FOG HORN
September 2021 Twobirds Flying Publications
HOLOSUN’S HE407K-GR X2
Copyright 2021, Towbirds Flying Publications. All Rights Reserved.
HOLOSUN’S HE407K-GR X2
2021
HOLOSUN’S HE407K-GR X2 By: Sal Palma
As luck would have it, the sight’s mounting holes lined up perfectly with the slide, so mounting was a matter of using the proper fasteners, tightened to 15 in/lbs. and a drop of blue LOCTITE. Holosun ships the sight with two sets of fasteners and a sight adjustment tool.
I’m what industry calls an early adopter, simply stated it means that I readily accept new technology, but I did not jump on the pistolmounted red dot sight bandwagon until recently. My reasons are straightforward, I did not want something with a higher probability of failure sitting between my iron sights, nor did I find the bulkiness particularly useful. Frankly, they look like a porta-potty sitting on your slide. So, when the folks at Holosun introduced the HE407K-GR X2, I jumped at the chance to review it.
Once installed, the HE407K-GR X2 sits perfectly on the slide; it is not much taller than the rear sights and co-witnesses perfectly.
Holosun, advertises the sight as an “open reflex optical sight designed for concealed carry pistol applications”; prior to receiving the sight, I formed a mental imagine of a small and frail reflex sight. I was mistaken. The HE407K-GR X2 is compact with a smaller footprint but built like a tank, so I decided to mount it on an FN FNX .45ACP Tactical and rough it up a bit.
Copyright 2021, Towbirds Flying Publications. All Rights Reserved.
HOLOSUN’S HE407K-GR X2
2021
One of the benefits of the sight’s compactness is that you won’t need esoteric holster designs to accommodate the sight. The arrangement below fully protects the optic and secures the weapon1.
Powering up the sight requires merely pressing “+”. Once powered up adjusting the dot intensity is intuitive press “+” to increase brightness and “-“ decreases it; to power down the sight you press “+” and “-“ buttons simultaneously. If you accidentally leave the sight powered up, after 10 minutes of being motionless, the sight goes into sleep mode. As soon as it senses motion, Holosun’s Shake Awake technology instantly goes to work waking up the sight so it’s ready for use at its last dot brightness setting.
When I started the review, I wasn’t sure how I would like a green dot, but after using the sight, I can say that I’m a convert. Its 6MOA green dot is clearly visible in bright daylight and easy to pick up coming out of a holster.
Holosun didn’t stop there and incorporated a mechanism to disable sleep mode or change the sleep mode timer. There are four sleep timers 10 min., 1 hr., 12 hrs. or sleep mode disabled. To change the timer, you press “+” for ten seconds; you then select the desired option by pressing the “+” or “-“ buttons. If the LED blinks once you are in 10 min. mode, if it blinks twice, you have 1 hr. selected, three blinks indicate 12 hrs. and four blinks disables the sleep timer. The HE407K-GR X2 has a unique feature, the sight can be operated in Manual mode or Lockout mode.
The HE407K-GR X2 sight has a battery life rivaling its upscale competitors. Holosun advertises 50,000 hours from its side mounted CR1632, with the dot brightness set to its midpoint of 6.
In Manual mode the 12 dot brightness settings are accessible via its “+” and “-“ buttons. Settings 1 and 2 are Night Vision compatible. In Lock mode, buttons are locked out so no configuration changes can be made, eliminating the possibility of accidentally changing the sight settings. To enable Lock mode, press the “+” button for 3 seconds, the dot will blink once. To exit Lock mode, repeat the procedure, the dot will blink once again to indicate you’re back in Manual mode.
1
I used a Specter Gear Universal Holster. This holster has served me well for a number of years on platforms that were challenging to holster. Copyright 2021, Twobirds Flying Publications, All Rights Reserved
HOLOSUN’S HE407K-GR X2
Holosun has done a great job with sight ergonomics, but I would like to see the “+” and “-“ pushbuttons raised a bit. Holosun ships the HE407-GR X2 zeroed at 25 yards. Both elevation and windage adjusts are 1 MOA per click, which translates to a 0.25-inch point of impact movement at 25 yards. Elevation adjustments move POI up and down vertically and windage adjustments move POI horizontally; tactile was mild but detectable. The +/- 30 MOA range of adjustment was surprising for a sight as compact. The Holosun folks have done an impressive job. Consideration was given to every nuance. The HE407-GR X2 is an outstanding offering and well suited to professional use. The 6 MOA green dot grabs your eye and is very visible under any lighting condition, or against any background. I never found myself searching for the dot, it was right there. On the FN FNX .45 ACP Tactical it performed flawlessly, with perfect cowitnessing. In closing, there is no need to break the bank or mortgage your first born to own a professional quality sight, with the Holosun HE407K-GR X2 you get all the features of a highperformance open reflex sight at an M.S.R.P. of $276. Impressive!
2021
Manufacturer Specifications: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Reticle 6 MOA Dot Light Wavelength 540nm Reticle Color Green Parallax Free Yes Unlimited Eye Relief Yes Magnification 1x Multi-Coatings Yes Power Source Battery Battery Type CR1632 Battery Life (Hours) 50000 Brightness Setting 10 DL&2 NV Window Size 0.58x0.77 Dimension (in) 1.6x0.98x0.95 Weight (oz) 1 Housing Material 7075 T6 Aluminum Surface Finish Anodize Adjustment per Click 1 MOA W&E Travel Range ±30 MOA Storage Temperature -40℃~70℃ Working Temperature -30℃~60℃ Submersion IP67 Vibration 5000G
-SP
Copyright 2021, Twobirds Flying Publications, All Rights Reserved