Burris FastFire II Red Dot on my M&P15

[arizona98tj]

I'm heading out to the range tomorrow to see how it works....but I think it is going to do OK. The FastFire seems to be a pretty reliable red dot.

Here are a couple of photos of it on my M&P15.....I'll update this thread after tomorrow's trigger time.

 

[arizona98tj]

The first range session (earlier today) went quite well. Three of us hit the range about 8:00 this morning and enjoyed several hours of good practice time. (hey, it beats the heck out of going to work, right?)

First thing I did, after helping Bob get his AR-15 with a new EOTech hitting paper, was to zero the FastFire II. My first task was to see how it worked at close quarters 7 yard hostage head shots. 3 groups of 3 rounds later, the M&P15 was putting shots in a shared hole. We set the range timer for the appropriate par time and gave it a try. All shots into the head box. I gave Gary the rifle and he ran several rounds using the new red dot. His were all hits too. While it may look a little unconventional, it works well. Even when bringing it on target from any of the three ready positions, target acquisition was quick and defined. Thumbs up so far.

We spent the remainder of the morning practicing from 7 to 50 yards. On my next trip out, I'm going to re-zero for 15 yards and also for 25. I'm curious to see what the difference is in POA vs. POI are at 7, 15, and 5 yards with the change in zero. Will post another update when I get back from the range.

 

[Erich]

I've got one on my M4gery - first group at 100 yards was just over .5" with Guat milsurp ball. I am pretty pleased with the thing.

 

[Dragon88]

Let me know how it holds up to recoil on the AR, I am thinking about putting one on mine on the top rail.

Also, looking at the size of it, if you were to put it on the top rail of your rifle with no riser, would it be sitting too low? If you could even take a picture of it like that sans ACOG it would be very helpful. I think I will need a small riser for it when I do mount it.

Thanks.

 

[arizona98tj]

Sorry....I really do not wish to remove the ACOG for a photo. I bet with a little internet search work, you could find an answer regarding it sitting too low or not. I would agree with you and do believe it would sit too low. You would literally be looking about 1/2" off of the rail.

The write-up on it is here. I'll be adding more updates to it as time goes on.

 

[PersonalSecurity]

Let me know how it holds up to recoil on the AR, I am thinking about putting one on mine on the top rail.

Also, looking at the size of it, if you were to put it on the top rail of your rifle with no riser, would it be sitting too low? If you could even take a picture of it like that sans ACOG it would be very helpful. I think I will need a small riser for it when I do mount it.

Thanks.

Yea you would need a riser or you would be looking at the base of the back up iron sights / front sight tower. I would suggest a good quick detach base that has absolute cowitness with the iron sights. Another contender to keep in mind for this role is the T1 / H1 AimPoints.

The set up with the Trijicon is perfect. This gives you the ability for close combat and distance. Another thing I would keep in mind is putting some back up irons on the gun if you use it for defensive purposes. I believe the quick detach mounts from LaRue gaurantee a perfect zero after putting it back on in the same spot. I know it would be rare that the ACOG and red dot would both go down, but Mr. Murphy often shows his head when the SHTF....

Great looking rig though. I really love the offset mini dot. As soon as I get enough money for an ACOG or variable optic from Trijicon w/ the fastfire or RMR / Doctor...... one of these days......

Steve

 

[arizona98tj]

Update:

I've had a couple of range sessions since it was mounted. Really enjoying it. Close up targets just drop into place with the red dot.

Tried it at different distances for a zero and finally decided on 15 yards (at least for now). The course of fire I'll be doing involves 7 and 15 yard head (and hostage taker head) shots. Next step is 25, 50, 100 and ultimately 200 yards. I'll use the ACOG for those distances with a 50 yard zero, more than likely (still working on which I prefer the most, 50 or 100).

 

[vic3620]

recoil worthy

while I don't have one an a AR I do have a burris fast-fire ll on a S&W 500 mag. Before doing this I e-mailed the people at burris and they sent me an e-mail back that said all of their scopes would hold up to the recoil of the 500 and if I wasn't satisfied they would find me something I was satisfied with.

So far it has been an excellent addition to this firearm,

vic3620

 

[arizona98tj]

Since I started this thread, I spent 4 days at Front Sight taking their practical rifle course. My M&P15 ran like a top.

For those wondering, the Fastfire II worked without issue. I set it up for 7 yard head shots on the local range and it stayed that way throughout the course. At 7 yards, the bullets are trying to share the same ragged hole.

I got a fair amount of grief from a couple of the instructors that knew me. One comment was "You have a frikcin' great optic (ACOG) on that rifle.....what the hell are you doing with a red dot?" (I pulled a DG in this guy's tactical shotgun course earlier this year shooting my FN SLP Mk1 equipped with an EOTech.) I smiled at him, the timer beeped, and I used the ACOG (with greatly compensated holdover) to put another round in the hostage taker's brain box. My response...."I can do it either way, as you just saw. Why the red dot sight? Because I can."

As I said, it worked very well. The Fastfire II now resides on top of my Ruger Mk1 equipped with a Tactical Solutions top end. I'm not sure I'll like it there, but I need more trigger time before I positively decide. At nearly arms length, the optic is small and quickly acquiring the red dot isn't as easy as it is using a much larger red dot. At the same time, the minuscule weight and so small footprint is very compelling. It deserves more effort from me. I guess another box of Federal bulk will have to be sacrificed to see if I can get the hang of it.

 

[Deaj]

As I said, it worked very well. The Fastfire II now resides on top of my Ruger Mk1 equipped with a Tactical Solutions top end. I'm not sure I'll like it there, but I need more trigger time before I positively decide. At nearly arms length, the optic is small and quickly acquiring the red dot isn't as easy as it is using a much larger red dot. At the same time, the minuscule weight and so small footprint is very compelling. It deserves more effort from me. I guess another box of Federal bulk will have to be sacrificed to see if I can get the hang of it.

I'm currently evaluating the usefulness of a red dot sight on my Browning Buckmark. I installed a Tactical Solutions top rail with integrated rear sight, windage and elevation adjustable. I then ordered a Primary Arms Micro Dot for $80 (Aimpoint T1/H1 style sight with a mere 4oz weight with mount and a crisp, bright 3MOA dot). I didn't want to invest much in the sight as I'm merely evaluating its usefulness. So far I like the red dot sight for plinking and feel that it might be useful when carrying the Buckmark as a woods gun. When punching paper, though, I much prefer iron sights. The sights mount allows for a repeatable zero and has proven to be pretty consistent when removing and remounting the sight to the rail. I'll probably continue to use it for plinking cans, etc.

I was hoping this might give me a feel for what using a slide mounted reflex sight might be like. Though it lacks the iron sights co-witness and is a short tube rather than an open frame like the FFII and Docter sights I can see how it could offer advantages in a fighting pistol. I'm running an EOtech on my carbine and clearly it's faster than iron sights. I'm proficient with iron sights on my S&W 4506 and M&P9 and have no desire to upset the simplicity and balance of these two pistols. I'm beginning to consider a second M&P9 with a reflex mounted on a milled slide (and another Apex Tactical DCAEK). Just a thought for the time being though. I have more shooting to do with the Buckmark / red dot setup before making any such decision. It certainly is an interesting way to shoot a handgun.