Holosun SCS MOS Green Reticle Reflex Optic for GLOCK MOS Pistols: Full Review

A low deck height and solar charging capability make the Holosun SCS green dot the most versatile optic for your GLOCK MOS pistol; here's a full review.

August 26, 2022 By Brad Fitzpatrick

There’s no shortage of companies making reflex optics, but Holosun is among the best brands in this growing market. One reason for Holosun’s success is their dedication to providing advanced optics with out-of-the-box features, such as their Solar Charging Sight (SCS)

Built to attach directly to full-size GLOCK pistols with MOS optic mounting system, the Holosun SCS offers an extremely low profile deck height, and that means you won’t have to purchase and install suppressor-height sights to co-witness with your reflex sight. The Holosun’s low-profile housing is made from machined grade-5 titanium alloy, which ensures the optic can withstand the abuse of duty or daily carry usage.

Holosun SCS MOS Green Reticle Reflex Optic Left Side — (Photo courtesy of Brad Fitzpatrick)

The most innovative feature of this sight, however, is the solar charging system. Solar energy charges the Holosun’s internal battery, which offers unlimited battery life with no need to change batteries. The internal rechargeable battery powers the MRS (Multi-Reticle System), which allows the shooter to choose from among three different reticle settings: 32-MOA circle, 2-MOA dot, and circle and dot combination. All the LED reticles are green in color and are therefore very easy for the human eye to detect, especially in bright light where red-dot sights are difficult to see. You won’t have to worry about adjusting the dot to match ambient conditions thanks to Holosun’s self-adjusting brightness control. You also can manually adjust brightness settings as needed.

Holosun SCS MOS Green Reticle Reflex Optic Front View — (Photo courtesy of Brad Fitzpatrick)

Easy-to-use controls make operating the Holosun SCS very simple. There’s a silicon solar cell located at the rear of the sight that supplies power to the optic. Additional solar energy is stored in the rechargeable battery for periods when ambient light is insufficient to operate the sight. An elevation adjustment knob is located just ahead of the solar panel while the windage adjustment knob is positioned on the right side of the sight housing. Each click adjusts point of impact one MOA and adjustment range for both windage and elevation is 30 MOA.

Unlike some sights with multiple operating buttons, the SCS comes with a single-function button located on the left side of the sight. Pressing this button for one second allows you to power the unit on and power the sight by battery. Each subsequent long press of the function button toggles through the reticle options (circle dot, dot, then circle) before finally powering down the unit. Short presses of the function button allow the shooter to override the automatic brightness adjustment.

Holosun SCS MOS Green Reticle Reflex Optic Plate Disassembled — (Photo courtesy of Brad Fitzpatrick)

Despite its heavy-duty titanium housing, the Holosun SCS is among the smallest and lightest reflex optics on the market. The 0.58 x 0.77-inch window offers a clear sight picture thanks to the inclusion of multilayer reflective glass, but the sight is just 0.91 inch tall. Weight is a mere 1.3 ounces, which is lighter than competing optics. Overall length of the Holoson SCS is 1.93 inches and, as previously mentioned, the sight mounts directly to full-size GLOCK MOS slides. As with Holosun’s other reflex optics, the SCS is parallax-free and offers unlimited eye relief.

The SCS fits any standard full-size GLOCK pistol with MOS, so there’s no need to make modifications or order special mounting plates. MSRP for the Holosun SCS Green is $435.28.

Holosun SCS MOS Green Reticle Reflex Optic Solar Panel — (Photo courtesy of Brad Fitzpatrick)

At the Range

With so many new reflex sights designed to fit so many firearms it can be a real hassle to assemble the wrenches, mounting plates, and screws needed to mount your optic to your firearm, but you bypass all that hassle when mounting the Holosun SCS on your GLOCK pistol. Installation is as fast and intuitive as any pistol on the market. I mounted the optic on GLOCK’s G19 Gen5 MOS pistol and during the course of testing (over 100 rounds) the optic never loosened.

The Holosun’s low-profile design will appeal to serious shooters. The deck height is so low that the factory GLOCK sights worked fine, and if you choose to upgrade the sights (as so many GLOCK owners do) you don’t have to purchase suppressor height sights. You don’t have to worry that the backup iron sights on an SCS-equipped pistol won’t fit in the sight channel on your favorite holster, either. With the optic installed, my G19 fit in standard factory holsters without any modifications, and at just 1.03 inches wide, the SCS doesn’t compromise concealability.

Holosun SCS MOS Green Reticle Reflex Optic Left Closeup — (Photo courtesy of Brad Fitzpatrick)

Green reflex sights are growing in popularity, primarily because shooters are catching on to the fact that the human eye is more adept at picking up green light than red light. Even in full sun, I never had any issues seeing the reticle, and the auto brightness feature seamlessly matches ambient light conditions. When you’re punching paper at the range, you’ll have the luxury of manually adjusting brightness levels as needed, but during a violent encounter, you’ll have to trust that your optic is going to be bright enough to function properly regardless of light conditions. The Holosun’s auto-brightness level accurately adjusts intensity and the green reticle is more forgiving and easier to discern than competing red-dot sights.

Holosun SCS MOS Green Reticle Reflex Optic Right Side Closeup — (Photo courtesy of Brad Fitzpatrick)

The silicon solar charging pad is extremely efficient, storing light energy at a rate that exceeds output. That energy is stored within the internal battery and offers around-the clock visibility. Initially, I was worried that sunlight alone wouldn’t provide enough juice to power the optic through the night, and I wouldn’t want to find myself face-to-face with an armed intruder at four o’clock in the morning without knowing that my sight was operating properly. But the SCS never failed to function. Even when the gun has been concealed, ambient light is enough to power the battery, and the optic never failed to provide a clear aiming point. Should the battery run low, there are indicator flashes (one flash per second under 30 percent battery life, two per second under 20 percent, and three per second under 10 percent) to alert the shooter.

Holosun SCS MOS Green Reticle Reflex Optic Solar Panel Closeup from Above — (Photo courtesy of Brad Fitzpatrick)

Despite being light and compact, the SCS is extremely tough. The titanium alloy housing is strong enough to support one-handed chambering, and the unit is IPX8 rated, which means the optic can be submerged in water beyond one meter for 30 minutes and still operate properly. The multi-coated lenses shrug off dust and cut glare, and I was able to shoot transition drills on steel targets in full sun and maintain a clear and precise sight picture. I’m a fan of simple reticles and spent most of my time using the green dot, but it’s nice to have the option of switching to a circle or circle dot with the touch of a button.

Holosun has figured out what shooters want from a reflex sight—namely, ease of mounting and operation, durability, and a compact footprint that doesn’t interfere with the shooter. You’ll get all that and more with the new Holosun SCS, and optic that’s certain to make competing brands green with envy.