Holosun 508T Review – The RMR Killer?

BY Herschel Smith
1 year, 11 months ago

He obviously likes the Holosun.

It’s Chinese.  We all know that.  It’s also less expensive than the Trijicon RMR.

If Trijicon wants to compete against a product just as good and less expensive, they’re going to have to do it by coming down on price.  I hope someone who works for Trijicon is reading this.

It’s just that simple.  Yea, you can make the claim that you don’t want to fund business in China.  That’s all well and good.  But every unnecessary penny you spend now will affect your future wealth or the wealth of your children’s children.

So Americans can get their righteous indignation on, but when it comes to spending wealth, the case becomes much more complex.  God has expectations for what we do with our wealth.  So go ahead and play that balancing act – you know that’s what’s going on. And I don’t mind pointing it out.


Comments

  1. On April 6, 2022 at 10:44 pm, Ratus said:

    I look at it like this, I was able to get four good reliable Holosun Red Dots for the price of one Aimpoint (also an import, Sweden). I count that as a better use of those funds, four rifles with an improved sighting system vs just the one.

    As for RMR sized pistol dots, it’s about two or three to one for these depending on the model. But again it’s a more functional device vs the dot only RMR and somewhat more reliable than the US version.

    Also, a Red Dot on a pistol is going to be better for those with aging or less than ideal eye sight.

    At worse it’s “put big blurry red blob on bad guy, shoot.” At best it’s closer to “I can see it without using my bifocals!”

    With a lower cost of entry on top of all the other benefits, I’d consider this a win.

    And to soothe some of the “Don’t buy Chinese gear” crowd, most of the money is going to the US company not the manufacturer in China.

  2. On April 6, 2022 at 10:47 pm, Herschel Smith said:

    Yea I was just pricing out the difference in price. Goor Lord! Up to about $800 for an RMR for the most expensive model.

  3. On April 7, 2022 at 1:50 am, Georgiaboy61 said:

    Trijicon has long been charging outlandish prices for its products. The company invented a technology – the Bildon both-eyes open aiming concept and the optic to use it, the Advanced Combat Optical Gunsight, or ACOG – and have been living it up ever since, getting fat and complacent on government military and LE contracts which paid top dollar. Easy to spend the dough when it belongs to the taxpayers, and even easier to charge top dollar when they aren’t even at the negotiating table.

    Trijicon had a lengthy run of success selling their optics to the military, from the 1980s up to a few years ago, when someone else finally beat them for the contract to supply the Army with optics, namely Sig-Sauer. Now, after years of neglect of the civilian market, Trijicon’s executives all of a sudden want our business again! Gee, feature that!

    They make good but overpriced products…. I’m OK with letting ’em sweat a while and maybe think about pricing their products more competitively, before this buyer considers them as an option again.

  4. On April 7, 2022 at 9:46 am, luke2236 said:

    Yes, God indeed has some expectations on what one does with one’s wealth, and that does NOT include wasting it on/with the red chinese. Period.
    There are millions of reasons to not send money to the chinese – and I dont care if some of it ends up with the importer or retailer or not – but consider this since the Word was brought into this discussion – remember that “he who fails to provide for his own is worse than an unbeliever.” And it is NOT talking about immediate family – that is covered also, but is talking about kinsmen, both/mainly racially as well as nationally.
    Due to treason in high places and the worship of mammon all over, I understand that we are stuck with certain amounts of products from red china , but one should avoid them like a plague, especially if an alternative is available.

  5. On April 7, 2022 at 9:57 am, George 1 said:

    I was of the same disposition as the narrator up until a few months ago. I was not prepared to believe that the Holosuns were as durable as the RMR. But they have certainly proved themselves. Multiple credible testers have shown the 508 and the 509 are good optics. The 509 is the enclosed emitter and that style will probably be the standard in a few years.

    I paid about $450.00 for my Type 2 RMRs. Euro Optic has them for about that price today when I checked. I could get a 508 for about $80.00 less but with more features. The price differentials are a lot more when it comes to rifle red dots in comparison to the Aimpoints.

    If I buy another micro sight I would certainly look at the 509. Enclosed emitter at about $500.00. The Aimpoint P2, if you can find one will, will be about $100.00 more. Steiner has come out with a, so far, well reviewed mico optic, the MPS. It is priced around the $500.00 area and is also an enclosed emitter.

