Hey Freedom Gorillas, today we are going to discuss the best Holosun Red & Green dot sights you can put on your Springfield Armory 1911 Ronin AOS, Emissary AOS, Operator AOS, or TRP AOS.
We realize it can be confusing to know all of the optics out there and also which mounting plates you need. So this guide is to help you figure out which plate you need and will explain the different optics to show you the similarities and differences between each.
This guide will apply ONLY to the Springfield 1911 "AOS" models. We are referring to the single stack 1911's which have the optics ready system. You will need to make sure you pistol is optics ready for this to apply.
Which Holosun Optics do we recommend for the Springfield 1911 Ronin, Emissary, Operator, & TRP AOS?
|
Using the A15B Plate here or this CHPWS AOS DPP Plate: DPP Footprint Optics - these are larger optics with larger windows and more overhang on the slide: Using the A14B Plate here or this CHPWS AOS RMR Plate: RMR Footprint Optics - these are larger optics with larger windows and more overhang on the slide: |
Using the A12B Plate here or this CHPWS AOS K Series Plate: K Series Footprint Optics - these are smaller optics with smaller windows and less overhang
Using the A19B Plate here or this CHPWS AOS 509T Plate: RMR Footprint Optics - these are larger optics with larger windows and more overhang on the slide: |
Quick Nav
- Pistols this article applies to
- Holosun Optics we recommend for the Springfield 1911 AOS Models
- Holosun vs other brands
- What Optics Footprint is the Springfield 1911 AOS Models
- Optics Adapter Plates for the Springfield 1911 AOS Models
- Best DPP Holosun Optics for the Springfield 1911 AOS Models
- Best RMR Holosun Optics for the Springfield 1911 AOS Models
- Best 509T Holosun Optics for the Springfield AOS Models
-
Best Modified RMSc/K Series Holosun Optics for the Springfield 1911 AOS Models
- Holosun EPS Full Size - Best Full Size Closed Emitter
- Holosun 407K - Best Budget Option
- Holosun 507K - Best All Around Option
- Holosun 507K ACSS Vulcan - Best Specialty Option
- Holosun EPS Carry - Best Compact Closed Emitter Option
- Holosun SCS Carry - Best Solar Recharging Compact Closed Emitter Option
- How to choose between red or green reticles
- How to choose between open vs closed emitter
- How to decide which reticle style is best for you
- Conclusion
Which Springfield 1911 Ronin, Emissary, Operator, & TRP AOS models does this apply to?
This guide will apply to all Springfield Armory Single Stack 1911 Models that are Optics Ready and use the "AOS" system. This includes but isn't limited to:
|
|
Why do we recommend Holosun Optics vs other options?
- They are a good combination of high quality and affordability.
- They have the longest battery life and batteries can be changed without removing the optic.
- They come in red & green reticles with different sizes and styles.
- They are strong with 7075 aluminum or titanium housings and glass.
- They have convenient features like Shake Awake, easy to press brightness buttons, and Side Mounted Batteries.
- Some models have Solar Panels which will power the optic if the battery dies.
- They have a Limited Lifetime Warranty.
- They are reliable, water proof, and have a great track record
What optics footprint is the Springfield 1911 Ronin, Emissary, Operator, & TRP AOS?
The Springfield Armory 1911 Single Stack "AOS" models uses the "Agency Optic System" which is a mounting plate system designed by Agency Arms. They have standardized a specific slide cut and provide different adapter plates to mount different optics.
The Springfield 1911 Ronin AOS, Emissary AOS, Operator AOS, and TRP AOS all us this AOS system.
In order to mount the optic you want, you must get the correct adapter plate. You can get AOS plates directly from Springfield here or you can get the proper adapter plate from our AOS Adapter plate section here.
What adapter plates exist for the Springfield 1911 Ronin, Emissary, Operator, & TRP AOS?
There are quite a few adapter plates that exist for these AOS pistols. Here is a quick summary related to the optics we cover in this article.
