It’s no secret that I’m a Holosun fan boy…
I just love that they pack their sights with cool (and useful) features and that they focus on keeping their optics affordable…
Now two of their most popular models right now are:
- The Holosun 403 (See Price On Amazon – Over 150 Reviews)
- The Holosun 503 (See Price On Amazon – Over 45 Reviews)
And in this Holosun 403 Vs 503 comparison, we’re going to examine how these two sights are similar and then point out the major differences between them…
In the end, I’ll tell you which of the two I prefer (I own both), and you should have all the information you need to determine which of them will work best for you…
Let’s get started!
Holosun 403 Vs 503 – What Are The Similarities?
Durability And Toughness…
Both the Holosun 403 and 503 are built to be pretty tough sights. To start off with, the sight housing on both of these Holosun models is made from 6061 T6 Aluminum…
And they both have an anodized finish, which helps protect the sight from the elements. Now some versions of 403 and 503 have part of the sight housing extended up and around the windage and elevation turrets…
And other versions don’t have this extension around the turrets. Personally, I prefer the versions that have the extra protection around the turrets because it’s just a little bit more protection against them being snapped off accidentally…
In addition to that, both the Holosun 403 and 503 are fogproof and waterproof in up to 1 meter of water, so they can easily handle rainy, snowy, or wet conditions…
Both models are also shockproof and can easily handle the recoil from high-powered rifles, shotguns, and pistol caliber carbines.
All in all, both of the Holosun models are extremely reliable and tough.
Lens Clarity…
Both the Holosun 403 and 503 have very good lens clarity. In fact, the lens clarity on these holosun micro red dots is better than the clarity you get from a lot of other micro red dot sights (even some that are priced much higher)…
I don’t notice any annoying bluish or greenish tint when looking through either the 403 or the 503, and the reticle is extremely clear and crisp.
All in all, the sight picture you get from both of these Holosun models is very clean and their lenses are crystal clear.
Battery Life And Brightness…
The battery life on both the Holosun 403 and 503 is very good. First of all, the battery these sights use with either be a CR2032 or a CR1632 depending on which particular version you get…
Both of those batteries are relatively common now, and you won’t have too difficult of a time picking up some extra batteries with either one…
Also, regardless of the battery used, you’ll get 50,000 hours (5 years) of battery life with both of these Holosun models…
Super long battery life like this is a must-have for any red dot sight I use because you don’t want your sight dying on you at the wrong time…
I’ve had sights die on me at the range before, which is really annoying, but more importantly, you don’t want your optic dying on you if you ever need to use it in an emergency…
Now to help save your battery life, Holosun includes the “shake awake” feature on both of these models. That basically means that your sight will automatically turn off after a period of non-use…
…and automatically turn on as soon as the optic senses any motion at all (for example when you pick up your rifle).
I love this feature because like I said before it helps save your battery life (which is already very long), and I like that Holosun includes it on both the 403 and the 503 models.
In addition to that, if you go with one of the “c” versions such as the 403c and the 503cu, Holosun includes a solar panel on top…
This is very cool because it means your sight will run even if your battery dies on you, as long as you have some sunlight to power everything up.
Now both the 403 and 503 come with 10 daylight brightness settings and 2 night vision settings. The daylight settings get very bright, and you shouldn’t have any problems with your reticle washing out on you, even on a sunny day…
Most people won’t use the 2 night vision settings, but some people with NV equipment will take advantage of them, and I like that Holosun includes them on both of these models.
Extra Accessories Included With The Sight…
Both the Holosun 403 and 503 come with the same accessories… They both come with a battery, which is nice because it means you can start using your sight immediately, and they both come with a lens cloth…
In addition to that, they both come with a rubber bikini lens cover, which gives you a little bit more ruggedness and two mounts, a low mount and a high mount.
The high mount is perfect for use on an AR-15 and it sets you up for an absolute cowitness with back up iron sights…
…and the low mount is great for use on something like an AK, a shotgun, and some pistol caliber carbines.
I love that both of these Holosun models come with a low AND a high mount because it means you don’t have to spend extra money to use your optic, and you can use your sight on pretty much any firearms platform you want to.
What Are The Differences Between The Holosun 403 and 503?
Reticle Options…
Holosun 403
The major difference between the Holosun 403 and the 503 is the reticle. With the 403 you get a 2 MOA (minute of angle) dot reticle…
I think a 2 MOA dot is a good reticle for a red dot sight. I like it because the dot is fairly easy for your eye to pick up quickly when you need to shoot fast…
…but it’s also small enough to give you some precision, when aiming at small targets in the distance. It’s a good balance, and I much prefer it over something like a 4 or 6 MOA dot reticle.
Holosun also offers the HS403 with a red, green, or gold reticle depending on the version you choose. I personally like to use red on my sights and optics, but there are a lot of people out there who really like the green reticle.
Holosun 503
The Holosun 503 comes with 2 reticles that you can switch between, a 2 MOA dot and the Holosun Circle Dot Reticle (2 MOA dot surrounded by a 65 MOA ring)…
The 2 MOA dot is exactly the same as the reticle you get with the Holosun 403, and again, I think it’s a good reticle for a red dot sight… but I really love the Circle Dot Reticle.
The reason why I like it so much is because the 65 MOA ring just draws in your eye extremely quickly and allows you to shoot very fast at large targets up close…
But at the same time, you still have that 2 MOA dot in the center to give precision for small targets in the distance. Like I said, I really like it and it’s my favorite style of reticle on a red dot optic.
Now, just as with the 403, the Holosun 503 is available with a red, green, or gold reticle depending on the version you get.
Again, I like the color red for my reticles, but I’m glad that Holosun offers the other color options as well.
Price Differences…
Unfortunately, I won’t be able to give exact numbers here because the prices of the sights are changing all the time. The prices are also different depending on the version you choose to go with…
All that being said, the most affordable option is usually going to be the Holosun 403b (no solar panel) which you can find for around 100 to 120 bucks less than the most expensive option, the Holosun 503cu (solar panel and protected windage and elevation turrets).
The Holosun 403c (solar panel) is usually around 50 to 60 bucks less expensive than the Holosun 503cu.
Holosun 403 Vs 503 – Final Thoughts…
So to sum it all up, both of these sights are very durable and tough. They both have excellent lens clarity. They both have ultra long battery life and the shake awake feature.
They both have versions with solar panels or without them. And they both come with the same accessories including a low and a high mount.
The two models are different because of the reticle they use. Again, the Holosun 403 just has a 2 MOA dot reticle, and the Holosun 503 has the 2 MOA dot reticle and the Circle Dot Reticle…
And because of the extra reticle the 503 is priced a little bit higher than the 403.
So which of these sights do I prefer? I prefer the Holosun 503, specifically the HS503cu…
I prefer the Holosun 503 because I love the Circle Dot Reticle. Like I mentioned before, it’s my favorite reticle on a red dot sight…
I really like that the 65 MOA ring allows you to shoot very quickly, but you still have that small 2 MOA dot to aim with when you need precision.
Simply put, it’s fast and precise, and it just works really well for me.
Now if you want to save a few bucks and are happy with a 2 MOA dot (still a great reticle!), I recommend you go with the more affordable option, the Holosun 403c because it’s still a great sight…
Either way I hope I was able to show you the similarities and major differences between these two awesome red dots from Holosun!