Holosun HS403GL initial impressions - full review and pics to come.

[Shao]

Please excuse any grammatical errors. I just woke up and am not known to be the most accurate writer before much coffee is imbibed.

So... I picked up a Beretta CX4 storm on the cheap and wanted a red dot for it. All of my rifles with non-magnified optics wear either Aimpoint or Eotech, with the exception of the PA MD-06 on my dedicated .22LR. I've been enjoying my PCC, but am not a big fan of the irons that come with it (thankfully they fold down).

I was initially going to buy another T-2 for it but then common sense hit me - I'm not going to pay $150 more for the optic than the gun - after all it was going to be relegated to range-toy duty anyway. So that's when I started researching other options. I looked at PA's version, Vortex, the Bushnell TRS-25.. I wanted something that would work but wouldn't break the bank. That's when I accidentally stumbled upon Holosun's offerings.

The reason why I chose the HS403GL over their other model (or the cheaper PA version without auto-on feature) is due to the fact that it has everything that I need and nothing I don't. I'm not sure how I feel about putting a solar panel on an optic. I used to fab up solar cells for a living and just couldn't imagine that it would last after repeated recoil and abuse. I liked that the brightness levels were button adjustable and that it had a memory function so that I didn't have to dial it in every time (sorry Eotech XPS, I love your large window and reticle, but your user interface leaves a lot to be desired). I also was intrigued by the auto-on feature. I like the idea of being able to leave my Aimpoint on, but LEDs have a limited life (much less than initially expected).

So, sorry for all the background story - if you're still reading - here's what I think of the Holosun:

WOW! I was immediately impressed with the optic as soon as I unboxed it. It was flawless in fit and finish and felt like an Aimpoint. It comes with two allen keys, a manual, a battery, and a bikini cover. I proceeded to install the battery (which was a bit more difficult then expected - the cap is under spring tension so equal pressure and a steady hand must be applied when screwing the cap down or you risk cross-threading it). I then popped in my Sightmark 9mm cartridge-style boresighter (which is dead on BTW - the best laser boresighter I've ever purchased) which I had already used to check the irons (needed one click of windage to the right).

At this time, I decide to give it a few good wacks before trying to mount it (I didn't want to go through the trouble of mounting and zeroing it in if I got a lemon). All seems well at this point.

So.. I bust out the VC3 , dab a bit on the screw, find a sweet spot on the pic rail (for me about four inches forward of the ejection port - EDIT: I've now changed it to 2" ahead of the ejection port and it still held zero), start the screw, push the optic in the rail slot as far up as it will go, then hand tighten.

Now it's time to zero this thing... I turn on and drop in the Sightmark, carefully closing the bolt on it and proceed to my testing area where I can get a 25 yard zero inside the house. I look through the glass, fully expecting to see two red dots. All I see is one bright red dot. Wait... something must be wrong. I carefully check the bore and see that the laser is still emanating from it. I look through the glass again - one clearly defined dot. Hmmmm... I then decide to block the bore with my finger, thinking that my red dot is already broken - nothing happens. The same red dot is visible.

My $200 shipped Chinese red dot came from the factory zeroed!!! I mean 100% zeroed. I've ALWAYS had to adjust the windage and/or elevation by a few clicks with every Aimpoint or Eotech that I've purchased. I couldn't believe my eyes.
at 25 yards it appeared 100% parallax free and was dead on with the bore sight.

Already impressed, I then decided to thoroughly test the auto-on function. In one word: GREAT! Simply handling the gun will not turn it on, but a forceful grab or chambering a round was enough to turn it on reliably.

So then I took it to the range. After about 450 rounds of Geco 124gr and with the sight still zeroed perfectly, I decided that it was time to pack up and head home.

I don't like the idea of Chinese parts on my guns... but I have to say, after watching the videos (particularly the truck dragging one), and getting my hands on one to test, I am extremely impressed.

I will be the first to admit - the glass is not as clear as on any of my Aimpoints or Eotechs and in fact, I can sometimes see a weird orange reflection in the sight when transitioning between areas of various degrees of lighting. I also realize that these don't have the same pedigree or battle-proven record of Aimpoint sights.

But... For what you get, it is extremely impressive. Time will tell, but so far this sight has far exceeded my expectations. It's not as good as an Aimpoint, but for 1/3 the cost (almost 1/4 for the T2), it's an absolute steal. I will reserve further judgement until I run it through the 870 magnum slug load test. Pics to come if anyone's interested.

From my limited experience with the Holosun HS403GL, I feel as though I can make a recommendation already based on what I've seen and put it through. Longevity is of course the twelve-ton elephant that will have to be addressed as these age and are put through further paces.

