Long time followers of my blog know that I’m a Holosun fanboy…
I love their optics because the quality levels are high and they’re pretty affordable…
Recently they came out with the Holosun 508T V2 (Version 2), and I think it’s a huge improvement over the V1…
First of all, it looks cooler which is actually a small factor for me haha, but there were some other important changes as well…
And in this Holosun 508T review, we’re going to go through all the features the new V2 has to offer in each of the following categories…
- Durability And Toughness
- Len Clarity And Reticle
- Battery Life
- Brightness Settings
- Extra Accessories Included With The Optic
- Pros And Cons
In the end, I’ll give you my final thoughts about the Holosun 508T, and you should have all the information you need to determine if it’s the right optic for you…
Let’s get started!
In a hurry? Here’s a quick summary of my review… I think the Holosun 508T is the best pistol optic on the market…
- It’s built like a tank!
- It has 3 awesome reticles (including the circle dot reticle which I really like)
- It has ultra-long battery life
- Includes the Shake Awake feature (turns off after nonuse and on when it senses motion)
- It has a solar panel on top (saves your battery life)
- And last, it’s pretty AFFORDABLE (especially considering all that you get)
I highly recommend it if you’re looking for a pistol optic or a mini reflex sight for a carbine or shotgun.
Check The Price Of The Holosun 508T (V2) On Optics Planet: Click Here
Durability And Toughness…
The Holosun 508T is a very durable little red dot sight. To start off with, the “T” in the model number stands for titanium, which is what the sight housing is made from…
This is one of the main things, along with the overall shape of the sight, that separates it from the Holosun 507c, which is made from aluminum.
Titanium is super strong but also incredibly lightweight, and the fact that this optic’s sight housing is made from it really sets the 508T apart from many of its competitors…
In addition to that, the windage and elevation turrets are recessed into the sight housing. They can still be easily accessed with a small screwdriver or maybe the rim of a cartridge…
…but I like that they’re flush with the body of the sight because it means they can never be spun or snapped off accidentally.
The 508T is also waterproof in up to 1 meter of water. It can easily handle rainy, snowy, or wet conditions as long as nothing blocks the LED emitter (but that’s true for all open-style reflex sights).
Last, the 508T can easily handle the recoil from high-powered rifles, shotguns, pistol caliber carbines, and pistols.
Now since most of us will be mounting these little sights on pistol slides, it’s really important that it can handle the abuse of being on a reciprocating slide, and since Holosun built it with that purpose in mind, it definitely can.
All in all, I think the 508T is built like a tank and because it’s made from Titanium, it’s without a doubt one of the toughest little red dot sights in its class.
Lens Clarity And Reticle…
The lens clarity on the Holosun 508T is pretty good. I can’t say it’s crystal clear because there is a slight blue tint that you’ll notice when looking through the optic…
…but honestly, I don’t think it’s too distracting, and it’s a lot less noticeable than the blue tint that you’ll find on it’s main competitor, the Trijicon RMR.
All that being said, the lens is pretty clear, and more importantly, it gives you a very clean sight picture and great contrast when you’re looking through the optic.
Now in terms of the reticle, Holosun includes what they call the “MRS”, which stands for Multiple Reticle System…
This means that there are 3 reticles you can choose from included in the 508T…
- The 2 MOA dot
- The 2 MOA dot surrounded by a 32 MOA ring (The Holosun Circle Dot)
- The 32 MOA ring with no dot in the center
The 2 MOA (minute of angle) dot is awesome if you want a simple sight picture with no bells and whistles that just gets the job done…
But my favorite reticle is the Holosun Circle Dot… I love it because the large 32 MOA ring draws your eye in very quickly so you can acquire a sight picture very fast…
It’s also really easy to track, so if you’re trying to fire multiple shots you’ll be able to get the reticle back on target very rapidly…
At the same time, the 2 MOA dot in the center of the reticle gives you a lot of precision if you need to make a shot at a small target off in the distance.
It really is a great reticle, and like I mentioned earlier, it’s my favorite of the 3 options. The last option is the 32 MOA ring only reticle…
Honestly, I don’t really have a need for this one, but if it’s a reticle that works well for you, it’s an included option in the optic.
