This week we're taking a look at another relfex-style pistol optic from the Holosun lineup: the bigger brother to the 407k, the 407C.
The 407C was introduced in 2020 as part of Holosun's entry into full sized pistol optic category. It shares a lot of features with it's smaller sibling, the 407k, but with the larger size body and window enjoyed by a full sized optic. The 407C measures 1.78 inches long, 1.24 inches wide, and 1.14 inches tall. Like the 407k, the 407C has a body made of 7075 T6 aluminum, with a glass window. It is IP67 water resistant, and weighs in at 1.5oz, about 50 percent heavier than the featherweight 407k. MSRP for the 407k about $290, and you can find it on Brownells for a little under that, about $245.
The 407C comes in the standard Holosun box which I think is a bit nicer than most boxes this side of a Trijicon. You get a battery, a cleaning cloth, the standard Holosun multitool, two sets of mounting screws (which I didn't use) and your papers and documentation.
It is powered by the included single CR1632 battery, which is mounted in this tray on the side of the optic. This means that the battery can be replaced without having to remove the optic from the weapon, which means that it doesn't subsequently need to be re-zeroed with every battery change like some other optics. Just like the 407k, the 407C can deliver up to 50,000 hours of life on setting 6. Aiding this battery life rating is the shake-awake feature. This means that the optic turns off automatically after a certain amount of time (that the user can specify) to save battery, but as soon as it senses any small movement it turns back on. In practice I found this feature to be surprisingly sensitive; I can cause the optic to turn on by giving the table that the weapon is sitting on a firm tap. In everyday use I've never picked up the weapon from a table or pulled it out of the holster and had the reticle not be turned on, so I'm very confident in this feature.
The reticle is a 2MOA dot with 10 levels of brightness adjustment, as well as 2 levels of nightvision-compatible brightness. The do it nice and small and facilitates more accuracy at distance than the larget 6MOA dot of the 407k. However, having astigmatism, I did experience more of the sunburst effect from this reticle than I did with the 407k. It's not so bad as to affect my accuracy at self-defense range, but taking into account the overall size of the reticle for my eyes, it probably ends up being almost 6MOA including the sunburst effect. For those with my level of astigmatism (or more pronoinced than mine) this should definitely be taken into consideration.
Just like the 407k, the 407C has the brightness of the reticle is controlled by buttons on the side, which are flush-mounted to reduce the possibility of them being actuated by accident. There is also a lockout feature which disables input from the buttons to eliminate this possibility altogether. Lock mode is accessed by holding down the + button for 3 seconds, and the dot will blink to confirm activation/deactivation of the lock mode. Unlike the 407k, the 407C also has what Holosun calls a solar backup mode. This mode allows the optic to keep working even if the battery dies through the use of this solar panel on the top of the housing. The optic will use sunlight it collects as a way to power itself. This also functions as an ambient light sensor for the automatic brightness adjustment feature. The brighter the ambient light, the brighter the optic sets the dot. As lights dims, so does the optic.
As far as the initial zeroing of the optic, Holosun claims that the 407C comes zeroed at 25 yards from the factory, and I found this to be pretty much true. I installed it onto my weapon and it took only a few clicks of elevation adjustment to put 3/4 of the dot on top of my front sight. From there I didn't need to adjust at all. The 407C has two turrets for adjustment, one for elevation on the top and one for windage on the right side, similar to the 407k. Each of these turrets has a 1MOA per click adjustment, and they nice audible click to them so you know when you've adjusted it.
I've lived with the 407C for a bit longer than the 407k, and my experience with this is actually what motivated me to pick up the 407k. Simply put, I love the 407C. It's a great set of features packed into a rugged package, and sold for a very reasonable price. The glass is crystal clear with no tint to it, and the generous window size makes it very easy to pick up the small 2MOA dot quickly. It has never flickered or died on me, and never lost zero through about 1200 live rounds and probably countless dry fire exercises. The shake awake feature works very well as I mentioned, the glass is clear, and since the optic comes zeroed at 25 yards from the factory it took me very little time to get it zeroed for my weapon. Overall for the price that you pay for one of these you get a lot of value for your money, and that's something that I think is consistent with the entire Holosun line.
So that's my review of the 407C. It's a great micro pistol optic at a great price. Don't forget to check out the link to the PT YouTube page for a video review of the 407C! That's all I've got for you today. Until next time, stay safe!