PROS:
Uses Aimpoint mounts
Clear glass (albeit some artifacts in changing light conditions)
A super crisp dot
Auto-on/off with memory function (may be a con to some)
Superb fit and finish that rivals my T2
Ability to switch light off manually (unlike HS403A)
Came from the factory 100% perfectly ZEROED at 25 yards
Lifetime warranty
Inexpensive
Positive and audible adjustments for windage/elevation/brightness
Recessed turret caps means a lower profile
Passed 9mm CX4 Storm recoil test and repeated thumping and banging and still maintained absolute ZERO
Seems to maintain zero even when removed - maybe I got lucky

CONS:
Weird orange artifacts when transitioning between light and dark rooms
Blue tint on glass is more noticeable than on Aimpoints, but nothing deal-breaking
Slightly smaller objective means more "tunnel-vision" effect
Unproven track record/Unknown actual battery life
Distracting brightly painted logo on side
Inability to accept a killflash or lens caps (bikini cover is fine)
Made in a country not known to make high-quality components

Feel free to ask any questions. I will post pics up as soon as I am able and will continue to update this thread as I get more use out of it. If it fails on me, you guys will be the first to know.

Edit: I wanted to add that I figured out how the auto-on feature works. Apparently there's an accelerometer in it. If moved quickly enough it will turn on, even without the slightest bump. I just swang my CX4 gently but quickly and the dot popped on. So I don't think that it uses a vibration sensor like some think. Chambering a round will turn it on, as will a solid whack, but most bumps to the gun don't seem to have an affect on it. I'm going to shoot a couple of boxes of 124gr HSTs and some Lawman through it this weekend and will report back. Pics still incoming.

[Plasman]

I just received a Holosun HS503C today and I'm pretty disappointed with it.

At first I thought I got a DOA sight because after popping in the battery and screwing down the battery tray it wouldn't turn on. When I tried the battery tray without the screws that secure it though, I saw it come on and through trial and error found out that if I screw the screws in to secure the tray past a certain point, it actually pulls the tray out a bit and breaks contact between the battery and contacts.

The next problem I found was when I mounted it on my rifle. The mount seemed uneven like the left side was higher than the right. Under further investigation the cutout for the picatinny dovetail doesn't seem to be very good and the rail wasn't sitting very flush in it. This doesn't make it unuseable, but it's pretty annoying. The crossbolt for the mount doesn't have a very large diameter and allows for a lot of play in between the rails so definitely slide this sight forward till the crossbolt hits the rail. Alternatively, MFT makes rail shims (comes with their BUIS) that work well at centering the crossbolt between the rails and keeping things snug.

Lastly, the 503C is supposed to be able to switch between an EOTech-type reticle and a single dot. To do this, the vidoes I've seen and instructions say to hold the "-" button down for 3 sec. This just doesn't work on my sight and I'm stuck with the EOTech reticle.

This particular model has the solar panel which keeps the sight on as long as it has light and auto-adjusts the brightness of the reticle based upon the source light. It has very limited brightness adjustments in this mode (auto-adjusted level +/- 1 brightness adjustment) and I find it near useless. It's especially bad if you're in the darker area (such as inside a house) but aiming at a brighter area (such as out the window). The reticle gets washed out. The other mode runs off of the battery (hold "+" button for 3 sec to change modes) and works like we're all used to and fine. There's an "auto-switch" period where if you're in battery mode, and don't touch any buttons for 12hrs it'll switch over to the solar mode.

I agree with Shao that the glass is quite clear, but I find the tint to be less than my Aimpoint micros (H1, T1, & T2). Mine was also very far off from being zeroed. I haven't shot it, but just eyeballing it I could tell it was WAY to the right. I guess that could be a result of the shitty mount though...

Overall, I feel like I paid for a cheap optic, and I received a cheap optic where I shouldn't be surprised that it doesn't actually work. Reminds me of my airsoft days and buying all the knockoff junk from China...

BTW the "lifetime warranty" only applies to the shell/frame/housing and mount of the unit. The optics (lenses) are 5 years, and the electronics are 3 years.

[Jewell]

I figured I'd give this red dot (HS403A) a try as something to throw on a range gun.

What caught my attention was the outstanding battery life claim. You just don't usually find that in this price range . I have to admit that I haven't had enough time to test the 50,000 hour claim, but if so, that's pretty bad ass in my book

The motion sensor is something new to me. I kind of feel that it's a neat little feature though.

I feel that the glass is decent, and the red dot itself is nice and clear. There is somewhat of a blueish tint, but I've had no issues with it.

The mount is nothing special, and it stays in place and does its job. I haven't beat the hell out of this red dot, but it has been bumped around in the bed of my truck and has held zero fine.

