Tag Archives: eotech

Putting Together an AR 15: My latest AR project

May 24, 2024blog, Product review, Shooting hardwareaero precision, ar15, eotech, fab defense, quattro-15coldboremiracle

Introduction

The AR 15 rifle has become the most popular rifle in America at this point. Countless configurations and options are available, but the reason the rifle is so popular is because of the massive aftermarket allowing customization. This has driven American gun owners wild as they can tinker and alter every aspect of their rifle. Today I am putting together an AR 15 of my own, and for fun I’ll bring you along for the ride.

Desert Tech Quattro 15 Eotech Vudu fab defense — Modern AR rifles have countless options

Often referred to as adult Legos, the AR 15 market has nearly too many options to discuss. Every aspect of the rifle has its own little niche market allowing you to change to your liking. The very basics consist of lower and upper receivers, a barrel, handguard, bolt carrier and gas system, trigger, grip, and buttstock.

But before I get into the particulars, it would be silly to start without a purpose in mind. If you plan to shoot 3-gun for example, you might build a different gun than someone looking for a fighting rifle. The rifle I’m putting together today is for general purposes, some sporting and always for fun.

desert tech Quattro-15, eotech Vudu, Aero Precision — the Aero Precision upper looks and functions very well

Parts Selection

I’ll start out with my parts list, because that is what makes a rifle. I took the easy way and got an Aero Precision complete upper, they are pre assembled and well known so it was an easy choice.

Aero Precision M4E1 upper receiver 16-inch 223 Wylde SS Hanson barrel
Desert Tech Quattro-15 ambi lower receiver
Trigger Tech AR trigger
FAB Gradus pistol grip
FAB Defense GL Core Impact buttstock
CMMG buffer tube assembly
Area 419 One -Piece scope mount
Eotech Vudu 1-8 LPVO rifle scope
Eotech EFLX Red Dot

Lower Receiver

With all my parts in one place, I started with putting all the lower receiver parts together. Adding takedown pins and detents can be a challenging process if you’ve never done it. My advice would be to get a couple extra springs and detents before you start.

Using the Quattro-15 lower would allow me to use either the standard 53-round magazines, or traditional twenty and thirty-round magazines. The Mil-spec receiver went together easily with my parts selection, and I really like the ambidextrous bolt-catch. The ambi mag release is nice too, though obviously I don’t need it.

Desert Tech Quattro-15 — the dual Eotech optics work great, read more about them here

Adding trigger, safety, and safety detent and pistol grip typically has to be done in sequence depending on your components. Often these parts interfere with each other, requiring them to be done in tandem. My Trigger Tech Trigger came with anti-walk pins that have screws on the end. Which made install a little more tedious, but allegedly they’ll be less problematic over time.

Buttstock

After trigger and safety, I tightened down the pistol grip carefully to get the safety detent right. Then moved to the buffer tube and then the stock. The FAB Defense stock came with several interesting options. It has an adjustable cheek piece that can be raised or lowered to fit you, but for this rifle I didn’t need it, so I was happy to see that it was also easily removed. Two sets of buffer tube guides came with the stock, one of them fit tighter than the other. I hate wobbly stocks so I was very pleased to see the option.

The GL Core Impact buttstock incorporates a shock absorbing feature using what appears to be an RC Car coil over shock. But in reality is simply a spring, it allows the stock to slip slightly back under recoil. And has three different adjustment settings.

Upper Receiver

Aero Precision’s M4E1 upper receiver was an easy choice to make, the 16-inch barrel and lightweight handguard fit in nicely to my plans for the rifle. The handguard is pretty large in diameter, but when paired with the high-capacity Quattro lower and magazines it fits very nicely. I’ll probably add an additional foregrip as well.

The 16-inch stainless Hanson barrel has a mid-length gas tube, and is threaded 1/2-28. I’ll remove the birdcage to run a suppressor because that’s how I shoot. The M-Lok handguard gives countless accessory mounting opportunities, having M-Lok slots on every angle and surface also reduces weight. Adding QD sling cups in several places also allows various sling configurations.

Shooting the rifle

With everything put together, all that was left was a test fire. Shooting some PMC Bronze 55 grain ammunition, I ran a few mags worth of ammo through the gun. As I had hoped, it ran flawlessly.

