Ammo prices being what they are, I’ve taken to trying to review multiple items at a time to get the most out of my ammunition supply. While reviewing the Aero Precision EPC, I put on a Holosun HS510C and bam, now I get two reviews for the ammo cost of one. These days, you gotta do what you gotta do.
The Holosun HS510C happens to be a perfect optic for a pistol caliber carbine and seems to be popular with pro-level USPSA PCC shooters. Holosun has gained a lot of ground in the affordable quality optics market, and the HS510C seems to be one of their more popular options for rifle shooters.
This open design is sort of an EOTech style optic. However, the HS510C a red (or green) dot and not a true holographic sight. It replicates the open, square design of an EOTech with more affordable, lower-tech red dot technology. It’s basically a giant pistol optic that’s now rifle-sized. The emitter is open, and most of the design replicates pistol-style red dots blown up to rifle-sized optics.
HS510C Specs and Breakdown
When I say “lower-tech” red dot technology, I’m not slighting red dots. Anything that packs 50,000 hours of battery life isn’t going to be made fun of in my house.
The 2032 battery is the battery of choice for the HS510C. Fifty thousand hours is the battery life of the optic using the 2 MOA reticle, and like many Holosun optics, the HS510C offers a choice of reticles for the shooter.
We get a 2 MOA dot, a 65 MOA circle, and a 65 MOA circle with 2 MOA dot combination.
The circular reticles are great for shooters with astigmatism. They tend to be clearer and easier to see than a simple dot. Bigger reticles also drain the battery a bit faster, but you’re still getting tens of thousands of hours from a single battery.
To make sure you’re just about always good to go, Holosun has also installed a solar panel in the rear of the optic, and that adds some power backup to the optic.
I forget to turn optics off all the time, which will drain batteries fairly quickly. However, Holosun uses what they call shake awake technology. When the optic remains stationary for five minutes, it will automatically shut off. When the optic detects movement, the reticle jumps back to life.
The HS510C packs ten daylight settings and two-night vision settings.
The Holosun HS510C weighs 4.94 ounces, is 3.3 inches long, 1.8 inches wide, and 2.31 inches tall. When mounted, it sits high enough for an absolute co-witness. If you really want a lower third sight picture, you can purchase a spacer to raise the height.
Simple Ergonomics
The HS510C packs simple ergonomics. The battery tray is on the left side and easy to access. The + and – buttons control the brightness level as well as on/off and swapping the reticles through a combination of short and long presses.
There are a few neat features to the HS510C. Double-tap the – button, and it instantly changes to night vision brightness levels. If you hold the + button, it will swap to automatic mode and allow the optic to decide your brightness level for you.
A standard QD mount allows for quick attachment and removal of the optic, and the lever locks down securely. The low weight and thin design make the HS510C a great lightweight carbine option. It’s sized well for a variety of weapons, including those with short rails like bullpups.
On the Range
Remember when I said it’s basically a giant pistol optic? Well, that goes for the turret adjustments as well. The turrets are set in and flush with the sight’s frame and require a flat head tool to make adjustments. It really is just like a big ol’ pistol optic. Still, Holosun includes a tool, so adjustments are easy, and they won’t easily get bumped off zero. Each click is half an MOA.
I did a 25/100 zero with the Holosun HS510C, which is my go-to for a PCC optic. Once the optic was dialed in, I started tinging and pinging steel. I shot with the 65 MOA circle combined with the 2 MOA dot for the majority of my shooting. I really love this reticle and find it versatile and useful.
It’s a big reticle that’s easy to see and very crisp and clear. Big reticles catch your eye quickly and allow you to see your target at a wide variety of ranges. It’s spread out just enough to avoid being crowded. Shooting multiple targets of varying sizes at a number of distances is easy to do.
Going from IPSC sized steel targets to clay pigeons on the fly takes little skill with the HS510C. The big 65 MOA circle allows me to land fast shots on the big target, and the 2 MOA dot makes precise shots on small targets possible.
It’s also more useful and versatile. At super close ranges, I can use the bottom stadia to compensate for height over bore compensation. It’s a great design for both close-range use and moderate range use.
