It’s a cool time to be a concealed carry permit holder…
I say that because you just have so many great options out there in terms of small, concealable guns right now…
And even cooler than that is the fact that it’s becoming easier to mount optics on those guns…
Right now, two of the most talked about optics for small (single stack) concealed carry guns are…
- The Holosun 507k (Check Price On Amazon – Over 1,172 Reviews)
- The Shield RMSC (Check Price And Reviews On Optics Planet)
So in this Holosun 507k Vs Shield RMSC comparison, we’re going to put these two sights up against each other in the following six 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 RMSC, and you should have all the information you need to determine which optic will work best for you…
Let’s begin!
Durability And Toughness…
Holosun 507k
The Holosun 507k is a very tough little red dot sight. To start off with, the site housing is made from 7075 T6 aluminum which is a very robust material…
It also has an anodized finish which will help protect the optic from the elements. In addition to that, the windage and elevation turrets are recessed into the sight housing…
They can still be easily adjusted with use of a small screwdriver, but the benefit is that they can never be accidentally bumped or snapped off…
And overall it keeps the sight housing very sleek on its sides which will help prevent the optic from getting snagged on clothing…
The 507K is also a waterproof optic. It’s rated to be waterproof in up to 1 meter of water for 30 minutes, but the truth is that it can probably handle much more than that…
Regardless, the sight will easily be able to handle rainy, snowy, or wet conditions without having any issues at all…
Last, the 507K was designed to be a pistol optic, so it’s shockproof and can easily handle the abuse an optic takes while being mounted on a handgun slide…
All in all, I’m very impressed with just how rugged the Holosun 507K is for such a small optic.
Shield RMSC
The Shield RMSC was one of the first tiny reflex sights that was brought to the market, and RMSC actually stands for “Reflex MINI Sight Compact”…
I think it’s a fairly tough little sight. It has a sight housing made from high-quality aluminum, and it also has an anodized finish to protect it from the elements…
In addition to that, the windage and elevation turrets on the RMSC are also recessed into the sight housing which means that they can never be bumped or snapped off accidentally…
On top of that the RMSC is waterproof, so it can easily handle being used in the rain or snow, and just like with the Holosun 507K…
… it was designed from the start as a pistol optic, so it’s shockproof and can handle being mounted on the slide of a handgun.
Durability And Toughness Conclusions…
In this category, these two sights have a few things in common, but there is one major difference. First of all, they’re both waterproof, so you can use them in the rain without having any problems…
And they’re also both shockproof, so they can handle being mounted on a handgun slide. They also both have a sight housing that is made from high quality aluminum…
That being said, the sight housing on the 507k is A LOT beefier than the sight housing on the RMSC. It’s clearly built to be tough, and there are numerous torture tests of the 507k that you can watch online…
So because it’s built up a reputation as being one of the toughest little reflex sights that you can get, I’m going to give the win in this category to the Holosun 507k.
Winner: Holosun 507k
Lens Clarity And Reticle…
Holosun 507k
The lens clarity on the Holosun 507K is very good. You get a clear view when looking through the optic, and there’s not really any of the blue tint that you find on many other red dot sights (like the Trijicon RMR)…
Now as for the reticle on the 507k, Holosun includes a feature called the Multiple Reticle System or MRS. Basically this means that you get three included reticles with your sight (the Holosun 407k has a fixed reticle).The 3 reticles are…
- A 2 MOA dot with a 32 MOA ring surrounding it (the Holosun Circle Dot Reticle)
- A 2 MOA dot
- A 32 MOA ring with no dot in the center
Let’s discuss each of these reticles further. The first option is the 2 MOA (minute of angle) dot with a 32 MOA ring surrounding it…
This is also called a Circle Dot Reticle, and it’s similar to the reticle you’ll find on some larger Holosuns like the 510c and even some other red dot sights such as the Eotechs…
I’m a huge fan of the Circle Dot Reticle because the large 32 MOA ring is very quick and easy for your eye to pick up, which allows you to shoot faster…
But at the same time, you still have that little 2 MOA dot in the center which gives you a precise aiming point for small targets and targets at further distances…
It’s a great reticle because it gives you speed and precision in the same sight picture, so because of that, I really like it…
Now the second option is the 2 MOA dot. This is also a very good reticle in my opinion, especially if you prefer a more simple sight picture…
The 2 MOA dot is still fairly quick for your eye to pick up, so you can shoot pretty fast, but you still have that small 2 MOA dot which gives you a precise aiming point…
Now the last option is the 32 MOA ring with no dot in the center. This is my least favorite option, but there are many shooters out there who like it…
The reason why some like this reticle is because it does help you shoot quicker because the 32 MOA ring is large and catches your eye very quickly…
But at the same time, you can see your entire target with no center dot getting in the way. This can work well when you’re just interested in shooting large targets up close…
But the obvious downside is that you don’t have a precise aiming point for small targets, which is why I’m not too big a fan of it…
In the end, all 3 reticle options have strengths and weaknesses, but like I said, I think the Circle Dot is the best because it balances both speed and precision at the same time.
