Hey there Hunters! If you have been confused about your choice of the red dot sights, you have found yourself at the right place. Here, you’ll be well taken care of when providing the most authentic and up-to-date information.
The key difference between Holosun 507c and 407c resides in their reticles. Holosun 507c has a multi-reticle system with a 2 MOA dot and 32 MOA circle while 407c only has a 2 MOA red dot.
So, no need to spend hours surfing the internet looking for the best red dot sights and then the fatigue of comparing the differences between them to make the ultimate choice because we have done the hard work for you. For this article, we have two of the most versatile and amazing gems from Holosun – Holosun 507c and 407c – competing against each other.
Since I have been an avid shooter for as long as I can remember, I have used numerous firearms and accessories from various brands. I can say that Holosun has earned a well-deserved place in this industry. Holosun 507c and 407c have been a part of my collection for over a decade now, and I have tried my best to incorporate my experience with both products in this review.
Well, let me establish in the beginning that there aren’t many differences between the products since both are from Holosun, possessing signature features of Holosun like shake awake technology or solar failsafe. So, this will not be one of those traditional “which is better” or “winner vs loser” reviews.
507c is an upgrade to the older version of itself – 407c with an added reticle option. Nonetheless, we’ll take you through all the peculiarities of both products so you can ultimately decide which one to go for.
So, without wasting more time, let’s go into a detailed analysis of both products.
HOLOSUN 407c Vs 507c – Specifications
| HS507C | HS407c | |
| Brand | Holosun | Holosun |
| Battery | CR2032 | CR2023 |
| Weight | 0.09 pounds | 0.09 pounds |
| Reticle | Multiple Reticle System | Single reticle |
| Night vision | Yes | Yes |
| Waterproof | Yes | Yes |
What To Look For?
The article will cover the crucial aspects of an optic like;
- Durability
- Size and Weight
- Reticle
- Accuracy
- Battery life and other features
- Brightness
- Mount style
- Price
HOLOSUN 507C VS 407C: Features
Below is the comparison and detailed analysis of all the features of Holosun 507c and 407c.
1. Durability
The primary thing that even a layman is concerned about in a product is its durability. This aspect gets highlighted when it comes to the optics – that too, of firearms. You can’t afford to lose sight efficiency after a few rounds or drops, for say. This optic is your reliance in a tactical situation quite literally, so obviously, you need it to withstand a decent amount of abuse, shocks, and burndowns. Suppose the reticle starts to flicker or gets washed away over a period of time. In that case, that is a sort of malfunction you can’t recover from, and there goes all your money along with the fading red dot. So, keeping durability in mind while buying your sight is extremely important to avoid future inconveniences.
Hence, I will thoroughly summarize all the features and aspects that make these sights durable.
Housing
Holosun 507c and 407c both come with 7075 aluminum housing. This is one of the biggest competitive advantages Holosun has over its competitors, which use titanium or 6061 aluminum housing since 7075 aluminum is lighter in weight than both of the materials mentioned above and steel as well – that gives the sight it the concealed carry edge. Also, the fatigue strength and tensile strength of 7075 aluminum are higher than that of titanium and 6061 aluminum.
Ultimately, 7075 aluminum makes the 507c and 407c strong and resistant to scratches to the surface or complete breakage.
Patented window design
Holosun has gotten its sights’ window designs patented. The curved top surface is what you’ll see in both the 507c and 407c. Now what it does is that when the sight’s surface makes contact with another harder surface like concrete, for example, the impact of the shock is considerably lesser than if the surface were to be flat. This design innovation adds to the durability of the sight, and the chances of damaging your sight on a drop are fewer.
Waterproof
Another really important dimension to be looked into when it comes to choosing your optic – is the waterproof rating. Whether you’re using your sight for self-defense, hunting, or duty purposes – there is a chance your sight will come in contact with water. If it does, it must be resistant to wear corrosion or a drop in performance. For this purpose, Holosun made both 507c and 407c with a waterproof rating of IP6-7, which means they’ll show no trouble performing even after submersion in water up to 1 meter for 30 minutes.
To test this, I put both my sights in containers of water separately, let them stay there for almost half an hour, and later tried them out. Fortunately, I didn’t end up drowning my money because 507c and 407c showed no compromise in the performance.
Durability Tests
Now, 407c is the sight that I have been using longer than 507c, so it’s had its fair share of abuse. Still, for the sake of evidence, I tested it on my own. Instead of putting my new 507c through the pain (since both are the same essentially), I’ll be quoting the durability test of sage dynamics.
- One-handed manipulation
Well, speaking of one-handed manipulation, I didn’t have to test it all over again with my 407c because I have trained with it that way. So, while doing so, my sight used to get racked against the walls or wooden planks all the time, and it didn’t leave my side as an efficient performer. Some scratches are there. As I have already mentioned, it’s been with me for over a decade now, but no compromise on efficiency.
In the sage dynamics test, 507c was tested with the single-handed operation, and same as my 407c, there was no drop in performance.
