Hey Freedom Gorillas! Today we’re diving into the best red and green dot sights you can mount on your Mossberg 500. If you already own one—or plan on picking one up—you’ve made a solid choice. The Mossberg 500 is one of the most iconic pump-action shotguns ever made—trusted by hunters, home defenders, and tactical shooters alike for its rugged reliability, smooth cycling, and modular design making it an excellent choice for everything from turkey hunting to home defense.
While most Mossberg 500s were traditionally built without optics in mind, two specific models now come from the factory optics ready, making it easier than ever to mount a red dot sight and bring your setup into the modern era.
What models does this guide apply to?
- Mossberg 500 Turkey
- Mossberg 500 Super Bantam Turkey
If you own one of these models, your shotgun will either:
- Come pre-installed with a Holosun red dot (if you purchased the combo package)
- Feature an optics cut on top of the receiver with a removable cover plate. Just unscrew this plate, and you’ll be ready to mount a compatible optic.
In this guide, we’ll break down which red dots work with the factory optics cut and what mounting footprint it uses.
Not Optics Ready? No Problem.
If your Mossberg 500 isn’t one of the two optics-ready models listed above, you can likely still mount a red dot—it just takes a little extra hardware. With the right adapter or mount, almost any Mossberg 500 can be upgraded to run an optic. We’ve put together a Universal Shotgun Red Dot Mounting Guide that walks you through all the popular mounting solutions, including picatinny rails, vent rib adapters, and adapter plates.
What optics footprint is the Mossberg 500?
The Optics Ready Mossberg 500 uses a modified RMSc footprint which means the Holosun K Series, EPS Carry Series, and SCS Carry will fit directly on the receiver.
Why do we recommend Holosun Optics vs other options?
- They are affordable but not cheap.
- They come in red & green reticles with different sizes and styles.
- They are built sturdily with strong aluminum or titanium 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.
- They have a great track record.
When you compare them to other options like Crimson Trace, Viridian, Bushnell, Vortex or others you will find prices are similar but the Holosun has more features, better battery life, a better track record, and better reticles.
Top 5 Mossberg 500 Holosun Optics - Red & Green Dots
Below are the best Holosun red and green dot sights you can mount directly onto your Optics Ready Mossberg 500 with no modification needed.
1. Holosun 407K Green & Red Dot
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
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
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.
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.
4. Holosun EPS Carry - Closed Emitter Option - Best Enclosed Emitter Option
Buy the EPS Carry At The Best Price
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 EPS Red or Green 6MOA, 2MOA, MRS - Larger Window Enclosed Emitter
This model is essentially identical to the EPS Carry except its size. It is a large optic overall, which also means it has a larger window.
These EPS models come in red or green and either a 2MOA, 6MOA, or MRS Reticle. The MRS Reticle has a solar failsafe and auto brightness mode, the others do not.
Read our full EPS Full Size review here.
6. 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 For Shotguns
The easiest way to understand the difference between open and closed emitter red dots is to think about how you plan to use your shotgun. If you're going to be outdoors in rough conditions—like rain, snow, or sleet—an enclosed emitter red dot can offer better reliability.
While open emitter (reflex-style) red dots still work in the rain or snow, they have an exposed lens system that can occasionally collect water, mud, or debris. A closed emitter design, on the other hand, keeps the internals sealed—giving you extra peace of mind when you're deep in the woods, out in the blind, or crawling through brush on a turkey hunt.
Dust, leaves, or moisture can settle inside an open emitter if left unchecked, so occasional cleaning is a must. With a closed emitter, cleanup is quicker and easier since both lenses are protected and sealed from the elements.
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
If your Mossberg 500 is optics ready, it will use the Holosun K footprint, which means you can directly mount popular red dots like the Holosun 407K, 507K, EPS Carry, and others without needing an adapter. If your shotgun isn’t optics ready, don’t worry—there are still plenty of mounting options available, and we’ve laid them out in our Universal Shotgun Mounting Guide.
Not sure if your Mossberg 500 is optics ready?
Just reach out to our customer service team—we’re happy to help you figure it out based on your model or even a few photos. We’ll make sure you get the right setup for your shotgun and your specific needs.
The Mossberg 500 has stood the test of time as one of the most versatile and dependable pump-action shotguns ever made. Whether you're hunting, defending your home, or just hitting the range, adding a red dot can make your 500 even more effective.