Shield RMSC
The Shield RMSC also has a very clear lens. Like the 507k, it doesn’t really have any of that annoying blue tint that some red dots have…
And overall, you’re able to see clearly through the optic and establish a very clean sight picture…
Now when it comes to the reticle on the RMSC, you have 2 options to choose from when you pick up the sight…
You can get a version of the RMSC with a fixed 4 MOA dot or a version with a fixed 8 MOA dot…
I prefer smaller MOA dots on my red dot sights because, as I mentioned earlier, they’re still pretty fast for your eye to pick up, and they offer you more precision…
So out of the 2 options given to you by Shield, I prefer the 4 MOA dot, and I think the 8 MOA is a bit too big for how I like to shoot…
By that being said, there are many great shooters who like a 6 MOA dot or an 8 MOA dot. So it really comes down to a matter of personal preference if you’re trying to determine which is the right reticle size for you.
Lens Clarity And Reticle Conclusions…
Alright, so in this category we have some important differences between these two sights. First of all, they both have a very clear lens, and they both allow you to get a very clean sight picture…
But that’s really where the similarities end because the Holosun features the Multiple Reticle System which gives you 3 reticle choices in one sight…
And the Shield RMSC is either a fixed 4 MOA dot or fixed 8 MOA dot depending on the version that you get. Again, with the MRS you get the Circle Dot Reticle, the 2 MOA dot, and the 32 MOA ring…
And like I said, the Circle Dot Reticle is my favorite because it helps you shoot faster without sacrificing precision, the way something like an 8 MOA dot does…
I think the MRS system is much better than both a 4 MOA dot and an 8 MOA dot. So in this section, I’m going to give the win to the Holosun 507k.
Winner: Holosun 507k
Size Comparison…
Holosun 507k
The Holosun 507k is a very tiny miniature reflex sight. Like I mentioned earlier, it’s designed to be mounted on a single stack concealed carry handgun, and because of that, it is very small (the Holosun 507c is for a more standard double stack handgun)…
Now the height on the 507k measures in at 0.95 inches. The width measures in at 0.98 inches, and the length measures in at 1.60 inches…
In addition to that, the weight on the 507k comes in at just 1 ounce.
Shield RMSC
Just like the Holosun 507k, the Shield RMSC is a very tiny miniature reflex sight, but it does have some small differences in its dimensions…
The height on the Shield RMSC measures in at 0.9 inches. The width also measures in at 0.9 inches, and the height measures in at 1.7 inches…
In addition to that, the weight on the Shield RMSC comes in at just 0.57 ounces.
Size Comparison Conclusions…
So, there really isn’t much that separates these two sights in this category because they’re very similar when it comes to their dimensions…
That said, the Shield RMSC is just a little bit more lightweight than the Holosun 507k. I typically prefer my optics to be as light as possible…
So I’m going to give the win in this category to the Shield RMSC, but only by a hair.
Winner: Shield RMSC
Battery Life And Brightness Settings…
Holosun 507k
The Holosun 507k uses one CR1632 battery which is able to power the sight for 50,000 hours when on setting 6…
I love long battery life on red dot sights, and the reason why is very simple… You don’t want your optic dying on you at the wrong time…
I’ve had red dot sights run out of batteries on me at the range before, which is actually really annoying, but much more importantly…
…you don’t want you optic running out of batteries if you’re ever in a life or death situation.
