Holosun SCRS RD 2
Do red dots need batteries? Well, more specifically, do they need external batteries? Do they need chargers? Holosun thinks they don’t. They’ve now produced two red dots designed to work with nothing more than solar power. They started with the pistol-designed SCS but have recently moved to a long gun design known as the SCRS RD 2. Solar-powered stuff is nothing new for Holosun, but optics powered entirely by solar energy are. (Are these Green New Deal approved?)
Holosun SCRS RD 2 Red Dot
Live Inventory Price Checker
| Scrs-2 Solar Charging Rifle Sight - Scrs-Rd-2 (Solar Charging Rifle Sight) Red 2moa Dot Reticle | Brownells.com | $ 229.99 | |
| Holosun SCRS-MRS Multi Reticle Solar Charging Rifle Sight | Rainier Arms | $ 269.99 | |
| Holosun SCRS-GR-MRS Solar Charging Rifle Sight 22mm Tube Green Reticle Aspheric | Shooters Choice | $ 352.93 $ 299.99 | |
| Holosun SCRS Solar Charging Rifle Sight - 2MOA | Rainier Arms | $ 229.99 |
The SCRS RD 2 features manual, automatic, and lock-out modes
In fact, it’s only designed for long guns. Holosun comes right out and says, ‘Hey, don’t put this optic on a handgun. It will break it.” Handgun optics undergo more G-Forces on a handgun slide than on any other weapon, including your 12 gauge shotgun. Optics for handguns have to be as tough as nails. Holosun makes sure to tell you that the optic is not for handguns wisely because the optic uses the 509 T’s footprint. It would be very easy to mount the SCRS RD 2 on a pistol.
The SCRS RD 2 seems more appealing than the long gun and handgun-ready 509T because it costs about half the price of the 509T and doesn’t require an external battery. This red dot retails for around 230 dollars for the 2 MOA reticle, and the multi-reticle model goes for about 270.
Holosun SCRS RD 2 – Living the Solar Life
The SCRS RD 2 still has a battery. It’s just inside the optic and non-removable. That integral battery can hold up to 20,000 hours of power! Red dots don’t need much power to work, so solar can run one without much of a problem. The extra battery ensures you can use the optic when the sun goes down or when indoors in a dimly lit environment.
The optic works perfectly on my Extar
Right off the bat, this is going to give people the willies. Can we really trust the battery to be charged when we need it? If someone kicks down the door and I grab my rifle, is the SCRS RD 2 going to work when I really need it to? Will I put it in the sun long enough to make sure it’s charged? How do I know if it is fully charged? Will the internal battery fail?
Yeah, I get it; it gives me the willies. There isn’t a way to know if the unit is fully charged or in a charged state. All batteries can fail, and this one isn’t user-replaceable. You’d have to send it to Holosun to be replaced or warrantied if it fails. According to the manual, it takes 50 to 60 hours of direct sunlight to charge.
The solar panel on the SCRS RD 2 is the key to its success
When I start looking at the optic and the overall design, I wouldn’t rely on the SCRS RD 2 for defensive use and couldn’t suggest you do the same.
That doesn’t mean I couldn’t see a purpose for the SCRS RD 2. I like shooting various competitions, including Steel Challenge, Action Steel, and various PCC competitions. The SCRS RD 2 fits that role perfectly fine. It’s fine for plinking, hunting, and other tasks where your life isn’t on the line.
Specifications and Features
The SCRS RD 2 fits the role of micro-sized optics. It’s tiny, basically, pistol-sized. The optic comes with the 509T footprint and includes a lower 1/3rd mount. The mount comes with a stout cross bolt that’s nice and large for a solid lockup on your rifle.
- Objective Lens Diameter – 20 mms
- Reticle – 2 MOA Red Dot
- Brightness Levels – 12
- Adjustments – 1 MOA
- Weight – 2.45 ounces
- Length – 1.85 inches
- Width – 1.3 inches
This is a super compact optic.
The SCRS RD 2 features three adjustment modes. We have an automatic setting that uses the solar panel to detect the brightness and adjust it automatically. These never work that well, especially in dynamic environments. It becomes an issue if you’re in a dim area aiming into a bright area, and vice versa. Weapon lights are a problem, too. It’s fine, but it isn’t my preferred mode.
Our manual setting allows you to adjust the brightness via the side controls. It’s like every other red dot. The SCRS RD 2 has buttons on the left side for quick and easy adjustments. The buttons are big, easy to use, and provide decent feedback with every press.
The buttons are big, easy to press, and deliver solid feedback
Finally, we have the lockout mode. This locks you into one brightness level of your choice. It’s not my favorite mode, and I don’t really know why it’s an option. Maybe it’s for the NVG guys. It’s certainly not for me.
The SCRS RD 2 On The Range
I always appreciate a lightweight, low-impact, low-profile optic. If I just want a red dot, something small is typically my go-to. Why use much red dot when little red dot work? Admittedly, larger fields of view are better suited for new shooters and for odd, weird positions. The little SCRS RD 2 works great on micro-sized guns, especially AR-type pistols, subguns, and other designs.
It also works fine with full-sized rifles and could be a good choice for shotguns if you ditch the high mount for a lower mount. I tossed it on a PCC and hit the range. Zeroing proved to be easy and quick.
Steel targets didn’t stand a chance
The clicks are 1 MOA, and that makes your adjustments broad, quick, and plenty precise at 25 to 100 yards—the range I’d use a PCC at anyway. Each click provides excellent feedback, and you can feel and hear the movements.
The SCRS RD 2’s clarity isn’t impressive compared to higher-end optics, but for a sub-250-dollar optic, it’s clear enough. A slight blue tint is always present, but it’s not distracting or difficult to handle. It won’t make it tough to see your target in any light conditions.
Look at the small little fella, its surpsingly solid for its size
The dot also comes off quite clear. It’s not Aimpoint perfect, but it’s far from splintered or star-shaped. For the money, it’s an impressive red dot reticle. The brightness levels vary from NVG-worthy to holy crap, that’s bright as hell!
Throwing Lead
The dot holds zero without complaint. I can spray round after round downrange as quickly as I can, and there won’t be any problems. The dot has a seemingly solid refresh rate, and the dot tracks easily during recoil. At the sound of a BEEP, I could drive the gun to my shoulder and to my target in an instant.
The notch filter is visible, but not terrible
Driving the gun from target to target doesn’t cause the dot to lag or fail. It merely sweeps with the gun and maintains an easy-to-track status. The SCRS RD 2 works quite well and delivers the quick, instinctive shooting capability a red dot is known for.
It’s perfect on the Extar carbine
I’ve used the optic in the rain, in the what, and in the cold without a problem. It’s banged around in my trunk at various temperatures. I’ve even dropped the gun and optic from chest height, and it’s not lost zero. The SCRS RD 2 proved to be durable and capable of maintaining an excellent zero overall.
Is it For You?
I can’t advise an optic designed to be powered solely by the sun for self-defense. It’s likely that it will work perfectly fine, but I’m not willing to risk it. I’d rather just swap batteries once a year or so for my defensive use of weapons. However, the SCRS RD 2 works very well, especially for the low price point. I think there is a great place for the Holosun on plinkers, hunting weapons, and competition guns, and it won’t break the bank.
About Travis Pike
Travis Pike is a former Marine Machine Gunner, a lifelong firearms enthusiast, and now a regular guy who likes to shoot, write, and find ways to combine the two. He holds an NRA certification as a Basic Pistol Instructor and is the world’s Okayest firearm’s instructor.
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