I know some people are happy sticking with iron sights, but I think red dots on handguns are awesome…
They just allow you to shoot quickly and more precisely because you’re simply putting a dot on your target instead of lining up sights…
In addition to that, concealed carry guns are getting smaller and smaller, but lucky for us, some of the optics companies out there are stepping up to the plate and creating red dot sights that will fit on these tiny guns…
One of those optics companies is Holosun, and right now their two smallest sights are…
- The Holosun 507k (Check Price On Amazon – Over 1,172 Reviews)
- The Holosun 407k (Check Price On Amazon – Over 436 Reviews)
So in this Holosun 507k Vs 407k comparison, we’re going to see how these two little sights stack up against each other in the following 6 categories…
- Durability And Toughness
- Lens Clarity And Reticle
- Size Comparison
- Battery Life And Brightness Settings
- Extra Accessories Included With The Optic
- Price Comparison
In the end, I’ll tell you if I prefer the 507k or the 407k, and you should have all the information you need to determine which optic will work best for you…
Let’s get started by taking a closer look at the durability of these two sights…
Durability And Toughness…
Holosun 507k
The Holosun 507k is a very durable little optic, especially for a super small reflex sight. First of all, it has a 7075 T6 aluminum sight housing…
That’s a pretty robust material, which at the same time is fairly lightweight. That’s important because you don’t want your optic weighing down your slide (which can cause malfunctions)…
In addition to that, it has an anodized finish to help protect it from the elements. Also, the windage and elevation turrets are recessed into the sighthousing…
They can still be adjusted with a small screwdriver, but this prevents them from ever catching on anything and accidentally being snapped off…
The 507k is also waterproof in up to 1 meter of water (for half an hour). So it’ll be able to withstand rainy, snowy and wet conditions without any issues at all…
So all in all, the 507k’s durability is very impressive, and really, it’s one of the toughest optics of this size that you can get.
Holosun 407k
The Holosun 407k is also a very durable tiny reflex sight. In fact, because it’s so similar to the 507k, you get all the same durability features…
For example, the sight housing on the 407k is also 7075 T6 aluminum. So it’s very tough…
In addition to that, it also has an anodized finish that will help it withstand the elements and the windage and elevation turrets are recessed into the sight housing. So they can never be broken off…
Last, the 407k is also waterproof in up to 1 meter of water, and will hold up just fine in rainy and wet conditions.
Durability And Toughness Conclusions…
Both of these sights are from Holosun… so they’re both built to the same standards and with the same materials…
Both of them are very tough optics, especially considering how small they are . So in this category, I’m going to have to call it a draw…
Winner: DRAW
Lens Clarity And Reticle…
Holosun 507k
The lens on the 507k is very clear. It’s much more clear than comparable optics like the Trijicon RMR which has a very distinct blue tint…
…and overall it gives you a very clean sight picture. Now as for the reticle, the 507k features what Holosun calls the M.R.S. or Multiple Reticle System.
Simply put, the M.R.S. is awesome. It basically gives you 3 reticle options that you can choose between on your sight. The 3 options are…
- A 2 MOA dot surrounded by a 32 MOA ring (the Holosun Circle Dot)
- A 2 MOA Dot
- A 32 MOA ring without the 2 MOA dot in the center
Now the 2 MOA (minute of angle) dot surrounded by the 32 MOA ring is also called the Holosun Circle Dot reticle, and it’s definitely my favorite…
The large 32 MOA draws your eye in extremely fast, but you still have that small 2 MOA dot which allows you to be very precise when aiming at small targets or targets off in the distance…
It’s the best of both worlds, and I really like it. Next, the 2 MOA dot reticle is also a good option for those who want a very simple sight picture. It’s pretty easy for your eye to pick up…
…but like I mentioned before, it still gives you a very precise aiming point.
Last, there is the 32 MOA ring with no dot in the center. Some folks out there really like this reticle especially for fast shooting because it gives you a clear view of your target while still being very fast and easy for your eye to pick up.
In the end, each of the reticles have their strengths and weaknesses, but the fact that the 507k allows you to choose between 3 different reticles really makes it unique and gives you a lot of value.