- For the Holosun SCS 320 (DPP Footprint) you will need the A15B Plate here or this CHPWS AOS DPP Plate
- For the 407C, 507C, 507 Comp, 508T (RMR Footprint) you will need the A14B Plate here or this CHPWS AOS RMR Plate
- For the 509T (509T Footprint) you will need the A19B Plate here or this CHPWS AOS 509T Plate
- For the 407K, 507K, EPS Carry, EPS Full Size, and SCS Carry you will need the A12B Plate here or this CHPWS K Series Plate. *Note: the CHPWS K Series plate doesn't have an integrated rear sight but the A12B plate does. Also if you plan on getting the EPS, EPS Carry, or SCS Carry and want the rear sight included with the plate, there is also this CHPWS EPS/EPS Carry/SCS Carry AOS Plate. It will fit the EPS/EPS Carry/SCS Carry but not the 407K/507K
Best DPP Footprint Holosun Optics for the Springfield 1911 Ronin, Emissary, Operator, & TRP AOS
*Note: to mount these DPP Footprint optics you will need the A15B Plate here or this CHPWS AOS DPP Plate
Below are the best Holosun DPP a.k.a. Delta Point Pro footprint optics that will fit on the Springfield 1911 Ronin, Emissary, Operator, & TRP AOS. These are larger optics that have bigger windows and will have overhang on the slide.
1. Holosun SCS 320 Green Dot - Best Solar Recharging Closed Emitter
Buy the SCS 320 At The Best Price
The Holosun SCS 320 is an awesome optic from Holosun that comes with a DPP (Delta Point Pro) footprint. This optic is an enclosed emitter and has a green MRS Reticle.
What's great about it, is that it uses Holosun's newest "Solar Charging Sight" (SCS) technology. It has an internal rechargeable battery that is constantly getting powered up by the solar panel on the top. The optic consumes power less than it produces it so it can last indefinitely.
The battery has a 20k hour reserve, which means at full charge if it never saw light it would last 20k hours.
This optic has auto brightness settings, and is IPX8 waterproof.
Read our full SCS 320 review here.
Best RMR Footprint Holosun Optics for the Springfield 1911 Ronin, Emissary, Operator, & TRP AOS
*Note: To mount these RMR Footprint optics you wil need the A14B Plate here or this CHPWS AOS RMR Plate
Below are all the RMR footprint Holosun red & green dot sights that will fit on the Springfield 1911 Ronin, Emissary, Operator, & TRP AOS. These are larger optics with larger windows and will have overhang on the slide.
1. Holosun 407C Green & Red Dot - Best Budget Option
Buy the 407C At The Best Price
The most budget friendly option is going to be the 407C. The 407C has a 2 MOA dot only. The housing is aluminum.
If you are ok with having just a 2 MOA dot all the time, then the 407C is a great option.
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.
Read our full 407C Review here.
2. Holosun 507C Green & Red Dot - Best All Around Option
Buy the 507C At The Best Price
The Holosun 507C is very similar to the 407C except it has Holosun "MRS" reticle.
It's available in Red or Green reticles and the MRS (Multi Reticle System) lets you use a 32 MOA ring + 2 MOA dot, or it 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.
Read our full 507C review here.
3. Holosun 507C ACSS Vulcan Green & Red Dot - Best Specialty Option
Buy the 507C ACSS Vulcan At The Best Price
The 507C ACSS Vulcan may pique your interest. It's just like the 507C except is has the ACSS Vulcan reticle. This reticle features a 250 MOA Ring and a 10 MOA chevron - sounds crazy right? Well it's crazy awesome! It helps new red dot shooter and experts alike, and allows for the most precision out of all optics mentioned here.
You can learn more about the ACSS reticle here but to summarize, the 250 MOA Ring helps you find the center dot quickly if you are off center and the 10 MOA chevron acts like a BDC reticle and also has a very precise point for precision work.
It's available in Red or Green reticles and if you wanted to turn the outside ring off you can 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.
Read our full 507C ACSS Vulcan review here.
4. Holosun 507 Comp Green & Red Dot - Largest Window Competition Reticle
Buy the 507 Comp At The Best Price
Next on the list is the Holosun 507 Comp. This is a very popular option. Comp stands for "Competition" because this optic features a VERY large window, meant for competition shooting. It's the largest window in the industry.
The 507 Comp has some key differences vs the other optics listed here. First it has the C.R.S. which is the Complete Reticle System. This gives it many reticle configurations like a 2 MOA Dot only or a 2 MOA dot + 8 or 20 or 32 MOA Circle or just a 8 or 20 or 32 MOA Circle.
