L3 maker of EOTech holographic sights pays big settlement to government for fraud.

[unclejumbo]

http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2...ech-for-fraud/

L3 Communications, the holding company that owns EOTech, is being sued by the United States Government for fraud. Their products were the subject of a recent SOCOM warning that the EOTech holographic sights experienced shifting zero across different temperature ranges, which was also a factor in Elite Defense, the international distributor for the sights, cutting ties with L3. SoldierSystems.net has more information on the lawsuit: - See more at: http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2....vcp33Bdc.dpuf

From what I've read, L3 already cut the check to settle. This disturbs me as the owner of two of them. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be a lot of information about how bad the weather extremes were that caused zero drift. I did read the heat was 122 degrees which is a car in summer. No idea about the cold and wet.

[sprrdhawk44]

Yeah, that's not cool. I've never had any issues with mine, but this stuff plants the seed of doubt in the back of your mind. If only aimpoint made an EoTech-style reticle.

[PAMedic=F|A=]

https://blog.full30.com/eotech-settl...-25-6-million/

For decades EOTech sights, which are manufactured by L-3 Communications Corp., have served our nations military and police. Civilians have also purchased hundreds of thousands of the popular sights for target shooting as well as for use on personal defense firearms. Many shooters prefer the large holographic screen to the smaller tube like sights such as those manufactured by Aimpoint.

Today L-3 Communications Corp. settled a lawsuit for $25.6 million that claimed they covered up test data which clearly indicated the sights weren’t as tough as many once believed. It turns out that the sights are prone to failure when the conditions are less than ideal. Sights like the Model 512 featured in this article were claimed to be impervious to temperatures ranging from -40 degree to +140 degrees and unfazed by humidity, moisture and shock.

For years you’ve heard me say I don’t care for the popular EOTech sights. I found the sights to be alarmingly frail as did USSOCOM when they issued their Safety of Use message that originated at the SOF Weapons Program Management Office at NSWC Crane. In my personal experience I’ve seen the sights lose zero, I’ve seen reticles fade or completely disappear, I’ve seen them shut down due to heat and I’ve seen them outright stop working without any obvious cause. Out of the (5) sights I’ve owned over the years, only one remains serviceable and that’s the one pictured here which still resides on my Kriss Vector.

MAC post on the Firing Line forums
A post I made on The Firing Line forums back in 2010 about an EOTech overheating.

Even my local Police Dept. has seen their EOTech sights fail, we just received a defective Model 511 on a T&E rifle they returned to my retail store, Copper Custom. They told us we could keep the sight… thanks guys!

I’m not sure what L-3 will do going forward. Will they redesign the once popular sight and try to breath new life into it? Or will they retire the brand, given the bad publicity, and come to market with something totally new?

EOTech 512 sight

Despite their bloodied nose, L-3 Communications’ stock was only down 1.1% in trading which may indicate there’s no immediate need to replace or repair the flagship of their optics line. I know from conversations around the gun counter that die-hard EOTech fans appear to be unconcerned about the problems and offer retorts such as, “I’ve had mine for years and it’s never failed me.” I’ve yet to see a rush to find replacements by EOTech owners as most seem content to keep using their sights until they fail them. Let’s just hope that any failures that might occur happen harmlessly on a square range.

As for me, my last remaining EOTech sight is forever relegated to plinking duty. All of my defensive rifles wear Aimpoint H1, T1 or T2 optics.

[pyld]

Was it specific lines? I thought the 512 had enough issues with the batteries and such that they did a redesign and that's what resulted in the XPS stuff.

I have aimpoints even though I prefer the Eotech reticle--always found the former on sale..... Better lucky than good, I suppose.

[chp1911]

Yeah, that's not cool. I've never had any issues with mine, but this stuff plants the seed of doubt in the back of your mind. If only aimpoint made an EoTech-style reticle.

Look at Meprolite's RDS. IDF had it built to their specs because they were not all that happy with the EOTech.

[Palerider]

If only aimpoint made an EoTech-style reticle.

Yes! I was torn between aimpoint with its low weight and long battery life vs EoTech reticle which my eye just seems to pick up faster. Went XPS 2. This news does plant the seed of doubt.

[wanneroo]

I think these days the expectation from the consumer or end user is everything is indestructible. These are optical units and they will only take so much.

Not to defend EOtech if they did a total scam on some testing or some other scheme and I don't know the whole story except for reading a few things on the internet, but like any piece of equipment it has to be looked after, maintained and checked.

From my experience with their products they work and do fine. For most citizen use they will never experience a harsh workout through all sorts of extremes.

[Solaran_X]

The 4-6 MOA shift is a result of extreme temperatures - and was observed at -40 and 122 degrees Fahrenheit. And honestly, if a 4-6 MOA shift at the ranges where one is typically using a reflex sight causes you to miss your target...you probably would've missed even if the optic was dead on. Especially with a 65 MOA circle present for rapid target acquisition at close ranges.

But this may allow me to pick up a EOTech 553.A65 and G33.STS in tan for really cheap...

[unclejumbo]

The 4-6 MOA shift is a result of extreme temperatures - and was observed at -40 and 122 degrees Fahrenheit. And honestly, if a 4-6 MOA shift at the ranges where one is typically using a reflex sight causes you to miss your target...you probably would've missed even if the optic was dead on. Especially with a 65 MOA circle present for rapid target acquisition at close ranges.

But this may allow me to pick up a EOTech 553.A65 and G33.STS in tan for really cheap...

I saw a Facebook post about an owner inquiring about a refund. Supposedly, L3 responded that the owner could return if for a full refund. Maybe they're trying to avoid a class action figuring most people won't bother. I haven't decided if I want to bother.

[aubie515]

I've never been an Eotech fan and I'm glad I went with Aimpoint. Eotech battery sucks and I don't like their reticle as it's blotchy. I did read on ARF a few days ago that L3 set aside 26 million, so they knew this was coming. Looks like L3 will just raise NV prices to pay for this lesson.