How Do Holographic Sights Work?

Holographic sights are quite common when it comes to shooting. But have you ever taken the pains to know how it works? There are several benefits if you have the knowledge about its working. Shooters and hunters are at times confused regarding the choice of the optic. Besides the riflescopes, if you are planning to buy something else then holographic or red dot sights are your options. As far as the brands are concerned, the Eotech Holographic Sight 512 is doing quite well. So how do the holographic sights differ from the rest of the firearm optics? A holographic sight has its reticle on the spot on the target in a direction where the weapon s targeted. As the user moves the gun along his left or right side, the reticle moves accordingly without getting distracted from the point of aim.

/**/

Holographic weapon sight

How It Differs From Conventional Scopes

What you witness through the holographic sight is not real. This is the main aspect where it differs completely from the conventional riflescopes. Rather the view is a reconstructed one. The reticle that the users see is not really the sight. Rather it is a mere projection of the reticle image. The working of holographic sights is quite similar to that of a camera. In a movie, the camera records the light that is reflected from the objects into the scenes. But once the film is projected as a movie, the originally recorded scenes will be displayed on the screen. The working of the holographic sights is similar to this process.

Process Of Holography

These sights reconstruct the light waves that are reflected from the objects. You must be knowing that light is defined as a spectrum of waves. What these do is encode the patterns of the waves that are reflected from the target area. It then projects the same on a clear window that is found within the product. What the users get out of this is a 3D image of the target area. Whether it is Eotech red dot sight zeroing target or any other product, the process of holographic sights remains the same.

 

How Does The Reticle Move Away Yet Stay Focused On The Target?

Now that’s one unique way how the reticle can move yet stay focused on the target. The reticle used in these scopes is in the form of the laser beam that is projected on the clear window in the sight. With the help of the reticle mask, it defines the reticle shape. As far as this mask is concerned, it can be in any shape – triangle, dot, circle, or any other shape as decided by the manufacturer.

Once you attach it to the firearm, the laser beam will be projected on the same axis as the firearm. If you move the muzzle to the right, the reticle image will also move right along the same axis. Therefore, the image will always follow the direction of the gun muzzle.

With time, though, these have become more compact as well as affordable. As a result, the shooters prefer using the sights more.

About Mark Griffin

Hi, This is Mark Griffin, a professional camp instructor, a passionate hunter and wildlife enthusiast. I like to travel & participate in hunting events across the country and abroad. I have been reloading, shooting and hunting for over 15 years now. Beside, a professional Camp Instructor, I am an avid blogger and freelance writer. Plenty of my blogs/articles have been featured on popular hunting forums and web magazines. When not hunting, photographing, writing, or spending time with my 'kiddos', I usually try to master wildlife painting!
Previous 5 Great New Scopes For 2015 Deer Season
Next 5 Best Mountain Hunting Rifles

Check Also

Crossbow Hunting

What CrossBows Are Best for Hunting Elk and Deer?

/**/ In the beginning, hunting was one of the first skills that humans learned to …