The Springfield Armory XD-S Mod 2 is a sweet little piece. If you are an XD fan then I'm sure you really dig your XD-S Mod 2. Some Mod 2's come with the Crimson Trace 1500 already installed. If you're interested in learning what other optics you can put on it, keep reading and we'll tell you the best red and green dot sights we recommend.
The optics we recommend will work with both 9MM and 45ACP models but they will need an adapter plate which we mention below.
What footprint is the Springfield XD-S Mod 2 OSP?
The Springfield XD-S Mod 2 OSP is an RMSc footprint. This means there are four recoil lugs. The optics we recommend are the the Holosun 407K, 507K, and EPS Carry They have two recoil lugs on the front only.
To mount these you need an adapter plate or you have to modify your slide. Which we will explain more below.
You can 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 Springfield XD-S Mod 2 OSP?
There are two options to mount the Holosun optics to your XD-S Mod 2.
1. Buy an adapter plate.
You can buy a XDS Mod2 Adapter Plate which will give you everything you need to mount a Holosun K Series footprint optic to your Springfield XD-S Mod 2 OSP. These plates act like a shim which gives you the correct footprint. They also comes with the proper screws.
- Calculated Kinetics Springfield XDS Mod2 to 407K/507K/EPS Carry Adapter Plate
- CHPWS XD-S Mod 2 to 407K/507K/EPS Carry Adapter Plate
- CHPWS Springfield XDS Mod2 to EPS Carry Adapter Plate
- DPP Springfield XDS Mod2 to 407K/507K/EPS Carry 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 Springfield Hellcat, doing it on the XD-S Mod 2 would be the same, so you can get an idea of what to do and how much is involved.
Top 3 Holosun Red & Green Dots we recommend for the Springfield XD-S Mod 2 OSP
In our opinion these are the best bang for your buck optics for your Springfield XD-S Mod 2 OSP. Just make sure you read and understand the information above on how to mount them first.
1. Holosun 407K. Most Budget Friendly Option.
Features:
- 6 MOA dot
- Shake Awake
- 50,000 Hr Battery Life
- Removable Side Battery
- IP67 Waterproof
- 10 Daylight Brightness Settings and 2 Night Vision
- Aluminum Housing
The 6 MOA dot is a great size for a pistol.
You can get this optic in Red or Green Dot Versions.
Read our full 407K review here.
Buy the 407K At The Best Price
2. Holosun 507K - The Next Step Up
This optic is exactly like the 407K except it has Holosun’s famous MRS reticle which is a 32 MOA circle and 2 Moa dot.
Features:
- MRS Reticle - 32 MOA Circle + 2 MOA Dot
- Shake Awake
- 50,000 Hr Battery Life
- Removable Side Battery
- IP67 Waterproof
- 10 Daylight Brightness Settings and 2 Night Vision
- Aluminum Housing
The MRS reticle can be toggled by hitting the “-“ button. So you can use the 32 MOA circle plus 2 MOA dot, just the 2 MOA dot, or just the 32 MOA circle.
The 507K is available in both red and green reticles.
Read our full 507K review here.
Buy the 507K At The Best Price
3. Holosun EPS Carry - Closed Emitter Option
Pro Tip: The RMSc Adapter plate that comes with the EPS Carry will allow you to install the EPS Carry on your XDS Mod 2 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.
Features:
- MRS Reticle or 2 MOA Reticle or 6 MOA Reticle
- Shake Awake
- 50,000 Hr Battery Life
- Removable Side Battery
- IPX8 Waterproof
- 8 Daylight Brightness Settings and 4 Night Vision
- Aluminum Housing
- Enclosed Emitter
The EPS Carry comes in red or green reticles.
There are 3 versions of the EPS Carry.
A 2 MOA Dot, 6 MOA Dot, and MRS version.
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.
Buy the EPS Carry At The Best Price
4. Holosun 507K ACSS Vulcan Green & Red Dot
Buy the 507K ACSS Vulcan At The Best Price
The 507K ACSS Vulcan 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 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 review here.
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
I hope you found this information helpful. Any of the optics mentioned above would work great on your XD-S Mod 2.
If you have any questions please reach out to us.
If you have a current Crimson Trace 1500 I think you will be pleasantly surprised by "upgrading" to one of these Holosun optics.
The MRS reticle is very cool.
Thanks for reading!
