Eotech 516 feedback

[ggammell]

I'm looking for user feedback on recent production Eotech 516 optics. Are they suffering from the battery connection issues or other quality issues of older Eotechs or is that a thing of the past.

I'd like to keep this narrowed to the 516 only. Thanks

[Treehopr]

I have 2 516's. The first has been boringly reliable; the second was bought used for $250 on an internet forum.

The reticle would appear dimmer or brighter depending on what angle you looked in to the sight, I contacted Eotech and sent it in for repair.

They fixed it and shipped it back to me at no charge even though it was clearly out of warranty.

Very happy with both and would buy another for the right price.

[Hmac]

I've had a 516 for about 3 years, probably 3000 rounds. No issues.

[Wake27]

When I buy more EOTech's, they will all be either EXPS or XPS. They updated the design because that's what it took to solve the problem.

[Hmac]

They updated the design because that's what it took to solve the problem.

I don't know if that's true or not. I don't think it is.AFAIK, the original problem was the way the entry-level 512s were designed. They've since been redesigned and I'm not aware of battery contact issues in the versions they've been selling over the last few years.

I have that 516, a 557, and a couple of EXPS3's. They all work fine...no issues or problems.

[Wake27]

My understanding of it is that all of their models suffered from the battery disconnector issue because of the recoil and counter-recoil impulse that affected the batteries in line with the bore. The solution was the horizontal mounting that was much less subject to the firing process. My 553 recently had that exact problem.

[Hmac]

I agree that the battery contact issue becomes moot when the battery is mounted transversely, but the 512 and a couple of other linear-battery models are still in the Eotech lineup. Given the nature of M4C, I am absolutely confident that if failing battery contacts was still an issue, we'd be hearing about it. I think the EXPS series is a good optic but, even though you could say it's theoretically superior, I'm not certain that it's valid to say that they are necessarily functionally superior to the more recent versions of the inline battery models. I think that the battery contact issue that has in the past provided so much ammunition in the ongoing Eotech-Aimpoint wars is fixed.

Having said all of that, if I was going to buy another Eotech, it would be in the EXPS series.


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[ForTehNguyen]

My understanding of it is that all of their models suffered from the battery disconnector issue because of the recoil and counter-recoil impulse that affected the batteries in line with the bore. The solution was the horizontal mounting that was much less subject to the firing process. My 553 recently had that exact problem.

akalines leak and corrode the contacts. Use lithiums to fix this. They last longer and are slightly lighter

[Wake27]

akalines leak and corrode the contacts. Use lithiums to fix this. They last longer and are slightly lighter

I had been using lithiums. There was no leak or corrosion, the contact just came out with the batteries when I went to change them, just like with my 512. Granted these were both a few years old so I don't know how a recent production inline battery model will function. Either way, I prefer them greatly.

[Hmac]

alkaline battery leakage is a separate issue from the well-known battery contact issue that Eotech had in the past.