Holosun AEMS: Advanced Enclosed Micro Sight Announced

Holosun has officially announced the launch of their new next-generation rifle red dot, the Advanced Enclosed Micro Sight, or AEMS. We were able to get our hands on one ahead of time, so here’s what we can tell you so far:

The AEMS will feature all of the same standard Holosun features you’ve come to expect from their other optics: 50,000 hours of life on a single CR2032 battery, solar fail-safe, shake-awake, auto and manual brightness adjustment, and changeable reticles. The standard reticle is a 65 MOA ring with 2 MOA center dot. This can be switched to dot only or circle only. The sight is diminutive, at only 2.1 inches/54mm long, 1.4 inches/36mm wide, and 1.7 inches/43mm tall (without mount). The housing is 7075 and the optic weighs only 3.6 ounces.

The viewing window is, in a word, huge for an optic of this size – which is even smaller in some dimensions than their 403 series, based directly on the size profile of other common micro optics on the market. The hinged, flip-down lens covers are clear, and we could not detect any appreciable difference in color or clarity whether they were up or down. This is great news particularly if you run your carbine hard or in force-on-force scenarios which are famous for shattering red dot lenses with that lucky UTM or Simunitions hit. 

The aforementioned swappable reticle, in our estimation, is one of the clearest, most crisp reticles we’ve ever seen through NVGs. While there are no dedicated night vision modes, turning the brightness down manually works just fine and, as we said, leaves an incredibly sharp sight picture that does not wash out under our tubes.

This also shows the AEMS’ current out-of-the-box Achilles heel. It comes out-of-the-box with a 1.63-inch mount (lower 1/3 co-witness), and we’re told a 1.4-inch low mount is already in the works at Holosun. But the AEMS mounting footprint is completely proprietary, making it incompatible with existing aftermarket optic mounts. For those who want a taller mount for night vision, gas mask, or other use, or to use it in conjunction with an LPVO, Holosun has told us that they are working directly with several after-market mount makers and that aftermarket support for the AEMS will be forthcoming – although we’re unsure of which companies to watch, or when we could expect those alternate mounting options.

At time of writing, the official on-sale date is October 1^st, but both models (red and green reticles) of AEMS have been posted on Holosun's website at $470 and $505, respectively.

We will be covering the AEMS more extensively both on RECOIL TV and in an upcoming issue, so stay tuned for more details.

URL: holosun.com

MORE ON OPTICS, SIGHTS, AND SCOPES

• Red Dot Sight Buyer's Guide.
• Vortex Sparc Solar Review.
• LPVO vs Magnifier, Pick your Poison.
• EOTech Magnifier: Force Multipliers.
• Many of the Best 9mm Pistols for 2020 come optics-ready.
• Aimpoint Acro vs Holosun 509T: Battle of Sealed MRDS Optics
• The MPVO: The Optic you didn't know you needed.

NEXT STEP: Download Your Free Target Pack from RECOIL

For years, RECOIL magazine has treated its readers to a full-size (sometimes full color!) shooting target tucked into each big issue. Now we've compiled over 50 of our most popular targets into this one digital PDF download. From handgun drills to AR-15 practice, these 50+ targets have you covered. Print off as many as you like (ammo not included).

Get your pack of 50 Print-at-Home targets when you subscribe to the RECOIL email newsletter. We'll send you weekly updates on guns, gear, industry news, and special offers from leading manufacturers - your guide to the firearms lifestyle.

You want this. Trust Us.