VolCrew
New member
Rockinbar and others have told us about the effectiveness of the EoTech holographic gun sight. This post is to tell you about a recent experience I had with my 555.
The 555 is similar to the 512 model. It is AA-powered with a center dot and 65 moa circle and is also NV capable. Additionally, the 555 comes with an ARMS mount with lever arms for the flat top (Those of you familiar with LaRue mounts may have heard of Mark’s ARMS challenge. But since this ARMS was supplied by EoTech, I can’t break the throw levers just to get a LaRue mount!). All models are parallax-free; it doesn’t matter if the hologram is centered as long as it is on the target. It is a fast gun sight for my R-15 CS carbine.
Last Monday I gathered up all my kit plus the dog and her kit plus my big digital camera kit to do some calling. It was in the 40s, sunny and really a great day to be afield. I was really looking forward to shooting a coyote and taking some pictures to share here.
After the 1.5 hr drive to the ranch, I parked and we made our way to where I wanted to set up. I set out the call and loaded the R-15. I sat down with the dog, turned on the EoTech and noticed it looked a little dim. No problem, I thought; I carry a spare AA 8-pack for the call. Removed gloves, batteries, opened new pack and popped in a couple. No hologram. Zip, nada, nothing. More batteries – same result.
I walked back and turned the VolCrew-mobile inside out, turning up one 9v and two 6v lantern batteries in the process. At this point, I really thought I had a battery problem. After trudging back to the stand, I picked up all the gear and loaded up the truck.
There is a little town called Benavides about 5 miles away so I drove out to buy batteries at the largest retailer in town, the Citgo Kwik Pantry. There I paid dearly for a AA two pack which also failed to produce a hologram.
At this point, I no longer believed I had a battery problem (duh!) and was thinking that the operator had made some mistake with the controls (by this time, I’m sure there are some EoTech savvy users that know where this is going, but let’s not spoil the suspense). I had cell service at the Citgo so I called my son and he looked up the instruction sheet pdf on the internet. I thought I might have it stuck in NV mode which would render the reticle invisible to the naked eye in daylight. After reviewing the documentation, we decided that I was using the controls properly.
I drove back to the ranch and finished my chores, ran a box through Elsie Pea and drove back home very disappointed in how the day had turned out.
Back home Tuesday I called EoTech, Mike was not there so I called Dan and told my tale of woe. Of course, he immediately knew what I had done and talked me through the troubleshooting.
“Do you have the sight with you now?”
“Yes,” I replied.
“Open the battery compartment and tell me what you see.”
“A dog-bone connector.”
“There aren't any springs?”
“No, sir.”
“Sometime they stick to the batteries when you remove the batteries and then they fall off and you don't even notice it.”
My response is omitted to keep a G-rating on this post.
So there you have it. I was all excited, the dog was excited and when I dumped out the batteries, I didn't notice I lost the springs that keep the batteries in contact with the electronics.
Now here is the rest of the story.
Dan went on: “No problem. I have a free kit here I will get out to you.” I wondered what the kit would be: two new springs?
The kit arrived today (Saturday). It had been postmarked Wednesday.
The kit consisted of a rubber figure eight with a new spring in the middle of each side accompanied by two pages of instructions. It is essentially a spring holder that prevents the springs from falling out. Great! I can never lose my springs again. To install, the rubber spring holder is pressed into the battery compartment. It is a very snug fit and makes for a very simple fix.
I was so excited to try it, I forgot to take a picture of it before I installed it. However, I have scanned and attached the instructions below so you can get a better understanding (Fig. 4 shows it).
I was very happy with EoTech’s response. The website has the support number and then Mike’s voice mail directed me to Dan’s number. The whole deal was done in less than five minutes.
I’m also glad they have recognized the spring’s susceptibility to loss and have a retrofit kit available. I think it would be a good idea to request this kit even if you have not suffered through my experience.
The 555 is similar to the 512 model. It is AA-powered with a center dot and 65 moa circle and is also NV capable. Additionally, the 555 comes with an ARMS mount with lever arms for the flat top (Those of you familiar with LaRue mounts may have heard of Mark’s ARMS challenge. But since this ARMS was supplied by EoTech, I can’t break the throw levers just to get a LaRue mount!). All models are parallax-free; it doesn’t matter if the hologram is centered as long as it is on the target. It is a fast gun sight for my R-15 CS carbine.
Last Monday I gathered up all my kit plus the dog and her kit plus my big digital camera kit to do some calling. It was in the 40s, sunny and really a great day to be afield. I was really looking forward to shooting a coyote and taking some pictures to share here.
After the 1.5 hr drive to the ranch, I parked and we made our way to where I wanted to set up. I set out the call and loaded the R-15. I sat down with the dog, turned on the EoTech and noticed it looked a little dim. No problem, I thought; I carry a spare AA 8-pack for the call. Removed gloves, batteries, opened new pack and popped in a couple. No hologram. Zip, nada, nothing. More batteries – same result.
I walked back and turned the VolCrew-mobile inside out, turning up one 9v and two 6v lantern batteries in the process. At this point, I really thought I had a battery problem. After trudging back to the stand, I picked up all the gear and loaded up the truck.
There is a little town called Benavides about 5 miles away so I drove out to buy batteries at the largest retailer in town, the Citgo Kwik Pantry. There I paid dearly for a AA two pack which also failed to produce a hologram.
At this point, I no longer believed I had a battery problem (duh!) and was thinking that the operator had made some mistake with the controls (by this time, I’m sure there are some EoTech savvy users that know where this is going, but let’s not spoil the suspense). I had cell service at the Citgo so I called my son and he looked up the instruction sheet pdf on the internet. I thought I might have it stuck in NV mode which would render the reticle invisible to the naked eye in daylight. After reviewing the documentation, we decided that I was using the controls properly.
I drove back to the ranch and finished my chores, ran a box through Elsie Pea and drove back home very disappointed in how the day had turned out.
Back home Tuesday I called EoTech, Mike was not there so I called Dan and told my tale of woe. Of course, he immediately knew what I had done and talked me through the troubleshooting.
“Do you have the sight with you now?”
“Yes,” I replied.
“Open the battery compartment and tell me what you see.”
“A dog-bone connector.”
“There aren't any springs?”
“No, sir.”
“Sometime they stick to the batteries when you remove the batteries and then they fall off and you don't even notice it.”
My response is omitted to keep a G-rating on this post.
So there you have it. I was all excited, the dog was excited and when I dumped out the batteries, I didn't notice I lost the springs that keep the batteries in contact with the electronics.
Now here is the rest of the story.
Dan went on: “No problem. I have a free kit here I will get out to you.” I wondered what the kit would be: two new springs?
The kit arrived today (Saturday). It had been postmarked Wednesday.
The kit consisted of a rubber figure eight with a new spring in the middle of each side accompanied by two pages of instructions. It is essentially a spring holder that prevents the springs from falling out. Great! I can never lose my springs again. To install, the rubber spring holder is pressed into the battery compartment. It is a very snug fit and makes for a very simple fix.
I was so excited to try it, I forgot to take a picture of it before I installed it. However, I have scanned and attached the instructions below so you can get a better understanding (Fig. 4 shows it).
I was very happy with EoTech’s response. The website has the support number and then Mike’s voice mail directed me to Dan’s number. The whole deal was done in less than five minutes.
I’m also glad they have recognized the spring’s susceptibility to loss and have a retrofit kit available. I think it would be a good idea to request this kit even if you have not suffered through my experience.