    So Trijicon had better get their game on. Specifically they had better develop an enclosed emitter micro pretty soon. They will also need to keep it in that $500.00 range. Previously they could claim durability however others have caught up.

  6. On April 7, 2022 at 11:23 am, Fred said:

    All in, the IRS with various State and Locals, get 50% of every dollar. The white socialists running America now are no better than the chinks. They’re all commies, they all hate you, they all want you broke and dead in that order.

    I buy Holosun. Good stuff. the commies get their cut either way.

  7. On April 7, 2022 at 12:50 pm, RHT447 said:

    I do not (yet) own an RMR type handgun sight. However, I do have a 512C (red) for an AR platform–

    https://www.brownells.com/optics-mounting/electronic-sights/red-dot-sights/hs512c-red-dot-sight-prod145243.aspx?avs%7cManufacturer_1=holosun

    The price at he link is only $10 more than I paid for mine in 2019. Note they also offer a gold color option specifically for those who are color blind.

    Love this sight. At the time of purchase, I was beginning to suffer from cataracts. This sight was a life saver. Have since had cataract/lens replacement surgery. No I can see the BUIS too. Hooah.

  8. On April 7, 2022 at 3:11 pm, Georgiaboy61 said:

    The Holosun HS510C series of open reflex sights have a lot of nice features for the money, including multiple reticles from which to choose (three types, button-selectable), a solar backup power supply, an LED with a battery life of 50,000 hours, and “shake-awake” activation. Twelve brightness settings, ten daytime and two night-vision compatible. Parallax-free and unlimited eye relief. CR2032 battery.

    The reticle features a 65 moa circle with hash-marks at 12, 3, 6 and 9o’clock, with a 2 moa center dot. Users familiar with EOTech reticles will find these easy to use.

    Retail price @ $ 364.69, but street value often near or even under $300.

    They’re very good optics, a less-expensive option if EOTech is too expensive for you.

    @ Fred is right: Here or there, the communists seem to get their cut. They say they hate guns, but they sure don’t seem to mind profiting from them.

  9. On April 7, 2022 at 3:12 pm, Georgiaboy61 said:

    One last point: The HS510C is a rifle and carbine optic, and is not intended for handgun use.

  10. On April 7, 2022 at 3:29 pm, Matt said:

    I have a couple of Holosun HS510C’s. I’ll second Georgiaboy61. They are very good.

  11. On April 7, 2022 at 8:51 pm, James said:

    I have a aim point(love it) and really like my friends acog.

    That said,both have reputations for being good when treated roughly,friends including friends in military also back this review as far as durability.

    To those who own the Holosun do you feel in tough treatment they will keep on ticking?

    I would much rather pay a lower cost but not at the cost of durability,thanks for any insights from owners.

  12. On April 8, 2022 at 2:14 am, Georgiaboy61 said:

    @ James

    There is absolutely no question that the Trijicon ACOG and the Aimpoint sights have earned their spurs in combat. They have, and I fully get why a lot of grunts and former grunts have a strong allegiance to these companies and their products. Larry Vickers, who is ex-SOF-D (Delta Force), still endorses Aimpoint, and a lot of guys like ACOGs still.

    If durability is important to you, then you won’t go wrong with either product.

    Just be aware that Trijicon has a rep for treating civilian customers like cr*p and not paying a whole lot of attention to that part of their business. I used to own a TA11H-G 3.5×35 ACOG, and my experience with the company was a nightmare.
    Trijicon had installed the wrong reticle in the optic, and refused to even consider a return or an exchange, even though I was the original owner. When I countered that anyone dropping $1,300 on an optic deserved better, they said my best option was to sell it used and take the loss.

    A friend of mine (I’d rather not divulge his name) is a high-level optics engineer for a well-known company in the firearms industry and he offered to take a look at it for me, and he confirmed my suspicion that Trijicon was at fault. So, I sold it and never looked back… but since then I have boycotted Trijicon and its products.

    I’d rather patronize companies that treat their customers well and stand behind their products.

    My experiences may not be typical, granted, but that’s my story and I am sticking to it.

  13. On April 8, 2022 at 2:20 am, Georgiaboy61 said:

    @ James

    One other point: EOTech, Aimpoint, Trijicon,and other companies that do a lot of business with the U.S. armed forces are not immune to problems. You may recall the difficulty EOTech had some years ago when an embarrassing disclosure was made that their flagship 553 model was suffering failures and shifts in zero at certain extreme of temperature. I don’t know their products well-enough to remember how or if the issue was resolved, but I know it happened.