The 507 Comp also does not have a solar panel on it which means there is also no auto brightness setting.
It has a 7075 aluminum housing, shake awake, a side removable battery, manual brightness modes, 10 daylight and 2 nightvision settings, and is IP67 waterproof.
This is a large optic.
Read our full 507 Comp review here.
5. Holosun 508T Green & Red Dot - Most Durable Open Emitter
Buy the 508T At The Best Price
Next on the list is the Holosun 508T. It's very similar to the 507C except it has a stronger housing made out of titanium and a square window that's a little bigger.
The 508T's square titanium housing is made to give it extra durability, both from the shape and the material.
It's available in Red or Green reticles and they come 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.
Read our full 508T Review here.
Best 509T Footprint Holosun Optics for the Springfield 1911 Ronin, Emissary, Operator, & TRP AOS
*Note: to mount the 509T (509T Footprint) you will need the A19B Plate here or this CHPWS AOS 509T Plate
Below are all the 509T Footprint optics. These have a clamping footprint and will have larger windows and housings with overhang on the slide.
1. Holosun 509T Green & Red Dot - Most Durable Closed Emitter
Buy the 509T At The Best Price
The 509T is going to be the most heavy duty pistol optic you can buy from Holosun. It's an enclosed emitter and made with a titanium housing. The titanium is not to make it lightweight, it's to make it more durable.
The 509T comes with and RMR adapter plate
The enclosed emitter ensures that nothing can obstruct the view of the emitter and the lens, meaning water, dirt, lint or any other molecule will not get inside the optic. It will also make the optic easier to wipe off if it were to drop in mud or something like that.
The 509T is not going to be the lightest optic, but it will be the toughest.
It also has a nice big FOV and is filled with nitrogen which will help with fog-mitigation, just like a scope.
It's available in Red or Green reticles and they come 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.
Read our full 509T Review here.
Best Modified RMSc/K Series Footprint Holosun Optics for the Springfield 1911 Ronin, Emissary, Operator, & TRP AOS
*Note: For the K Series footprint optics you will need the A12B Plate here or this CHPWS K Series Plate. the CHPWS K Series plate doesn't have an integrated rear sight but the A12B plate does. Also if you plan on getting the EPS, EPS Carry, or SCS Carry and want the rear sight included with the plate, there is also this CHPWS EPS/EPS Carry/SCS Carry AOS Plate. It will fit the EPS/EPS Carry/SCS Carry but not the 407K/507K.
Below are all the modified RMSc a.k.a. K Series footprint Holosun red & green dot sights that will fit on the Springfield 1911 Ronin, Emissary, Operator, & TRP AOS. These are smaller optics with smaller windows and will have minimal or no overhang on the slide.
The only exception here is the EPS Full Size. This optic is a larger window version of the EPS carry. It's similar in size to the 509T but has a lower deck height, is lighter weight, and is made out of 7075 T6 Aluminum instead of Grade 5 Titanium like the 509T.
1. Holosun EPS Full Size Red or Green 6MOA, 2MOA, MRS - Best All Around Closed Emitter
Buy the EPS Full Size At The Best Price
This is one of Holosun's most popular enclosed emitter optics. It has a strong 7075 T6 Aluminum housing. It's lightweight, has a low deck height, IPX8 waterproof ratings, side removable battery, and a long battery life.
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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
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.
4. 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.
5. Holosun EPS Carry - Best Compact 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. 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.
6. Holosun SCS Carry Green Dot - Best Solar Recharging Compact Closed Emitter 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.
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
Conclusion
As you can see there are quite a lot of options to choose from. You can thank the AOS System for that!
With these Single Stack Springfield 1911 AOS Pistols, you have the pick of the litter. The exact optic you get will depend on your desired preferences.
You can't go wrong with any of them. Some factors to consider are that the 1911 slide is narrow, therefore choosing something compact with a K Series footprint like the 407K, 507K, or EPS Carry will give you that sleek look.
However if you wanted something with a bigger window then going with an RMR footprint optic or DPP footprint optic would be a good choice.
In either case, if you were to get the K Series plate or the RMR plate, that is going to give you the most optic choices should you decide to switch down the road. The 509T plate and the DPP Plate will limit your choices a bit.
Hopefully you found this helpful. If you still have any questions please reach out to our support team and we would be happy to help.
Thanks for reading!