I added one of my suppressors to the rifle, a short one to reduce the size of the overall package. Using a traditional baffle-stack, the suppressor increased the backpressure of the rifle. While I didn’t find it to be a big deal, it was certainly noticeable.

The rifle shot very well, I was very pleased with the feel of the Trigger Tech. Making rapid follow up shots was incredibly fast because of the short reset. Even with 53 round magazines you can empty the gun quickly, though you will for sure have a tired finger when you’re done.

Accuracy from the Hanson stainless steel barrel was more than adequate for my purposes. I surely noticed that much of the rifles weight did come from the barrel. Anything from sport shooting on a steel target safari, to hunting the lightning quick jackrabbits in western deserts would be handily done with this rifle. I am quite sure I could get tighter groups out of the rifle with a different scope. But for my current purposes this works fine.

The dual Eotech optics on the rifle made for quick target acquisition and engagements, while also allowing much further shots with the 8x setting. Using heavier ammunition like Hornady 73 grain match would provide minute of groundhog accuracy even at distances like three and four-hundred yards.

Afterthoughts

One of the beauties of putting your own rifle together, is you can do it to your design. Changing parts out for something you like slightly better is what makes these rifles so appealing.

I’ve really liked the result of this combination of parts and sub-assemblies. The Aero Precision upper has worked out great, giving good accuracy and modularity. The finish and craftsmanship are great and match up perfectly to the Desert Tech Quattro lower. With the ability to run whichever magazine I need for any given purpose as well.

quattro 15 vudu banish suppressor — the rifle fitted with a **Silencer Central Banish Speed K suppressor**

Soaking up recoil is not a huge task on a 5.56 rifle, especially a larger one like this. The Fab Defense GL Core buttstock would shine even more on a 7.62 rifle, which could definitely use additional recoil mitigation.

It wouldn’t hurt my feelings to redo this rifle with a little less weight, but that’s the beauty of these guns. I can easily split it up and reassemble with lighter parts if needed.

So there you have it, go ahead and critique the way I did this rifle. Or if you like it, tell me why. I suppose in the meantime I’ll start rounding up the next batch of parts to try it again.

-CBM

Eotech Vudu 1-6

May 19, 2024Optics, Product revieweotech, lpvo, vudu, vudu 1-6coldboremiracle

Introduction

Low power variable optics are one of the fastest growing type of rifle scope, at least from my perspective. Carbine rifles setup for short to medium range shooting have become very popular, and these scopes are an excellent sight option for them. I’ve spent quite a bit of time shooting with a variety of different LPVO’s, but today I present to you another one; the Eotech Vudu 1-6×24.

Eotech Vudu 1-6x24 — Unboxing the Eotech Vudu 1-6×24

I’ve been able to use this scope on many different rifles, over the course of the last year or so. Which is nice because typically I don’t get such a long timeframe to review a product. This has given me the ability to get a better understanding of this scope.

I’ll share my experience with this rifle scope, and how it can fit into your collection.

The Eotech Vudu 1-6×24

Specifications

Let’s get into this little scope, starting with some specifications.

Length 10.6 inches
Weight 20.1 Ounces
Magnification 1-6X
Tube diameter 30mm
Objective Lens 24mm
Reticle SR1
Battery CR2032
Colors Black, FDE
Turret click value .2 MRAD
Turret rotation value 15 MRAD
Total Elevation travel 25 MRAD
Total Windage travel 23 MRAD
Focal Plane First focal plane (FFP)

Like most LPVO’s, the Vudu 1-6 features a 30mm tube and 24mm objective. This gives a good balance of light transmission and erector travel. It’s unlikely to need to adjust as much as 25 MRAD of elevation on an LPVO, but it’s nice to have the option if you need it.

I also have the slightly larger Eotech Vudu 1-8×24, you can go read up on that option when you are done here. As good as my experience has been with the 30mm Vudu LPVO’s, I’d really like to get my hands on their big brother the 34mm Vudu 1-10×28 FFP scope. It would fit in nicely on one of my 308 carbines I think, or perhaps one of my hunting rifles.

The compact size of these scopes make them ideal for duty on compact rifles. At just over ten-inches, this Vudu doesn’t add too much bulk to your rifle. And at twenty-ounces it may not be the lightest 1-6 out there, but it’s not the heaviest either.

