Don't get me wrong.... for an absolute 1x close quarters fast acquisition AR where bug hole shooting as a weekend warrior is not your concern, then aimpoint (not eotech) is 100% the way to go.... and yes,,,, get a single point aimpoint & NOT eotech for the very reason I'm about to explain as magnifiers suck donkey balls WHEN NEEDED for detail work IMO & only add weight to the rifle (and yes I've owned both as all magnifiers have = crappy eye relief and produce ungodly weight to the AR)....
On the lowest visible red dot light setting, Co-witnessing the small A2 aperture of your REAR BUIS ONLY (keep front BUIS DOWN) makes the aimpoint red dot ultra crisp & fine (as the small aperture will produce a "stenopeic" effect on the red dot making it crazy clear & fine) for detail work and I've found it to work much better than a ridiculous slap to the side shit-tastic eye relief / extra weight magnifiers (REAR BUIS SMALL APERTURE, NOT LARGE)... don't believe me? then try it for yourself.
Also, the closer you can get the AIMPOINT to the BUIS & to your eye = better as it will make a smaller MOA dot for detail work when needed... don't believe me? take an aimpoint close to your eye and then move it away from your eye & you will see the size of the dot will get bigger.
When I think of red dots, then I'm thinking SHTF AR set up, then I'm thinking you'll want BUIS anyway.... so try it yourself... rear BUIS small aperture with the aimpoint as close as possible to the rear BUIS (with enough room for the cap to flip down) & with the red dot as close to your eye as possible for detail work WHEN NEEDED....
flip your caps down so they don't get snapped off... note I've allowed just enough room for the rear cap to flip down & clear the rear BUIS..... IMO, the closer you can get the red dot sight to your eye = better:
the below target was produced co-witnessing ONLY the rear BUIS (front BUIS still down) with the small A2 aperture & aimpoint pro true 1x at 100yards. Also, 4" BLACK target circle dots work great for the above method at 100yards & you simply double the size of the circle for every 100yards... so 4" target circle @ 100yards, 8" target circle @ 200, and at 300yards plus you will wish you had a nice variable power scope LOL!! True tho! LOL! Live and learn, Live and learn:
As a number of guys have said, there are better options out there these days than the magnifier. They were an attempt at adding versatility/longer-range capability to an EOTech, but they were never really all that good and they're bulky. I messed with one overseas and it didn't add enough advantage to justify its weight so it didn't make the cut. I settled on a low variable with a true 1x setting that I could use with both eyes open but dial in some magnification when I needed to. The scope was mounted so that the front sight tower didn't interfere.
I have an EOTech on my old patrol rifle because my Dept had a "no magnified optics" policy unless it was on a precision rifle. For LE purposes the EOTech was great. Overseas it was too one-dimensional with the distances in Afgh. The ACOG was great until it wasn't. It suffered from the same one-dimensionality problems plus the eye relief sucked.
If you're going to try the magnifier, I'd spend as little money as possible on it so you're not out a ton of money when you decide you don't like it.
The price and availability of some of the low-power variables is just too good these days. I really think they're hard to beat for a practical rifle.
ETA: I forgot to add, the fact that [MENTION=70537]elfster1234[/MENTION] is recommending against the magnifier should be a pretty big clue. He does a staggering amount of research, testing, and documentation and I trust his opinion immeasurably on all things AR.
and suggest throwing the EOtech on a shotgun or such, and going with a scope and mini RDS as a backup. But we hadn't go there yet.
