Holosun 508t Vs RMR [Which Is The Best Optic For You?]

Adding a red dot on your pistol makes it a lot more fun to shoot… There… I said it. 

It helps you shoot more accurately because you don’t have to use brain power aligning your sights, and it’s also quicker for your eye to pick up the bright red dot…

The thing is, a pistol optic needs to be tough otherwise it’s not going to last long while being mounted on your gun…

And right now, two of the toughest pistol optics on the market are…

• The Holosun 508t (Check Price And Reviews On Amazon)
• The Trijicon RMR (Check Price On Optics Planet – Over 110 Reviews)

So in this Holosun 508t Vs RMR article, we’re going to compare these two sights 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 personally prefer the new kid on the scene (the 508t) or the old reliable (the RMR)…

And you should have all the information you need to determine which is the right optic for you…

Let’s start the comparison…

Durability And Toughness…

Holosun 508t

The Holosun 508t is a very tough little optic. For starters, the ‘t’ in its name actually stands for titanium which is the material used to construct its sight housing…

Titanium is a very strong material which adds to the toughness of this sight, but it’s also relatively lightweight. So at the same time, it doesn’t make your sight overly heavy…

In addition to that, the windage and elevation adjustments are recessed into the sight housing. For me, this is an important design feature because it prevents your adjustments from getting bumped or snapped off accidentally…

On top of that, the 508t is also waterproof. It’s rated to be waterproof in up to 1 meter of water for 30 minutes…

It can probably handle a lot more water than that, but even with that rating you’ll be able to use your sight in rainy, snowy, or wet conditions without having any issues at all…

Last, the 508t is designed to be used on a handgun slide, so it is shockproof. Slide mounted optics actually take a pretty intense beating because they move back and forth with the slide as you fire your gun…

But the 508t is built tough enough that it can easily handle riding on your handgun slide. So all in all, the 508t is a very robust optic, and it’s built like a tank… 

Trijicon RMR

The Trijicon RMR is also a very tough little red dot sight. RMR actually stands for Ruggedized Miniature Reflex Sight, and for years, it was the standard when it came to pistol optics…

Now originally, the RMR was not designed to ride on a handgun slide. So the Type 1 sights had some electrical failures in which you would lose your reticle completely or you’d find that it flickered on and off intermittently…

But all those problems have been solved with the RMR Type 2 which is a very robust optic. It’s sight housing is made from forged aluminum…

So it’s very tough, and fairly lightweight at the same time, and just like with the 508t, the windage and elevation turrets are recessed into the sight housing which prevents them from being bumped or snapped off accidentally…

In addition to that, the RMR is rated to be waterproof in up to 20 meters of water, so it can easily handle rainy, snowy, or wet conditions…

And as I mentioned earlier, the Type 2 version of the RMR is definitely tough enough to be mounted on the slide of a handgun…

All in all, the RMR is also very impressive when it comes to durability. 

Durability And Toughness Conclusions…

Ok, so in this category, we have 2 extremely well-built optics. First of all, they’re both waterproof and shockproof. So they can handle being used in the rain and being mounted on the slide of a handgun…

However, the 508t has a sight housing that is made from titanium whereas the sight housing on the RMR is made from forged aluminum…

Titanium is a stronger material than forged aluminum, so that is an advantage for the 508t. However, the waterproof rating on the RMR is a lot higher than the rating on the 508t, so it takes the advantage there…

Hmmm… this is a tough category, but really, what it comes down to is this… Both of these sights are built like tanks. 

So because of that, I think the right thing to do in this section is to call it a draw…

Winner: Draw

Lens Clarity And Reticle…

Holosun 508t

The Holosun 508t has a very clear lens. There isn’t much of the slightly blue tint that you get with other red dot sights…

And overall, you’re able to get a very clean sight picture when looking through the optic…

Now as for the reticle, with the 508t you get a feature that Holosun calls the Multiple Reticle System or MRS…

Basically, the MRS means that you get 3 different reticle options that are programmed into your sight. The 3 options 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

The first option is called the Circle Dot Reticle, and like I said, it includes a 2 MOA (minute of angle) dot that is surrounded by a 32 MOA ring…

