Hey Freedom Gorillas, today we are comparing the Vortex Defender CCW vs the Holosun 407K. We wanted to do this comparison because we are always on the lookout for options other than the Holosun, but Holosun keeps winning.
The Vortex Defender CCW is a direct competitor and was released in Q1 2023 so we wanted to get our hands on it. .
Quick Highlights
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Vortex Defender CCW
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Holosun 407K
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Quick Vortex Commentary
- The RMSc footprint is great because it will easily mount on guns with an RMSc footprint without an adapter plate like the Hellcat, G43X, M&P Shield Plus.
- The 9,500 hours of battery life is disappointing compared to the 407K 50,000 hrs of battery life.
- The battery cover needing a special tool to be removed is a downside.
- The Shake Awake turning off after 14 hours of inactivity is a downside compared to the 10 mins of inactivity on the Holosun.
- The Vortex Defender CCW is slightly taller and wider than the 407K but not by much.
- It comes with a lot of "stuff", the extra screws, the picatinny adapter, dust cover and shim plate. The picatinny mount in our testing is too low to use on a carbine or rifle. Some screws are 1 mm difference which is negligible in our opinion. A shim plate seems like a good idea, however we haven't heard of anyone ever needing one.
- Vortex's lifetime warranty covers the laser which Holosun's only covers the laser for 10 years.
Quick Holosun Commentary
- The Holosun having a modified RMSc footprint does make it tricky to mount on certain guns like a Glock 43X, Hellcat, M&P Shield plus, but there are adapter plates available. Read our fitment guides to learn more and our guide on RMSc vs Modified RMSc.
- The 407K will still directly fit the Sig P365, Taurus GX4, S&W Equalizer, and S&W 5.7. (The S&W will need these screws)
- The 407K comes with two sets of screws which fit most guns, we haven't heard of any issues except for the S&W Equalizer and 5.7 needing these screws.
- We like the size of the 407K, it's a bit lower and narrowing than the Vortex.
- The 50,000 hrs of battery life is superior to Vortex 9,500 hrs.
- Holosun gives the 407K an IP67 waterproof rating, the Vortex just says "waterproof" with no official rating.
- Holosun's shake awake feature turning off after 10 minutes is better in our opinion than Vortex's turning off after 14 hours.
- We like how you remove the 407K battery from the side and can use a screwdriver vs Vortex top mount and special tool needed.
- We like that Holosun has green reticle options.
- Holosuns Limited Lifetime Warranty covers the housing for the life and the emitter for 10 years. Vortex covers both for the lifetime.
More Holosun Options
The Vortex Defender CCW comes in red reticles only and can be purchased in a 3 MOA dot or a 6 MOA dot. The Holosun however has more red and green dot options in this size category.
There is the 507K, 507K ACSS Vulcan, and the EPS Carry. These are all more expensive than the CCW, but it's worth mentioning that there are other options besides just the 407K.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
Conclusion
We think the Vortex Defender CCW is a good optic to be on the market. We know Vortex makes great affordable optics and has a fantastic warranty. They are probably the most direct competitor to Holosun that exists.
We give the Defender CCW the #2 spot and the 407K the #1 spot. The only real advantage we see to the Vortex is that it has a RMSc footprint. For us, we would rather the 50,000 of battery life on the 407K and would buy an adapter plate if needed to mount on our pistol.
If you have any questions please reach out to us on chat.
Thanks for reading!