Pistol optics have really come a long way in recent years…
The sights are getting smaller. They’re getting more clear. They’re getting more robust, AND they’re getting less expensive…
And its companies like Holosun who are really leading the charge when it comes to innovation in these important areas…
Right now, two of the coolest handgun sights being offered by Holosun are…
- The Holosun 508t (Check Price And Reviews On Amazon)
- The Holosun 509t (Check Price And Reviews On Amazon)
So in this Holosun 508t Vs 509t comparison, we’re going to put these two sights up against each other in 6 categories and see who comes out on top. The 6 categories are…
- 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 personally prefer the 508t or the 509t, and you should have all the information you need to determine which sight will work best for you…
Let’s start by taking a closer look at the durability of these two optics…
Durability And Toughness…
Holosun 508t
The Holosun 508t is a very durable little optic. First of all, the sight housing on the 508t is made from titanium…
Titanium is a very rugged material, and it’s also surprisingly lightweight, so that helps make the 508t extremely rugged without having the weight of a brick…
In addition to that, the windage and elevation adjustments on the 508t sit flush with the sight housing. This is actually an important durability feature…
I’ve seen windage and elevation knobs get snapped off before when they stick out, but with this optic, that type of problem can never happen…
And even though those adjustments sit flat along the sight housing, they’re still easy to adjust with the use of a small screwdriver…
The 508t is also waterproof. It’s rated to be waterproof in up to 1 meter of water for 30 minutes, but it can probably handle a lot more depth than that…
That being said, unless you’re a Navy SEAL and plan on taking your optic diving with you, it’s going to hold up without any problems in rainy, snowy, or wet conditions…
Now the 508t is designed from the ground up as a pistol optic. So it is shockproof and can handle the beating an optic takes from being mounted on a pistol slide (which is significant)…
The one possible knock against the 508t is this category doesn’t have anything to do with it’s construction because its built like a tank…
It’s actually an issue that can occur with ANY miniature reflex sight. You see reflex sights are an open design…
There are some benefits you gain from that, which we’ll touch upon later, but the drawback is that the sight’s emitter is exposed…
The emitter is what projects the image of your reticle on to the lens and allows you to see it when you look through the optic…
It’s actually unlikely to happen (and I’ve never seen it happen), but theoretically, a piece of debris or mud could fall in there and block your emitter from projecting the reticle…
If that were the case, you would look through the sight and get no reticle. Again, I’ve never seen that happen, but it’s a possibility with an open style reflex sight…
With all that said, I think the 508t is built to a very high standard, and is a very tough sight.
Holosun 509t
The Holosun 509t is also a very tough little optic. Just like the 508t, it’s sight housing is constructed from titanium. So it’s a very strong optic, and it’s not overly heavy…
In addition to that, the windage and elevation turrets are also recessed into the sight housing. So they can never be bumped or snapped off accidentally…
The 509t is also rated to be waterproof in up to 1 meter of water for 30 minutes, and just as with the 508t, it was designed from the ground up to be a pistol optic…
So it is shockproof, and can easily handle being mounted on a handgun slide. All that being said, the 509t is an enclosed pistol optic…
That means the emitter is enclosed within the sight, and that makes it pretty much impossible for something to get in there and block the projection of your reticle…
So its a different design from a miniature reflex sight like the 508t.
Durability And Toughness Conclusions…
Alright, so in this category, there are a lot of similarities between these two sights, with one major difference…
They’re both built like tanks with a titanium sight housing. They both have windage and elevation adjustments that sit flush with the sight housing…
And they’re both waterproof and shockproof. The difference is that the 508t is an open design and the 509t is a closed design…
And even though it’s not likely that something will fall in your 508t and block the emitter from projecting your reticle, it’s a possibility…
Since that is not possible with the 509t, it’s going to come away with the win in this section…
Winner: Holosun 509t
Lens Clarity And Reticle…
Holosun 508t
The Holosun 508t has a very clear lens. It’s much clearer than some of its competitors that come from other optics manufacturers (like the Trijicon RMR)…
And overall, you can see very clearly through the sight and get a clean sight picture. Also, because of the open style reflex sight design…
…you can see a lot of what’s going on around you while looking through the optic, and everything feels very open.
