What's the difference between a red dot sight and a holographic sight? Brownells Gun Tech™ Caleb Savant says the biggest difference is price. A standard red dot sight is pretty straightforward: it projects a dot generated by a glowing LED on the lens. A holographic sight is more complex because it projects a laser on a mirror that reflects the dot onto the lens. The holographic sight's greater complexity makes it more expensive than the typical red dot sight. Both types can be robust, so an Aimpoint Patrol Rifle Optic red dot is just as durable as an EOTech HWS 512 holographic weapon sight. Due to the red dot sight's simpler operating system, its batteries tend to last longer - up to years of service - while a holographic sight may give you only months of battery life. Size is also a factor. The simpler technology of red dots enables them to be smaller than holographic sights, but.... Holographic sight technology allows for dot sizes as small as 1 MOA. The smallest dot you can typically get on a red dot is 2 MOA. That can be a problem when you add a magnifier to extend your sight's range. Put a 2x magnifier behind a 1 MOA dot and it stays 1 MOA. Put that 2x magnifier behind a 2 MOA dot, and you now have a 4 MOA dot, which can actually obscure your view of a distant target through the sight.