And since these optics are designed for use on single stack concealed carry handguns, it’s an optic you could be relying on for just that type of situation…
But since you have years worth of battery life with the 507k, it’s very unlikely that your optic will die on you, especially if you follow the usual advice of swapping out your battery once a year…
Since we’re on the topic of changing out your optic’s battery, let’s discuss why the 507k will save you a lot of headaches…
You see, with some optics, you have to change out the battery on the bottom of the sight. That means you have to remove the optic from your gun just to change out the battery…
And then once you’ve changed the battery, you’ll have to re-mount the optic, and then you’ll have to take your gun to the range and re-zero your optic…
Again, it ends up being a huge hassle just to swap out your battery, but with the 507k you get to avoid all of that because it has a side-loading battery tray…
So you’re able to keep it mounted on your gun, and you can simply swap out the battery in seconds, which is an awesome feature…
Another cool feature that you get with the 507k is the Shake Awake technology. Basically this means that your optic will automatically turn off after a period of non use…
But it will automatically turn on as soon as it senses motion. This is a great feature because it helps save your battery life (which is already super long), but at the same time, it keeps your optic ready to go as soon as you touch your gun…
Now with the 507k, you get a total of 10 daylight brightness settings and 2 night vision settings. The daylight brightness settings are very powerful, and you won’t have any issues with your reticle washing out on you (even on a sunny day)…
Most people will never use the 2 NV settings. However, I like that they’re included because they don’t cost you any extra money, and you’re sight will be ready to go if you ever do pick up some NV equipment for night time shooting…
The last feature included with your 507k is the Lock Mode. Basically, this feature allows you to lock the optic on to your preferred brightness level…
Even if your brightness buttons get bumped accidentally, with the Lock Mode on, your brightness level will stay exactly where you want it to…
This is a great feature because, again, you don’t want any surprises (for example, a super bright dot or a barely visible dot) if you ever need to draw your gun in an emergency situation.
Shield RMSC
The Shield RMSC uses 1 CR2032 battery which is able to power the sight for 2 to 3 years. Again, I love super long battery life like this on my optics…
…because it makes it much less likely that your optic will end up dying on you in an emergency situation.
That being said, when it does come time to change the battery on the RMSC, you’re going to have to remove the optic from your gun because the battery is located in the bottom of the optic…
Again, that’s a huge pain in the neck because you’re going to have to re-mount the sight and then take your gun to the range and re-zero the optic…
In addition to that, there are no manual brightness adjustments included with the RMSC. All the adjustments are automatic, which in my opinion is a negative feature..
Under normal lighting conditions, the auto adjustment of the brightness settings isn’t really a problem. However, when you have unusual situations such as the shooter being in a shaded house and aiming into the bright sun or if you’re trying to use the dot at night with the use of a flashlight, the auto adjustment can cause problems…
I would have much preferred if the RMSC had the auto adjustment feature but also included a manual way to adjust your brightness settings…
Unfortunately that’s not the case right now, but perhaps Shield will add a way to manually adjust your brightness at some point in the future.
Battery Life And Brightness Settings Conclusions…
Ok so in this category, both sights have years worth of battery life which I think is awesome because it makes it much less likely that your battery will go out on you at a bad time…
However after that, things start to change in favor of the Holosun 507k. To begin, the 507k has a side loading battery tray, so you can switch out the battery quickly and easily without taking the sight off of your gun…
On the other hand, the Shield RMSC requires that you take the sight off of your gun to change out the battery from the bottom, which is a hassle because you’ll end up having to re-mount and then re-zero your optic…
In addition to that, the 507k has manual brightness settings which gives you more control over the optic than the auto adjusting brightness feature on the RMSC…
And on top of that, the 507k has the Shake Awake technology which will help save your battery life and the Lock Mode feature which will lock in your brightness setting to whatever level you choose…
So for all of those reasons, I think the 507k is the clear winner in this section.
Winner: Holosun 507k
Extra Accessories Included With The Optic…
Holosun 507k
The 507k comes with a CR1632 battery which I think is kind of nice because it means you won’t have to run to the store just to start using your sight…
And in addition to that, it comes with a lens cloth which is something that pretty much comes with any optic you pick up…
But the coolest extra feature that comes with the 507k is the rear sight that is built into the sight housing…
I’m a firm believer that you should always back up a battery powered optic with iron sights, and since there’s already a rear sight built into the 507k’s sight housing, all you really need to worry about is having a front sight…
Now the footprint on the 507k is a proprietary footprint which I think is ok for this style of sight. The reason why is because these super tiny reflex sights are a pretty new concept…
So there is no standard mounting system or even a most common mounting system, the way there is for larger pistol optics (for example, the Trijicon RMR footprint is the most common for larger pistol sights)…
So since that’s the case, there are a number of mounting plates that you can get to mount your 507k on optics ready pistols…
Or you can do what I recommend, and just have your slide cut specifically for the 507k.
