heymatthew

Well... I pulled the trigger on a Burris FastFire III and Ruger dovetail mount for my 22/45. I've been running an UltraDot 30mm on top for a while, but the balance is a little funky so I wanted something smaller. I'm going to move the UltraDot to my 10/22 and sell my Bushnell. All-in-all, I'm pretty excited to get the new Burris in the mail and get her sighted in.

Any thoughts on this guy? Seemed to get glowing reviews online, especially compared to the FastFire II.

Tacky

Well, I have the FFII mounted piggy back on a nikon 3x9x50 on an dpms A15 heavy 16" AR. The scope is sighted for 100 to 600 yards bdc, and FF is sighted to 25 yards. I like the FFII other than the way the cover has nothing to hold it on the sight. I also wish the II model had click adjustments for elevation and windage, which it doesn't. I can say that the II has been mounted on several firerams I own and has never lost zero from .22, .223 .308, and 50AE. I do like the smaller moa dot listed for the III model since 4 moa isn't really an accurate size for 100 yard precision rifle shots. I also like the fact that it has a top mounted battery versus the II's bottom mounted battery. All in all I feel the II is a great sight but I welcome the improvements of the III and plan to purchase one soon.

heymatthew

Thank you for your feedback. I'll try and post my thoughts on the III when I get it. As well as a few photos. I got the 3MOA version. I don't normally shoot long distances, but I find that the smaller dots tend to be more precise in their shape than the larger counterparts. I typically shoot my 22/45 at 25-50 yards or so. I have the UltraDot now and it has a 4MOA dot which I'm okay with. I think the 3MOA will be fine for me.

I mostly wanted the Burris so that I could get something with a little better balance and so I can move the UltraDot over to my 10/22. I have a Bushnell Trophy Red/Green Multi-Reticle dot on the 10/22 now that I really like, but I think I'll sell it and just use the UD30 for the rifle. I might keep the Bushnell to use on my Mini 14 someday, but I don't know yet.

Tacky

No problem, I am also looking forward to your report on the FFIII. I shoot mine on that A-15 zeroed at 25 yards and it easily puts all the bullets in a 1" square and the 4 moa dot is great for short range. I haven't tried to shoot longer ranges with the red dot since being 4moa it will cover up a 4" circle at 100 yards. When I originally built that dpms, it was gonna be setup as a coyote gun and works great for that purpose in close and far out. I also had bought the FFII mount for my gen 4 glock, but added henie straight 8's and haven't used it on that particular gun. It has also been used on a beryl rail on one of my AK's, and on the Msar Stg556 I own at one time, no issues either. I love the FF's small size and no weight. I run more EoTechs than anything I think between 4 and 5 and have a few aimpoint comp3's, which are great, but I also have a use for the FF. Keep me posted on your progress, I am interested.

heymatthew

I received the FastFire III yesterday. Unfortunately, I can't mount it to the gun because the idiots I purchased the Ruger Dovetail Mount from shipped it UPS Innovations (which is probably the least innovative shipping method ever created in the history of logistics). It will be here next week sometime. Grrr.

BUT! I did pull the FFIII out of the packaging to check for function and to give it a once over and my initial impressions were as follows:

1. This thing is SMALL! (That's what she said.)
2. It's very well built.
3. It has good solid components.
4. Terrible cover/lens shade.

The FFIII is the smallest optic I've ever seen. I sat it on top of my 22/45 just over the dovetail where it will eventually live and it didn't change the balance by even a little bit. It's negligible compared to the heavier 5.5" hunter barrel and polymer frame. I LIKE IT!

My initial reaction to the function was a little bit questionable until I got the hang of it. The FFIII doesn't use a physical switch to turn the unit on or off. It uses a button with a series of settings that are activated when you cycle it. They are as follows:

1. ON - AUTO
2. ON - FULL
3. ON - MEDIUM
4. ON - LOW
5. OFF

I would have preferred a physical on/off switch because when you activate the rubber button, it takes the unit several seconds for the auto brightness feature to kick in and bring the dot into view. This is a very small quibble and one I'm sure to get used to. Ideally, though, an on/off switch with a button for changing modes would have been much better. And a memory that goes back to your last-used setting would be a superb feature for target shooters. I mostly shoot outside and taking the FFIII in the back yard, I find that the Medium brightness setting is ideal for my shooting preference. Having it automatically go to this every time would be perfect. Again, it's a small quibble and I wouldn't fault the unit for it. I am glad that they introduced user-adjustable brightness into the FFIII, but I feel it could have been executed differently.