Playing with ‘Modes’
The automatic brightness mode works, but it’s not something I’ll use often. It only compensates for the light around you. So if you are in a shaded area, but the target is in a bright area, the reticle probably won’t be bright enough. Also, the automatic mode won’t compensate for the use of a weapon-mounted light.
Durability
I’ve used the HS510C on two rifles, the Aero EPC you see here, and the CZ Scorpion bullpup I’ve reviewed previously. The HS510C was easy to re-zero between rifles, and between the two, the optic never lost zero.
Between the guns, the HS510C has seen at least a thousand rounds (which makes my wallet and ammo stash very sad). No issues have arisen in that span, and the optic keeps on keeping on. I even popped it on an ASP training gun and dropped it a few times. The only damage was some abrasions to the finish.
The HS510C has an IP67 rating. That means it’s sealed from dirt and debris, as well as water up to half an hour in one meter of water. The sight is well-sealed and seemingly pretty tough for the money.
The HS510C is rather affordable with plenty of features providing a lot of optic for the money. It’s well-suited to use on carbines of all types, and even shotguns could be equipped with such an optic.
Specifications: Holosun HS510C Reflex Sight
Dimensions – 3.3×1.68×1.78
Weight – 4.94 ounces
Mount – Integral QD
Brightness Levels – 10 DL 2NV
Battery Life – 50,000 Hours
Battery Type – 2032
MSRP: $364.69 (about $310 retail)
Ratings (Out of 5 Stars):
Durability: * * * *
It’s not sealed like an ACOG or an Aimpoint for Navy-SEAL-Secret-Squirrel heavy use, but for 99.99% of users, it’s going to last a lifetime of normal use. It’s water resistant, quite durable and well made.
Optics: * * * *
There’s a slightly noticeable blue tint to the multi-layer reflective glass. Not that unusual in reflex sights of this type and price point. Other than that, it’s sharp and clear from edge to edge.
Ergonomics: * * * *
The controls and ergonomics are sound. The optic doesn’t offer anything ambidextrous, but nothing about the HS510C’s controls is tough to reach or activate. The buttons are large enough and provide good tactile feedback.
Overall: * * * *
The Holosun HS510C is a very solid little optic. It’s well-made, easy to use, and packs a ton of optic features in an affordable package.
>>>>Bigger reticles also drain the battery a bit faster
I cry bull. The size of the reticle is not related to the lumens put out by the LED, nor the efficiency of the LED or its driving circuit.
Pretty sure the author got it correct. A dot reticle versus a dot with a big circle and hash mark reticle is a big change in the “area” lit up. The first may require X lumens to light properly, whereas the second may require 10X or 20X lumens to light up properly. Keep in mind X is quite small. 1 lumen or much less? So it’s not a huge deal.
Third paragraph, first sentence has the word “soft” instead of “sort”.
Does this make the gunm more accurate. theBiden does not approve, ban it.
i am not buying any electronics that can be remotely controlled by CCP
This looks like it might be worth considering. The last few weeks have been spent looking for a new red dot.
This is a great optic. I placed mine on a Ruger 556 MPR with the side folding 3X magnifier. For shorter range (50 yards minus) it rocks without the magnifier. At 100 I flip the magnifier up and it is great. Easy to zero and after a few thousand rounds it still holds zero. Have many other types of red dots and sights with illumination but this is my favorite. This can be set very bright for daylight and it seems the solar powers it just fine, likely why they rate the battery for 50k hours.
Got one on my AR. Love it.
Me too, love it!
puttin this thing on an ak
I am going to commit heresy and say that I have now replaced both my Aimpoint and my EO Tech with the Holosun 501.
First off if you get the 501 in green, that color is 1 million times easier to see then the red dots of the Eotech and Aimpoint.
The circle of the EOTech appears to me as a bunch of tiny pixels making up a circle.
The Holosun is a continuous circle.
And the batteries on the EO Tech were always dead when I went to turn it on after it being in storage for even a short time.
While the endpoint is combat proven, it is still just a single dot.