Features

As a first focal plane rifle scope, the Vudu reticle changes size depending on the magnification setting. This can be very useful for some scenarios, especially for a medium range rifle. At 1x for up close shooting the smaller details of the reticle are un-noticeable. And you can use the circle to bracket your target rapidly while squeezing the trigger.

When zoomed in to 6x, the circle is outside your field of view. The fine details of the crosshair and holdover points are now quite visible and useful should you need to make a more refined hold. The reticle is illuminated green, and uses a friendly pushbutton control vs. the standard rotating rheostat turret.

The turrets on this little Eotech are not capped, allowing on the fly adjustments if needed. They are easily re-zeroed once the rifle has been sighted in. As well they have easily read markings to make your corrections.

Adjusting the magnification on the scope is done by turning the ocular housing. Eotech was kind enough to add in a threaded throw-lever to make it even easier to adjust.

The high-quality Japanese manufactured lenses made the image seen through the Vudu very bright. This has been my experience with various Vudu rifle scopes, a very pleasing image with impressive clarity and detail.

Desert Tech wlvrn bullpup 20-inch 223 wilde eotech vudu — The Vudu 1-6 mounted on a **Desert Tech WLVRN**

On the Range with the Eotech 1-6×24

After mounting the Vudu 1-6 in a pretty standard cantilever mount, it was easy to swap back and forth between various rifles for testing. And the easily adjustable turrets made it easy to quickly re-zero.

Shooting up close on 1x and both eyes open was nice. This is one of the reasons I find LPVO’s so handy, it’s just like shooting with a red dot almost. You can simply look at the target, and bring the rifle up until you see the bright green circle around your target.

Adjusting the settings of the illuminated reticle is very easy. There are three push-buttons, one to turn on the reticle, and two more to adjust brighter or dimmer. This made bracketing the targets very easy in low light conditions and crummy weather. Speaking on weather, I got to use the Vudu in some poor conditions, and the lenses stayed clear and didn’t fog up. Another nice feature of a good scope.

While shooting I found the eye relief pretty forgivable, it seemed every time I shouldered a rifle I could see well through the scope. Like any scope, it does vary a little bit with magnification but it was never difficult to get a quick sight picture.

Controls

I’m usually not one to rapidly change magnification while transitioning between targets. The included throw-lever does make it easy to do though. And while six power isn’t exactly high magnification, it is very useful to zoom in on a target two or three-hundred yards away and be able to accurately hit these more challenging targets.

The SR1 reticle was precise enough for carbine work. By that I mean it may not be great for shooting 1/2 MOA groups at long-range. But it is more than precise enough to make accurate shots on ten-inch targets at medium ranges like two to four hundred yards. The subtensions of the reticle also allow hold overs for distances as far as six-hundred yards at my density altitude.

eotech Vudu 1-6 SR1 reticle — the SR1 reticle as seen at 6X 100yds and at 1X

Most LPVO scopes have a set parallax, usually at an optimum use distance like 75 to 100 yards. That seemed to be the case with this Vudu as well. I didn’t do much of what I would consider long-range shooting with it, but the shooting that was done didn’t seem to have an issue with parallax.

Pros & Cons

Pros

Having spent nearly a year shooting with the Eotech Vudu 1-6, and about the same time with the 1-8 model I’ve been able to formulate a pretty good opinion. As mentioned I’ve used quite a few other comparable optics from other manufacturers like US Optics, Vortex Optics and others. And I’m judging the Vudu against the competition which can be pretty cutthroat.

The Vudu LPVO’s definitely have an advantage when it comes to optical quality. The lens coatings and quality are apparent by the beautiful image presented every time. I expect that a good portion of the cost of the Vudu scopes is due to the lens quality.

The controls of the Vudu scope are very intuitive, and easy to operate. But most scopes are like that, I’d say the Vudu gets extra points because it looks good and is well built at the same time. Crisp feeling turrets are matched by a useful reticle that isn’t taxed with too many heavy features that inhibit viewing.

Eotech Vudu 1-6x24, IWI Galil ACE — The Vudu mounted to the **IWI Galil ACE**

Cons

I really had a hard time coming up with something to dislike about the Eotech Vudu 1-6. The functionality was fantastic, as was the optical quality. So if I had to say something negative about this scope it could only really be about the price.

With a street price around $1200 it’s not exactly easy for a lot of gun owners to justify. There are many comparable optics in the five to nine-hundred dollar range, and while they might do the job for you just as well, they don’t have that little exceptional edge.

