2 ounces. The display window is 1.2x0.85 inches, and it provides iron sight co-witness access in the lower third of the viewing window. Field of view is 28 meters at 100 yards when positioned with an eye relief of 3 inches.

Designed for heads-up engagement at close ranges to midranges, the lightweight, non-magnifying, manufactured-in-the-USA EXPS2 HWS provides extremely fast reticle-on-target acquisition out to 300 meters.

MSRP: $599; eotechinc.com

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