Holographic Sight

The EOTech HWS is a holographic weapon sight designed for the M16 rifle and M4 Carbine.

Holographic sights and red dot sights are highly similar, however, holographic sights such as the 512.A65/1 use holograms, hence the name. Holographic sights use a laser, which is reflected off multiple adjustable mirrors, and through to the user's eye. One downside of such technology is batteries. Because holographic sights rely on lasers to function, and not LEDs, it takes more battery power to operate, however modern updates to these devices provide for very long battery life cycles.

These sights have become popular due to the nature of the sight aperture. When looking through the sight, the reticule appears to be projected 30-40 feet in front of the shooter. The HWS and "high end" Red-Dot sights are "Parallax Free" optical devices, this means that the exact position of the user's head/eye(s) relative to the optic device does not effect the accuracy of the reticule with respect to the bullet's point of impact. In addition, the EOTech HWS series works despite damage being done to the glass "lens" or obscurement of the "lens" by mud/blood etc, as long as some portion of the glass can be seen through the reticule can still be seen and its accuracy is not reduced. This is in contrast to "rifle scopes" where damage to the glass or obscurement by foreign material can render the optic useless.

Both Red-Dots and HWS sight systems are often used in Close Quarters Battle (CQB) conditions with both of the shooter's eyes open. In this usage, the human brain integrates the holographic image or red dot seen by one eye with the scene viewed by the other eye creating a wide angle sight picture with excellent peripheral vision as well as a pinpoint accurate reticule super-imposed on the image.

In the field, both HWS and Red-Dots are often augmented with image magnification add-ons. These optional add-on devices are often deployed as a secondary optic device positioned directly behind the main optic in a "Flip to Side" configuration where the magnifier can be "flipped out of the way" for non magnified use.

Newer HWS models have introduced "Ballistic Reticules" which contain additional aiming dots that correspond to aim points for different distances to compensate for "bullet drop" at farther ranges.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare


It is available exclusively in single-player on the "Grenadier" variant of the M4A1 Carbine. This weapon generally appears in only three levels which are The Bog, War Pig and Shock and Awe. However, it is possible to obtain this weapon from Game Over. It is dropped by an S.A.S. operative who dies shortly after a car explodes on the bridge. It is different from the Red Dot Sight in that it has a superior reticule, but the game version limits the player's peripheral vision.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2


In Modern Warfare 2, it is available in the Campaign, Special Ops, and multiplayer. It is very similar to the Red Dot Sight but with a different appearance and an increase in aim assist on consoles; unlike the Call of Duty 4 version, the optic's relative size on the screen is smaller, as is the reticle, and the peripheral vision is far greater than before. Most people don't even notice a diffrence between the Red Dot Sight and the Holographic Sights.

The Holographic Sight is now an attachment in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2's multiplayer and is awarded for getting 60 kills while aiming down the Red Dot Sight for primary weapons and Machine Pistols and 15 kills with Shotguns. Unlike the RDS, the reticule in the middle doesn't sway when turning, and while it doesn't seem to have a greater zoom it does appear to be more accurate, making it often favored over its previous game counterpart. Some people find it easier to see their target and quickly find the reticle due to the semi-opaque "cut-out" cross hair which is a small circle with a larger circle around it. Others find that the larger sight actually obscures the target making it hard to aim precisely and acquire targets at range. As compared to a real Holographic Sight, the larger circle in the game is much closer to the smaller circle, which is why the larger one obscures the target so much. Additionally, the Holographic Sight has a thicker frame than the Red Dot Sight again reducing visibility. In the end, the preference between this sight and Red Dot Sight depends on whether you need long range pinpoint accuracy and have time for the sway to settle or whether you will be firing on the move. Most people prefer the holographic to the red dot sight because of the accuracy difference also. Holographic Sights are less likely to go off target than red dots generally do.

In the campaign it can be found attached to weapons used by various forces, such as Russian (both police and military), US Army Rangers, and even the Brazilian favela gangs.