    And failures like those are just the ones we’ve heard about – there may be more that have not become public knowledge.

    Optics of all kinds have made enormous strides in durability, but if that is important to you, have back-up iron sights. No optic can take abuse in the field indefinitely without mal’fing.

  14. On April 8, 2022 at 9:37 am, Matt said:

    @James: I also have Aimpoint red dots and they are very good as well. I agree with Georgiaboy61’s assessment that field abuse is going to eventually lead to an optic having a malfunction. Like any other piece of equipment wear and tear does catch up. And of course any product manufactured in large quantities are going to have some that are flat out duds.

  15. On April 9, 2022 at 6:38 am, James said:

    Georgia and Matt,thanks for your input/thoughts,and no worries,they all start with BUIS!The glass ect. is just the final topping!

RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URL

Leave a comment


You are currently reading "Holosun 508T Review – The RMR Killer?", entry #29965 on The Captain's Journal.

This article is filed under the category(s) Firearms,Guns and was published April 6th, 2022 by Herschel Smith.

If you're interested in what else the The Captain's Journal has to say, you might try thumbing through the archives and visiting the main index, or; perhaps you would like to learn more about TCJ.

26th MEU (10)
Abu Muqawama (12)
ACOG (2)
ACOGs (1)
Afghan National Army (36)
Afghan National Police (17)
Afghanistan (704)
Afghanistan SOFA (4)
Agriculture in COIN (3)
AGW (1)
Air Force (40)
Air Power (10)
al Qaeda (83)
Ali al-Sistani (1)
America (22)
Ammunition (275)
Animals (282)
Ansar al Sunna (15)
Anthropology (3)
Antonin Scalia (1)
AR-15s (373)
Arghandab River Valley (1)
Arlington Cemetery (2)
Army (86)
Assassinations (2)
Assault Weapon Ban (28)
Australian Army (7)
Azerbaijan (4)
Backpacking (2)
Badr Organization (8)
Baitullah Mehsud (21)
Basra (17)
BATFE (218)
Battle of Bari Alai (2)
Battle of Wanat (18)
Battle Space Weight (3)
Bin Laden (7)
Blogroll (3)
Blogs (24)
Body Armor (23)
Books (3)
Border War (18)
Brady Campaign (1)
Britain (38)
British Army (35)
Camping (5)
Canada (17)
Castle Doctrine (1)
Caucasus (6)
CENTCOM (7)
Center For a New American Security (8)
Charity (3)
China (16)
Christmas (16)
CIA (30)
Civilian National Security Force (3)
Col. Gian Gentile (9)
Combat Outposts (3)
Combat Video (2)
Concerned Citizens (6)
Constabulary Actions (3)
Coolness Factor (3)
COP Keating (4)
Corruption in COIN (4)
Council on Foreign Relations (1)
Counterinsurgency (218)
DADT (2)
David Rohde (1)
Defense Contractors (2)
Department of Defense (210)
Department of Homeland Security (26)
Disaster Preparedness (5)
Distributed Operations (5)
Dogs (15)
Donald Trump (27)
Drone Campaign (4)
EFV (3)
Egypt (12)
El Salvador (1)
Embassy Security (1)
Enemy Spotters (1)
Expeditionary Warfare (17)
F-22 (2)
F-35 (1)
Fallujah (17)
Far East (3)
Fathers and Sons (2)
Favorite (1)
Fazlullah (3)
FBI (39)
Featured (189)
Federal Firearms Laws (18)
Financing the Taliban (2)
Firearms (1,758)
Football (1)
Force Projection (35)
Force Protection (4)
Force Transformation (1)
Foreign Policy (27)
Fukushima Reactor Accident (6)
Ganjgal (1)
Garmsir (1)
general (15)
General Amos (1)
General James Mattis (1)
General McChrystal (44)
General McKiernan (6)
General Rodriguez (3)
General Suleimani (9)
Georgia (19)
GITMO (2)
Google (1)
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar (1)
Gun Control (1,633)
Guns (2,298)
Guns In National Parks (3)
Haditha Roundup (10)
Haiti (2)
HAMAS (7)
Haqqani Network (9)
Hate Mail (8)
Hekmatyar (1)
Heroism (4)
Hezbollah (12)
High Capacity Magazines (16)
High Value Targets (9)
Homecoming (1)
Homeland Security (3)
Horses (2)
Humor (72)