Build quality seems excellent. It doesn't creak or rattle. Nothing is out of place. It's very compact and secure. I read online that several people were having trouble with the battery compartment lid not laying flat when closed, but I think they were cross-threading it, which is easy to do because it's in an awkward spot and the threads are very fine. You also have a battery with a spring-loaded platform under it pushing against the lid when you're screwing it in. I found that a beefy flat head screwdriver did the trick to get it in and out of place fairly easily. I would liked to have seen a side-mounted battery slot (similar to the SIM card slot on the iPhone) that you could stick a paper clip in to extend the drawer. Just the two times that I touched the battery cap with the screwdriver left some nicks in the finish. I covered them easily with a sharpie, but perhaps a plastic cover would prevent marring the finish on future models. Or put some masking tape over your screwdriver's head before using it.

Burris includes high-quality tools with the unit. There's a star-driver for the included screws as well as a decent micro screwdriver for adjusting windage and elevation. It was nice of them to include these so that one doesn't have to hunt down specific tools. I don't mind that I have to use a tiny screwdriver for adjustments because I keep a small inventory of tiny screwdrivers, allen wrenches and other commonly used tools in my range bag (the guys at the club refer to it as my "weekender bag" because it's so huge).

My biggest complaint, and one that I'll just have to deal with, is the lens cover. It's gigantic. With the lens cover mounted, it's roughly 4" long and very bulky. It's a shoot-through design so you don't have to take it off to use the unit, but it's VERY out of place when mounting the FFIII on a handgun. On an AR or Shotgun platform, it wouldn't seem so strange and would probably serve a very valuable purpose. But I think Burris should make a cover like the one for the FFII that slips over the unit and fits snugly without adding a lot of bulk. This is on a target gun, not a defensive weapon, so I don't need to be able to use it "on the fly" in a SHTF scenario. I would encourage Burris to offer a compact cover (even at an additional price) for those interested in picking one up. I may try and rig something up until then. My pistol that this is going on stays in a padded soft-sided case when not in use, so I may just not use the cover at all when it's in storage. We'll see... I don't want to scratch the lens.

I'll get to the range next weekend for sure, get it sighted in and run it through its paces. I'm very excited to use it and will update this thread as soon as I have a chance to take it out and shoot with it.

Redleg

Please post pics and impressions once you have it on the pistol!

heymatthew

I definitely will!

Tacky

So the cover is different, to tell you the truth i don't care much for the FFII's cover since it does not have anything to secure it to the sight, if burris had snaps on it then it would be alot better. So whats up with the BIG cover on that small sight? hmm? I figured it would have s cover similar to the II. Also thanks for the indepth review and keep us posted on your findings.

heymatthew

I think their reasoning is so that tactical users piggy-backing a FFIII on a magnified scope can run the optic with the cover attached. In a more tactical, battle-style scenario, the cover would probably offer a good amount of protection, especially if the optic is on top of an already tall optic. I can't complain about the cover because it offers far more than adequate protection. However, for a target-shooting application, such as mine, I would prefer a basic cover that would just simply protect the optic when not in use and that had to be removed prior to shooting. But only because of the size and no other reason.

Tacky

I agree with you, thats the way the FFII's cover is, smaller than the new FFIII's cover, but it won't easily stay on without some mods, I use a rubber band, cheap and effective, since mine is piggybacked on a nikon 3x9x50 bdc with a set of weaver tactical rings, and top mount weaver tactical ring 1913 rail.

heymatthew

The cover would probably be perfect for you then. It would allow protective covering (and it fits very snugly) while also allowing you to use the optic on the fly without removing the sight. This solves a couple of problems that I can see. One, you won't lose the cover if you leave it on the optic and run it that way. Two, it protects the optic from dust, dirt and foreign objects even during use. For my application, this isn't necessary or even practical. But in your situation, I think it would serve a great purpose. I've been doing a little research on replacement caps and other solutions. I think I have a little neoprene case that some earplugs came in and I'm going to try sliding that over the optic while it's in my padded case to keep anything from brushing against the forward glass. I think it'll fit and it has drawstrings on it to snug it down.

The mounting plate was supposed to be here today, but the mail doesn't run because of Columbus Day so I'll get it tomorrow and get it put on the gun and update with some images and first impressions. I'll definitely hit the range this weekend for sure.

Tacky

Here is the Ar I built with the setup I had listed with my FF. you can see the cover type on the bench. It works great at 25 yards.

heymatthew

No offense, but that doesn't look strange at all (I thought it would). I guess I had something else pictured, but that setup is great! I'm forwarding you my address, just send the whole kit down my way. Really good-looking rig.

Tacky

Glad you like it, but I couldn't part with it, but i will give you the list of the parts I used incase you decide to use a similar setup. I had originally thought the FF II sight picture was gonna be blocked by the 50mm bell of that nikon when I had invisioned it, but i was wrong. That combination really works great for coyote hunting, long range from 100 to 602 yards and red dot for 25 yards. I couldn't be happier.

heymatthew

I hear ya. I think my current lineup are all guns I won't part with. I'd love to build an AR one of these days, though. There's a place locally called Palmetto State Armory and I've heard they make some great components. I might start with one of their lowers and build it piece-by-piece as I get the money. I think it would be a fun 6-month or 1-year project.