Holosun 407k
The Holosun 407k also has a very clear lens that allows you to get a clean sight picture. In my opinion, it’s just as clear as the 507k (they are both Holosun optics after all)…
But when we start talking about the reticle, that’s where things start to change. The 407k has a fixed 6 MOA dot reticle…
I think the 6 MOA dot reticle is a good compromise reticle in terms of precision when aiming and speed when picking up the dot…
I would personally prefer it to be just a little bit smaller, perhaps a 4 MOA dot, but there are plenty of people who love it at 6 MOA…
And honestly, since this optic is going to be placed on a single stack concealed carry gun, 6 MOA is a great size because if you ever have to use your weapon in self defense, the shooting distance will probably be very close.
So all in all, I think the 6 MOA dot is a good reticle, but that’s the only option when it comes to the 407k
Lens Clarity And Reticle Conclusions…
Alright, so we have some pretty big differences in this category. First of all, both the 507k and 407k have great lens clarity…
So they’re the same there. But they have totally different reticle systems. The 507k gives you 3 reticles with the M.R.S. Including the Circle Dot Reticle…
And the 407k has the fixed 6 MOA dot reticle. Even though I think the 6 MOA dot is a good reticle, the Circle Dot Reticle is my favorite because it gives you a ton of precision and allows you to shoot very quickly…
So in this category, I’m going to give the edge to the 507k…
Winner: Holosun 507k
Size Comparison…
The Holosun 507k and the 407k are very small reflex sights. As I mentioned before, they’re both designed to be mounted onto small single stack handguns and that requires them to be even smaller than something like the Holosun 507c or the Trijicon RMR…
All that being said, the 507k and the 407k are the exact same size…
They both have a height that measures in at 0.95 inches, a width that measures in at 0.98 inches, and a length that measures in at 1.60 inches…
On top of that, they both only weigh 1 ounce. So in addition to being super small, they’re also incredibly lightweight…
In the end, since the 507k and the 407k are the exact same size and dimensions, I’m going to have to call it a draw in this category…
Winner: DRAW
Battery Life And Brightness Settings…
Holosun 507k
The Holosun 507k uses 1 CR1632 battery which powers the sight for up to 50,000 hours (on the medium number 6 setting)…
That’s a fantastic amount of battery life, and it means that you can actually leave your optic turned on for years and it will still work for you…
Now just to be safe, you should probably swap out your battery every year, and when it comes time to do that, you simply remove the battery tray (which is located on the side of the optic) and you replace your battery…
That’s it! No taking off your sight and then having to re-mount it and then re-zero it, as is the case with other optics…
You can actually replace the battery on the 507k without removing it from your gun, and that is a really useful feature that will save you a lot of hassle…
Now in addition to the super long battery life that you get with this sight, Holosun includes something called the Shake Awake feature…
Basically, this feature means that the optic will automatically turn off after a period of non use, and it will automatically turn on again as soon as it senses motion…
This is another awesome feature in my opinion because it will save your battery life even more, and as soon as you grab your gun, your sight will automatically turn on (so it’s always ready to go)…
Now in addition to that, the 507k gives you 10 daylight brightness settings and 2 night vision settings…
The daylight brightness settings get very bright, and you shouldn’t have any problems with your dot washing out even on a sunny day…
Additionally you have those 2 night vision settings, which most people won’t use, but hey, some people with NV equipment might take advantage of them and they don’t cost you any extra money…
Last, the 507k allows you to switch to Lock Mode (with the Holosun 507k x2 model). This means that even if you accidentally press some of your brightness buttons (let’s say while you are concealed carrying), your optic will stay locked onto the settings that you already programmed it too…
I really like the Lock Mode feature, because if you’re putting this optic on a defensive gun, you don’t want any surprises if you ever need to draw in a life or death situation.
All in all, the battery life and brightness features on the 507k are extremely impressive, even when compared to optics that cost a lot more money.
Holosun 407k
The Holosun 407k has the same battery life and brightness features that you get on the 507k. It also uses one CR1632 battery which powers the sight for up to 50,000 hours (when on setting number 6)…
In addition to that, it also has the side loading battery tray, which allows you to change out your battery (when the time comes) without having to remove your optic from the slide of your gun…
And it has the Shake Awake feature, which will allow your sight to turn off automatically and turn on automatically as soon as the optic senses motion…
The 407k also has 10 daylight brightness settings that get very bright on the high end, and two night vision settings for use with NV equipment…
And it has the same Lock Mode feature that’s found on the 507k as well.
