If you are a police officer, work private or public security/safety, or are in the military and are looking for an affordable high value heavy or light duty pistol optic for your patrol weapon then this guide will help you understand what's available.
We are going to cover the best Holosun red & green dot sights for duty and patrol use on your pistol and tell you which we recommend.
What makes a good duty pistol optic?
In our opinion a good duty optic would be something that's dependable and durable. You need to be able to rely on it, you need it to work when you need it, and you need it to withstand abuse.
I think it's also important to have an optic that has a good track record, something that thousands of other people in your situation have used successfully.
For the longest time the Trijicon RMR was the go to duty optic so we'll use that as a comparison. The Trijicon RMR costs $450+. It's made out of aluminum and has a patented design to make the optic strong - it performs very well in drop tests. Some models have manual & auto brightness, others have auto brightness only. They are offered in 1 MOA, 3.25 MOA and 6.5 MOA dots red dots only.
The Trijicon RMR has manual on and off modes also.
Read our Trijicon RMR vs Holosun Optics guide for a more in depth comparison.
How are Holosun Pistol optics for duty use?
Holosun has been around since 2013. When they first came on the scene people were skeptical about their optics because of their affordable price point. Over the years they have gained a stellar reputation for their reliability, durability, and innovation.
Right now there are thousands of users using Holosun Pistol optics on their duty weapons. These are police officers, military members, security folks, and hardcore enthusiasts who run classes every week.
The optics we are going to recommend are the ones we would use for duty or patrol use.
Any red dot optic can fail no matter what brand, prepare accordingly...
You probably already know this, but it's important to know that like anything, a red dot optic can fail. Your battery could die, the glass could shatter, the optic can fall into mud and the dot could not be visible, or it could just die for no reason at all. This can happen with any brand and any electro optic.
While this isn't common, it's something that could happen so we recommend you understand this, and also that you learn how to shoot with a red dot optic when it fails or when the glass is not visible.
We recommend going to a training course to learn this as there are ways to use the housing to aim in situations like this.
With that being said, let's get into the ones we recommend.
Top 2 Enclosed Emitter Holosun Pistol Duty and Patrol Optics
Enclosed emitter optics are going to give you the most reliability. They have a hood that fully covers the emitter laser beam, ensuring nothing can obstruct the beam, like dirt, debris, lint, or anything else. They are nitrogen filled so they will help with fog mitigation and they are easier to wipe off in case you get mud or water on them.
1. Holosun 509T Green & Red Dot - The Best Heavy Duty Holosun Enclosed Emitter Pistol Optic
Buy the 509T At The Best Price
The 509T is the best heavy duty enclosed emitter pistol optic you can get from Holosun. It has a titanium housing and a square shape. The titanium and the square shape are designed to make it ultra durable.
If you need the most durable, most reliable optic, then this would be the one to get from Holosun.
It uses a plate + clamp design and it ships with an RMR plate. If you have a CZ P-10 FN 509, FNX-45 Tactical, Glock MOS, HK VP9, P320, S&W M&P 2.0, Staccato Duo, or Walther PDP you can get an adapter plate specifically for your pistol at our Holosun 509T Adapter plate section.
It has a nice large window size. It's available in Red or Green reticles and it has Holosun's Multi Reticle System, which is a 32 MOA ring + 2 MOA dot, and can be toggled to show only the 32 MOA Ring or just the 2 MOA dot by holding down the "-" button for 3 seconds.
It has shake awake, a side removable battery, solar failsafe with auto brightness or manual brightness modes, 10 daylight and 2 nightvision settings, and is IP67 waterproof.
2. Holosun EPS Red or Green 6MOA, 2MOA, MRS - The Best Light Duty Enclosed Emitter Holosun Pistol Optic
The next enclosed emitter optic we would recommend for duty use is the EPS. The EPS is the newest enclosed emitter optic by Holosun.
We would consider this a good "light duty" optic. It's made out of 7075 T6 aluminum which is plenty strong, but it's not as strong as the Titanium 509T.
This makes the EPS lighter and a little less bulky. The enclosed emitter gives you that extra reliability and the window sizes on the EPS and 509T are the same, so you have a nice FOV.
The EPS comes with an RMR adapter plate, we would recommend getting an adapter plate for your pistol to eliminate the need for possibly two plates.
The features are very similar to the 509T.
- Aluminum Housing
- Enclosed Emitter
- Red or Green Reticles
- 2 MOA, 6 MOA, or MRS Versions Available
- RMR Adapter Plate Included
- Modified RMSc Footprint
- Auto Brightness Mode or Manual Mode (MRS Versions Only)
- Solar Failsafe™ (MRS Versions Only)
- 10 Brightness Setting: 8 DL & 4 NV Compatible
- Side Mounted Battery
- Shake Awake
- IPX8 Waterproof
Best Open Emitter Holosun Pistol Duty Optic
An open emitter optic is a traditional reflex sight like the Trijicon RMR. There is a laser emitter that projects a beam onto the glass. This beam is open to the elements, in theory you could place an object "like your finger" in front of the emitter and block it. For Duty use this is something you should be aware of and choose accordingly.
If you plan on getting any type of dirt or debris in your optic then an enclosed emitter may be more suitable. It's also possible for open emitter optics to build up with lint inside the glass so cleaning it out periodically is important.
3. Holosun 508T Green & Red Dot - The Best Heavy Duty Holosun Open Emitter Pistol Optic
Buy the 508T At The Best Price
Like the 509T the 508T is made out of titanium and has a square shape specifically to make it more durable. Both the shape and material make this a super tough optic.
It's available in Red or Green reticles and it comes with Holosun's Multi Reticle System, which is a 32 MOA ring + 2 MOA dot, and can be toggled to show only the 32 MOA Ring or just the 2 MOA dot by holding down the "-" button for 3 seconds.
It has shake awake, a side removable battery, solar failsafe with auto brightness or manual brightness modes, 10 daylight and 2 nightvision settings, and is IP67 waterproof.
If you do not need an enclosed emitter optic, the 508T will make a fantastic heavy duty patrol optic.
Conclusion
If you need the most durable and dependable optic for your duty or patrol pistol then the 509T will be the answer.
If you don't need an enclosed emitter the 508T is a great choice.
If you are ok sacrificing a little strength for some extra weight savings and size, then the EPS is a great option.
If you have any further questions please reach out to us.
Thanks for reading!