Dirt Cheap EOTech Replica!

The usefulness of a red dot scope on a paintball gun is disputed, as paintballs tend to drop quickly after being fired. Any optic intended for straight-line fire doesn't do much good. Still, MilSim is all about the LOOK, which makes red dot sights a hot item. The EOTech 552 holographic sight is one that most MilSim players would love to get their hands on, as it's loaded with features, and also looks pretty mean!

The main obstacle to owning one is PRICE. A bonafide 552 can cost $500 CDN and up, and it's overkill anyway for the reasons stated above. Most of the replicas selling on eBay can run well over $100 CDN. About the cheapest I've seen it sold for in Canada is at Tactical-Mod, at $69.99 plus tax. With the cost being this high, most players who want a red dot on their markers usually settle for a cheap NcStar open sight from eBay, or even a Crossman red dot scope from Crappy Tire (both around $40 CDN).

A few weeks ago I came across an EOTech replica sight on the web site of Hong Kong e-tailer Deal Extreme, for only about $37 USD shipped (that's about $41 CDN as I write this).  Now I'm the type who likes to "dress up" his MilSim marker, and put all sorts of cool-looking accessories on it for no reason in particular (and I know most Milsim players feel the same way - just admit it already). At that price, there was no way I could pass it up. In the order went, and about 2 weeks later I was the proud owner of another gadget to make my marker look badass.

First impressions: On the outside it's almost identical to a real EOTech 552, right down to the stickers and branding on the sides.

The buttons on the rear of the unit are also identical:

The piece itself feels solid and well-made. There are screws on the side to adjust for elevation and windage (and they DO work, despite some of the reviews on Deal Extreme). It mounted easily on the Picatinny rails on my Pruject Salvo, and with a riser I can sight through it while wearing any of my paintball masks. On that note though, be warned that like most replicas, the parallax correction is a little off. What this means is that if you're not looking into the sight from directly behind it, the targeting reticle may "float" off the target a bit. A real EOTech doesn't have this problem, as it uses a laser to paint the reticle (the replicas all use a small built-in LED, which isn't as exact). Again, as a sight for lobbing paintballs at typical ranges in paintball games, it's not really an issue. Just don't buy this intending to use it on a real firearm that your life may depend on!

Now to show you how it looks mounted (I know the EOTech should ideally be mounted a little further ahead on the gun, but I had to keep it near the back to make room for the feedneck and Tacamo Arc Loader):