Holosun 407 C First Impressions

I do not like Reflex Sights as a rule , But I have a PPQ that I am upgrading to Q5 Match. The Q5 has a choice of footprints for a red dot and I went with the RMR because I bought a Gideon SRO Clone which has a RMR foot print. 

The Gideon Green dot was terrible to my eye as reflex sights usually are but this was the worst. So I returned it and got a Holosun 407c from Freedom Gorilla which had a competitive price and great information on the various Holosuns. 

Holosun has a micro rifle sight that looks good for BE and has an adapter plate from 509T could work with the RMR foot print but I was concerned about weight impacting function and I did not feel like investing $350 on the experiment. 

After reading the reviews I chose the 407c because of the cost and 2 MOA dot. If the Holosun 507C did not work out I was going to get a Trijicon, 

Unboxing the 407 C. The dot was boxed very nicely with extra hardware and and tools. After installing the RMR Adapter to my Q5 which has a Jarvis Barrel, Walther Dynamic Trigger , Light Striker Spring and other tweaks the Holosun fit the the plate nicely, and I put a couple of drops of VC 17 on the plate just to cover my bases.

Holosun says the dot was zeroed for 25 yards. The dot needed to be adjusted about 20 clicks to the right and 6 up and I was hitting in the 10 ring, off hand. 

I have a Astigmatism and I find this dot to be excellent. Not as good as Aimpoint h1,  or Ultradot Gen II but for $240 it was excellent and 1000% better than the Gideon SRO Clone which was lower than Primary Arms Quality or Sig Romero. 

After about 50 rounds the the Holsun held zero perfectly and every shot was on call , no problems.  I like the positive click adjustment which works with the provided tool or a Jewelers screwdriver. I also like the glass housing which is sturdy and thick. 

I also found with the Holosun 407 the dot was easy to pick up and I did not have to search at all to pick up the dot , the SRO clone was a inferior in that regard, and I always had a problem with other reflex sights but this one is at par with Micro Red Dots which I mostly shoot. 

My only issue with the dot is the rightness controls which are a little small and hard to press, not a deal killer but they are not as easy as others. Also the Dot comes pre set with an auto brightness control which I had to figure out how to deactivate. I was shooting indoors but out doors this do should well as the lowest settings (2 to 4) provide a visible dot. 

The glass is slightly tinted blue but clear which does not bother me but I know some people prefer crystal clear glass. 

If I were to rate the Holosun 407c do I would give it a solid 4.5 Stars and for the price it it is worth it if you have an optic milled slide.

Rich

Have you found thew click adjustments accurate?

I know my Bo-mar is 6 clicks 25 to 50 and they are spot on consistently.
Would like to eventually find a dot that is as consistent and repeatable. 
Thanks.

I have a bunch of holosuns. The 407c is the one I have most of as I like a
2moa dot and don't need any other bells and whistles.  I shoot with them
a bit better than with a tube optic, but given my poor shooting, that is no
proof of anything. the Masters tend to shoot tubes.

Outside 25 to 50 yard transition, I did not test that and its is on a 9mm which is pretty flat shooting. Most dots I have used in the past were 2 to 4 clicks at the most with 45acp 185 gn ammo.

It is a reflex sight and I am not sure those are better than a micro dot or tube dot, I think a tube dot at 50 yards would be the best for that transition.

L. Boscoe wrote:I have a bunch of holosuns. The 407c is the one I have most of as I like a
2moa dot and don't need any other bells and whistles.  I shoot with them
a bit better than with a tube optic, but given my poor shooting, that is no
proof of anything. the Masters tend to shoot tubes.

Yes a tube is better but I did not want to experiment the SCRS, That would had added about 2 to 4 ounces to the rail and the PPQ platform does not like lighter recoil springs beyond what I am doing now.

Is the reflex sight easy to shoot in rapid fire, or do you think a tube sight is better? Can the battery be replaced on the Holosun 407C easily?

I would say tube is better, but this sight was just as good as a tube over the first 50 or so slow fire rounds.

407C Has a side battery door, battery can be changed without removing sight or changing alignment. 

I have used a Holosun 507k on my 1911 all season, and have had no issues with it holding zero. the 507k might be even smaller than the 407c, but with proper grip, i have no problems in rapid fire; the dot falls right back down to center. I like the k version of the sights since they don't auto-dim, but i agree that the buttons to manually turn them on/off are on the small side.

For adjustments, I've found the clicks to be a pretty consistent 1moa per click. I don't change my sights for long line though.

In reality, most of the “tube” sights are just “enclosed reflex sights”.  

Most of the newer “high end” pistol dots are now with open reflex formats and footprints with an enclosure over the emitter.  The “tube” style is becoming obsolescent for pistols.

Wobbley wrote:In reality, most of the “tube” sights are just “enclosed reflex sights”.  

Most of the newer “high end” pistol dots are now with open reflex formats and footprints with an enclosure over the emitter.  The “tube” style is becoming obsolescent for pistols.

I am waiting for an ARCO style enclosed emitter that has round glass. I do not know why they would not build one that way.

I was close to pulling the trigger on the Aimpoint but after the experience with the SRO clone I did not want to put out +$600 only to find the dot sucked for me. 

The 407c has a pretty deep tunnel for the emitter and it will not get dirty unless it is snowing out and even then. Holosun makes enclosed models but the 407 mounts direct onto my Walther with no adapter plate. And I am cheap so there is that reason too.

Wobbley wrote:In reality, most of the “tube” sights are just “enclosed reflex sights”.  

Most of the newer “high end” pistol dots are now with open reflex formats and footprints with an enclosure over the emitter.  The “tube” style is becoming obsolescent for pistols.

I didn't realize that the "big boys" have turned away from tube red/ green dot electronic sights.

I have Vortex Venom reflex sights (208s and LB 1911) and an Aimpoint H1 4moa (SPRO 1911).  To my mostly corrected astigmatic eye the dots are about the same roundness, though with both types there is significant dot-stortion on high brightness settings.  

I can see how one would get used to the round tube aperture but to novice me there is no great benefit.  However the Aimpoint and associated slide mount is heavy, and I had to reduce the recoil spring for the RO to cycle lighter-loaded ammo.  The LB with the lightweight venom shoots everything fine with a stock spring, and IMO looks cooler.

I shot it yesterday held Zero just fine. I shot Slow fire on a B8 and shot a 97 5x which is about as good as that gun can shoot, excluding the 8 which was my fault.

BE Mike wrote:Is the reflex sight easy to shoot in rapid fire, or do you think a tube sight is better? Can the battery be replaced on the Holosun 407C easily?

Yes very easy