Aimpoint CompM4 vs. EOTech 552

[AYOxITZxACE]

I hear ya. At first, I had my heart set on getting an Trijicon ACOG TA31RCO but for that price, I'll pass. I honestly think that ACOGs are the best way to go EXCEPT FOR ONE THING!

I don't know if it was because the one I was issued in the USMC was "drop tested" WAY too many times (high probability), but there was an incident where my rifle and I fell from a good distance of +10'. (We were both okay). Later on in my deployment, I came across some wild dogs desperately begging to be shot. At a distance from about 350m, I missed by about 2 feet! Then I remembered how when we first BZO'ed our rifles, the Marksmanship Instructor had us tap our rifles in all directions to "set" the BZO. So I'm guessing that the jolt from the fall threw off my BZO.

Aside from that, ACOGs are TOO EXPENSIVE for me at the moment. So then I figure, why not go with the M68 CCO (Aimpoint CompM4, to civilians) but THEN, I started hearing about this EOTech thing. So I guess everyone is right. It's up to personal preferences and taste. I just want to continue to hear about the PROS and CONS of both optics.

[Hogxtz]

In every carbine class I have attended the instructors always have Aimpoint Micro T-1 optics. Than they tell all the students why they are better than Eotechs. But, I prefer the Eotech. I can get faster target aquisitions with the Eotech. And after all, isan't that what a CQB optic is all about? Shooting first? I do carry extra 123 batteries.

[AYOxITZxACE]

I also like the ability to use AA batteries because they're more convenient to find. Especially in bulk! According to Aimpoint, if I bought a 20-pack of AA's I could power my CompM4 for the rest of my life! LOL! (On the lowest setting)

But I'm looking for a combat optic that can:

1) Co-witness my front and rear flip up sights
2) Ability to engage targets w/ ease at a distance of 200m-300m
3) Ability, if necessary, engage targets out to 500m w/o resorting to BUIS system.
4) Zero parallax, zero glare (w/ use of kill flash if necessary)

[patriot_man]

I find that the reticle is quicker to pick up with an Eotech and the window of the Eotech prevents me from going into a tunnel vision mode which I experience with most tubed sights.

If you want the ability to go out to long distances on a 1x optic I suggest looking at the Eotech XPS3-2. It has 2, 1 MOA dots to show holdovers. You may possibly also invest in a magnifier for the distances you are shooting for.

Zero Parallax and glare with Eotechs.

[seal20]

I gotta say, there's no comparison after recently shooting them side by side. The Eotech is priced properly, you get what you pay for. If you can still find an Aimpoint PRO I think that is by far the best bang for you buck. The Comp M4 is an optic I am confident will outlast my rifle, at which point I could still sell it used (probably on the original battery) and buy a NEW Eotech if I wanted.

[esskay]

Love them both, have both Aimpoint and Eotech. Both of these optics can meet the criteria you laid out... except that 500 yds @ 1x is kinda pushing it for me... though you probably have better vision than I do! You could certainly run magnifiers behind either type of optic, though only the Eotech is available right now with some holdover reference in the reticle.

Some things to consider:

* Aimpoint battery life is absurd. This is a nice advantage for home defense and SHTF. You basically don't need to worry about batteries, you could leave it on all the time and it would always be ready to go. Maybe change the battery proactively on your birthday.

* Aimpoint ruggedness is pretty legendary. Eotechs can take a beating too but the Aimpoints really have a tremendous reputation here.

* Eotech reticle is more flexible. The center dot is more precise, and the circle is handy for quick, easy aiming close up. You can also use it as a reference for adjusting for height over bore at short range. It can be had with holdover dots for longer range shots. Also, you can utilize the 65MOA circle for rough range estimation -- that's ~65" at 100 yds. Compare someone's height to that and you get a rough range estimation. e.g. if you have eyes on someone whose height is about half of the circle, then he's somewhere around 200yds away (give or take).

* Even better, put yourself on a timer and shoot the same course of fire with either optic. I do a little better with an Eotech.

* People who have vision issues like astigmatism can see visual artifacts with either optic. Some complain of streaking in the Aimpoint dot, or the Eotech, or both. Best to check both out to be sure. This is one of the biggest factors swinging me toward Eotechs. Both streak for me with my eyes, but Aimpoints are worse.

* The Eotech buttons/controls annoy me! It doesn't remember your last setting when you cycle the power. The field-expedient way to deal with the Eotech's "forgetfulness" on your brightness setting is to utilize the night vision mode as a toggle. You turn it on, adjust brightness to your desired level, then toggle NV mode whenever you want to save your batteries and toggle it again when you need to go hot. I learned this neat trick from a Jim Smith class (former Delta who is quite fond of Eotechs). Of course this only works if you have an NV capable model, with the lesser models you're basically SOL on this point...

Should add that my favorite Aimpoint is the T-1, and my favorite Eotech is the EXPS... I like the small ones!

[S dot]

* Eotech reticle is more flexible. The center dot is more precise, and the circle is handy for quick, easy aiming close up. You can also use it as a reference for adjusting for height over bore at short range. It can be had with holdover dots for longer range shots. Also, you can utilize the 65MOA circle for rough range estimation -- that's ~65" at 100 yds. Compare someone's height to that and you get a rough range estimation. e.g. if you have eyes on someone whose height is about half of the circle, then he's somewhere around 200yds away (give or take).

This is a great point never thought it about it like that. Im going through the same decision as thr OP