I’m starting to think we’re pretty spoiled…
There are just so many optics companies making high-quality red dot sights, and they won’t cost you upwards of a thousand dollars anymore…
Now two of the most popular red dots out there right now are:
- The Trijicon MRO (See Price On Optics Planet – Over 240 Customer Reviews)
- The Holosun 510c (See Price On Amazon – Over 365 Reviews)
And in this Trijicon MRO Vs Holosun 510c comparison, we’re going to see how these two sights stack up against each other in the following categories…
- Durability And Toughness
- Lens Clarity And Reticle
- Battery Life And Brightness Settings
- Extra Accessories Included With The Optic
- Price Comparison
In the end, I’ll tell you which of the two sights I prefer, and you should have all the information you need to determine which optic will work best for you…
Let’s jump into it!
Durability And Toughness…
Trijicon MRO
Trijicon is known for making extremely durable optics. The Trijicon ACOG has been used in the U.S. Military for a number of years now, and the same quality and attention to detail goes into the MRO…
Now MRO actually stands for Miniature Rifle Optic, and it’s Trijicon’s version of a micro red dot sight. It has a very tough sight housing that’s made from forged 7075-T6 aluminum…
And it’s hard anodized to help protect the optic from the elements. In addition to that, the windage and elevation turrets are recessed into the sight housing. So they can never be spun or snapped off accidentally.
The MRO is also fog proof and waterproof in up to 100 feet (30 meters) of water. So it can easily handle rainy, snowy, and wet conditions without any problems…
And it’s also shockproof, so it can handle the recoil from high-powered rifles, shotguns, and pistol caliber carbines.
All in all, I’m very impressed with the durability and toughness of the MRO.
Holosun 510c
The Holosun 510c is also a pretty tough red dot sight. First of all, the sight housing is made from a high strength aluminum, and the lens is protected by a sturdy titanium hood…
In addition to that, just like with the MRO, the windage and elevation turrets are recessed into the sight housing, so they won’t get accidentally spun or snapped off.
The 510c is also fog proof and waterproof in up to 1 meter of water. So, it will also easily handle rainy, snowy, and wet conditions…
And again, just as with the MRO, the 510c is shockproof so it can handle recoil from shotguns, high-powered rifles, and pistol caliber carbines without any issues at all…
All in all, I think the Holosun 510c is also a very durable sight.
Durability And Toughness Conclusions…
So both sights are made from high quality materials, and both have windage and elevation turrets that are recessed into the sight housing…
That being said, the MRO can be submerged in up to 30 meters of water, whereas the 510c can only be submerged in 1 meter…
In addition to that, the MRO is a micro red dot sight which just by virtue of its design is a little bit tougher than the open style reflex sight design of the 510c…
So considering all of these factors, I’m going to give the win in this category to the Trijicon MRO.
Winner: Trijicon MRO
Lens Clarity And Reticle…
Trijicon MRO
The Trijicon MRO has pretty good lens clarity. There is a distinct blue tint when looking through the sight, but the sight picture is still very crisp.
Trijicon says the blue coating makes the lens stronger and helps you have better contrast when looking through the sight, and there is some truth to that…
Honestly, I would prefer the lens to be more clear, but that being said, it’s not too distracting and you still get a very clean sight picture when aiming through the optic.
One of the features I love about the MRO is the enlarged 25mm objective lens. This gives you a large field of view, and allows you to see more of your target and what’s around it down range.
Seeing more when shooting is always a good thing, and as I said, the large objective lens on this sight really sets it apart from other micro red dot optics.
Now the reticle on the MRO is a simple 2 MOA (minute of angle) dot. I think the 2 MOA dot reticle is a good choice for a red dot sight…
I like it because it’s an easy reticle for your eye to pick up quickly (which allows you to shoot fast at targets up close), but at the same time it’s small enough to give you a fair amount of precision for small targets in the distance.
I really like it, and I’m glad that Trijicon decided to go with a 2 MOA dot rather than something larger like a 4 MOA or a 6 MOA dot.
Last, Trijicon makes a version of the MRO with a red reticle and a version with a green reticle. I personally always prefer red on my sights and optics…
But there are a lot of people who really like green reticles, and I’m glad that Trijicon offers the MRO with reticles in both colors.
