Review of the Holosun 507c

Having been actively training with a pistol red dot lately I have been using the well-known, and generally well respected, Holosun 507c optic.  Holosun optics have a reputation for being solid budget optics, as they run in the $300-$400 dollar range rather than the $500-$700 dollar range of the industry standardad Trijicon or Aimpoint optics.  Pertaining to pistol optics, the Trijicon RMR options remain the definitive standard, and the Aimpoint Acro sights are also at the upper tier of quality.  How does the Holosun stack up?

Well, I have a Trijicon RMR Type 2 optic that is currently sitting unused, and I am using the significantly cheaper Holosun 507c.  I prefer the Holosun for several reasons: first, the glass is much clearer, and I have always hated the blue tint on Trijicon optics.  The Holosun has a slight blue hue, but hardly noticeable.  The Trijicon also has a lot of distortion around the edges of the glass, yet the Holosun is much clearer in this regard.  The Holosun also has a larger field of view, although it is the same footprint as the RMR.  Finally, the Holosun has battery access without removing the optic from the gun (the RMR needs to be lifted off the gun to replace the battery, then re-zeroed).  The Holosun also has a very long battery life, numbering in years, as does the Trijicon. 

So, it would appear that the Holosun is a win-win, correct?  It is several hundred dollars less in price and it has better features.  Well, there is one category that the RMR seems to outperform all other competitors in, including the Holosun, and that is ruggedness.  There are a number of well-known gear testers out there who have put these optics through the ringer and the RMR, due to its patented horn-like shape on top of the optic, handles impact better than anything else.  Drops onto concrete that break the glass on almost anything else don’t seem to phase the RMR.  So, in closing….

The Holosun seems solid and, barring a significant fall onto a hard surface, which is indeed a possibility with any carry gun, I think it will hold up fine.  The thing is, I don’t have red dots on my carry guns, but only on my dedicated dot gun that I do some training with, and may do some competition with in the future.  In that capacity, I prefer the features of the Holosun.  If I were to put an optic on the gun that I carry, I may well opt for the most rugged and proven design available.  Overall, I like the performance and features of the Holosun better.  However, if I was going to war with a red dot on my handgun, I would probably put the Trijicon on it.