And here’s the deal, it’s awesome… It’s actually my favorite type of reticle on a red dot sight, and there are a couple reasons why…

First of all, the big 32 MOA ring attracts your eye very quickly, and that allows you to shoot faster…

But at the same time, you have that little 2 MOA dot in the center which gives you precision when you’re aiming at small targets or targets at further distances…

It’s a great reticle because it helps you shoot faster without sacrificing precision in the same sight picture, and like I said, I really like it…

Now the second option is the 2 MOA dot reticle. I’m also a big fan of this option especially if you prefer a more simple sight picture…

The 2 MOA dot is still easy for you eye to pick up fairly quickly, and you still have the small dot allowing you to shoot with precision and accuracy…

The last option is the 32 MOA ring with no dot in the center. I’m personally not really a fan of this option, but let me explain why some shooters like to run it…

Because you have the big 32 MOA ring, it’s a reticle that does allow you to shoot quickly at large targets…

At the same time, there is nothing within the ring blocking your target or parts of your target, So you’re able to see more…

The downside is that you don’t have a precise point within your reticle to use for aiming, but if you just want to shoot quickly at big targets, it’s a reticle that can work really well…

In the end, all 3 reticle options have strengths and weaknesses, but as I mentioned before, my favorite option is the Circle Dot Reticle because it’s an extremely fast and accurate reticle built into one…

The last thing I want to discuss in this section is that you can get the 508t with either a red reticle or a green reticle. The green reticle version is HE508T-GR…

I’m personally a fan of red when it comes to my sights and optics because I feel like it catches my eye just a little bit quicker…

But there are a ton of experienced shooters out there who really like a green reticle. Either way, I think its cool that Holosun gives you the option of getting either color for you sight.

Trijicon RMR

The lens clarity on the Trijicon RMR is ok. You can see clearly through the sight, but there is a distinctive blue tint…

Trijicon says this blue tint is on purpose because it gives you greater contrast when looking through the optic…

There is a little bit of truth to that, but I still prefer a more clear lens if I can get it. That being said, the blue tint on the RMR isn’t too distracting, and you can still get a clean sight picture…

Now the reticle on the RMR will depend on which version of the sight you choose to go with. One version of the sight comes with a 3.25 MOA dot reticle and the other version comes with a 6.5 MOA dot reticle…

Personally, I prefer the 3.25 MOA dot version because your eye can still pick up the dot relatively quickly and you still have a pretty precise aiming point…

The 6.5 MOA dot version might end up being just a tad quicker for your eye to pick up, but the larger dot will also make it a little more difficult to make a precise shot…

Both versions work pretty well though, so either way, I think you get a pretty good reticle with this optic…

Last, the reticle color on both the 3.5 MOA version and the 6.5 MOA version of the RMR is red. There is a version of the RMR that comes with a 9 MOA green reticle called the Dual-Illuminated RMR…

However, I personally think 9 MOA is too big for a red dot reticle. So I’m not really a fan of that version…

Lens Clarity And Reticle Conclusions…

In this section we have some pretty major differences between these two sights. First of all, the lens on the 508t is much clearer than the lens on the RMR because of the RMR’s distinctive blue tint…

In addition to that, the 508t comes with the Multiple Reticle System which gives you the Circle Dot Reticle (again, my favorite because it helps you shoot fast and accurately) and the other 2 reticles in the same sight…

On the other hand, the RMR is limited to a version with a fixed 3.25 MOA dot reticle or a fixed 6.5 MOA dot reticle…

For me, it’s not even close in this category. The fact that the 508t has a clearer lens and the Multiple Reticle System makes it the clear winner here… 

Winner: Holosun 508t

Size Comparison…

Holosun 508t

The Holosun 508t is a typical sized miniature reflex sight. It has a height that measures in at 1.08 inches…

The width on the 508t measures in at 1.21 inches, and length measures in at 1.77 inches…

In addition to that, the weight on the 508t comes in at 2 ounces.

Trijicon RMR

The Trijicon RMR is a similar size to the Holosun 508t, but there are a few small differences in its dimensions…

The height on the RMR measures in at 1.0 inches. The width measures in at 1.2 inches, and the length measures in at 1.8 inches…

On top of that, the weight on the RMR comes in at just 1.2 ounces.