Last, you can actually get the 508T with either a red reticle or a green reticle. The model number for the red reticle is the HE508T-RD and the green reticle is the HE508T-GR…
Personally, I prefer red on my sights and optics, but there are a lot of people who really like the green option.
Watch The Holosun 508T Vs Trijicon RMR Video Below:
508T Battery Life…
The battery life on the Holosun 508T is very good. It uses one CR1632 battery which is able to power the sight for 50,000 hours (5 years) on the medium setting (setting 6).
I love ultra long battery life on my optics, and the 50,000 hours you get with the 508T is extremely impressive.
I’ve had red dot batteries die on me at the range before, and it can get really annoying, but if you intend to put this optic on a home defense or a concealed carry pistol…
…you definitely want a battery that’s going to last for years. That way you can just swap out the battery once a year, and you’ll never have to worry about it.
I also like that you can change the battery on the 508T V2 (Version 2) by opening a tray on the side of the optic (leaving it mounted on your gun).
This is one of the changes made over the first version of the 508T, and I think it was a great choice by Holosun…
The reason why is because on the first version of the 508T you would have to take the sight off of your pistol slide (or mount), just to replace the battery…
Sights like the Trijicon RMR still require you to take the whole sight off to change out your battery, and it’s a pain in the neck because you’ll have to re-zero your optic once you put it back on.
Now in addition to the ultra long battery life, Holosun includes a solar panel and the “Shake Awake” feature in the 508T…
The solar panel is really cool, because it means you can use the optic without draining any of your battery as long as you have some sunlight…
And the “Shake Awake” feature is also very useful because it basically means the optic will power off after a period of non use and immediately turn on once it senses any motion at all.
Both of these features save your battery life (which is already very long) and the Shake Awake feature means your sight will turn on as soon as you pick up your gun.
I really like all of these features, and I think they make the 508T a very attractive optic because it has features that even more expensive sights don’t have.
Brightness Settings…
Now the 508T includes a total of 12 brightness settings. Ten of the brightness settings are for use in the daylight, and 2 are for use with night vision equipment.
The daylight brightness settings get very bright, and you shouldn’t have any problems with the reticle washing out even on a sunny day…
And even though most people won’t use the 2 night vision settings, some people will take advantage of them, and I like that Holosun includes them at no additional cost.
Extra Accessories Included With The Optic…
The 508T comes with a few pretty cool accessories. First of all it comes with a lens cloth and a battery, which is nice because you won’t have to head to the store just to get your sight working.
But more importantly, it comes with a low picatinny mount. This mount will come in handy if you intend you use the 508T as kind of a tiny sight on something like a pistol caliber carbine or a shotgun…
But if you intend to use it on a pistol slide (which is what I recommend), the 508T uses the same footprint as the Trijicon RMR…
This was a smart choice by Holosun, because the RMR is one of the most common miniature reflex sights out there, and most pistols that come cut from the factory for optics will have a mounting plate to fit it.
That means it won’t be difficult mounting the 508T directly on to your pistol slide, and you won’t have any headaches searching around the internet for a mounting solution for your sight.
Pros And Cons…
Pros…
- Super Durable (Titanium Sight Housing)
- Very Lightweight
- Clean Sight Picture
- 3 Awesome Reticle Options (I Love The Circle Dot Reticle!)
- Red Or Green Reticle Models
- Super Long Battery Life
- Easy Battery Replacement
- Solar Panel On Top
- Shake Awake Feature (Turns off after nonuse and on when it senses motion)
- 12 Brightness Settings Including NV
- Low Picatinny Mount Included
- Easy to Mount (Trijicon RMR Footprint)
- AFFORDABLE!
Cons…
- Slight blue tint on the lens (not a deal breaker for me)
Holosun 508T Review – Final Thoughts…
So to sum it all up, I think the Holosun 508T is the best pistol red dot on the market right now…
I like it because it’s extremely durable, it has amazing battery life, it has awesome reticle choices, it’s packed with features like the solar panel and the Shake Awake feature…
…and on top of all that, it’s AFFORDABLE (especially compared to other sights in its class)
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND it, if you’re looking for an awesome pistol optic or a super tough mini reflex sight for your carbine or shotgun.