A holographic sporting/combat optic may be mounted to weapon. To control the optical path at the holographic recording level, the holographic sporting/combat optic uses a single glass carrier with a holographic optical element for collimating mounted on one side and a second holographic optical element for projecting a reticle image mounted on an opposing side of the carrier. In some cases, the holographic optical elements may be implemented by emulsions disposed on opposing surfaces of the carrier. In this way, the holographic sporting/combat optic simplifies the manufacturing process while improving accuracy.