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Burris Tac30 1-4x illuminated scope

carbinemike

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I received the Burris Tac30 1-4x scope as part of a package ($500 Opticsplanet) that included a PEPR (prepared eye position ready) mount and a Fastfire3 (it was supposed to have a FF2 but it came with the FF3) sight which mounts on the scope ring. Below is an initial review. I'll throw it out right away that I'm sending it back.

Scope: While the combo package is going back I am requesting a scope only be returned (along with the $200 difference). I really like the scope. The reticle is great and when lit it's very crisp and clear as long as you have it set correctly. It is way to bright having it set high while looking at a dark target. The windage and elevation are lower profile which I prefer and had nice firm clicks. Changing the magnification is easily done by rotating the eyepiece. The 1X doesn't seem like a true 1x to me but I'm not sure what it is exactly. It was close enough to seem quite workable. The finish was flawless matte black. It had a made in china sticker but I never would have guessed it. The only thing I don't like about it is the on/off/brightness adjustment. It is a button and I really would prefer a knob. 1 push to turn on to the last brightness level. Each push after will cycle it whatever direction it's going until it hits the max./min brightness and then it goes the other way. Holding it for 3 seconds at any point will change which way the brightness is adjusting and holding it 5 seconds will turn it off. It has 10 or 11 brightness settings and I found they they seemed to work in both bright and dim light.The picture below shows the unlit reticle. When lit the 3 circles pretty much blend together. Everything on the reticle has mildot sizes to help judge distance and the dots work for 5.56 bullet drop compensation.
TAC30_reticle_close.jpg


Fastfire3. Retails alone for $240. Improvements over the FF2 include windage/elevation adjusted without special tool. 3 brightness settings and one setting will automatically adjust brightness for changing lighting conditions. The unit is very small which keeps a great deal of vision available for acquiring targets. As with the scope, the on/off/brightness is all accomplished with a push button. I'm right handed and the button is on the left which I don't like. The FF3 is available in 3moa and 8 moa dot. This model was the 3 moa. The dot was not good. It's more like 3moa high by 6-8 moa wide. It also looks like a jumbled up line instead of a solid dot. The dot on my $100 dollar Bushnell TRS-25 isn't perfect but it's way better than this FF3. I can't recommend this. I'm curious if anyone had a different experience with the FF3.

PEPR mount. A very nice mount and definitely geared toward the AR15 platform (what isn't?). Very nice quality piece and the finish was a spot on match with the scope. Unfortunately I planned to mount this on my Mini14. I have a rail adapter that mounts to the Ruger scope points but it makes the whole assembly to high for my cheek weld. I thought that would be the case and had looked at the mount as a throw in on the deal that could be sold (or build an AR under it!). I would recommend this for you AR guys.
 
Awesome initial review Mike, I really want to get into a 1-4.
What was your impression of the glass quality, as in light gathering and clarity?
You say it didn’t quite feel like a true 1x, is that because it has a fisheye effect?
.......And :lol: does the reticle stay the same size when you magnify or does it grow as you magnify ?
 
I took it into the woods behind my house at various times through the evening as it got darker and I thought it did well gathering light until it was almost completely dark. It was better than I thought considering the front glass is recessed back into the tube at least 1 1/2" and the tube inside diameter is 24mm. Clarity seemed just fine to me. I'll add that I don't have a ton of experience with scopes (especially 1-4x ones) to compare against. Just trying to give perspective.

I'm guessing that the closer to 1x it is, the less fisheye effect. It isn't that bad. The only time I really was bothered by it was at lower light in my woods. When I bumped it to 2x at that time I liked it better. Walking around the house looking though it with both eyes open on 1x didn't bother me near as much as the woods. It may me some on me too as I am overdue to get my eyesight checked.

The reticle stays the same size regardless of magnification. With it illuminated I found the 600 yard aiming point hard to see but I don't see that as a problem. If I'm aiming at 600 yards I don't want the Mini14 or 4x magnification in the equation. I got it for 200 yard and in shooting (mostly 100 or less).

Oli, let me know if you think of anything else. I'll give a quick rant on the Mini. I can live with the dedicated magazines but it pisses me off to no end that Bill Ruger designed it for his own optic mounts instead of industry standard mounting.
 
Well, I went ahead and dropped the coin on this setup. Got it thru BPS and like Mike, mine came with a FF3 vs the 2 like the web page and catalog said it was. So +1. It came already assembled so I wondered if I got Mike's...LOL. All the packaging is there inside the big Burris box. that is ok but required me to disassemble it since I wasn't planning on keeping the FF3 on the scope (I have a Vortex Sparc I plan on using instead). The FF3 is going on another toy ;)

For starters, the mount feels solid. Each scope clamp (comes with 2 versions...with rail, without rail) has 6 screws (torx but has supplied wrench) so loosen the clamps takes a while. The scope was already centered but I soon found out I would need to make some adjustments.

Off came the protective cover of the FF3 and off the scope it came as well. The Sparc is a bit longer on the front end than the rear so I had to mount it twice. The front of the Sparc interfered with the top scope cap so I couldn't mount it on the rear rail. So I moved the scope all the way back in the mount and put the Sparc on front rail. A bit far forward but looking thru it in the living room it seems to work quite well even with two eyes open. Also a bit high but it helps keep my head up while moving as opposed to pushing my face down on the comb for a scope shot. We'll see how well it works at an upcoming 3-gun shoot.

As Mike stated, the optics seem quite good. The reticle is crystal clear and remains the same size thru-out the 1-4 adjustment range (otherwise the dots would be off for ranging) I also noticed the fisheye affect but the reticle seemed to stay in place as I moved my head around. I have not tested it in low light conditions yet. I don't necessarily like relying on batteries but at least they are the same as most everything else I use (2032's) so I can stock up on them. The FF3 uses a different one (1632) so I'll need to get a few of them as well. I will need to get use to using the push button settings and learning how to make sure I turn both units off.

Now for the downside. I had the Sparc and a set of 45 deg offset mounted Magpul BUIS. With this setup I can't have the BUIS where I want them. If I move the Burris mount far enough forward to accommodate the rear BUIS it straddles the break between the upper a full length barrel rail. Any further back the BUIS interferes with the charging handle. So for now I have the BUIS mounted on the rails forward of the Burris scope...the rear is fixed and the front is flip up. I'll need to get to the range to see if this is going to work or not.

The FF3 is going on a JM930. It seems to work well with both eyes open and is very compact. It is a little bigger with the protective cover on it but not much. I didn’t have the dot problem noted by Mike…the dot is round but in bright it does have a halo effect. Lower or auto settings did not have that.

So, we shall see what we see…it will be a couple weeks before I can get to the range but I’ll post up a follow-up. Till then, shoot straight…
 
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