Shield RMSC
Like the 507k, the RMSC comes with a battery which, again, I like because it makes your sight ready to go right out of the box…
But more importantly, it also has a rear sight built into the sight housing. Again, I really like that Shield includes this because it means that all you’ll really need to back up your optic is a front sight…
Now the footprint that comes on the RMSC is also proprietary. It is a little bit more common than the footprint that comes on the Holosun 507k…
But like I said, these tiny sights are a new concept, and there are many solutions for mounting the RMSC on your concealed carry gun.
Extra Accessories Conclusions…
In this section, both of these sights come with a battery, which I think is nice because it makes both sights ready to go right out of the box…
In addition to that, they both have a proprietary footprint. There’s not really much that separates these two sights in this category…
So, I’m going to call it a draw.
Winner: Draw
Price Comparison…
Unfortunately, I won’t be able to give you exact numbers in this category because the prices of these sights are changing constantly…
That being said, in general, you’ll usually find that the Holosun 507k is around 130 to 140 bucks less expensive than the Shield RMSC…
That’s a pretty decent chunk of change actually, and certainly I factor you should consider…
So if you’re on a budget and looking to keep the price down on your sight, the Holosun 507k is definitely going to be the less expensive option for you.
Winner: Holosun 507k
Holosun 507K Vs Shield RMSC – Final Thoughts…
So to sun it all up, in the Durability And Toughness category, both sights are waterproof and shockproof, and they both have a sight housing made from high quality aluminum…
However, the sight housing on the 507k is a lot thicker than the sight housing on the RMSC, so the 507k came away as the winner…
In the Lens Clarity And Reticle category, both sights have a clear lens that allows you to get a very clean sight picture…
However, the 507k has the Multiple Reticle System which gives you 3 reticles in one sight including the Circle Dot Reticle…
And the RMSC is limited to either a fixed 4 MOA dot to a fixed 8 MOA dot. So the 507k came away as the winner here…
In the Size Comparison, both of these sights are very small and their dimensions are very similar, but because the RMSC was just a little bit more lightweight, I gave it the slight win in this category…
In the Battery Life And Brightness Settings category, both sights have super long battery life which is good, but the 507k has a side loading battery tray, manual brightness adjustments, the Shake Awake feature, and the Lock Mode feature. So it came away as the winner here…
In the Extra Accessories category, both sights come with a battery and both have a proprietary footprint. So in this section, I called it a draw.
And Last in the Price Comparison, the Holosun 507k is around 130 to 140 dollars less expensive than the Shield RMSC…
So which of these sights do I prefer? I prefer the Holosun 507k…
I prefer the 507k for a few reasons. First of all, the 507k is a lot tougher than the RMSC…
…and since this sight is probably going to be mounted on a concealed carry gun, you definitely want your optic to be extremely durable and reliable, so it doesn’t fail on you at the wrong time.
In addition to that, the 507k gives you 3 reticles in one sight. Like I said earlier, I really like the Circle Dot Reticle because it helps you shoot faster without sacrificing accuracy…
But the other 2 reticle options have their place as well, and you can try out all 3 before settling on which one is right for you…
On top of that, the 507k has the side loading battery tray which allows you to swap out the battery quickly and easily…
And it has manual brightness settings, so you can get the brightness setting exactly how you want it and then lock it in with the Lock Mode feature…
Last, it has the Shake Awake feature which will help save your battery life, and at the same time, keep your optic ready to go as soon as you touch your gun…
Oh, and it’s a lot less expensive than the RMSC. So going with the 507k will save you money.
Now if you like the features offered by the RMSC and don’t mind paying more money. Then Hey! Feel free to try it out…
But in my opinion, the Holosun 507k is a much better optic, and I hope I was able to show why I feel that way.
Anyway, good luck! And stay safe at the range!