- Shoulder height drop test
Aaron Cowan, the host of sage dynamics, tested the durability of 507c by dropping it from shoulder height onto a concrete surface and then tested it again. The zero was still good, meaning the sight was functional. However, the top edge of the window was broken a bit.
My 407c has dropped multiple times over the years, so it has had some wear and tear, but it still works perfectly.
Both 407c and 507c can withstand the impact of an encounter with a hard surface without faulting in function.
- 500 rounds burndown
Cowan carried out a 500-round burndown test to see if the sight had enough heat resistance or not.
A burndown test is done to see if, after multiple rounds in a row, the sight can withstand the amount of heat built up in sight and whether or not it shows a compromised performance after that.
So, the 507c showed no malfunction like the flickering of the dot of dot being washed away after a 500-round burndown.
As per my own 407c, it’s been through multiple rounds and burndowns over the years, and it still works perfectly, so it’s safe to say that both our products are duly heat resistant.
Winner: Draw
Both 407c and 507c proved extremely durable, and neither lagged on the performance bar after years of usage or abuse.
2. Size and Weight
| Holosun 507c | Holosun 407c | |
| Dimension (inches) | 1.78×1.15×1.15 | 1.78×1.15×1.15 |
| Weight (ounce) | 1.5 | 1.5 |
As you can see from the table, they are essentially the same dimensions. However, 507c is an inch taller than the 407c, which means it will sit a little higher on your gun than 407c. But that’s not a thing to worry about since it’s all about what a user prefers; a high-mounted sight or a low mount.
Also, as you can see, both are extremely lightweight, a great choice for people who don’t like high-profile optics to go with their guns because of the added weight. Their dimensions are a good place among mini reflex sights and are great for concealed carry.
Winner: Draw
Since there is no prominent difference between their dimensions, there is no winner or loser. They’re both snag-free and great to be carried on hunting treks or long shooting trips because of their less weight and small dimensions.
3. Reticle
Now, this is where the main difference lies. So read it carefully!
Holosun 507c
507c has a multi-reticle option with a 2 MOA dot and 32 MOA circle. This means it gives you three options to pick from;
1. 2 MOA dot
2. 2 MOA dot and 32 MOA circle
3. 32 MOA circle
Now you can only use the circle or dot separately if you like or use the circle-dot combo. It’s up to you and the application of sight.
Being said that, what makes the combo more efficient is that a larger circle is easier to track and identify as compared to the smaller crisp red dot, so if you end up losing your dot while moving too fast, the circle around it helps you to keep track of it. Also, the larger circle is faster to acquire. Using them together gives you the speed of 32 MOA and pin-point precision of 2 MOA.
Well acquainted for self-defense and duty use!
Holosun 407c
407c only offers a crisp 2 MOA red dot. It is best suited for competition shooters since it provides you the accuracy and precision you require while acquiring a target at a far-off distance with a visual radius of some centimeters.
Also, 407c comes with red and green, both colors in reticles, so a user can be free to choose what he prefers.
Besides that, my experience with 407c’s 2 MOA dot has been great since it wasn’t blurry and really helped me with my astigmatism.
Winner: Holosun 507C
The clear winner of this category is 507c since the multi-reticle system, but this, in no way, means that 407c is a bad optic.
Buying Options:
4. Accuracy
And we’ve reached the main purpose of mounting a sight on your gun – acquiring a target with accuracy.
I have broken it down into different aspects and features to use them as parameters to assess the accuracy of a sight.
Parallax free design
Holosun HS507C X2 and 407c both offer a parallax-free design. It means that your point of impact would stay unchanged, irrespective of the position of your head behind the sight.
Field of view
Both 507c and 407c have large windows that offer a wide field of view. Why is a large field of view needed, you ask? So, to answer this, consider a traditional tube-style window such as that of EOTech xps2 and the rectangular window of holosun. The holosun one keeps the dot in your sight range, while this isn’t the case for the tube style, where the dot might get lost.
Also, the 507c and 407c being the open reflex sights, are great for shooting with both eyes, which is helpful for enhanced situational awareness.
Lock mode
Both the products have a lock mode incorporated in them that prevents accidental switching between settings. The buttons for lock mode are placed out of the way to avoid inconvenience while shooting.
Winner: Draw
Both products have the same features and perks regarding accuracy; hence both are great when acquiring a precise and accurate target.
5. Battery life and other features
Battery life
An optic is only as good as its battery life. Say a thousand things about other features of any sight. Still, if it lacks a considerable battery life, it’s useless, in my opinion.
But fortunately, both our sights – 507c and 407c have splendid battery features and great battery life, so you have nothing to worry about. It won’t die on you.
The battery life for both extends from 50,000 hours to 100,000 hours – putting it in perspective, you won’t have to change the batteries for a minimum of 5 years, and if taken well care of, one battery won’t leave your side for up to 10 years. Amazing, isn’t it?
Battery tray
407c and 507c version 1 have battery compartments at the bottom. Still, version 2 of 507c is improved by introducing a sliding battery compartment on the side. Although it’s a tiny detail, it adds to the overall user experience.