Holosun 510c
The lens clarity on the Holosun 510c is very good. The lens is very clear, and you don’t get any of the greenish or bluish tint which is common on many other red dot sights…
In addition to that, because the 510c is a full-sized reflex sight, it has a HUGE sight window, and you get a very large field of view when aiming through the optic.
All of this allows you to get a very crisp and clean sight picture, and you’re able to see a lot of your target and what’s around it.
Now Holosun includes a feature on the 510c called the MRS (Multiple Reticle System). Basically, this means that you have 3 reticles to choose from that are programmed into the sight.
- A 2 MOA dot
- A 2 MOA dot surrounded by a 65 MOA ring (the Circle Dot Reticle)
- A 65 MOA ring (with no dot in the center)
Like a mentioned earlier, the 2 MOA dot is a good red dot reticle, especially if you want to keep things very simple, but my favorite reticle (on a red dot sight) is the Circle Dot Reticle…
The 65 MOA ring allows you to shoot extremely fast at large targets up close, but you still have that precise 2 MOA dot in the center for small targets in the distance.
I really love it because it’s very easy to see and intuitive to use, and it helps you shoot quicker which is what a red dot sight is designed to do.
Additionally, you also have the 65 MOA ring (with no 2 MOA dot) reticle option. Personally, I don’t really have a need for this reticle because I feel like the circle dot does everything it does and more, but it’s there if you find a use for it.
Last, just like with the MRO, Holosun offers a version of the 510c with red reticle options (the HS510c) and a version with green reticle options (the HE510c elite)…
…and again, I think it’s good that they give the buyer a choice between the two reticle colors.
Lens Clarity And Reticle Conclusions…
So in this category we have some major differences between these two sights. First of all, they both have a great field of view, but that’s really where the similarities end…
The lens on the MRO has a slight blue tint, and even though it doesn’t really affect your shooting, I prefer the clear lens on the Holosun 510c.
In addition to that, the 510c has the same 2 MOA dot as the MRO, but it also has the Circle Dot Reticle, which I think is an important upgrade because it helps you shoot faster…
So for these reasons, the Holosun 510c is the clear winner here.
Winner: Holosun 510c
Battery Life And Brightness Settings…
Trijicon MRO
The Trijicon MRO is powered by 1 CR2032 battery, and it will keep the sight running for 5 years of continuous life (on daylight brightness setting 3)…
Ultra long battery life like this is a must-have feature for me on a red dot sight because you don’t want your optic dying on you at the wrong time.
I’ve had red dots die on me at the range before, and it’s really annoying. But more importantly, you never want your optic dying on you if you ever need to use it in an emergency situation.
So with 5 years worth of battery life, as long as you swap out your battery once a year, you’ll never have to worry about it dying on you.
Now with the MRO you get 8 total brightness settings: 5 daylight settings, 2 night vision settings, and 1 super bright setting.
The daylight brightness settings are very bright, and you shouldn’t have any problem seeing the reticle even on a sunny day (you also have the extra bright setting just in case the conditions are extreme).
Most people won’t use the 2 night vision settings, but some people with night vision equipment will take advantage of them, and I’m glad that Trijicon includes them at no additional cost.
Holosun 510c
The Holosun 510c also uses 1 CR2032 battery which is able to power the sight for around 50,000 hours (5 years)…
Like I mentioned before, I love ultra long battery life like this, and I’m happy that it’s included on the 510c…
In addition to that, the 510c includes the Holosun “Shake Awake” feature. This basically means that your optic will automatically turn off after a period of non-use…
…and automatically turn on as soon as the sight senses any motion at all (for example, when you pick up your rifle).
I love this feature because it helps save your battery life (which is already very long), and at the same time, it keeps your sight ready to go as soon as you pick up your gun.
Another feature on the 510c is the included solar panel. This is a really cool addition because it means you can run your sight without a battery (as long as you have some sunlight).
I think it’s a great feature, and it’s just another method that Holosun gives you to extend the battery life on your red dot optic.
Now the 510c includes 10 daylight brightness settings and 2 night vision settings. Just as with the MRO, the brightness settings get very bright and you shouldn’t have any problems with the reticle washing out even on a sunny day.
And also just as with the MRO, I like that Holosun includes the 2 night vision settings on the 510c without making you pay extra to get them (the way some optics companies do).