Hunting (31)
ICOS (1)
IEDs (7)
Immigration (106)
India (10)
Infantry (4)
Information Warfare (4)
Infrastructure (4)
Intelligence (23)
Intelligence Bulletin (6)
Iran (171)
Iraq (379)
Iraq SOFA (23)
Islamic Facism (64)
Islamists (98)
Israel (19)
Jaish al Mahdi (21)
Jalalabad (1)
Japan (3)
Jihadists (81)
John Nagl (5)
Joint Intelligence Centers (1)
JRTN (1)
Kabul (1)
Kajaki Dam (1)
Kamdesh (9)
Kandahar (12)
Karachi (7)
Kashmir (2)
Khost Province (1)
Khyber (11)
Knife Blogging (7)
Korea (4)
Korengal Valley (3)
Kunar Province (20)
Kurdistan (3)
Language in COIN (5)
Language in Statecraft (1)
Language Interpreters (2)
Lashkar-e-Taiba (2)
Law Enforcement (6)
Lawfare (14)
Leadership (6)
Lebanon (6)
Leon Panetta (2)
Let Them Fight (2)
Libya (14)
Lines of Effort (3)
Littoral Combat (8)
Logistics (50)
Long Guns (1)
Lt. Col. Allen West (2)
Marine Corps (280)
Marines in Bakwa (1)
Marines in Helmand (67)
Marjah (4)
MEDEVAC (2)
Media (67)
Medical (146)
Memorial Day (6)
Mexican Cartels (41)
Mexico (61)
Michael Yon (6)
Micromanaging the Military (7)
Middle East (1)
Military Blogging (26)
Military Contractors (5)
Military Equipment (25)
Militia (9)
Mitt Romney (3)
Monetary Policy (1)
Moqtada al Sadr (2)
Mosul (4)
Mountains (25)
MRAPs (1)
Mullah Baradar (1)
Mullah Fazlullah (1)
Mullah Omar (3)
Musa Qala (4)
Music (25)
Muslim Brotherhood (6)
Nation Building (2)
National Internet IDs (1)
National Rifle Association (95)
NATO (15)
Navy (30)
Navy Corpsman (1)
NCOs (3)
News (1)
NGOs (3)
Nicholas Schmidle (2)
Now Zad (19)
NSA (3)
NSA James L. Jones (6)
Nuclear (62)
Nuristan (8)
Obama Administration (221)
Offshore Balancing (1)
Operation Alljah (7)
Operation Khanjar (14)
Ossetia (7)
Pakistan (165)
Paktya Province (1)
Palestine (5)
Patriotism (7)
Patrolling (1)
Pech River Valley (11)
Personal (72)
Petraeus (14)
Pictures (1)
Piracy (13)
Pistol (4)
Pizzagate (21)
Police (648)
Police in COIN (3)
Policy (15)
Politics (969)
Poppy (2)
PPEs (1)
Prisons in Counterinsurgency (12)
Project Gunrunner (20)
PRTs (1)
Qatar (1)
Quadrennial Defense Review (2)
Quds Force (13)
Quetta Shura (1)
RAND (3)
Recommended Reading (14)
Refueling Tanker (1)
Religion (491)
Religion and Insurgency (19)
Reuters (1)
Rick Perry (4)
Rifles (1)
Roads (4)
Rolling Stone (1)
Ron Paul (1)
ROTC (1)
Rules of Engagement (75)
Rumsfeld (1)
Russia (37)
Sabbatical (1)
Sangin (1)
Saqlawiyah (1)
Satellite Patrols (2)
Saudi Arabia (4)
Scenes from Iraq (1)
Second Amendment (668)
Second Amendment Quick Hits (2)
Secretary Gates (9)
Sharia Law (3)
Shura Ittehad-ul-Mujahiden (1)
SIIC (2)
Sirajuddin Haqqani (1)
Small Wars (72)
Snipers (9)
Sniveling Lackeys (2)
Soft Power (4)
Somalia (8)
Sons of Afghanistan (1)
Sons of Iraq (2)
Special Forces (28)
Squad Rushes (1)
State Department (23)
Statistics (1)
Sunni Insurgency (10)
Support to Infantry Ratio (1)
Supreme Court (52)
Survival (185)
SWAT Raids (57)
Syria (38)
Tactical Drills (38)
Tactical Gear (14)
Taliban (168)
Taliban Massing of Forces (4)
Tarmiyah (1)
TBI (1)
Technology (21)
Tehrik-i-Taliban (78)
Terrain in Combat (1)
Terrorism (96)
Thanksgiving (13)
The Anbar Narrative (23)
The Art of War (5)
The Fallen (1)
The Long War (20)
The Surge (3)
The Wounded (13)
Thomas Barnett (1)
Transnational Insurgencies (5)
Tribes (5)
TSA (24)
TSA Ineptitude (13)
TTPs (4)
U.S. Border Patrol (6)
U.S. Border Security (18)
U.S. Sovereignty (23)
UAVs (2)
UBL (4)
Ukraine (10)
Uncategorized (98)
Universal Background Check (3)
Unrestricted Warfare (4)
USS Iwo Jima (2)
USS San Antonio (1)
Uzbekistan (1)
V-22 Osprey (4)
Veterans (3)
Vietnam (1)
War & Warfare (412)
War & Warfare (41)
War Movies (4)
War Reporting (21)
Wardak Province (1)
Warriors (6)
Waziristan (1)
Weapons and Tactics (79)
West Point (1)
Winter Operations (1)
Women in Combat (21)
WTF? (1)
Yemen (1)