Size Comparison Conclusions…

So like I mentioned earlier, these two sights have very similar dimensions. So they’re pretty much the same size…

However, the RMR is around 8 ounces lighter than the 508t. Lighter is always better when it comes to optics in my opinion…

So in this category, the RMR is going to come away as the winner, but just by a hair.

Winner: Trijicon RMR

Battery Life And Brightness Settings…

Holosun 508t

The Holosun 508t uses 1 CR1632 battery which is able to power the sight for 50,000 hours when on setting 6…

I love super long battery life like this on red dot sights, and the reason why is simple… You don’t want your optic dying on you at the wrong time…

I’ve had red dot sights go out on me at the range before, and that can get pretty annoying. But the thing you really want to avoid is your optic dying on you in an emergency self defense situation…

With 50,000 hours worth of battery life, it’s unlikely that you’ll have that problem with the 508t especially if you swap out your battery once a year, which seems to be what everyone recommends…

Speaking of changing out your battery, it’s actually really simple to do on the 508t (which is not the case for all mini reflex sights)…

It actually has a side-loading battery tray and that means that you can swap out your sight’s battery without removing it from your gun…

That’s awesome because with some miniature reflex sights you have to change out the battery from the bottom of the optic…

So when it comes time to change your battery, you have to take the optic off of your gun, change out the battery, then re-mount your optic, and then re-zero your optic…

It all ends up being a huge hassle just to simply swap out your battery, and the 508t really shines because you get to avoid all of that headache…

Another cool feature that you get with the 508t is the Shake Awake technology. Basically, this means that your optic will automatically turn off after a period of non use and automatically turn on again as soon as it senses motion… 

I really love this feature because it helps to save your battery life (which is already super long), and at the same time, your optic is ready to go as soon as you touch your gun…

On top of that, the 508t includes a Solar Panel on its top. This is a really cool feature for 2 reasons…

First of all, you can use the Solar Panel as a backup power source if your battery does end up dying on you. All you’ll need to power the optic is some sunlight…

Secondly, you can use it to save your battery life even more by switching to the Solar Power setting whenever you take your sight to the range…

Now with the 508t, you get a total of 10 daylight brightness settings and 2 night vision settings. The daylight brightness settings get very bright on the higher end, and you won’t have any problems with your reticle washing out even on a sunny day…

And even though most people won’t use the 2 NV settings, if you ever do acquire some NV equipment and want to start running your sight in the dark…

Your 508t will be ready to go. All in all, the features that Holosun includes on the 508t are impressive and very useful to you as the shooter.

Trijicon RMR

The Trijicon RMR uses 1 CR2032 battery which is able to power the sight 4 years when the optic is on setting 4…

Once again, I love super long battery life like this on my optics because it makes it much more unlikely that your sight will end up dying on you…

That being said, the Trijicon RMR is one of those optic designs that requires you to change the battery from the bottom of the sight…

That’s unfortunate because as I mentioned earlier, you’ll have to take your sight off of your gun just to change out the battery…

…And after that, you’ll have to re-mount the optic and then go to the range and re-zero it. That is a huge hassle, and it’s definitely a knock against the RMR in my opinion.

Now with the RMR you get a total of 5 daylight brightness settings, 1 extra bright setting, and 2 night vision settings…

The daylight brightness settings get very bright making it easy to see your reticle even on a sunny day, and if the conditions get really extreme you can bump the sight up to the extra bright setting…

In addition to that, your RMR is ready to go at night with the use of NV equipment if that’s a feature that you’re looking for.

Battery Life And Brightness Settings Conclusions…

Ok, so in this category, we have quite a few differences between these two sights. First of all, they both have very good brightness settings, and they both have NV settings…

In addition to that, they both give you years worth of battery life, which is awesome. But after that, things start to change in favor of the 508t…

For example,with the 508t you can change out the battery without having to remove the optic from your gun, and unfortunately, with the RMR you will have to remove the optic to change out the battery…

In addition to that, the 508t includes Shake Awake technology, which will help save your battery life and keep your optic ready to go as soon as you touch your gun…

And it has the Solar Panel which you can use to back up your battery and to extend your battery life even more. So for these reasons, the 508t is the clear winner in this section.