Battery Life And Brightness Settings Conclusions…
So in this category we have a few similarities and some major differences between these two optics. First of all, they both have great battery life and they both have a wide range of brightness settings…
However, in addition to all that, the Holosun 510c includes the “Shake Awake” feature and the solar panel which both extend the battery life on the sight even more.
So because of that, I think the clear winner in this category is the Holosun 510c
Winner: Holosun 510c
Extra Accessories Included With The Optic…
Trijicon MRO
You can purchase the Trijicon MRO with a low mount, a lower ⅓ cowitness mount, an absolute cowitness mount, or with no mount…
…and the overall price of the optic will go up if you choose to get one of the factory mounts included with the sight.
The lower ⅓ cowitness mount and absolute cowitness mount are both perfect for use with an AR-15 or another AR platform rifle…
…and the low mount will pair the sight nicely with a shotgun, an AK, and some pistol caliber carbines.
Even though I wish Trijicon would include it’s mounts without raising the overall price of the optic, I am happy that the factory mounts included are very high quality.
In addition to that, because the MRO is an incredibly popular mount, there are a ton of aftermarket companies making mounts that are compatible with it…
So if you choose to purchase the MRO without a mount included, you’ll pay less money for the sight and you’ll have a wide variety of options to choose from when it comes to the mount you want to get (Quick Detach mounts, Super lightweight mounts, etc.)…
Holosun 510c
The Holosun 510c comes with some pretty cool accessories. First of all, you get an extra battery tray, a battery, and a lens cloth…
But the really exciting accessory is the included QD (Quick Detach) mount. Now, this mount is included with every 510c, and it doesn’t affect how much you’ll pay for the optic.
It’s very high-quality, and it sets the sight up for an absolute cowitness with backup iron sights on an AR-15 (or any AR platform rifle or pistol)…
I really like this mount, but it does kind of limit you to using the 510c on an AR platform rifle…
If you’re running an AK or a shotgun (or any firearm that favors a low mount), it will mount the sight rather high, which will be less than ideal…
That being said, most people will get this optic for an AR-15, and if that’s the case for you, the included mount will work perfectly.
Extra Accessories Conclusions…
So the Trijicon MRO really doesn’t have any included accessories (at no extra cost). If you want to get the sight at the lowest price possible, you’ll have to get it without a mount…
…but if you are willing to spend a little bit of extra mount you can get it with a low mount or with a couple of different high mounts.
On the other hand the Holosun 510c comes with an included high mount at no extra cost. So for this category, I’m going to give the win to the Holosun 510c.
Winner: Holosun 510c
Price Comparison…
Unfortunately I won’t be able to give exact numbers in this category because the prices of these sights are changing all the time…
That being said, in general, you’ll usually find that the Holosun 510c is around 100 to 130 bucks less expensive than the Trijicon MRO…
So the clear winner in this category is the Holosun 510c.
Winner: Holosun 510c
Trijicon MRO Vs Holosun 510c – Final Thoughts…
So to sum it all up, in the Durability And Toughness category, I gave the win to the Trijicon MRO because it’s more waterproof and has a more durable design…
In the Lens Clarity And Reticle category, the Holosun 510c took the lead because it has a much more clear lens than the MRO, and it has the Multiple Reticle System with the Circle Dot Reticle…
In the Battery Life And Brightness Settings category, I also gave the win to the 510c because it has great battery life, the “shake awake” feature, and a solar panel…
In the Extra Accessories category, the 510c was again the winner because it comes with an absolute cowitness mount at no extra cost….
And last in the Price Comparison, once again, the 510c was the clear winner because it is much less expensive than the Trijicon MRO…
So which of these sights do I prefer? I prefer the Holosun 510c (If you’re getting it for an AR-15).
I prefer the Holosun 510c for a few reasons. First of all, it has a crystal clear lens and a huge field of view which is something that will help you shoot more effectively…
It also has the Circle Dot Reticle, which is my favorite reticle for a red dot sight because it allows you to shoot very fast, and at the same time, it doesn’t give up any precision for shooting at targets in the distance.
In addition to that, it comes with a high quality QD mount, so you won’t have to spend extra money just to be able to mount it on your AR-15…
And last, it’s around 100 bucks less expensive than the MRO, so it will save you money.
Now if you want an insanely tough optic or if you are mounting your optic on a firearm that favors a low mount like an AK or a shotgun, then feel free to go with the MRO 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 awesome red dot optics!
Great article. I will post a link to it on my Twitter.