To be fair to the Vudu, most of the Chinese and Taiwan made optics are hardly in the same league. But let’s be honest, a lot of people are going to opt for the six-hundred or less priced scopes. But much like a professional shooter, I wouldn’t trade my Vudu for one of them, or even two of the others for that matter. And when compared to the high end optics the Vudu is actually pretty affordable.

desert tech WLVRN 5.56 nato suppressed — Another shot of the Vudu mounted to the WLVRN, read about the rifle here

Final thoughts

If you are looking for a high quality LPVO for you next rifle, this Vudu 1-6 is a great little scope to consider. Whether it be for your fighting carbine or for your next pig sticker, the Vudu bring some great qualities. The FFP reticle is great for short and medium range engagements, the exposed turrets allow quick adjustments for other shooting needs.

Other things like the throw lever and push button illumination are nice for rapid changes during your shooting regimen. And while its not exactly an entry level scope when it comes to price, it’s not out of reach. Making the Vudu scope an excellent choice if you want better than most options without blowing your whole budget on your scope.

-CBM

EOTECH EFLX Red Dot

December 18, 2023Optics, Product revieweflx, eotech, opticcoldboremiracle

Introduction

Shooting with red dots has dramatically increased my desire to shoot pistols. Judge me if you must, but I claim no purity as a pistol shooter.

I have been increasing my collection to include quite a variety of red dots from various manufacturers, so when given the opportunity to test the new EFLX from EOTECH, I was eager to volunteer.

It would be hard to discuss weapon sights without mentioning EOTECH. The US manufacturer has been in the business for nearly two decades and is famous for its holographic sights.

Now that it offers the EFLX in the same footprint (DeltaPoint Pro) as many other popular optics on the market, it’s time we see if it’s just another run-of-the-mill optic or a game changer.

Specifications

Magnification	1X
Dot Size	3 MOA (also available in 6 MOA)
Adjustment value	1MOA per click
Dimensions	1.9 x 1.2 x 1.0 inches
Brightness settings	Eight daytime settings, one night vision setting
Auto-Shutdown	User controlled 12-hour
Battery	Top Loading CR2032
Battery Life	25,000 hrs at setting 5
Footprint	DeltaPoint Pro
Weight	1.4 ounces

Pros & Cons

Pros

Rapid target acquisition
Large window
Tactile control pad
Aluminum housing
Auto-shutoff/always on
NV compatible
Popular DeltaPoint Pro footprint
It says EOTECH on it…good for all the fanboys
A variety of mounting accessories are included

Cons

Contains products known to the state of California to cause cancer
Open emitter (I had to dig really deep for that one)

Unboxing & First Impressions

Opening the sturdy case, I found everything I needed to mount the EFLX to my chosen pistol: my Shadow Systems DR920. It almost seems a shame that it comes in such excellent packaging because I will likely never use it again. But that’s just me.

The hard case with a custom foam insert is a nice touch.

The screw assortment and included tools allowed me to get the red dot mounted and zeroed quickly, and the thin base of the EFLX allowed me to continue using the fixed sights on the pistol, which is a plus.

The sights are still usable, thanks to the low deck height of the EFLX.

Like all red dots, the EFLX presents a red aiming dot in the window of your sight picture. This allows the shooter to keep their focus on the target rather than the sights and simply bring the aiming dot onto the target.

I quickly found the large window of the EFLX to give a more forgiving area with which to aim.

In the short time I’ve been shooting with the EFLX, I’ve really grown to love the large sight window. And in fact, there are very few things about it I don’t like.

Features

The EFLX boasts many features that I’ll get into below, but one often-overlooked bonus is the top-loading battery. It operates on a single CR2023 lithium battery and has two buttons to adjust the brightness.

It’s a small but useful feature. Now, let’s look at some of the other features.

Auto-Shutdown Control

To save battery life, the EFLX has an auto-shutdown function that will cause the unit to shut down after 12 hours.

This feature is easily activated or deactivated by using one of the two buttons to turn on the unit. Enabling the power using the down button will start the 12-hour shutdown while powering it up with the up button will cause it to stay on until manually shutdown.

Deltapoint Pro Footprint

Many of the best red dots out there have a Deltapoint Pro footprint option. This makes it more universally adopted by shooters, as it fits a wide variety of firearms and mounting systems.