Solar failsafe
When I say, holosun has marked its footprints in the industry. This is what I mean. The signature innovations of Holosun.. one of them being the solar failsafe technology that allows the sight to use a solar panel placed on its top to keep running in case the battery gives up. This feature is incorporated in almost all the holoson sights – 507c and 407c included.
Shake awake feature
The other innovation is the awake shake feature of holosun. This feature gives your gun a “go-gun” status. It comes on upon sensing the slightest motion, so you can just pick it up, and it’s ready to function. This is great for the newbies because it shortens the learning curve. It enables you to pick up the gun and, without worrying about turning on the sight, just focus on training the hand-eye coordination with the already working red dot.
Also, it helps conserve the battery life since it shuts off automatically when it senses no motion.
Winner: Draw
Again, 507c and 407c both share the same features and battery life, so there is no winner or loser. Both are exceptional!
6. Brightness
A red dot is no good if it isn’t bright enough to be clearly seen in any weather condition. If it gets dull or too bright for the eye to comprehend, then it doesn’t serve its purpose.
507c and 407c have ten daylight settings and 2-night vision settings, and I have found both to be pretty promising. Where I live, the weather isn’t all friendly all the time. If it’s dark, it’s too dark, or if it’s bright, then the lord helps the poor eyes. Anyhow the point is that I have worked with both sights under unfavorable lighting conditions and the brightness levels are great on both. You wouldn’t have any problem seeing the dot clearly.
Also, to increase accessibility, version 2 of 507c has brightness controls on the side instead of the two small buttons, which were tactical but obviously hard to control.
Winner: Draw
507c and 407c both have bright and efficient reticles. Nothing to worry about here!
7. Mounting style
507c and 407c both come with detachable low mounts with Picatinny rails. You can use the low mount if you have an AK or shotgun but go for a higher mount if you get an AR.
The best part is that both use the RMR footprint, which is the most widely used footprint in the industry. It means that your gun might already be milled according to the RMR footprint, so you wouldn’t need to pay to get it milled again to put in the new sight. 507c and 407c would fit perfectly with your gun.
Winner: Draw
Both have easy and quick mounting due to the RMR footprint.
8. Price
And we’re down to the last facet of our analysis – price.
See, what I always keep in mind is that buy once, cry once. If you spend a decent amount of money on a product one time, it will be effective in the long run. However, it depends on personal preference.
You can get a 407c for 60 to 70 bucks less in price than the 507c, but evidently, there is the catch of losing a multi-reticle system.
Winner: 407c
Clearly, the 407c is less in price than the 507c, but it depends upon the user if you prefer the price or if you are in need of a multi-reticle system.
Compare Deals:
Holosun 507c vs 407c: Overall Winner
Well, clearly, there isn’t a sole winner for this comparison. As stated earlier, both are from the same brand with the same features, with the exception of a reticle system. So, evidently, 507c has the edge over 407c with its multi-reticle system.
My Pick
As far as my personal preference is concerned, I like both since I own both up until now. But obviously, I wanted an upgrade from 407c, so I went out and bought 507c. I use them both, and if I have to recommend one, then I’d say a rookie should probably go for 407c with a lesser price and high precision, but if you’re a pro and have multiple uses for the sight, then spend some extra bucks and buy 507c.
Bottom Line
- 507c and 407c are fundamentally the fruit of the same tree, so there isn’t much difference.
- Both have great durability because of the 7075 aluminum housing, IP6-7 waterproof rating, and patented window design.
- · Regarding size, both are lightweight and easy to carry, with 507c being an inch taller than 407c.
- The only difference that exists and matters between them is in their reticles. 507c has a multi-reticle system with a 2MOA red dot and 32 MOA circle – with a choice to use the combination of dot and circle or use them separately – while 407c only has a 2MOA dot.
- From an accuracy point of view, both stand out with their parallax-free design, large windows supporting a wider field of view, and lock mode.
- Also, with 50,000 to 100,000 hours of excellent battery life, both products set the bar high for competitors. Not to forget the shake awake and solar failsafe features in both.
- Next, we have the brightness section where both 507c and 407c proved to be equally worthy with a bright red reticle in daylight or night conditions.
- Both Holosun products use RMR footprint, so it’s really easy to mount them.
- Lastly, 507c costs a little more than 407c, but it’s worth it!
For further queries, head on to the FAQs section, Thank you!
See you in the next review. Till then, have fun shooting!
FAQs
What is the difference between 507c and 507k?
507c has a solar panel in its design, while 507k doesn’t. c represents the presence of solar panels and hence solar failsafe technology.
What makes Holosun 507C and 508t different?
The housing material used by holosun 507c and 508t is different, with 507c using aluminum and 508t using titanium, which is a tough material.
Which is better: 6 MOA or 3 MOA?
Well, none is better or worse. It’s all about the application. 6 moa is preferable for shooting at closer ranges since the larger the size of a dot, the faster it is to track. In contrast, 3 moa is better for shooting at a greater distance for more precision since a smaller dot covers less of the target’s body.
How far can a red dot shoot?
The effective range of shooting with a red dot sight is 100 yards. Still, this range can increase or decrease based on different aspects like the size or type of dot and environmental factors, etc.