Foe the price, I think it has quite a lot to offer. Time will tell, but it seems to be pretty rugged, and holding up well. This is a nice little budget optic. I'm very impressed.

[Shao]

I just received a Holosun HS503C today and I'm pretty disappointed with it.

That sucks. You're not the first person that I've read about having issues with the solar panel models though. I think maybe Holosun is trying to push out new products faster than their R&D team can properly test them. Add to that the inherent complexity of what they're trying to do with some of these newer models along with a healthy dose of Chinese QC and... you get the picture.

I agree with Shao that the glass is quite clear, but I find the tint to be less than my Aimpoint micros (H1, T1, & T2). Mine was also very far off from being zeroed. I haven't shot it, but just eyeballing it I could tell it was WAY to the right. I guess that could be a result of the shitty mount though...

Definitely more blue than my higher-end holo/red dots, but nothing deal-breaking as I will describe below. I mounted mine directly using the low mount since mine wasn't going on an AR. In fact, I didn't even realize that mine came with a riser until I found it in a box on the floor next to my office chair. Maybe an aftermarket riser would help?

Overall, I feel like I paid for a cheap optic, and I received a cheap optic where I shouldn't be surprised that it doesn't actually work. Reminds me of my airsoft days and buying all the knockoff junk from China...

Well, I don't have experience with your particular model, but I've handled a lot of cheap red-dots, and that sounds a little harsh. It is definitely a huge step up from my PA MD-06 that I have mounted on my dedicated .22 upper. We may have to chalk this one up to quality control.

The motion sensor is something new to me. I kind of feel that it's a neat little feature though.

I feel that the glass is decent, and the red dot itself is nice and clear. There is somewhat of a blueish tint, but I've had no issues with it.

I find myself liking the motion sensor more and more. It is handy and not once have I removed my CX4 from its case to find the dot on, but it will always come on when I want it to. Much better in my book than just leaving it on or pressing a button.

ANYWAY... The blue tint: This is why I came back to post in this thread.

My brother's Trijicon MRO came in yesterday so he brought it over for me to check out. He hasn't had a chance to shoot it but from my initial observations:

A. The blue tint is almost indistinguishable from my Holosun and much more pronounced than on my Aimpoints or Eotechs.
B. It exhibits the same strange refractory light artifacts that my Holosun does when transitioning between different lighting conditions.
C. The dots are identically crisp and well-defined. We both took turns staring at it for minutes and neither of us could determine which was better.
D. I noticed some LED bleed-through on the MRO when viewed through at certain angles. I've only seen this on cheap red dots. My Holosun does not exhibit this behavior.
E. Build construction is great on both, with a slight edge to the MRO. It feels... denser...
F. The MRO is ugly as sin. I know that this shouldn't be an issue. But damn... I thought Aimpoints were fugly. The MRO makes a Bushnell TRS-25 look sexy. The battery cap/power/brightness adjustment turret being located at the top is extremely distracting to me for some reason.
G. Target acquisition is faster on the MRO. The increased objective size does make a difference. Where sometimes I would have to make a quick hold adjustment to get a view on my Holosun, every time I shouldered my brother's rifle, his MRO's dot was clearly visible and ready to rock (although I attribute a lot of this to weapons familiarization and the higher over-bore height of his MRO on an AR).

At first I was kicking myself for not waiting for the MRO, but now I'm not so sure. I would definitely trust the MRO more for a SHTF/duty weapon, as it's a Trijicon - but for range use, I see no advantage to it. Only time will tell as to how well these two optics hold up. So far I'm still happy that I picked the Holosun instead of waiting to pay 150% more for an optic that seems to perform almost identically. Of course, I may end up eating my words if my Holosun craps out on me in a few months or even years.

[michaelc]

I have several Holosuns and I'm always really impressed with the quality levels, especially for the price. I've never had any problems with the solar panels on them.

[markm]

My holosun is on my beater 10.5 mk18ish gun. It's been just fine.

I'll echo the one complaint I think Plasman was writing about. The mount is more like lower 1/8 and not centered on the pic rail.... so buis is pretty much useless. I don't even have a rear flip up due to this.

[SteveL]

My holosun is on my beater 10.5 mk18ish gun. It's been just fine.

I'll echo the one complaint I think Plasman was writing about. The mount is more like lower 1/8 and not centered on the pic rail.... so buis is pretty much useless. I don't even have a rear flip up due to this.

Are you running the 403, and did you leave it on the factory mount?

[aklance]

I have 4 Holosuns for 3 years. 3 515c,s on my ARs and a 503c for my MK2 ruger target. Everything still works perfect. The 515 with the QD mount is an exceptional buy.