The name ‘Holosun’ is one that many enthusiasts immediately associate with high-quality and affordability, and over the last decade, they’ve honed their craft and have cultivated a solid reputation for creating some of the industry’s foremost optic systems for both rifles and pistols. Among their vast range of offerings, their pistol optics are easily some of their most sought-after models.
That said, unlike with rifles, choosing a pistol red dot often poses a bit of a challenge. Many of the most popular optics in industry are designed for larger pistols like the GLOCK 19, 17, and the HK VP9, for example. For smaller pistols though, like the GLOCK 43x/48, SIG Sauer P365, and Springfield Hellcat, standard sized optics simply won’t fit.
Enter the Holosun 407K, a compact mini-reflex sight designed to pair seamlessly with sub- and micro-compact pistols. Despite its smaller size, Holosun has managed to fit nearly all their top-tier features into this optic, making it one of the most capable pistol optics for everyday carry setups and more.
Holosun 407K Overview
So, what exactly is the Holosun 407K? Simply put, the 407K is one of many optics in Holosun’s ‘K’ series, which consists of multiple optics developed specifically for more compact handguns. Compared to their larger optics, like the 507C and 509T, which are designed to fit on just about any full-size pistol, the 407K is much smaller. But despite its smaller size, it manages to come equipped with many of the features that Holosun optics are known for.
Core Features of the 407K
For starters, the Holosun 407K is incredibly durable and lightweight. Built around an exceptionally durable aluminum optic housing, it’s waterproof up to IP67 standards, giving it an impressive level of rugged reliability for an optic of its size. Plus, being so small, it only weighs one ounce—a half ounce lighter than its already lightweight big brother, the Holosun 507C.
As we’ve mentioned a few times by now, the Holosun 407K comes standard with a myriad of Holosun’s iconic features. From the factory, they’re equipped with their Shake Awake™ motion activation feature, as well as an automatic shut-off feature, both of which extend the 407K’s already long battery life even further. So, with it being powered by a CR1632 battery, its battery life can last upwards of 50,000+ hours. Additionally, it makes use of a side-loading battery tray, meaning there’s no need to remove and re-zero your optic whenever you need to change out its battery, though you won’t have to do so any time soon.
Plus, being an open-emitter mini-reflex, it offers a wide field of view (FOV), ensuring that you’ll be able to get an ample view of your target and its surroundings. So, even though it’s much smaller than other Holosun pistol red dot sights, it still holds its own and brings the same capabilities as their larger optics to smaller pistol platforms.
Holosun 407K Models
Being one of the more popular optics in the Holosun lineup, the 407K is available in a couple of different variants.
The standard model is designated as the Holosun 407K-X2 Pistol Red Dot Sight – 6 MOA, which, as its name suggests, makes use of a 6-MOA red dot reticle. The 6-MOA dot is large enough to allow for quick target acquisition, and on sub- and micro-compact EDC pistols—the type of handguns they’re designed for—it makes the 407K a solid, utilitarian optic that’s perfect for close-range engagements.
In addition to the standard 407k, there’s also another designated as the Holosun 407K-X2 Pistol Green Dot Sight – 6 MOA. It comes equipped with all the same features and has the same overall design as the standard model, however, as its name suggests, it comes with a green colored dot reticle instead of a red one.
As for which is best, it’s impossible to say. Between the two, green reticles are often touted as easier to see, since they’re typically brighter and contrast against more colors. And while this is true, to a degree, both red and green reticles are easy to see, but they have their own advantages. Albeit marginally, optics with red reticles typically have longer battery lives than green ones since green wavelengths require more power to emit. However, as we said, the difference in battery life between either optic is negligible, as they both boast battery lives of over 50,000+ hours. So, ultimately, choosing your reticle color primarily comes down to a matter of personal preference.
Something else you may have noticed is that these optics are currently only offered with a 6-MOA dot instead of other common reticle sizes like 3-MOA. Being designed for smaller pistols geared towards concealed carry use, 6-MOA reticles are a solid pick, but if you’re interested in seeing how they stack up against other options, our article on 3-MOA vs. 6-MOA Red Dot Sights will cover everything you need to know.
407K Mounting Footprint
One feature that makes the 407K unique when compared to other optics is its mounting footprint. Upon first glance, the 407K appears to use a Shield RMSc mounting footprint, but this isn’t true, as it actually uses a modified version of the RMSc footprint. As such, its mounting footprint is unique to Holosun’s K line of optics. Although this can appear as a cause for concern, especially if your pistol isn’t cut for such a footprint, it’s still possible to use the 407K if your pistol slide is milled for optics, as there are a plethora of adapters and Holosun red dot mounts for 407K/507K optics.
If you didn’t already know, optic-ready pistols aren’t compatible with every single pistol optic, as different pistols are milled to fit different optic footprints. While pistols like the SIG Sauer P365 can come milled to fit the Holosun K footprint—meaning the 407K can mount to both P365X and P365XL pistols without the need for adapters—since GLOCK pistols use their own MOS system, and the Springfield Hellcat is milled for the traditional RMSc footprint, you would need to use an adapter plate to be able to mount the 407K to your pistol.
Fortunately, there are tons of adapters available that allow the 407K to mount to many different pistols. For instance, the C&H Precision Springfield Armory Hellcat to Holosun 407K/507K Adapter Plate will allow you to easily mount the 407K to the Springfield Hellcat, and they even make adapters for other pistol models and mounting footprints too.
On a sidenote, there’s even adapters for other platforms too. On PCCs and other small platform rifles, many enthusiasts opt to run pistol red dots and mini-reflex sights like the 407K because of their light weight and wide FOV. These optics are even used on shotguns at times too, with select models like the Mossberg 940 Pro Turkey 12 Gauge Semi-Auto Shotgun coming pre-equipped with a Holosun 407K. This really speaks to the versatility of this optic, as you can essentially run it on just about any platform, so long as you have the adapter to do so.
Conclusion
The Holosun 407K is one of the prime examples of Holosun’s commitment to crafting high-quality optics. Despite being designed to fit on smaller handguns, it still comes packed to the brim with many of the same features as their larger optic systems.
Coming equipped with Shake-Awake motion activation, an automatic shut-off feature, and an easy to acquire 6-MOA dot reticle, it’s easily one of the most utilitarian optics available for compact handguns. And, with the right components, it can even be fitted on larger PCCs and shotguns too.
Optics are without a doubt one of the greatest upgrades you can make to your handgun, and with the 407K, you can maximize your pistol’s capabilities while maintaining its lightweight and maneuverable form factor. So, if you need an optic for your EDC setup, the 407K is a great place to start your search, and we can’t recommend it enough.
