It’s really cool to see how pistol optics are progressing…
Sure, we’ve had optics like the Trijicon RMR being mounted on handguns for a number of years now, but some people just don’t trust an open style sight for serious use…
And if you’re the type of person looking for maximum reliability on your pistol optic, you’re probably going to want to start looking at an enclosed pistol optic…
And without question, the two most popular options right now are…
- The Holosun 509t (Check Price And Reviews On Amazon)
- The Aimpoint ACRO (Check Price And Reviews On Amazon)
So in this Holosun 509t Vs Aimpoint ACRO comparison, we’re going to put these two cutting edge sights up against each other and see how they do in the following 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 509t or the ACRO and you should have all the information you need to determine which optic is right for you…
Let’s get started!
Durability And Toughness…
Holosun 509t
The Holosun 509t is a pretty tough little optic. First of all the “t” in its name designates that it has a sight housing constructed from titanium…
Titanium is a very strong material, which has the added benefit of being pretty lightweight. So the titanium sight housing is very robust…
In addition to that, the windage and elevation adjustments are recessed into the sight housing. They can still be easily adjusted with the use of a small screwdriver…
But they can never be bumped or snapped off accidentally, which is something that can happen with some other red dot sights…
The Holosun 509t is also a waterproof optic. It’s rated to be waterproof in up to 1 meter of water for 30 minutes, but I think it can actually handle a lot more than that…
Regardless, it will definitely hold up in rain or snow, and you shouldn’t have any issues in wet conditions…
Last, the 509t was created to be a pistol optic from the get-go just like it’s open style sight companions, the Holosun 507c and the 508t…
And because of that it can easily handle the beating an optic takes while being run on the slide of a handgun…
All in all, the durability that you get with the 509t is very impressive.
Aimpoint ACRO
If you’re unaware, Aimpoint sights are pretty much known for their durability and reliability, and the Aimpoint ACRO continues on with that tradition…
First of all, it has a sight housing that is constructed from a high strength aluminum, which is also a very rugged material…
And it has a hard anodized matte black finish which will help protect the optic from the elements and keep it non-reflective as well…
In addition to that, the windage and elevation adjustments are also recesses into the sight housing. So they can never be accidentally bumped or snapped off…
And that also helps keep the sight from snagging on loose clothing or other items as well…
The Aimpoint ACRO is also a waterproof optic. It’s rated to be waterproof in up to 25 meters (82 feet) of water, and it can easily handle any rainy or snowy condition you can throw at it…
Last, the ACRO was also designed to be a pistol optic from the start. So it’s also shockproof, and to be sure of that…
…Aimpoint has tested the ACRO with 20,000 rounds of .40 S&W being run through the pistol slide in which it was mounted (and .40 S&W is a lot snappier than 9MM, which is what most people will be shooting)…
All in all, the Aimpoint ACRO is also a very impressive sight when it comes to durability and reliability…
Durability And Toughness Conclusions…
This is an interesting category in which to compare these two sights because they have some key differences, but they’re both very durable…
For example, the Holosun 509t is constructed from titanium which is a very strong material, whereas the Aimpoint ACRO is made from a high strength aluminum which is also very strong…
It’s very hard to determine which sight actually has the advantage when it comes to the material they’re made from. So I think I’m just going to call it a draw there…
That being said, the ACRO is rated to be waterproof in up to 25 meters of water, whereas the 509t is only rated to be waterproof in 1 meter of water…
Even though both are going to hold up in the rain or snow, the ACRO can clearly handle more. So because of that, I’m going to call it the slight winner in this category.
