As a huge fan of Glocks I am excited to write this post about the Glock 43X MOS and the G48 MOS. If you purchased one or are thinking of purchasing one, they are one of the best sub-compact optics ready pistols you can get your hands on.
What you are probably wondering is which red dot and green dot optics fit it and which are the best to put on it. Well in this article I am going to explain everything you need to know so keep reading.
What's the difference between the Glock 43X MOS and the G48 MOS?
I want to quickly mention that the only difference between the Glock 43X MOS and the G48 MOS is the length of the slide. The G48 is longer. The optics footprint for both is exactly the same so all the optics and adapter plates mentioned in this article will fit both the G48 and G43X the same.
What footprint is the Glock 43X MOS and G48 MOS?
The Glock 43X MOS and G48 MOS have an RMSc footprint. This means it has four recoil lugs, two in the front and two in the rear. The optics we recommend are the Holosun 407K, 507K, EPS Carry, and the SCS Carry. The only issue is these optics have a "modified RMSc" fooptrint which means they have spots for recoil lugs only on the front. This means you will need to use an adapter plate or need to file down the rear lugs (which we will explain below) in order to fit these Holosun Optics.
Learn more about Holosun's Modified RMSc footprint here.
Why do we recommend the Holosun Optics vs other options?
- They are affordable but not cheap.
- They are built sturdily with strong aluminum housings and glass.
- They have convenient features like Shake Awake and Side Mounted Batteries.
- They have a Limited Lifetime Warranty.
- They are reliable.
- They are waterproof.
When you compare them to other options like Crimson Trace, Bushnell, or others you will find prices are similar but the other options do not have as good of a track record and do not have as many features.
How do you mount a Holosun 407K/507K or EPS Carry to a G43X MOS or G48 MOS?
There are two options to mount the Holosun optics to your G43X MOS or G48 MOS.
1. Buy an adapter plate.
You can buy a Glock 43X/48 MOS Adapter Plate which will give you everything you need to mount a Holosun K Series footprint optic to your Glock 43X or 48 MOS. These plates act like a shim which gives you the correct footprint. They also comes with the proper screws.
- Calculated Kinetics Glock 43X/G48 MOS to 407K/507K/EPS Carry Adapter Plate
- CHPWs Glock 43X/G48 MOS to 407K/507K/EPS Carry Adapter Plate
- CHPWS Glock 43X/G48 MOS to EPS Carry Adapter Plate
- DPP Glock 43X/48 MOS to 407K/507K Adapter Plate
2. Modify your slide (at your own risk)
The second option is to modify your slide. You can do this by grinding down the rear recoil lugs and possibly the front ones a bit. We have heard this could void your warranty but aren't sure, and we don't recommend doing this, but if you did feel comfortable doing it - have at it!
Here is a video that shows someone doing it on their G43X so you can get an idea of what to do and how much is involved.
The Best Holosun Red & Green Dots Optics for Your Glock 43X MOS and G48 MOS That We Recommend.
In our opinion these are the best bang for your buck optics for your Glock 43X MOS and G48 MOS. Just make sure you understand how to mount them based on what we mentioned above.
1. Holosun 407K Green & Red Dot - Best Budget Option
Buy the 407K At The Best Price
This is the most affordable micro optic Holosun makes and is available in a 6 MOA green or red dot.
If you are looking for a single dot optic that is very affordable and great for plinking then this might be the one for you.
The 6 MOA dot is a really nice size. It's big enough to pick up rather easily, but still small enough to be precise with.
It has an aluminum housing, side removable battery, manual brightness controls, shake awake, is IP67 waterproof, and 50,000hrs of battery life.
Read our full 407K Review here.
2. Holosun 507K Green & Red Dot - Best All Around Option
Buy the 507K At The Best Price
The next step up from the 407K is the 507K. This has all the same features like an aluminum housing, side removable battery, manual brightness controls, shake awake, IP67 waterproof, and long battery life but it also has Holosun's Multi Reticle System (MRS).
The MRS Reticle is a 32 MOA Ring with a 2 MOA dot. It's really cool when you look at it - it's similar to an EOtech's reticle if you've ever seen them.
The other cool thing is you can toggle the reticle holding down the "-" for 3 seconds. So if you wanted to, you could use just the 32 MOA Ring, the 2 MOA Dot only, or both the 32 MOA Ring + the 2 MOA Dot.
Read our full 507K Review here.
