Holosun HS503GU with 2moa dot and 65 moa circle

I picked up a new Holosun red dot from Reliable a few days ago and well, this isn't my first Holosun, I've had previous models, but I never bothered to do any sort of unboxing or review.  Figured someone might be interested to see what comes inside the box.

The newer Holosuns now come encased in a plastic box lined with foam, where previous generations came in a more simpler cardboard box.

It looks like Holosun borrowed another feature from the Aimpoint Micro T2/H2 playbook with the raised housing to shield the windage and elevation knobs.

The overall footprint of the newest generation appears to be the same as previous generations, so theoretically, it should be able to use Aimpoint micro compatible mounts and bases.

The power settings are still found at the top of the optic.

The 2moa dot is crisp, with a 65 moa cresent moon around it.  I'd be interested in a moa dot like my Eotech, but I haven't checked to see if Holosun makes one yet.  The CR2032 battery life should be good for two years if left on at the lowest power settings, but apparently this model has a motion based auto-off feature.  

To test my theory about the Holosun having the same footprint as the Aimpoint Micro, I took the Holosun off it's 1/3 co-witness mount (the optic also comes with a low mount) and mounted it on my Larue Tactical LT660 1/3 qd mount.  Perfect fit.

These come with a limited warranty:

[quote]Original owner, your Holosun product is warranted free of defects in materials and workmanship with the Holosun Limited Lifetime Warranty. This warranty specifically applies to the metal structure of the product and does not apply to the optical and illumination systems. The optical system is covered by the 5 year warranty. The illumination system including electronics is covered by the 3 year warranty. Batteries are not covered under warranty.[/quote]

I could have sworn it was a lifetime, no questions asked warranty, but I guess not.

As I've said, I've had Holosuns in the past, and I did have to send one back with power issues (wouldn't on), with a copy of the receipt and original box, but a new one was sent to me before I even posted mine.  Since then, my other Holosuns have not been problematic, and work perfectly.  

I hope that I never have to use the warranty, but I would also like to think that like any other company, Holosun has used the research from previous warranty issues to improve their product, thus over time, reducing the need for customers to use it.  

Some specs from the manufacturer:

Automatic on and off based on motion

2 MOA dot & 65 MOA Circle

Reduced training time and ammunition

Unlimited field of view

Parallax-free with unlimited eye relief

Durable and reliable construction

Low mount and 1/3 Co-witness mount included

LED DATA

Reticle 2 MOA dot & 65 MOA Circle

OPTICAL DATA

Parallax Free

ELECTRONIC DATA

Battery CR2032

Battery Life 20,000 Hours using circle dot at setting 6 50,000 Hours using dot at setting 6

Brightness Setting 10DL & 2NV Compatible

MECHANICAL DATA

Housing Material Aluminum

Housing Finish MAO Finish

Housing Color Black or Flat Dark Earth

ENVIROMENTAL DATA

Storage Temperature -40C to 70C

Working Temperature -10C to 50C

Waterproof 1m

DIMENSIONS

Dimension 66*64*37mm with high mount

Weight 138g with weight

Aimpoint Micro H1 and Larue Tactical LT660 QD Mount for the AR

More stuff!  I'm posting these post Christmas, but actually, I got these a few months back and didn't get around to posting pictures until just yesterday.

I've been swapping optics back and forth on my rifles for the last few years, and nothing ever seems to stay put.  My AR started off with a Deal Extreme Fakepoint Micro with an equally fake LaRue LT660 QD riser mount, and it actually lasted a few years before it finally crapped out on me a few months ago.  A real Aimpoint was pricy beyond my means at the time, so I opted for the Aimpoint Pro, which came with the right height mount, and was priced at least $300 cheaper. 

So, I got the PRO and put it on my AR, then I scored a wicked deal on a Micro.  I ended up moving the PRO over to my Ruger 10/22.  The Ruger originally had a Bushnell TRS-25, so I moved it over to my 870 shotgun. 

Anyway, I ordered the LaRue LT660 1/3 cowitness QD riser for the Micro and here it is.  The packaging was basically a plastic bag, and at first, I couldn't see a huge difference between the Deal Extreme versus the real deal, other than the markings.

My S&J Hardware free float railed handguard.  The screws are starting to strip from constant tightenning.  I probably should have used some loctite on them.

As you can tell, I even lost one.  For some reason, my kit only came with 4 screws.  I contaced S&J Hardware and they said they will mail be ten replacements.  It's the holiday season though, so I don't expect them anytime soon.

So I mounted the Micro to the LT660 and it fit like a glove.  They say that the LT660 was manufactured specifically for the Micro and they weren't kidding.  It was like they were both machined in the same factory and I had no troubles mating the two.

So, two years later, I went from a $25 Fakepoint with mount to a $700 unit.  When I first got into firearms, I never imagined in a million years that I would spend that much on optics, let alone the firarm itself.  Talk about an expensive hobby.