The G45 and G43 (not the Glocks) are the latest in red dot and holographic optical enhancement magnifiers from arguably the guys who made the best/clearest 3x. Magnifiers are a love them/hate them type addition in many instances. Due to the nature of the focal planes and image gathering they have to work with they tend to have short eye relief. But the ability to slide a magnifier into position for zeroing, refinement, or longer shots are all fantastic benefits.
Here is EOTech’s release:
Ann Arbor, MI (November 20, 2020) Reach out and touch something with a rugged and performance driven EOTECH® Magnifier. Providing a perfect match for an EOTECH Holographic Weapon Sight (HWS), the G43 or G45 Magnifiers transforms them into a lethal, medium-range optic.
New in 2020, the G45 5X Magnifier has similar weight and dimensions as the existing G33 Magnifier, but with an additional 2X magnification for precision aiming at greater distances. The Shift-To-Side (STS) mount provides fast transitioning from 5X to 1X and the optic offers tool-free vertical and horizontal adjustments with a large field-of-view. The G45 works with all EOTECH HWS models and other red dots offering co-witness or lower 1/3 co-witness heights.
The G43 magnifier is a miniaturized version of EOTECH’s battle tested G33, making it one of the most compact and lightweight magnifiers on the market today. Like the G45, the G43 is wrapped in a ruggedized rubber overmold for added durability and includes a 7mm spacer for different height configurations.
“A significant advantage is gained when using a magnifier behind a holographic sight. Because the HWS is powered by a laser diode, and not an LED, the dot size stays 1MOA, with the magnifier in place, while the target gets 3-5 times bigger.” Said Mark Miller, EOTECH Product Manager. “When using a magnifier behind an LED red dot, the dot size grows at the same rate as the target, so no increased precision is recognized.”
Both the G43 and G45 are backed by EOTECH’s Prestige Warranty that guarantees every product to be free from manufacturing defects in material and workmanship under normal use for a period of ten (10) years from the manufacturer’s date or customer’s proof of purchase.
Technical Specifications G45.STS
- Fixed Magnification: 5X
- Eye Relief: 2.6″ (67 mm)
- Field of View: 4.4°
- Length: 3.9″
- Width: 2.3″
- Height: 3.3″
- Features: Fog resistant; comes with quick-detach mount.
- MSRP: $669
Technical Specifications G43.STS
- Magnification: 3X
- Eye Relief: 2.5″ (64 mm)
- Field of View: 7.5°
- Length: 3.1″
- Width: 2.3″
- Height: 3.3″
- Features: Fog resistant; comes with quick-detach mount.
- MSRP: $629
About EOTECH®
Headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan, EOTECH designs, manufactures and markets electro-optical products, Vudu rifle optics, thermal devices, and night vision systems. Due to its advanced technology, EOTECH Holographic Weapon Sights (HWS) are among the fastest and most intuitive sighting systems on the planet. This is exactly why you’ll find them on the weapons of America’s most elite law enforcement professionals and special operations warriors. You’ll immediately see the advantage the instant you engage a target. www.eotechinc.com
About this paragraph though…
“A significant advantage is gained when using a magnifier behind a holographic sight. Because the HWS is powered by a laser diode, and not an LED, the dot size stays 1MOA, with the magnifier in place, while the target gets 3-5 times bigger.” Said Mark Miller, EOTECH Product Manager. “When using a magnifier behind an LED red dot, the dot size grows at the same rate as the target, so no increased precision is recognized.”
This is what we call “clever marketing”. The implied meaning is that the EOTech’s dot gets more precise when magnified. That isn’t what is said though. It is stated that the dot “remains 1 MOA” which is the most precise red dot point commercially, EOTech by default is the more precise aiming point and the hologram makes it nearly parallax free. They didn’t say the dot doesn’t get bigger, they say the dot remains 1 MOA, but as we know from how front focal plane systems work (which is what a RDS/Holo and magnifier set up is emulating) the reticle scales with the target image to remain 1 MOA.
The implied meaning, without lying, is that the red dot LED optics will bloom when magnified, and this is true to a degree. Especially if the LED is turned up to a high brightness, the dot will be more than its prescribed 2 MOA. 2, being already twice the size of 1, will cover twice the area under magnification, and more than that if turned up brighter.
But getting back to that implied meaning you might get the impression that the dot exploded in size to 6 or 10 or umpteen MOA instead of remaining 2 when the magnifier is in place. That is not the case, it is still 2 or roughly 2 MOA, but it was already larger than the EOTech’s 1 MOA, might be turned overly bright for magnification and is projecting larger than 2, and the image just multiplied by 3, 5, or 6 times depending on your magnifier. This will result in a bloom effect that is startling and more dramatic than the EOTech’s precise 1 MOA aiming point which, is probably best appreciated with magnification.
So, for clarity, all dot reticles get “bigger” when magnified, by precisely the amount they are magnified.
Holographic reticles accomplish this cleanest because they are the most precise from the start.
