Best Holosun Red Dot For a Pistol

Holosun continues to gain popularity among a growing community of red dot sight enthusiasts. 

In this review, we will bring you the very best Holosun for a pistol in four categories.

So whether you are a casual shooter, serious competitor, hunter, or require a red dot optic in the self-defense/on-duty role, we got you covered.  

Let’s get to it.

Best Holosun For a Pistol

*Details and specifications below.

Advantage of Using A Red Dot Sight on a Pistol

Red Dot Sights eliminate the optical gymnastics necessary to focus on your target while simultaneously observing and aligning the front and rear iron sights in the foreground. 

Don't get me wrong, iron sites served many a shooter well, and they were the best technology available at the time.

But with today’s highly reliable red dot technologies, using your eyes as they were intended, both eyes open and focusing on the threat, has its benefits. 

Benefits

When using a red dot sight, most handgun users will experience faster target acquisition and greater accuracy. They are also likely to see an increase in successful target engagements at further distances. 

Another benefit is a broader view resulting in greater situational awareness and the ability to transition through multiple targets rapidly.

One word of caution here, this is not plug and play. Whether you are an accomplished pistoleer or a brand new shooter, practice is required to gain this skill just like any other.

Holosun has a pretty impressive line up concerning reflex style red dots for a handgun. It is also worth mentioning that Holosun does exceptionally well compared to other manufactures in the best red dot sight for a pistol category. 

Holosun Technologies

Every red dot sight manufacture brings something to the table in terms of technologies and features. In my estimation, Holoson has done an excellent job at bringing innovative solutions that makes their optics so popular with so many shooting enthusiasts.

A few key technologies and design choices make some of these optics a top choice in their class. I will cover the ones most important when defining the best Holosun for a pistol. 

Holosun Elite Series

A few ago, Holosun began offering what it calls the Elite series, designated by the HE in the optics model number. There are two things to consider about the Elite series that I think are important when selecting a reflex style micro red dot sight for your handgun. 

The first is optic body durability. And with the Elite series, you get a housing  machined from a single piece of Grade 5 Titanium. 

A quick word about 7075-T6 Aluminum vs. Grade 5 Titanium. 7075 Aluminum is an extremely durable material and a more than adequate material to provide a durable optic housing.  The significant benefit of Grade 5 Titanium is the strength to weight advantage. Titanium is slightly heavier than 7075 but is much stronger overall, and so it requires significantly less material  making the final product extremely light in comparison but as strong or stronger.

The other key advantage included with the elite series is the Holosuns VIP warranty. The warranty includes lifetime coverage for the housing and glass and ten years for the electronics and LED.

You can find all of the warranty specifics at holosun.com.

Solar Failsafe 

The Solar Failsafe feature has been an innovation that sets the Holosun red dot sights apart from other manufacturers.  This technology features a photo-diode array that acts as both a sensor and a solar cell to generate solar electric power.

The array combined with a battery makes up Holsouns dual power system. The optic is powered via solar when there is enough ambient light available. When the necessary light levels are not available, the sight operates from a shooter’s single coin lithium battery.

The array is also a light sensor that sets the reticle intensity based on the existing light conditions. When in manual mode, the brightness level is set by the shooter, and the sight is powered exclusively from the battery.

Shake Awake 

The Shake Awake technology is an integrated motion sensor that allows the optic to enter a sleep mode. The sight remains on, but the illuminated reticle is powered down. This feature can extend the battery life operating hours substantially depending on your application. 

This is an excellent feature for the home defense role or something similar where the pistol may remain motionless for an hour, days, or weeks. 

Multi-Reticle 

Holosun has incorporated an EOTech like reticle pattern in its reflex style optics. For most of its red dot sights, for a pistol, you can toggle between a 2 MOA dot and A 32 MOA circle or the combination of both.

I like the single 2 MOA dot, but I think this is a matter of personal preference. 

Since we are talking about handgun mounted operations, the large 32 MOA circle is designed for close-quarter engagements and will not obscure targets; this is a common occurrence with targets and intermediate distance and large reticles. 

Holosun Technologies Quick Reference Chart

Mounting Your Holosun On a Pistol 

When mounting a red dot to a pistol, my preferred method is to mount it directly to an optic ready pistol slide.  There are a few other methods that work well and maybe more suitable for your specific application. 

An unfortunate oncome of the increased popularity of red dot sights is the varying mounting footprints and standard for each.  But that is for another day.

Let’s talk some specifics when it comes to these Holosun pistol optics. You may need an adapter with any of the sights; you should consult Holosun directly for your particular mounting situation. 

Mounting HE508T-RD X2 And The HS407 X2

The Holosun HE508T-RD X2 and the HS407 X2 both use the Trijicon RMR standard footprint. The footprint has two sockets located in the front to receive pins from the mount/adapter. There are two holes to the rear of the optic for mounting screws.

Mounting The HS507K

The Holosun 507K uses a modified shield RMSc/Romeo Zero footprint.  Normally the Shield footprint has four indexing pins, two in the front and two in the back. For the 507K to fit, the rear pins need to be removed, and the front pins must be shorted in height. 

Some optic-ready pistols don’t require this modification, so it’s best to contact Holosun with your specific requirements.

Mounting The HE509T-RD

The Holosun 509T can be mounted directly on a Picatinny/Weaver rail. The optic comes with an adapter plate to mount on an optic ready pistol with an RMR standard footprint. 

You can also purchase other adapter plates for your specific footprint application.

Some Feedback For Holousn

I would not qualify these items as Holosun problems, only things that we think would make these optics even that much better.

Final Thoughts

All of these red dot sights from Holosun have performed well and have proven reliable, able to withstand the extreme forces encountered on a semiauto handgun. 

Holosun seems to be very receptive to the marketplace and its customers, and this has been demonstrated in the continued innovations include an updated version.  

We will continue to evaluate the performance Holosun has standardized in their optics and bring you and future updates as they manifest themselves.

Recommendations 

It is without reservation that I recommend Holosun products.

If you require a red dot sight for a pistol, and your intended use is for duty, military, or self-defense, then the Holosun HE508T-RD X2 is our number one recommendation in this role. 

If your intended use is more casual and constrained by a lower budget, then the HS407C is a great way to break into the red dot sight arena. 

In the end, all of these optics will not disappoint you in whatever pistol application you need to fill.