Always ensure you have a compatible mounting area before ordering any red dot.

Large Sight Window

As I mentioned before, I love the large sight window on the EFLX. If you are used to red dots like the Shield or the Holosun 407, you will find this to be significantly bigger.

On the other hand, if you are used to the Trijicon SRO or the Deltapoint Pro, it may seem pretty standard.

The large window made acquiring my target(s) very easy.

Score Card

Reliability (9/10)

Carrying this pistol for several weeks with the EFLX installed has resulted in no issues. It’s been in below-freezing and humid conditions for extended periods with no problem.

It fits great in the holster, and when I leave it on, it’s always there glowing when I need it.

Ergonomics (9/10)

The EFLX has simple and easy-to-understand controls.

Customization (8/10)

The auto-shutoff feature is nice, as are the varied mounting screw sets included.

Appearance (9/10)

It’s an EOTECH, so it gets points for its traditionally good looks. I think the EFLX is a handsome addition to any weapon.

Value (8/10)

There is a lot of competition in the red dot market, meaning plenty of more affordable options exist.

That said, the EFLX isn’t a bad purchase compared to its competition. But you can find less expensive optics with similar quality and functions.

I also used the EFLX on the Smith and Wesson M&P 9 2.0 10MM

Conclusion

While red dot sights are pretty simple devices, the EOTECH EFLX seems to have everything you could want in one.

It does everything I hoped it would, and it looks sexy while doing it. It has kept its zero, stayed on or off the way I wanted it to, and has withstood extreme conditions.

On top of it all, with the EOTECH name behind it, you can count on first-class service if you ever need it.

You can’t go wrong by adding another red dot to your collection, and there is no reason I wouldn’t recommend this particular one. If you have the money to spend, get your own ELFX to test out for yourself.

-CBM

For more reviews like this one read my stuff on Gunmade.com

Eotech Vudu 1-8×24 Review

March 17, 2023Optics, Product revieweotech, lpvo, vudu, vudu 1-8coldboremiracle

INTRODUCTION

For the better part of the last twenty years, you could hardly talk about tactical weapon sights with EOtech coming up.

The brand has grown quickly to become an industry stalwart. In much more recent times, the company has released its own line of optical rifle scopes under the Vudu brand.

Today we will look at a model from the Vudu line, the EOTech Vudu 1-8X24 precision rifle scope. This model features a thirty-millimeter tube and the typical twenty-four millimeter ocular lens.

Variable power swings between one and eight times magnification with the reticle in the second focal plane. The reticle itself is the HC3, which features an illuminated center dot and several hold-over points for shooting further distances. The capped turrets are graduated in quarter minutes of angle adjustments.

Low Power Variable Optics (LPVOs) have become increasingly more popular for modern sporting rifles and tactical-style rifles. When rapidly engaging targets at dangerously close distances, a rifle scope can be extremely valuable over red dots or holographic sights, particularly if those targets could range from fifty to three hundred yards away.

Shop EOtech optics

LPVO’s have become a valued option for that kind of shooting scenario, and our subject today appears to fit that purpose quite well.

I enjoy shooting sports a great deal and have spent a good deal of time behind many riflescopes. I was thrilled to see how the Vudu scope would perform. I am a total fanboy for quality rifle scopes, and if this Vudu lived up to my expectations, I couldn’t wait to add it to my collection.

After unboxing the Vudu and playing around with it in just a few minutes, it has already got me excited to shoot with it.

VUDU 1-8×24 PRECISION RIFLE SCOPE REVIEW

The LPVO market has become quite crowded over the past ten or so years, so I was curious to see what Vudu had to offer that others weren’t already selling. We’ve heard good stories about optical quality, and so far, glancing over the features, it appears to tick all the boxes I want in an LPVO. So I wasted no time getting the Vudu mounted and ready for the range.

With a market this crowded there is undoubtedly room for quality optics at every price and quality point. There are inexpensive LPVOs in the three to five-hundred range, and even more at the thousand dollar price point. Even at the fourteen to fifteen-hundred price point, there is still a lot of competition.

The Vudu mounted to one of my **Aero Precision uppers**

Eotech’s Vudu fits right into that area for those who can’t or won’t jump to the two-thousand-dollar-plus price range. Nevertheless it is still a great place to select a high-quality and well-performing LPVO. A good scope like this deserves a good mount that will allow proper positioning on the rifle, so make sure you research before mounting your scope.

