Ok. Confession time. In the street vernacular of the day, “I don’t fuck with Holosun”. It’s not that I dislike Holosun, or completely freak out since they are made in China. Admittedly I dislike they are made there, but if Holosun was the only game in town, I would use them. Much like the iPhone.
My issue goes way deeper than that.
The thing is, back in the day, I saw the red dot transition start with a few, dedicated, nerdy acolytes. Only to watch it grow into all the cool-kids must run red dots. But they made it cooler by using a tactical-military mnemonic: R…D…S
It’s all so, so, so cool. One day, it’ll have it’s own category at next year’s Oscars. (Sic)
But I’m old. And with age come experience. And experience breeds stories. And do I have a story to tell. At some point around maybe 2006-8 a group I used to work for noticed something. EoTech red dot sights would fail under heavy use. If 40 Eotechs showed up, anywhere between 3-10 would break.
Predictably even. How predictably? Staff would literally take private bets on how many EoTech’s would go down when groups would arrive running them. Typically a 4 day training rotation. Lots of rounds fired. Lots. Hot guns. Rain or shine. Endless recoil under those Eotechs. And fail they would: Shut down. Wandering zeros. Inability to zero. Physically breaking a part. You name it. We saw it. Often.
It got so bad, we wouldn’t allow them on company guns or offer technical support for Eotechs in any shape or fashion. Our policy was that sight is trash and the only fix we would tolerate is replacement with an Aimpoint. At the customer’s expense. That dinged a lot of egos.
But there was a problem: The internet. Specifically gun forums. That last refuge of talentless scoundrels who would rather commiserate with other losers then try to take ownership of their actual lack of skill. Word started getting out how aggressively down we were on Eotech and the internet warriors would literally call us out with pictures of CAG and PMC folks in Iraq running them in theater. The typical appeal to authority logical flaw would go as follows:
“If it’s good enough for Delta, it’s good enough for me.”
“I’ll trust US Army Special Forces over you any day.”
“Ha! Ha! Who are these losers?”
Never mind gun dudes on the internet can’t shoot well. And certainly don’t shoot much at all. But they all can recite stats, pictures, tropes, camo patterns and TOE’s of their favorite SF group. So in that arena, we lose. And Eotech won.
Until…about 10 years later, when the big Eotech-Shits-The-Bed scandal hit L3 in the face like Mike Tyson’s first day out of prison. Bad press was written. The government investigated. Certain individuals may have lost their jobs. EoTech issued recalls and L3 eventually washed their hands of the whole thing by selling off the entire business.
They made their money.
What does this have to do with Holosun and their green dot? Like I said in the beginning, I don’t fuck with Holosun. Not yet. Just because all the cool kids are starting to say they are “good to go”, tells me the brand is just now really, seriously being put through the ringer.
The cops I was with at NRA were interested in the green dot Holosun. So here you go. I’m just not about it yet. Hasn’t been long enough. How long is enough you ask?
I have an Aimpoint Micro H1 that could legally get a driver’s license in all 50 states. Never so much as a blip of problems out of it. That’s the difference between buying an optic and a consumer electronic: longevity.
Sincerely,
Marky
www.John1911.com
“Shooting Guns & Having Fun”
Areas of focus: Defense and National Security, Modern Light Weapons, Small Arms, Weapons Training.
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