3. Holosun 507K ACSS Vulcan Green & Red Dot - Best Speciality Option
Buy the 507K ACSS Vulcan At The Best Price
Next on the list is the 507K ACSS Vulcan. This is exactly like the 507K except is has the ACSS Vulcan reticle. This reticle has a 230 MOA dotted outer ring and a 3 MOA center dot.
The purpose of this reticle is to help you find the center dot quickly if you are off center. To learn more about the ACSS Vulcan reticle check out our article here.
The dotted outer ring can be turned off by holding down the "-" button for 3 seconds.
The main advantage of the ACSS Vulcan reticle is to be able to find the center dot quickly when drawing the pistol.
All the features are the same as the 507K except for the reticle, and this is available in both red & green.
Read our full 507K ACSS Vulcan Review here.
4. Holosun EPS Carry - Closed Emitter Option - Best Enclosed Emitter Option
Buy the EPS Carry At The Best Price
Pro Tip: The RMSc Adapter plate that comes with the EPS Carry will allow you to install the EPS Carry on your Glock 43X/48 MOS without having to purchase an additional adapter plate. However the screws that come with the EPS carry are too long, therefore you would need to purchase these screws instead. (Get the M4x10 combo screw pack and choose which you feel works best)
The EPS Carry is very similar to the 407K and 507K except it has one major difference, it is an enclosed emitter optic. This means the laser emitter is protected by a hood. So dirt, mud, or debris will never get in the way of the emitter to distort the reticle. It also has the highest waterproof rating at IPX8.
There are 3 versions of the EPS Carry. The 2MOA, 6MOA, and MRS Versions
The MRS version has a solar panel on it which acts as a solar fail safe to power the reticle of the battery dies. It also gives you an extra auto brightness feature which can be toggled on or off.
Read our full EPS Carry Review here.
5. Holosun SCS Carry Green Dot - Best Solar Recharging Option
Buy the SCS Carry At The Best Price
The SCS Carry is similar to the EPS Carry in that it is an enclosed emitter, except it features Holosun's latest "Solar Recharging Technology".
It has an internal rechargeable battery with theoretical unlimited battery life. The battery has a 20K hour power reserve which is constantly being recharged. The optic charges the battery faster than it consumes. It has the MRS (multi reticle system) and is available in green dot only. You can use the 2 MOA dot, 2 MOA Dot + 32 MOA Circle, or 32 MOA Circle only.
This model doesn't have Shake Awake like the others, but recommend from Holosun, you just leave it on and it will stay on. It is constantly recharging from natural and artificial light sources. It does have a power off button if you wanted to turn it off.
This optic is a great option if you are looking for something super sleek, and where you never have to worry about batteries. Just turn it on and keep it on!
Choosing between Red or Green Reticles
You may be wondering if you should get a red or green dot reticle. We get this question a lot so I am going to list a few bullet points for you to consider.
- Green reticles are less straining for the eye to see.
- Green reticles can help with astigmatism. If you have astigmatism you will see a blurry dot, we have been told by a few customers that Green dots help with their astigmatism, making the dot look more crisp than the red version.
- Green will not washout on backdrops like green grass, foliage, or green colors.
- In theory Green dots can have a longer battery life because Green is brighter, so for example a green dot on brightness setting 6 may be the same brightness as a red dot on setting 7 - which would save battery life.
If you want to learn more check out our full article about Red vs Green Dot Pros & Cons here.
Choosing between Open vs Closed Emitters
The simplest way we can break down open vs closed emitters is to look at how you plan on carrying the pistol. If you plan on being outdoors in the elements with rain, snow, sleet, then a closed emitter will be beneficial.
If you plan on carrying OWB most of the time and plan on being outside then closed emitter would be beneficial.
If you plan on carrying IWB or don't plan on being outside using your red dot in the pouring rain or heavy snow then an open reflex is fine.
Open reflexes will still work in the rain or snow but the closed emitter will give you extra peace of mind.
An open reflex can collect dust and debris on the inside of the reticle over time, so you'll want to clean it out from time to time. An enclosed emitter is easier to clean in this aspect.
To learn more about Open vs Closed emitters you can check out our Open vs Closed Emitter Guide here.
How to decide which reticle style is best for you
In this guide we covered a few different reticle options. If you need some help deciding which is best for you here are some of our thoughts on each.
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Conclusion
Each optic also has it’s unique features and benefits. I wouldn’t say one is better than the other.
The 407K’s 6 MOA dot is really nice and some people prefer it over the MRS Reticle. The MRS reticle is larger which makes it easier to pick up when drawing. The EPS Carry is super cool because of the enclosed emitter.
If you have any questions, reach out to us on chat or leave a comment!
Thanks for reading!