Let’s Shoot

Keeping all that in mind, I set out to shoot a selection of different scenarios using the Vudu.

Varying shots from near to far and using both the variable power of the scope and the holdover points on the reticle. The one to eight-power magnification gives a great deal of versatility for a wide field of view on close-up shots with both eyes open.

And it also allows you to zoom it into eight power to take more precise shots at targets further out. Depending on your activity I have found eight power suitable for shots as far as one thousand yards at times. So with a great deal of space at my disposal, I prepared to give the Vudu a good workout.

SPECIFICATIONS

Tube	30 mm
Length	10.9 inches
Weight	20.8 ounces
Magnification	1-8x
Objective lens	24 mm
Reticle	HC3
Illumination	Green center dot
Battery	CR2032
Elevation travel	100 MOA @.25 per click

PROS & CONS

PROS

High quality Japanese optical lenses
Capped hand-adjustable turrets
Illuminated reticle
Push-button illumination change
Throw lever included
Hold-over HC3 reticle

CONS

Wish it was the 1-10
Would like a little more reticle detail
Would also like an MRAD option

My **Desert Tech MDRX** with the EOtech Vudu, and **YHM Turbo suppressor**

RANGE TESTING

We had a hard time coming up with cons for the Vudu, as you might have noticed. It looks like I will have to get my hands on their 1-10×28 model as well, as it fits my wishes to a T.

Getting the Vudu on the range was my priority now. I mounted it up to one of my favorite carbines, my Desert Tech MDRX. I do a LOT of shooting with this rifle, so it seemed an excellent fit to compare to a bunch of other LPVOs I have run on the rifle over the years.

With the Vudu in a cantilevered mount, I installed it on the pic rail of the rifle at the proper distance for good eye relief. It felt right at home there, so I grabbed some ammunition and headed out the door.

Upon arrival at my spot, I set the rifle on a bipod and did a quick boresight job to ensure it would be on paper. After just a few shots, it was zeroed.

Typically I zero my rifles at one hundred yards, mainly because that’s where I do a lot of shooting. It would also make sense to zero a scope like this at seventy-five or fifty yards. It depends entirely on your shooting activities.

After zeroing the scope, I started with some quick transitional shooting between a couple of different targets. The straight one-power allows you to shoot with both eyes open, something I appreciate very much. I also really like the bright green dot in the reticle. It allows the scope to be used almost like a red dot sight.

Shop LPVO’s from Scopelist.com

Shooting with the Vudu 1-8X24

Push-button on and off makes it much easier to power up than the typical rotational rheostats. Added simplicity like push buttons to increase or decrease brightness are also convenient and easily understood when you’re moving fast.

For shooting IPSC-sized targets from standing and improvised positions, I found that zooming the scope in a few X’s was helpful. I had several targets between fifty and one-hundred-fifty yards. The two to three power settings helped get those targets bracketed and shot.

This rifle is very handy for shots out to five or six hundred yards and even twice that when I switch out barrels for another caliber.

So I wanted to see how targets looked through the Vudu at much further distances. I couldn’t find any information on the parallax setting for this Vudu, but I assumed it is likely at a hundred yards like many others. Not a huge deal but something you should know.

Checking the estimated drop for my 223 ammunition at four hundred yards, I held about twelve MOA.

Conveniently for me, the Vudu’s HC3 reticle has holdovers for 2, 5, 8.5, and 12.5 MOA. So my holdover for the four hundred-yard shot was pretty easy to line up. Holding into the breeze a little bit resulted in a perfect hit. I watched the bullet splash through the eight-power with great clarity and definition.

RELIABILITY

Over the course of several days the Vudu 1-8×24 worked great for me. Through all my zooming in and out, as well as dialing the scope all over, it never lost zero or gave me any grief.

Looking at the small scope size makes me think it is less likely to get smacked around like full-sized scopes often do. But I see no reason why this scope wouldn’t live up to EOTech’s famously robust no-BS warranty.

ACCURACY

Accuracy of a riflescope is mainly based on its ability to hold proper zero and track well in its internal movement. Precision shooters like to measure these movements by bolting the scope down and seeing if it actually moves the amount it says.

In my testing, the Vudu 1-8×24 was as accurate as I could have hoped, with precise corrections and matching the reticle values.

