A Rifleman’s Optics

I’m decidedly old school when it comes to handguns, preferring iron sights to do all my shooting. It’s a familiar and reliable system that I learned the ins and outs of long ago on the trapline and carrying a backup while an outfitter running bear and cougar hounds. Despite that, slide-mounted optics have become all the rage in the handgun world. I have seen Doug Koenig credited with popularizing the approach in competitive shooting, which has also crept into defensive classes. 

Everyone, it seems, is shooting a dot optic on their handgun these days.

While recently testing a Springfield Armory 1911 DS Prodigy Compact 31⁄2-inch handgun, I decided to give the dot-optic approach a thorough run-through with a serious handgun, in my case, meaning something larger than a 22 LR. I added a Burris FastFire 4 via a Springfield adaptor plate to create a streamlined mating. 

Burris should be a familiar name to any firearms enthusiasts – a Greenly, Colorado, company founded in 1971 to provide a full lineup of rifle and handgun scopes, hunting, competition and law enforcement sights, binoculars, spotting scopes, mounts and accessories. I have reviewed a couple of Burris riflescopes in this column, never failing to be impressed by the combination of quality and affordable price.  

The FastFire 4 red dot reflex sight was designed to be compatible with any weapon platform, including PPC and AR rifles holding Picatinny rails and shotguns. Yet I really see this compact optic as an ideal handgun slide-mounted sighting system. Burris has gradually refined the FastFire 4 over the past decade, introducing new reticle options and greatly improving battery life. 

Like any reflex dot system, the FastFire 4 requires familiarization through repetition. When I put my first dot system on a Ruger 22/45, holding Picatinny rails instead of iron sights, I initially struggled to find the dot or reticle while addressing the target. This became even more pointed when faced with a point-blank spring ground squirrel or fall grouse volunteering itself for a shot. With the FastFire 4, I was able to closely correlate the dot sight to the irons, making reticle/dot acquisition automatic.

My experiences there bear noting.

I first set up the dot to co-witness with the irons, though the base of the FastFire 4 obscured the bottom of the iron sights. This resulted in low hits at 15 to 25 yards. I then adjusted the ring-centered-dot reticle so the outer ring sat atop the visible rear iron sight. Shots began to center. This also proved more intuitive for me, at least. Windage and elevation sight-in click values are 1 MOA, with 90 MOA of elevation corrections available. Sight-in is accomplished through small, right-side and top screws with slot heads.    

Regarding reticles, the FastFire 4 can be toggled between four different options. The most basic is an independent 3-MOA red dot, which I found best for precision work, like shooting groups while auditioning various ammunition. There is also a red dot encircled by an open-bottomed, 11-MOA “horseshoe,” the same 11-MOA encircled dot surrounded by a wider broken circle, and a 3-MOA dot with left and right leveling wings and a large broken circle. I see the latter options as useful when speed is vital, and center mass hits are sufficient. Reticles include three manual brightness levels, plus an automatic system that

self-corrects to prevailing lighting conditions. Tactile button controls are found on each side of the optic. The left-side button acts as the on/off switch and controls brightness, and the right controls reticle selection. Reticles are changed by holding the right button momentarily and then releasing. Turning the optic off requires holding the left-side button down momentarily. It’s pretty straightforward, so much so that it didn’t require reading instructions.    

The optic comes with an optional screw-on weather shield, and the impact-resistant housing includes a generous sight window to provide a wider field of view. The sight is compatible with Picatinny and Weaver mounting for attachment to long guns, or various plates (available through Burris) for slide mounting to automatic handguns.  

The FastFire 4’s slim profile made an ideal pairing with the tested handgun, providing unlimited eye relief. The improved housing makes it stronger and more reliable than past FastFire models. It includes a matte black finish, and is fog,

shock and waterproof. The rounded sight window widens the field of view for faster target acquisition and situational awareness. The sight window includes parallax-free glass for consistency across various yardages, and new coating technology helps maintain red dot visibility in various lighting conditions without color distortion. The FastFire 4 provides 1x magnification.  

Regarding the greater battery life hinted at earlier, the FastFire 4 provides up to 26,000 hours of battery life on a single CR1632 lithium coin cell through increased efficiency and the unit’s automatic 8-hour shutoff feature. Battery access is located on the top of the optic via a slotted, screw-off cap, so the unit does not have to be removed from the firearm to replace the battery.  

The FastFire 4 weighs just 1.6 ounces and includes a compact 1.9-inch overall length. It includes an MSRP of $480. Like other optics from the company, the 

FastFire 4 comes with a Burris Forever Warranty. 

The FastFire 4 didn’t convince me I needed to abandon my irons and equip all of my handguns with dot sights, but it did show me the obvious appeal. 

Most noticeably, while shooting groups off a bench and not pressed for time, the 3-MOA dot did provide a greater degree of consistency than irons would have allowed. With enough practice and repetition, it appears the system would offer a speed edge in disciplines such as 3-Gun competition. I see the potential, and the Burris Optics FastFire 4 reflex sight would be a solid sight to start that journey.

Go to BurrisOptics.com to learn more.