Vortex Venom or Holosun 501C?

Pinecone · Oct 9, 2019

A colleague at work has a brand new Vortex Venom his is looking to get rid of. He can't use it due to his astigmatism.

He is offered a pretty sweet deal.

I was considering a Holosun 501C.

This is for a HD SBR AR in .300 BO.

Thanks for any comments or insight.

ST19AG_WGreymon · Oct 9, 2019

What MOA? There's a 3MOA and a 6MOA version. He doesn't have corrective lenses?

Pinecone · Oct 10, 2019

I am not sure which MOA.

He does, but dot is comet shaped. It may be him trying to use his normal glasses, so not looking through the optical center.

But not my problem.

Question is, buy it from him, or get the Holosun?

Park ranger · Oct 16, 2019

They are ok. The battery cap comes loose and the dot won't turn on. I wouldn't trust it for EDC. Seem to hold zero well.

ST19AG_WGreymon · Oct 16, 2019

How much is he asking? They can be had for $179 new and $100 factory refurbished w/ the lifetime warranty. I love my 3MOA Venom, it rides on my FNX-45. For an SBR the 3MOA will do you great.

erwos · Oct 17, 2019

Hot take: micro-dots like the RMR/Venom/507C/etc. are not good choices on home defense long guns unless you have very, very specific size/weight limitations. You will be traversing corners, going one-handed to open doors, etc., which means "awesome cheekweld to keep that tiny window in exactly the right spot" is not such a great assumption. Optics with large windows like the Eotech, UH1, 510C, etc. are far better choices in this role. If you're getting a genuinely spectacular deal on the Venom, that's great, just slap it on a pistol instead.

danb · Oct 17, 2019

Corrective lenses don't work perfectly for astigmatism. Moreover, they correct your vison for near/far vision, which means that the other (far/near) can be bad. Small dots can still be still fuzzy. Color matters: green dots are for some reason are perceived more crisply than red. Also, polarized lenses help.

Pinecone · Oct 17, 2019

erwos said:
Hot take: micro-dots like the RMR/Venom/507C/etc. are not good choices on home defense long guns unless you have very, very specific size/weight limitations. You will be traversing corners, going one-handed to open doors, etc., which means "awesome cheekweld to keep that tiny window in exactly the right spot" is not such a great assumption. Optics with large windows like the Eotech, UH1, 510C, etc. are far better choices in this role. If you're getting a genuinely spectacular deal on the Venom, that's great, just slap it on a pistol instead.

Thanks, this is what I needed to know.

erwos · Oct 17, 2019

Pinecone said:
Thanks, this is what I needed to know.

Glad I could help!

I have a RMR-style RDS on precisely one rifle: my pre-ban 8.25" AR SBR with collapsing PDW stock. It is designed for maximum concealment. In that sort of situation, I think there's a genuine argument for something that small. But on everything else, I never go smaller than something along the lines of an Aimpoint Micro or Trijicon MRO. The weight/size trade-off just isn't worth it.

In fact, I really struggle to even see why someone wouldn't put an Eotech/UH1/HS510C on a home defense AR given all the options. You don't need a magnified optic, and you're not going to be carrying it very long, so the heavier weight of a larger optic isn't such a problem. On a shotgun, where cheek weld and optimal height over bore is lower, I could see being forced into a smaller tube optic - this is why I've got an 403C on an Aridus mount on my 870.

rockstarr · Oct 20, 2019

danb said:
Corrective lenses don't work perfectly for astigmatism. Moreover, they correct your vison for near/far vision, which means that the other (far/near) can be bad. Small dots can still be still fuzzy. Color matters: green dots are for some reason are perceived more crisply than red. Also, polarized lenses help.

I would tend to agree here regarding prescription glasses. I have a mild astigmatism. Starburst ish but not bad enough to make odd shapes out of dots. I can shoot dots with out any help but it isn’t the most fun.

My prescription glass will help quite a bit at making the dot much more clear, but not 100 percent. The smaller the dot , the less the “burst” imo.

jimbobborg · Oct 20, 2019

rockstarr said:
I would tend to agree here regarding prescription glasses. I have a mild astigmatism. Starburst ish but not bad enough to make odd shapes out of dots. I can shoot dots with out any help but it isn’t the most fun.

My prescription glass will help quite a bit at making the dot much more clear, but not 100 percent. The smaller the dot , the less the “burst” imo.

Does this really matter for close in shooting? Unless the blob is taking up the entire display, you don't need a pinpoint to make good shots on a torso and/or a head.

rockstarr · Oct 21, 2019

jimbobborg said:
Does this really matter for close in shooting? Unless the blob is taking up the entire display, you don't need a pinpoint to make good shots on a torso and/or a head.

correct, in my experience, its more of an annoyance to myself rather than an inability to shoot fairly accurate due to said astigmatism.

Vortex Venom or Holosun 501C?

The #1 community for Gun Owners of the Northeast

Member Benefits:

Pinecone

Ultimate Member

ST19AG_WGreymon

Ultimate Member

Pinecone

Ultimate Member

Park ranger

Ultimate Member

ST19AG_WGreymon

Ultimate Member

erwos

The Hebrew Hammer

danb

dont be a dumbass

Pinecone

Ultimate Member

erwos

The Hebrew Hammer

rockstarr

Major Deplorable

jimbobborg

Oddball caliber fan

rockstarr

Major Deplorable

Users who are viewing this thread

Latest posts

Forum statistics

Latest threads

Forum statistics

Share this page