Ask a cross sample of shooters what their favorite electronic rifle sight is, and many will answer the EOTECH EXPS. Ask that same group of shooters if they could change one thing about it, and they’d invariably all wish for a slimmer design. They're going to love the all-new EOTECH EXPS3 HD.
The creators of this legendary holographic weapon sight understand that some bulk is the price you pay for the oversized window, which is the key to its instinctual pointing nature and unsurpassed target acquisition speed.
While shrinking the glass isn’t an option, there is room for improvement on the hood, giving this crowd exactly what they’ve asked for, and perhaps even a bit more.
"For 30 years now, EOTECH has made the top-selling and performing holographic weapon sights in the world and has been the go-to CQB optic for USSOCOM," the company says. "So, when we aimed to upgrade it with even more technology, strength, and durability, the next logical step was to make it nearly indestructible. Introducing the EXPS3-HD, EOTECH’s next generation Heavy-Duty weapon sight."
What's New on the EOTECH EXPS3 HD
Traditionally made with a metal main housing protected by a polymer cover, the newly redesigned EOTECH EXPS3 HD sheds the latter, significantly cutting down its footprint.
Prior to its release, I had the chance to test this optic out at the Outdoors News America Writer’s Conference held at Shooter’s World in Orlando, Florida. Gaining a sneak peek at the original several years ago, I was again pleased with the design and excited to learn about some of the other improvements the Michigan-based manufacturer added while they were at it.
The new sight isn’t simply a hoodless version, as virtually every piece of polymer is gone. As this material’s main goal was to protect, the lens is now preceded by a slightly elongated aluminum top edge.
Being the original cover also protected the brightness buttons; they have been replaced with a more tactile left-side rotary dial, which is easier to adjust without looking, particularly with gloved fingers.
The electronic upgrade doesn’t stop at the controls. This EXPS3 features Shake-Awake and Auto Brightness technology, making it more field-ready than ever. There is also the option to enable auto shut-off, with settings ranging from 10 minutes to 12 hours. The dedicated OFF position powers the optic down and disables the shake awake functionality.
The inclusion of these features will capitalize on the 1000-hour battery life (at setting 4), which is pulled from a standard CR123A battery.
On a Rifle and At the Range
Snapping the EXPS3 HD onto a rifle is effortless, as it includes the same QD system we have grown to love from EOTECH. Once mounted to a Picatinny rail, you can expect a centerline height of 1.74 inches, which creates a lower-1/3 co-witness with most iron sights.
It also remains compatible with existing EOTECH magnifiers, so upgrading your optic does not mandate upgrading your magnifier. At the event, we tried it on a variety of AR-15s (along with the company’s new suppressors) and found the elimination of the hood to be rather eye-opening, literally.
Thinning this area opened up our peripheral vision and made both-eyes-open shooting simple, even for those who had less experience with electro-optics.
At the moment, the new EXPS3 HD will be available with the classic “donut of death” reticle, which features a 1-MOA dot surrounded by a 68-MOA speed ring. The reticle also features hash marks to help compensate for height over bore. We can likely expect more reticle options in the near future.
EOTECH EXPS3 Rifle Optic Specs
Dimensions: L × W × H: 3.54" × 2.23" × 2.72" (89.9 × 56.6 × 50.8mm)
Weight: 11.6 ounces (330g)
Mount: 1-inch Weaver or MIL-STD 1913 rail
Windage and Elevation: 0.5 MOA per click
Brightness: 7 daylight settings, 1 auto-brightness setting, 4 night vision settings for enhanced reticle visibility across all tube generations
Power Source: 1 × CR123 battery
Programmable Sleep Mode: 10 min, 1 hour, 12 hours, or disabled with Shake-Awake technology
Battery Life: 1,000 hours at daylight setting 4
Operating Temperature: -40 degrees to 140 degrees (-40ºC to 60ºC)
