The Beretta APX A1 Carry is a sweet optics ready carry pistol from Beretta. Mark from Freedom Gorilla owns one and it feels so good in the hand. If you have one and want to know which red dot or green dot optics we recommend then keep reading.
What Optics Footprint is the Beretta APX A1 Carry and which Optics Plate do I need?
When mounting a red dot to a pistol the first thing you have to know is which optics footprint the slide is cut for. In this case Beretta uses their own proprietary slide cut and they make you purchase an adapter plate.
For the red dots we are going to recommend you need to get the Beretta APX A1 Carry Holosun K Series optics plate.
Once you have this plate you will have a Holosun K Series footprint which will let you mount the following optics we'll be recommending.
Why do we recommend Holosun Optics vs other options?
- They are affordable but not cheap.
- They come in different reticle sizes and colors.
- 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 4 Holosun Red & Green Dot Sights for the Beretta APX A1 Carry.
Below are the best Holosun optics you can put on your Beretta APX A1 Carry. Just make sure you have the Beretta APX A1 Carry Holosun K Series adapter plate installed like we mentioned above.
All of the optics below will co witness with your iron sights and come with a rear dovetail that is machined into to the optics housing. This is what it will look like when mounted.
1. Holosun 407K Red Dot & Green Dot Versions
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 Red Dot & Green Dot Versions
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 Red Dot & Green Dot Versions
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 review here.
4. Holosun EPS Carry - Closed Emitter Option
 Buy the EPS Carry At The Best Price
Available in 2 MOA Dot, 6 MOA Dot, and MRS, Red Dot or Green Dot. |
Features:
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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.
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.
How to Install a Red Dot and Optics Plate on your Beretta APX A1 Carry
Here is a video Mark made when he installed his 407K Green on his APX A1 Carry. Follow his instructions to install your plate and optic correctly.
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
Hopefully you found this information helpful. You can't go wrong with any of the optics mentioned above.
I'll likely be picking up an APX A1 Carry in the near future also.
If you have any questions please reach out to us on chat.
Thanks for reading!
