SHOT Show 2023: Holosun Night Vision Red Dots and Thermal Dots

Prototype Digital Reflex Optics We Tested – A Mix of a Traditional Red Dot and Thermal Overlay. This technology can be used to locate enemy troops on the battlefield, hog hunting, and tracking fugitives from helicopters. It can illuminate warm-blooded animals instantly, even if they are visually camouflaged or motionless. Holosun presented a new hybrid optic, the Holosun DRS (Digital Reflex Sight), at SHOT Show 2023. It incorporates a thermal and digital night vision overlay onto a red dot. It’s still in prototype form and not yet available for sale, but there are a few prototypes that are being tested. We were able to get our hands on both versions at the SHOT Show Range Day. The new Holosun DRS Red Dot hybrid optic is based on the popular Holosun AEMS compact, enclosed-emitter, red dot with flip-down lenses covers. The front cover in this case is transparent instead of clear. The optic functions as a normal red dot, with adjustable brightness and Holosun’s selectable dot and circle-dot reticles. When the front lens cover is turned down, it projects onto the black window behind your red dot reticle. The red dot is independent from the background image so the optic keeps the same zero regardless of whether it’s day or night. Below: Editor Tom Marshall tests Holosun DRS NV. The top-mounted digital night-vision camera can identify it. The unit is powered by two 18350 lithium rechargeable batteries. This can be charged via the built-in USB port on right side of the housing. The small protrusion near the NV camera lens is an infrared light illuminator that can be used in dark environments without windows or other ambient light. The illuminator can also be turned on and off separately. This image shows the view without the cover and with the red dot sight on. The display is sharp in person, so ignore the blurring caused by the optic being held behind our camera. Click here to see the DRS-THPro in action. Initial impressions were positive with a clear image, fast refresh rate and clear image. The DRS-NV image was dimmed during our morning visit to the range. However, this is due to the bright daylight conditions. It should be easier to see in the darker conditions it was intended for. The DRS–TH displayed body heat prominently in daylight, with a brightly colored dot on the top. This photo was taken indoors in well-lit areas. We hope to test it in dark environments soon. This photo shows the red dot sight turned off. Although Holosun has not yet finalized the design and features of these optics we are told that the DRS-NV should retail for less than $1,000. This is impressive considering that an AEMS red spot costs only half as much without the additional optical system. The thermal DRS–TH will be available in two models. One is a standard model that costs approximately $1,600, and the other is a Pro model that offers higher resolution for around $2,300. We’ll keep our readers informed once we know more about availability. Also, we are already planning a thorough review of the final production samples from Holosun.