That’s a benefit because you don’t get the feeling of looking through a tube when you’re trying to aim, and you can also maintain a lot of situational awareness even while you’re shooting…
Now as for the reticle, on the 508t you get a feature that Holosun calls the Multiple Reticle System. Basically, this means that you get 3 reticles that are programmed into your sight, and the 3 reticles are…
- A 2 MOA dot with a 32 MOA ring around it (the Holosun Circle Dot Reticle)
- A 2 MOA dot
- A 32 MOA ring with no dot in the center
Let’s talk about each of these 3 reticles. The first option is the Circle Dot Reticle which is a 2 MOA (Minute Of Angle) dot with a 32 MOA ring surrounding it…
It’s awesome… The big 32 MOA ring catches your eye very quickly, which helps you shoot faster, but at the same time you still have that little 2 MOA dot…
…which allows you to aim precisely at small targets or targets that are at further distances.
It pretty much gives you extra speed and precision in the same reticle, which is why I like it so much…
Now the second option with the MRS is the 2 MOA dot. This is also a great reticle especially if you prefer a simple sight picture…
The 2 MOA dot is still fairly quick for your eye to pick up, and you still have the ability to aim precisely as well…
If you try out the Circle Dot reticle and think it’s too cluttered for you, this is a great option…
The last option, the 32 MOA ring, is my least favorite, but let me explain to you why some people like to run it…
It also allows you to shoot very quickly at large targets, and at the same time you can see all of your target…
The obvious downside is that you don’t have a fine aiming point, but if you’re just trying to shoot fast at big targets, then that’s not really a problem…
In the end, all 3 reticles have benefits and drawbacks, but as I said, I really like the Circle Dot reticle because it’s kind of the best of both worlds…
The last thing I want to mention in this category is that you can get the 508t with either a red reticle or a green reticle…
The green dot model is called the HE508T-GR, and even though I personally prefer the red option, there are a lot of really great shooters out there who like a green reticle…
So it all comes down to your personal preference, but just be aware that the green dot version is usually a little bit more expensive.
Holosun 509t
The lens on the Holosun 509t is also very clear. It’s equal to the lens clarity on the 508t (they are both Holosuns after all)…
And you’re able to get a clean sight picture when looking through the optic. Now as I mentioned before, the 509t is an enclosed optic…
So it doesn’t feel wide open when you’re looking through it the way the 508t does. It’s still not a bad sight picture, but everything is just a little more closed off because you do have to look through the body of the optic, the same way you do with a tube style red dot sight…
All that being said, you can still get a good sight picture and shoot very well using the 509t, it’s just that your visibility is a little bit more restricted than it is with an open style sight…
Now as for the reticle on the 509t, it also features the Multiple Reticle System. So you get the same 3 reticle options that are found on the 508t…
Like I said earlier, my favorite is the Circle Dot Reticle because it helps you shoot fast with sacrificing any precision for accuracy…
But the other two reticle options certainly have their own benefits as well. Last, the 509t only comes in a red reticle version at the time I’m writing this comparison…
That may change in the future, but for the time being red is going to be your only option.
Lens Clarity And Reticle Conclusions…
Once again, in this section we have a lot of similarities between these two optics, but there are a couple of key differences…
Let’s start with the similarities… Both of these sights have a very clear lens. They also both feature the Multiple Reticle System, which is awesome…
However, the open style of the 508t gives you a little bit better situational awareness when you’re shooting than the enclosed 509t…
…and you can get the 508t with a red reticle or a green reticle whereas you can only get the 509t with a red reticle at the time I’m writing this comparison.
So for those two reasons, the 508t comes out on top in this category.
Winner: Holosun 508t
Size Comparison…
Holosun 508t
The Holosun 508t is a typical sized mini reflex sight. It has a height that measures in at 1.08 inches…
The width measures in at 1.21 inches, and the length measures in at 1.77 inches…
In addition to that, the weight on the 508t comes in at 2 ounces.
Holosun 509t
For being an enclosed handgun optic, the Holosun 509t is actually pretty compact…
It has a height that measures in at 1.35 inches. The width measures in at 1.21 inches, and the length measures in at 1.61 inches…
On top of that, the weight on the 509t comes in at just over 3 ounces.
