When I first received my initial HE-508T red dot, I have to say I didn’t know what exactly to expect. People I respect have been saying good things; however, was this going to be an imported clone of the popular RMR? Well, that is where the similarity does start. In fact, the footprint of the optic is the same as the Trijicon RMR. This is important as the HE-508T can fit in slides that are natively milled or the countless adapter and optic plate systems already on the market. Additionally, they both are open amateur, small red dot style optics that are designed to go on the slide of a handgun. However, that is where I would argue the similarities start to end.
Holosun HE-508T Review
Now, a year later, the Holosun has proven to me a very robust and reliable optic. Riding on the slide of a handgun is pretty violent for small electronics, as proven by my experience. To date, I have broken or experienced breakage with just about every pistol red dot, some after thousands of rounds, some in the tens of thousands, but recoil can be hard on optics. Not to mention drop tests, weather, cold and so on. That being said, the 508 has proven to be just as reliable for me as anything else out there: drop test, cold weather, water, it keeps up or exceeds all the rest.
What I really like about the optic, though is the rest of the stuff that the others might not have. I know it’s simple, but the side-mounted battery compartment is a great thing to have on any optic. Having to remove the optic in order to change the battery is a pain. Not only do you have to remove it, but you also have to reapply thread locker and wait for that to cure before returning the handgun to service. The side-mounted battery compartment is easy to work with and makes battery changes easy at the user level for most agency situations as well.
Additionally, the solar panel offers a battery backup and is a benefit for those who like to plan for worst case scenarios. The HE-508T also offers a multi-reticle system, a traditional dot, of course, but then also a halo/dot, or halo only. I preferred either the lone dot or the halo/dot combination.
The benefit of having a multi-reticle system may not be for everyone, but I found a few use scenarios where I found it to be a helpful feature. Shooting with Night Vision Devices, aka NODs or NV, is an area where the red dot of a handgun works really well. However, if your shooting buddy has a laser, that dot presented looks nearly the same as the dot of your handgun optic. Enter the halo/dot reticle, and you have a distinct sight picture that won’t be confused with anything else. Additionally, I have had shooters come through classes that had various levels of color blindness. The additional outline and contrast of the halo/dot reticle made the system easier to use for them.
If you want to see the optic in action, hear more of my thoughts and see up close, make sure you also watch my video.
Dave Timm
Read the original article in its entirety at Guns and Tactics.