Battery Life And Brightness Settings Conclusions…
So in this category, the two sights have the exact same features, and to be clear, those features are awesome…
With both sights you get super long battery life, a side loading battery tray, the Shake Awake feature, the Lock Mode feature, and 12 brightness settings…
That’s a lot especially considering the cost of these optics in comparison to some other tiny red dots out there, but we’re comparing these two sights…
So in this category, we have another clear draw…
Winner: DRAW
Extra Accessories Included With The Optic…
Holosun 507k
The Holosun 507k comes with some pretty cool accessories. You get the typical items that come with an optic such as a battery, a lens cloth, and a tool for the battery tray…
But one of the coolest accessories in my opinion that comes with this sight is the rear sight that is built into the sight housing…
You see, you don’t always have a lot of space when mounting one of these tiny optics onto a very small gun, and some guns come with a optics plate that removes the rear sight when you take it off to mount your optic…
I’m a firm believer that you should always have some form of back up iron sights (BUIS) to go along with a battery powered optic. So I really like this feature…
In addition to that, the rear sight is actually pretty minimal, so you can easily ignore it and actually mount your own rear sight if your gun will allow it.
So all in all, I love the built in rear sight that comes with this optic because it’s useful if you’d like to use it, but also easy to ignore if you don’t want to use it.
Holosun 407k
The accessories that come with the 407k are exactly the same as the accessories that come with the 507k (again, they’re both Holosun optics)…
You get the battery tray, the lens cloth, and the battery tray tool, but more importantly, you still get the rear sight that is built into the sight housing…
Again, it’s an awesome feature that I’m really fond of.
Extra Accessories Conclusions…
Nothing really separates these two sights when it comes to accessories that you get included with the optic…
They both come with a battery, a battery tray tool, and a lens cloth…
And they both come with the built in rear sight, which I think is awesome and gives you a lot of extra value…
So in this category, we have another draw.
Winner: DRAW
Price Comparison…
Unfortunately, I won’t be able to give exact numbers in this category because the prices of these sights are changing all the time…
That being said, in general, you’ll usually find that the 407k is around 70 to 80 bucks less expensive than the 507k…
That’s a decent chunk of change, so in this category, the 407k definitely gets the win because it’s clearly less expensive…
Winner: Holosun 407K
Holosun 507K Vs 407K – Final Thoughts…
So in the end, in the Durability And Toughness category I had to call it a draw because both of these sights are built to the same standards and they’re both incredibly tough…
In the Lens Clarity And Reticle category, I gave the edge to the 507k because it has the Multiple Reticle System with the Circle Dot Reticle (which is my favorite) whereas the 407k only has a 6 MOA dot reticle…
In the Size Comparison, both sights are extremely small and lightweight, so I called it a draw…
In the Battery Life And Brightness Settings category, both sights have 50,000 hours of battery life, the Shake Awake feature, the Lock Mode feature, and 12 brightness settings. So again, I had to call it a draw…
In the Extra Accessories category, both sights come with the same accessories including a built in rear sight which I think gives you a lot of value, so once again, I called it a draw…
And Last in the Price Comparison, the 407k is around 70 to 80 dollars less expensive than the 507k…
So which of these sights do I prefer? I prefer the Holosun 507k…
I prefer the Holosun 507k for one reason… the Multiple Reticle System. All 3 reticles that you get with the M. R. S. have their own specific advantages…
…but my personal favorite is the Circle Dot Reticle. It just allows you to acquire the reticle extremely quickly, which translates to you shooting faster.
But at the same time you still have the ability to be very precise with the 2 MOA dot in the center of your sight picture…
I love it, and I think it’s a superior reticle to the simple 6 MOA dot on the 407k.
Now if you don’t mind the 6 MOA dot reticle, and you want to save a little bit of money, then feel free to go with the 407k because it’s still an awesome optic…
Either way, I hope I was able to show you the similarities and differences between these two fantastic Holosun optics.