OVERALL FEEL

Outstanding is one way to describe the Vudu, I like the texturing on the grip areas, and the included throw-lever is very handy, especially in the cold.

Clear optics and rubberized push-button controls make it look and feel outstanding. Gripping the large turrets are easily adjusted with gloves on, as are the other controls. Eotech Vudu 1-8x24, Area 419 scope mount

FEATURES

THROW LEVER

Included with the Vudu comes is a thread-in throw lever or cat-tail, as some call it. Ideally its to give additional purchase to adjust the magnification of the optic, as gripping the ocular housing from some positions can be challenging. Using the throw lever gives a better ability to pivot the input force as the housing rotates in many shooting positions.

ILLUMINATION

This Vudu features an illuminated green dot at the center of the reticle. It is powered by a battery housed in the left-hand turret.

There are three buttons on that turret at the twelve, three, and nine o’clock positions. The top button is the on/off switch; the other two buttons are for increasing or decreasing the brightness level of the dot.

Shooters will really like this ability to quickly turn the reticle on or off without having to rotate the turret, particularly those that don’t have off settings in between brightness settings. And it is easy to adjust the brightness from the shooting position using the buttons.

20 MOA TURRETS

Twenty MOA turrets on the Vudu allow for a good deal of corrective adjustment. In the event that you need to adjust for elevation at further distances, the turrets allow for precise adjustment in ¼ MOA increments.

HOW WE TESTED

We ran the Vudu 1-8 through a whole bunch of shooting at my range. Fast shooting between target transitions as well as slow fire at much further targets, was a great way to get familiarized with the Vudu and its weak spots.

One of the only things I might have found as far as weakness was that at 1X, there is a tiny bit of deformation around the circumference of the image. This is not uncommon in my experience, nor is it a huge deal. It didn’t affect my ability to see and hit my targets.

We also noticed at some of the higher power settings that the eye relief seems a little touchier than I would have wanted; again not a big deal but something I did notice.

Hold-over points on the reticle were quite handy, though if you were going to do more medium to long-range shooting, you would likely want more points. Luckily, Vudu makes another scope for those who are looking for just that.

As it is, this scope makes a great choice for fifty to four-hundred-yard shooting. And when doing up-close shooting, I ran the scope on 1X with the dot turned all the way up and used it just like a red dot.

As I typically do with most optics I test, I also ran the turrets and reticle against a yardstick to see how well and accurately the erector tracks. Most of the time, they are all pretty close to their advertised graduations, and the Vudu 1-8×24 was one of those.

SCORE CARD

RELIABILITY (9/10)

The Vudu 1-8×24 functioned flawlessly for me during my testing. Surely this hasn’t been long enough to truly test its abilities, but only time will tell how that plays out. Follow me to see how the Vudu does over time.

OPTICAL QUALITY (8/10)

Optical quality of the Vudu was great. There was a tiny bit of optical aberration around the edges at 1X. Still, it was certainly something I could live with.

Clarity of targets was superb, and it performed well for my eyes even at low light near dusk. I won’t lie and say that I haven’t seen better, but I think the Vudu is right in line with its best competitors for this price.

FEATURES (7/10)

Things like illuminated reticle and throw lever were nice things to have when I opened the box, but I was kind of hopeful that Vudu would have brought just a little something extra to the game.

Longer-range shooters would have liked a slightly more detailed reticle option and an MRAD option. Of course, more options like these would only add to the Vudu line.

VALUE (8/10)

The Vudu brings a significant level of performance and quality for its price point. Competitors in the comparable price range make it a very challenging market. You could almost select based on pure appearance and still get a great scope.

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CONCLUSION

EOTech Vudu 1-8x24 Review mounted on desert tech mdrx on bench

If you are looking for a quality rifle scope to use on your short to medium-range carbine. This EOTech Vudu 1-8×24 is a great choice that will allow you to use your rifle to its full capability. That also allows you to see clearly what you are shooting at and look good simultaneously.

Eotech’s Vudu does what a good LPVO should. It gives you the ease of a red dot or holographic sight up close while leaving you options for magnifying those targets further out. And it comes with the necessary tools to engage those targets if you wish to.

I am really looking forward to shooting more with this scope. I’ll leave it on my MDRX for now unless I find a better home for it. No doubt, I will use it extensively for shooting and hunting this spring.

-CBM