Size Comparison Conclusions…
In this section, these two sights are very similar when it comes to their width and length, but the 508t is a little bit lower in terms of height…
I think that’s an important dimension when you’re adding height to your pistol slide with an optic. So I think the 508t comes out ahead there…
In addition to that, the 508t also has a smaller shape to it that the kind of boxy shape on the 509t. So in this category, I’m going to give the win to the 508t.
Winner: Holosun 508t
Battery Life And Brightness Settings…
Holosun 508t
The 508t uses one CR1632 battery which is able to power the sight for a whopping 50,000 hours when the optic is on settings 6…
That’s awesome! I’m a big believer that you should have years worth of battery life on your red dot sight…
The reason why is because I’ve had red dots die on me at the range before. That can get pretty annoying, but in the end, you can just swap it out when you get home…
What’s much more important is that you don’t want your optic dying on you in a life or death situation…
With 50,000 hours worth of battery life, that’s unlikely to happen with the 508t, especially if you swap your battery out once a year, which is what pretty much everyone recommends…
Another cool feature of the 508t is the side-loading battery tray. On many miniature reflex sights (like the Trijicon RMR), the battery is installed on the bottom of the optic…
This is a problem because it means that you have to take your sight off of your gun just to swap out the battery…
And then you have to re-mount the optic and then re-zero it. That’s a huge hassle, and the cool thing about the 508t is that you get to avoid all that…
…because you simply remove the side-loading tray while your optic is still on the gun, and change out your battery.
Another cool feature on the 508t is the included Shake Awake technology. Basically, this means that your optic will automatically turn off after a period of non use…
…and then it will turn on as soon as it senses motion. I really like this feature because it helps save your battery life (which is already very long), but at the same time, it keeps your optic ready to go because it will turn on as soon as you touch your gun.
On top of that, the 508t also features a Solar Panel on top of the sight housing. This is a cool feature for two reasons…
First of all, even if your battery dies, the Solar Panel will be able to power your optic as long as you have some sunlight…
Secondly, it will help you save your battery life even more if you switch to the Solar setting when you go to the range…
Now with the 508t you get 10 daylight brightness settings and 2 night vision settings. The daylight brightness settings are very powerful on the higher end, and you’ll be able to clearly see the reticle even on a sunny day…
As for the 2 NV settings, most people will never end up using them, but if you ever do acquire NV equipment, and want to start running your gear at night, the 508t will be ready for you.
All in all, the amount of features that are packed into this little sight is extremely impressive.
Holosun 509t
The Holosun 509t also uses 1 CR1632 battery which is able to power the sight for 50,000 hours. In addition to that, you also get a side-loading battery tray…
Again, I love super long battery life like this on my red dot sights because it makes it much more unlikely that your optic will die on you, and the side-loading battery tray is very convenient…
In addition to that, the 509t also features the Shake Awake technology which will help save your battery life but still keep your optic ready to go as soon as you touch your gun…
And it also includes a Solar Panel that will help you save even more battery life, and back up your battery if it goes down…
The 509t also has 10 daylight brightness settings that get very bright on the high end, and 2 NV settings just in case you want to play around at night…
So all in all, it’s also packed with features that are useful to you as the shooter.
Battery Life And Brightness Settings Conclusions…
In this category, the two sights are actually exactly the same…
They both have super long battery life and a side loading battery tray. They both have the Shake Awake feature and a Solar Panel…
And they both have the same brightness settings. So this one is definitely a draw…
Winner: Draw
Extra Accessories Included With The Optic…
Holosun 508t
The 508t comes with a few accessories. First of all, you get a CR1632 battery included with the optic…
I think it’s nice that Holosun includes a battery because that means you won’t have to run off to the store, just to start using your sight…
In addition to that, you get a len cloth which is an item that comes with pretty much every optic. Aside from all that, the most important thing you get with the 508t in my opinion is the Trijicon RMR footprint…
The RMR footprint is the most common footprint for a miniature reflex sight, and because of that, it’ll be very easy for you to mount your sight…
Most handguns that are ‘optics ready’ from the factory will include a plate that will allow you to mount an RMR, and that plate will also fit the 508t…
And if you intend to mount the 508t on a carbine, a shotgun, or a personal defense weapon, there are tons of mounts that fit the RMR (and by default the 508t) that can be found on the aftermarket…
So I really love that Holosun decided to add the RMR footprint to this optic because as I said, it will make it very easy for you to mount your optic.