I much prefer the big circle with a little dot inside
And WHERE is it made?
Chicomland by the PLA you say? NOGO
I owned two of these HS510C sights, but got rid of them because Holosun lied about the specs, like they usually do. That is false advertising, and you should deduct at least one point from reviews of products when the manufacturer lies so tremendously about the weight.
When reviewing Holosun’s sights, you need to realize that Holosun usually lies about the size and weight of their sights (sometimes they only lie about the weight, as they did with the HS509T). You made the same mistake in your May 10th review of the Holosun HS509T, another red dot sight for which Holosun lies about the weight. With the HS510C, Holosun was even more dishonest, because they not only lied about its weight; they also lied about its size, so in this review, you got both the size and the weight wrong by using Holosun’s advertised specs, which are very dishonest, false advertising by that company. You should deduct two points from this review of the HS510C for the manufacturer lying about both the size and the weight of this optic.
In both reviews (this one and your May 10th review of the HS509T), you simply took Holosun’s word for it about the weight, instead of weighing the optics yourself. If you’d weighed the HS510C, you would have found out it weighs 7.6 oz, which is 2.66 oz more than its advertised weight of 4.94 oz. In your May 10th review of the Holosun HS509T, if you’d weighed it, you would have found out that it actually weighs twice as much as its advertised weight. Please don’t trust Holosun about the size and weight of their products, because they don’t tell the truth in their specifications. A good reviewer always measures and weighs themselves, rather than taking the manufacturer’s word for it, especially when dealing with Chinese manufacturers.
For this HS510C sight, Holosun claims it weighs 4.94 ounces, and you simply took their word for it. Its actual weight is 7.6 ounces. This is 2.66 oz heavier.
The dimensions are also wrong, because Holosun lies about those specs too. You took Holosun’s word for it and listed the dimensions as 3.3” long × 1.68” wide × 1.78” high. Its actual dimensions are 3.3” long x 1.8” wide x 2.31” high.
How does Holosun come up with its fake specifications? Judging from their size specifications, they are measuring it without the QD mount, even though the mount is part of the sight! Maybe they also come up with the weight by disassembling the sight, removing it from its before weighing it. But the QD mount is an integral part of this sight, so it is highly dishonest of the manufacturer to disassemble it before measuring it and weighing it. Or maybe they just pull the numbers out of a hat (or out of their posterior extremity), who knows?
You should deduct two points from your review of a manufacturer’s products when they lie about both the size and weight of their optics! With the HS510C, Holosun lies tremendously, lying about its height, width, and weight. Because Holosun lied about the size and weight of the HS510C (as well as the HS509T), I sold both of my HS510C sights (as well as my HS509T sight).
cant get thing to co witness on an ak any ideas ?
cant get thing to co witness on an ak any ideas ? a yugo ak
Great sight for competition but not for real-life tactical use. Laser that projects the reticle is very bright at night and would totally compromise your location. Viewed thru night vision it is like a small LED flashlight is on.
Wanted to point out that the solar cell is actually the primary battery for the 510c, utilizing a capacitor. The battery is only a back-up that’s used if solar isn’t giving it enough power to operate at the brightness you selected.
Sharing my experience with Holosun as I think this is an extremely overhyped manufacturer making a dangerous self defense product.
I recently bought a $300+ holosun optic for my carry gun. Had it all of 6 days before a mild door frame encounter resulted in broken glass. I’ve put all kinds of optics through far, far worse and never have I had this kind breakage. I was extremely disappointed to say the least, but at first I thought everyone has a bad day now and then and started the RMA process.
Once they received my optic it took over 3 weeks to hear back, and what I eventually got was a fairly short email that told me “unfortunately” this kind of damage was not covered by my warranty. I initially replied questioning that as the optic was so incredibly new, and they kindly offered to sell me another new one at “distributor pricing”.
Obviously I wouldn’t in my right mind throw good money after bad now that I know how poor the quality of, and how poorly supported, the Holosun product line really is.
Far better options in this industry with warranties that reflect the nature, expectation, and usage of these kinds of products. BUYER BEWARE!
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