Winner: Holosun 508t

Extra Accessories Included With The Optic…

Holosun 508t

The Holosun 508t comes with a battery, which is nice because it means you won’t have to run off to the store just to start using your optic…

And it also comes with a lens cloth which is pretty typical when you purchase any optic. More importantly than that, the 508t comes with the RMR footprint…

The RMR footprint is the most common footprint for a miniature reflex sight, and because of that, the aftermarket is filled with useful accessories and mounting options for it…

In addition to that, most pistols that come from the factory ‘optics ready’ include a plate that you can use to mount the RMR, which is what you’ll use for the 508t…

In the end, mounting your 508t is going to be very easy because Holosun chose to go with the Trijicon RMR footprint in this sight.

Trijicon RMR

The RMR also comes with a battery, which like I mentioned earlier is nice because you can start using your optic right away…

And in addition to that, the RMR, of course, has the RMR footprint, which like I just mentioned is the most common footprint for this style of optic…

So mounting your optic will be really easy if you go with the RMR, and you’ll have a ton of aftermarket support including all kinds of mounts and even many pre-cut handgun slides.

Extra Accessories Conclusions…

In this section, there’s not really much that separates these two sights. They both come with a battery…

And they both come with the RMR footprint, which again, is awesome because that means it’ll be easy to mount either of these sights, and you won’t have any headaches just trying to get the optic on your gun…

So in this category, I’m gonna 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 on these sights are constantly changing due to a variety of factors in the market…

But that being said, you’ll usually find that the Holosun 508t is around 170 to 180 bucks less expensive than the Trijicon RMR…

That’s a pretty decent chunk of change, and honestly if you’re really on a budget, I recommend you check out the Holosun 507c…

But between the 508t and the RMR, the 508t is definitely going to be the less expensive option…

Winner: Holosun 508t

Holosun 508t Vs RMR – Final Thoughts…

So in the end, in the Durability And Toughness category, both sights are waterproof and shockproof, and they’re both built to be incredibly tough. So I called it a draw…

In the Lens Clarity And Reticle category, the 508t has a much clearer lens than the RMR and it also gives you 3 reticle options with the Multiple Reticle System as opposed to the fixed reticle options on the RMR. So the 508t came away with the win in this section…

In the Size Comparison, both sights are very similar in terms of their dimensions, but the RMR is just a little bit lighter. So I gave it the slight win in this category…

In the Battery Life And Brightness Settings category, both sights have super long battery life and strong brightness settings…

However, the 508t has the Shake Awake feature, the Solar Panel, and a side loading battery tray. So it was the clear winner in this section…

In the Extra Accessories category, both sights come with a battery, and both of them come with the RMR footprint, which makes mounting your optic really easy. So I called it a draw…

And last in the Price Comparison, the Holosun 508t is around 170 to 180 dollars less expensive than the Trijicon RMR…

So which of these sights do I prefer? I prefer the Holosun 508t…

I prefer the 508t for a few reasons. First of all, the 508t is an incredibly rugged optic. It’s just as robust as the RMR in my opinion, and it’s gonna hold up even under very tough use…

In addition to that, it has a much clearer lens than the RMR, and it has the Multiple Reticle System which gives you 3 reticles in one sight…

Like I said earlier, I especially love the Circle Dot Reticle because it helps you shoot fast and accurately, but the other two options are there too. So you can try out all 3 and find out which one is right for you…

On top of that, the 508t has a sideloading battery tray. That means you won’t have to remove your optic just to change out the battery and then go through the hassle of re-mounting and re-zeroing the optic (the way you do with the RMR)…

And it has the Shake Awake feature and the Solar Panel which will help save your battery life and back up your battery if it does end up dying on you…

Last, the 508t is much less expensive than the RMR, so it’ll end up saving you money.

Now if you really want the Trijicon name, which is legendary for durability and reliability and you don’t mind paying more money, then feel free to go with the RMR because it’s still an awesome sight…

Either way, I hope I was able to show you the similarities and differences between these two fantastic pistol optics!