Winner: Aimpoint ACRO
Lens Clarity And Reticle…
Holosun 509t
The lens on the Holosun 509t is very clear. You don’t really notice much of the distant blue tint that you’ll find on other red dot sights (like the Trijicon RMR)…
And overall, you can see clearly through the optic and get a very clean sight picture…
Now when it comes to the reticle on the 509t, Holosun includes a feature called the Multiple Reticle System or MRS…
Basically, this means that you get 3 reticles included in your sight, and 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
The 2 MOA (minute of angle) dot with a 32 MOA ring surrounding it is also called the Circle Dot reticle, and it’s actually my favorite reticle on this style of sight…
I like it because the 32 MOA ring is extremely quick and easy for your eye to pick up, which allows you to shoot very fast…
But at the same time, the 2 MOA dot is very precise and allows you to aim with a high degree of accuracy at small targets or targets that are off in the distance…
It’s a reticle that helps you shoot quickly without sacrificing precision the way a large MOA dot would. So because of that, I’m a big fan of it…
The next option is the simple 2 MOA dot. This is another great option in my opinion, especially if you prefer a more simple sight picture…
The 2 MOA dot is still fairly easy for your eye to pick up, and you still have that precise aiming point for shots that require a high degree of accuracy…
The last option is the 32 MOA ring with no dot in the center. This is my least favorite option, but let me explain to you why some people like to run it…
The 32 MOA ring is very quick and easy for your eye to pick up, which again allows you to shoot very quickly…
And because there is no dot in the center of the reticle, you’re able to see all of your target as you make the shot…
This can work very well if you’re just shooting at large targets up close, but the obvious downside is that you have no precise aiming point for small targets or targets at further distances…
So in the end, all 3 reticle options have their own strengths and weaknesses, but the great thing about the 509t is that you get all of them in the same sight…
So you can experiment with all of them, and then settle on which one works best for you and your style of shooting.
Aimpoint ACRO
The lens on the Aimpoint ACRO is also very clear. Again, you don’t get any of the annoying blue tint that you’ll sometimes find on red dot sights…
And overall, you can see clearly through the sight and get a very clean sight picture…
Now the reticle on the ACRO is a simple 3.5 MOA dot. It’s very similar to the simple 2 MOA dot that you can run on the Holosun 509t…
…But because it’s a little bit bigger, it’s a tiny bit easier for your eye to pick it up and track it. At the same time, it is a little bit of a larger dot, so it’s a tiny bit less precise (not really in a noticeable way for most shooters though).
So overall, I think it’s a very good reticle, and it’s definitely a reticle that can be run quickly and accurately.
Lens Clarity And Reticle Conclusions…
So in this category, we have some pretty big differences between these two sights. First of all, they both have pretty clear glass, which is good because it allows you to get a clean sight picture…
However when it comes to the reticle options, they’re very different. The Holosun 509t features the Multiple Reticle System which gives you 3 different reticles to choose from in the same sight…
And as I mentioned earlier, the Circle Dot Reticle is my favorite because it helps you shoot fast without sacrificing precision…
I do like the 3.5 MOA reticle on the Aimpoint ACRO, but it is a fixed reticle and very similar to the 2 MOA reticle that you get on the 509t…
So because the 509t gives you 3 choices of reticle and the ACRO only gives you 1, I’m going to give the win in this category to the Holosun 509t.
Winner: Holosun 509t
Size Comparison…
Holosun 509t
Like I mentioned earlier, both the Holosun 509t and the Aimpoint ACRO are enclosed red dot sight designs that are intended to be run as pistol optics…
So because of that, they’re both pretty compact sights. Now the Holosun 509t has a height that measures in at 1.35 inches…
It has a width that measures in at 1.21 inches, and it has a length that measures in at 1.61 inches…
In addition to that, the weight on the 509t comes in at just 1.72 ounces.
Aimpoint ACRO
The Aimpoint ACRO is similar in size to the Holosun 509t, but the dimensions are slightly different. Now the height on the Aimpoint ACRO measures in at 1.2 inches…
The width on the ACRO also measures in at 1.2 inches, and the length measures in at 1.9 inches. On top of that, the ACRO has a weight that comes in at 2.1 ounces.
Size Comparison Conclusions…
So as I said, the two sights are both very small optics for enclosed sight designs, and even though they have different dimensions, they are similar in terms of their overall size…
That being said, the Holosun 509t is a tiny bit shorter than the Aimpoint ACRO in terms of length, and it’s also a little bit more lightweight…
I always prefer my optics to have a small footprint and to be as light as possible. So in this category, I’m going to give the slight edge to the Holosun 509t.