Holosun 509t
Like the 508t, the Holosun 509t comes with a battery and a lens cloth. However, the mounting system is very different…
Enclosed pistol optics such as the Aimpoint Acro and the 509t are kind of new to the market, and because of that, there isn’t really a standard mounting system for them…
So the mounting system on the 509t is a proprietary rail, and unfortunately, there are not a lot of accessories right now that will match up with that rail…
The good news is that Holosun includes an RMR footprint adaptor along with the 509t, so you will be able to mount your sight…
But that being said, the adaptor does sit the optic a little bit higher on pistol slides, and even though it works well…
…it’s not as ideal as being able to mount directly on to a slide or mount that is designed for the RMR footprint.
Extra Accessories Conclusions…
In this section, both sights come with a battery and a lens cloth which is nice. However, the 508t comes with the RMR footprint and the 509t has a proprietary rail…
Even though you do get the RMR adapter for the propriety rail on the 509t, I think it’s a better system to have the actual RMR footprint because it makes mounting your optic a breeze…
So in this category, I’m going to give the win to the 508t…
Winner: Holosun 508t
Price Comparison…
Unfortunately I won’t be able to give you exact numbers in this section because, as the market changes, the prices of these sights are known to change as well…
But that being said, in general, you’ll usually find the 508t for around 55 to 60 bucks less than the 509t…
Now depending on who you are, 55 to 60 bucks might not be that much of a difference, or it could be a huge difference…
And if you’re on a very strict budget, I would actually recommend you check out the Holosun 507c…
But out of the two sights we’re comparing here today, the Holosun 508t is definitely going to be the less expensive option for you.
Winner: Holosun 508t
Holosun 508t Vs 509t – Final Thoughts…
So in the end, in the Durability And Toughness category, both sights are built like tanks with titanium sight housings, and they’re both waterproof and shockproof…
However, the 508t is an open style sight, and the 509t is an enclosed design, so the 509t came away as the winner in this category…
In the Lens Clarity And Reticle category, both sights have a very clear lens and the Multiple Reticle System that features the Circle Dot Reticle (again, my favorite because it helps you shoot fast and accurately)…
However, the open style of the 508t gives you more visibility and situational awareness when you’re shooting than the 509t. So in this category, the 508t came away as the winner…
In the Size Comparison, the 508t has a little bit lower height which I think is an important dimension on a handgun optic…
And it’s also not as boxy as the 509t, so it came out on top here…
In the Battery Life And Brightness Settings category, both sights have super long battery life, and they both have the Shake Awake feature and Solar Panel. So I had to call it a draw in this section…
In the Extra Accessories category, both sights come with a battery and a lens cloth, but the 508t comes with the RMR footprint whereas the 509t has a proprietary rail. So in this section, I gave the win to the 508t…
And last in the Price Comparison, the 508t is around 55 to 60 bucks less expensive than the 509t…
So which of these sights do I prefer? I prefer the Holosun 508t…
I prefer the Holosun 508t for a few reasons. First of all, even though I gave the edge in the durability category to the 509t, the 508t is an incredibly robust optic…
It’s gonna hold up without any issues, and aside from dropping your pistol in the mud, I don’t think you’ll have much of a problem with stuff getting in it and blocking the emitter…
In addition to that, you get a more wide open sight picture with the open style design of the 508t, which allows you to see more even while you’re shooting…
I also really love that the 508t uses the RMR footprint because it really makes it easy to get your optic mounted properly…
And last, the 508t is a less expensive optic than the 509t, so it’ll end up saving you some money…
Now if you really want the enclosed design and you don’t mind paying a little extra, then feel free to go with the 509t because it’s still an awesome optic…
Either way, I hope I was able to help you decide which of these two fantastic Holosun sights is right for you!