For years, micro reflex sights were relegated to the carry gun world. Yet, to pigeonhole these handy, lightweight optics in one space is a disservice. The Holosun 407K X2 proved a worthy companion for shotgunning big tom turkeys, too. Here’s what you ought to know. 
 

Table of Contents

Meet the HS407K X2
The Mount
The Hunt
Field Notes
Final Thoughts

Meet the HS407K X2

The Holosun 407K X2 series is defined as an open reflex optical sight. The body is built from 7075 aluminum, based on Holosun's “K” footprint. It features the company’s Red Super LED with up to 50,000 hours of battery life on setting six. Twelve brightness settings offer ideal coverage from the dawn/dusk to the brightest part of the day. 
 

A good part of that extensive life is due to the shake-awake system, by which the sight deactivates itself when not in use. There’s also a lock mode to protect the buttons from inadvertent setting changes. The battery is housed in a side-mounted tray that slides out for replacement. 

Overall dimensions are compact. The optic measures 0.95 inch in height and 1.6 inches in length with a 0.58x0.77-inch window. 

The HS407K X2 is a direct mate to the P365X/XL and requires an adapter plate for pistol slides with a four-boss interface. Though designed for sub-compact pistol applications, the sight has found much more widespread use in the shotgun, full-sized handgun, and even rifle hunting communities. It’s a direct mount for many shotguns and shotgun mounts. 

MSRP is set at $258.81, and there’s also a green dot model listed at $276.46. The sight ships with a multi tool for adjustments, user manual and lens cloth. 
 

The Mount

We mounted the Holosun to a Mossberg Eventide Silver Reserve Turkey O/U shotgun using Warne’s specialized shotgun rib mount. That’s item #6108M, made in Oregon and officially named the Warne Shotgun Rib Reflex Mount. 

It clamps directly to most popular shotgun ribs and is a perfect fit for Holosun 407 and 507 variants. Its footprint also accepts Burris Fastfire 2 and 3, Doctor & Doctor, Leupold Delta Point Pro, Trijicon RMR, Vortex Razor and Viper, and others with matching hole patterns.
 

The Hunt

A shotgun is a fair test for any optic, and a hunt even more so, as the outfit isn’t always treated gently. In our case, Mossberg’s 28 gauge proved a gentle recoiler, even when firing the heaviest TSS 3-inch loads from Federal and Apex. 
 

For what it’s worth, other hunting camp companions were using the same sight on both 12 and 20-gauge shotguns and firing the heaviest hunting loads without issue. With the combination of a handy, compact gun topped with an equally pint-sized optic, a quality mount, and shooting the correct ammo through a good choke, the result was stellar. Big tom down in short order. 
 

Ample range practice was the precursor, of course. We quickly zeroed the Holosun, found the effective range with the 28 to be no less than 40 yards, and fine-tuned familiarization with the entire setup. A word to the wise: don’t wait until you’re sitting in the dark hunting blind under roosting birds to learn the location and feel of the sight’s buttons for adjusting brightness settings. 
 

Field Notes

Speaking of which, the brightness settings adjust quickly and silently using the two buttons at the left side of the optic’s body. The device is so small and light one can’t help but wonder if it gets lost on a long gun. I’ve long promoted (and still do) the use of iron sights for turkey hunting. 

But there’s good reason why red dots and reflex sights are so popular. The Holosun adds virtually no weight or awkwardness to the gun, but it is right there when the gun is shouldered, even helping compensate for an improper cheek weld. With the shake-awake, always-on feature, you never have to worry if the dot will be on, especially given the impressive battery life. 

We were pleased to find the red dot acquires quickly and clearly even on the reddish hues of a mature gobbler’s head and neck. With the 6-MOA dot, it covers much of the waddles/neck, but not too much to make an accurate shot. That larger dot would limit precision at extended distances, no different than a big fiber-optic front sight bead. Then again, one must also question ethics at those distances. 

Adjustments happen at 1 MOA per click with a total windage and elevation travel range of 30 MOA, which proved far more than needed for our shotgun application. 
 

Final Thoughts

From one who swears by simple iron sights for turkey hunting, and generally for CCW, the Holosun 407K X2 was an entirely pleasant surprise. Not only is it small, light, and barely noticeable, but it acquires quickly, holds up to hard use, and shows incredibly battery life. 

The shake-awake feature partnered with ample brightness settings put this one solidly in the conversation for hunters and defense applications alike. It’s proof that one sight that can serve many purposes.