Winner: Holosun 509t
Battery Life And Brightness Settings…
Holosun 509t
The Holosun 509t uses 1 CR1632 battery which is able to power the sight for around 50,000 hours on setting 6…
I love ultra long battery life like this on my optics, 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 run out of batteries at the range before, and even though it’s pretty annoying when that happens…
At the end of the day, you can just go home and swap out your battery. However, if you ever need to use your optic in an emergency self defense situation, it would be a disaster to have the optic run out of batteries on you…
With 50,000 hours worth of battery life, it’s not likely that that will happen with the 509t especially if you follow the standard advice of swapping out your battery once a year…
Now when it comes to changing out the battery on the 509t, it’s a very quick and easy process because it has a side loading battery…
You see, some optics actually load their battery from the bottom of the sight, and this creates a problem because to change out the battery you’ll end up having to remove the optic from your gun…
And then (once you’ve changed the battery) you’ll have to re-mount the optic and then take it to the range and re-zero it, which is all a huge hassle…
So I really love the sideloading battery on the 509t because it makes swapping out the battery a quick and easy process…
Another cool feature that you get with the 509t is Holosun’s Shake Awake technology. Basically, this means that the optic will automatically turn off after a period of non use, and it will automatically turn on after sensing motion…
This is a great feature because it will help save your battery life, which is already super long, and at the same time, your optic will be ready to go because it will turn on as soon as you touch your gun…
On top of that, the 509t comes with a solar panel on top, which is a cool feature for a couple of reasons…
First of all, you can use the solar panel as a backup power source (as long as you have some sunlight) if your battery ends up dying on you…
Or it can be used to save your battery life even more if you switch to the solar setting when you take your gun to the range…
Now with the 509t you get 10 daylight brightness settings and 2 night vision settings. The daylight brightness settings get very bright on the high end…
And you won’t have any problems with the reticle washing out, even on a very sunny day. The 2 NV settings will have to be used with NV equipment…
So if you have NV equipment or plan on getting some in the future, you’ll be able to run the 509t at night very easily…
In the end, all the useful features that you get with the Holosun 509t are very impressive, even when you compare it to sights that cost a lot more money…
Aimpoint ACRO
The Aimpoint ACRO uses a CR1225 battery which is able to power the sight for around a year and a half when on setting number 6…
That’s not quite as long as the battery life you get on the 509t, but it’s still pretty impressive. And as long as you swap out your battery once a year…
You should be able to keep the ACRO turned on at all times (so that it’s ready to go) and still not have the optic’s battery die on you…
In addition to that, the ACRO also has a side loading battery which again, means that you’ll be able to easily swap out the battery in a matter of minutes when it comes time to do so…
Now the ACRO comes with a total of 6 daylight brightness settings, 4 night vision settings, and 1 extra bright setting…
Just as with the 509t, the daylight brightness settings get very bright, and you won’t have any issues with the reticle washing out on you…
And if the conditions get really extreme, you have that extra bright setting that you can bump the sight up to…
Last, the 4 night vision settings will, again, have to be used with night vision equipment, and with that equipment, they’ll allow you to run the ACRO in the dark very easily.
Battery Life And Brightness Settings Conclusions…
There are a lot of important differences between these two optics in this section. First of all, they both have powerful daylight brightness settings and night vision settings…
They also both have a side loading battery and long battery life, which is all good. But the differences come in the details…
The battery life on the Holosun 509t is much longer than the battery life on the ACRO by a margin of several years…
In addition to that, the 509t comes with Shake Awake technology which will help save your battery life and the solar panel which will back up your battery and save your battery life even more…
So because of all the extra features packed into the 509t by Holosun, it’s going to come away as the winner in this category.
Winner: Holosun 509t
Extra Accessories Included With The Optic…
Holosun 509t
The Holosun 509t comes with a few accessories. First of all, it comes with a battery, which is nice because it means you won’t have to run off to the store once you receive your optic just to turn it on…
In addition to that, you also get a lens cloth which is a pretty common item that typically comes with every optic you purchase…
That’s all fine and good, but the really exciting item that you get with the 509t is an RMR footprint adaptor plate…
You see, the 509t uses a proprietary mounting rail system, and there are not many guns or accessories that are designed to work with that system yet (because it’s relatively new)…
But because Holosun includes the RMR adaptor plate, it’ll actually end up being very easy to get the 509t mounted on your gun…
The reason why is because the RMR footprint is the most common footprint when it comes to mounting pistol optics…
Many slides come cut for the RMR footprint already, or they come with an RMR footprint adaptor plate…
So including that RMR adaptor plate with the 509t is huge in my opinion because it means you’re going to have a pretty easy time getting the optic mounted on your gun…
And it won’t cost you any extra money to do it either. Last, if you haven’t heard of the brand new Holosun EPS, you might want to check out how it differs from the 509T here.