March 2024
February 2024
January 2024
December 2023
November 2023
October 2023
September 2023
August 2023
July 2023
June 2023
May 2023
April 2023
March 2023
February 2023
January 2023
December 2022
November 2022
October 2022
September 2022
August 2022
July 2022
June 2022
May 2022
April 2022
March 2022
February 2022
January 2022
December 2021
November 2021
October 2021
September 2021
August 2021
July 2021
June 2021
May 2021
April 2021
March 2021
February 2021
January 2021
December 2020
November 2020
October 2020
September 2020
August 2020
July 2020
June 2020
May 2020
April 2020
March 2020
February 2020
January 2020
December 2019
November 2019
October 2019
September 2019
August 2019
July 2019
June 2019
May 2019
April 2019
March 2019
February 2019
January 2019
December 2018
November 2018
October 2018
September 2018
August 2018
July 2018
June 2018
May 2018
April 2018
March 2018
February 2018
January 2018
December 2017
November 2017
October 2017
September 2017
August 2017
July 2017
June 2017
May 2017
April 2017
March 2017
February 2017
January 2017
December 2016
November 2016
October 2016
September 2016
August 2016
July 2016
June 2016
May 2016
April 2016
March 2016
February 2016
January 2016
December 2015
November 2015
October 2015
September 2015
August 2015
July 2015
June 2015
May 2015
April 2015
March 2015
February 2015
January 2015
December 2014
November 2014
October 2014
September 2014
August 2014
July 2014
June 2014
May 2014
April 2014
March 2014
February 2014
January 2014
December 2013
November 2013
October 2013
September 2013
August 2013
July 2013
June 2013
May 2013
April 2013
March 2013
February 2013
January 2013
December 2012
November 2012
October 2012
September 2012
August 2012
July 2012
June 2012
May 2012
April 2012
March 2012
February 2012
January 2012
December 2011
November 2011
October 2011
September 2011
August 2011
July 2011
June 2011
May 2011
April 2011
March 2011
February 2011
January 2011
December 2010
November 2010
October 2010
September 2010
August 2010
July 2010
June 2010
May 2010
April 2010
March 2010
February 2010
January 2010
December 2009
November 2009
October 2009
September 2009
August 2009
July 2009
June 2009
May 2009
April 2009
March 2009
February 2009
January 2009
December 2008
November 2008
October 2008
September 2008
August 2008
July 2008
June 2008
May 2008
April 2008
March 2008
February 2008
January 2008
December 2007
November 2007
October 2007
September 2007
August 2007
July 2007
June 2007
May 2007
April 2007
March 2007
February 2007
January 2007
December 2006
November 2006
October 2006
September 2006
August 2006
July 2006
June 2006
May 2006

about · archives · contact · register

Copyright © 2006-2024 Captain's Journal. All rights reserved.