Aimpoint ACRO
Like the Holosun 509t, the Aimpoint ACRO comes with a battery which again, is something I really like because it means you’ll be able to turn on your sight without an extra trip to the store…
In addition to that, the ACRO also comes with a proprietary mounting system, but unlike the 509t, it doesn’t come with any type of adaptor plate…
Now you can purchase an adaptor plate for the ACRO with an RMR footprint (and a number of other footprints too)…
So mounting the ACRO will not be too difficult, but because you will have to get an adaptor plate or actually have a gunsmith cut your slide for the optic…
It will be an additional cost to get the ACRO mounted on your gun.
Extra Accessories Conclusions…
In this category, there is a major difference between these two sights, and it really decides the winner here…
The Holosun 509t comes with an RMR adaptor plate, and the Aimpoint ACRO does not, and this is actually an important included item for these two optics…
You see, both of these optics are kind of a new class of optic. So there is no standard mounting system for these enclosed pistol optics yet…
And the fact that the 509t includes the RMR footprint adaptor, means that you’ll easily be able to mount it right out of the box…
The Aimpoint ACRO, on the other hand, is going to cost you more money because you’ll need to purchase an adapter plate separately or have your gun’s slide cut specifically for the ACRO…
So there’s a lot of extra value included in the box with the Holosun 509t, and that makes it the clear winner in this section.
Winner: Holosun 509t
Price Comparison…
Unfortunately I won’t be able to give you exact numbers in this category because the optics market is always changing and that makes the prices of the sights change constantly as well…
But that being said, in general, you’ll usually find that the Holosun 509t is around 165 to 175 bucks less expensive than the Aimpoint ACRO…
That’s a pretty decent chunk of change, and it could be a huge factor in the decision making process if you’re on a budget and trying to decide between these two sights…
So if you are on a budget, and you’re trying to keep the price as low as possible on your optic, the Holosun 509t is probably going to be the less expensive option for you.
Winner: Holosun 509t
Holosun 509t Vs Aimpoint ACRO – Final Thoughts…
So to sum it all up, in the Durability And Toughness category, both sights are built like tanks but because the Aimpoint ACRO is rated to be waterproof in up to 25 meters of water…
Whereas the Holosun 509t is rated to be waterproof in only 1 meter of water. I gave the win to the ACRO in this category…
In the Lens Clarity And Reticle category, both sights have a very clear lens which allows you to get a very clean sight picture…
However, the 509t comes with the Multiple Reticle System, which gives you 3 reticles in the same sight, and the ACRO only comes with 1 reticle. So the 509t came away as the winner here…
In the Size Comparison, both sights are a similar size and very compact, but the Holosun 509t came away as the winner because it is just a little bit shorter in terms of length and a little more lightweight than the ACRO…
In the Battery Life And Brightness Settings category, both sights come with powerful brightness settings, NV settings and long battery life…
However, the battery life on the 509t is much longer than the battery life on the ACRO, and it also comes with the Shake Awake technology which will help save your battery life…
And the solar panel which will back up your battery and save your battery life even more. So I gave the win to the 509t in this section…
In the Extra Accessories category, both sights come with a battery which is a nice touch in my opinion. However, the Holosun 509t comes with an RMR adaptor plate…
Whereas a similar plate for the Aimpoint ACRO will cost you extra money. So the winner in this section was the Holosun 509t…
And last in the Price Comparison, the Holosun 509t is around 165 to 175 dollars less expensive than the Aimpoint ACRO…
So which of these sights do I prefer? I prefer the Holosun 509t…
I prefer the Holosun 509t for several reasons. First of all, even though I gave the slight win to the ACRO in the durability and toughness category, the 509t is still a very durable optic…
It’s built like a tank, and it’s going to keep working for you even if you put it through some very tough use. In addition to that, I love the Circle Dot Reticle that you get with the Multiple Reticle System on the 509t…
It’s going to help you shoot fast without sacrificing accuracy, and if you don’t like it, you have two other reticles you can choose to run on the sight…
In addition to that, the battery life on the 509t is much longer than the battery life on the ACRO, and the Shake Awake feature and solar panel will end up saving your battery life even more…
And we can’t forget about the included RMR adapter plate which adds a ton of extra value to the 509t because it’ll make mounting the sight very easy, and it won’t cost you extra money to do it…
Last, the 509t is significantly less expensive than the ACRO even though it has more useful features. So it’ll end up saving you a lot of money, and I think it’s a better value overall…
Now if you want a sight that’s a little bit more rugged and you don’t mind paying a little bit more money, then feel free to go with the ACRO because it’s still an amazing sight…
Either way, I hope I was able to show you the major similarities and differences between these two cutting-edge pistol optics.