Advertise here Click image to view supporting site

Burris FastFire II Red Dot Reflex Sight

There are a couple of projects that I've been considering that would use a red dot sight.  I'm not even wasting my time on the plethora of cheap Made in China red dot sights.  I made the mistake, years ago, I buying one and will never do it again.  It wasn't much money and I learned my lesson quickly. 

Anyway, as I was saying, I have a couple of project ideas where a good red dot sight is needed.  With that being said, I started looking for a reliable red dot that wasn't going to break the bank.  After spending time reading reviews and forums, I opted to try the Burris FastFire II sight.  The FastFire II isn't a recent addition to the market place but rather one that has been in use for a while.  I have two other Burris scopes and have been pleased with their performance.  If the FastFire II red dot works just as well, I'll be more than satisfied with it. 

I stopped by the local gun shop only to find that they didn't have the FastFire II in stock....and they had a 30 day guestimation for the next one coming into the shop.  So much for that idea so it was off to the Internet to see if I could find one there.  It seems that the local gun shop wasn't the only business who was out of stock.  I found a source that had them in stock and began the wait for it to arrive.  In 4 days, the package was in my mailbox.

Since at least two of the possible projects for the FastFire II would have Picatinny rails, I ordered the FastFire II package that has the Picatinny mount.  The owners manual lists 14 other mounts that cover a variety of popular pistols and rifles, such as the 1911, Springfield XD, Glock, and Winchester 94. 

The FastFire II I got came with the Weaver/Picatinny rail mount, battery, protective cover, gasket plate, mounting screws, torx wrench, screwdriver, and adjusting disc (more on that later).  In fact, an extra mounting screw was included....and given that they are rather small in size, that was probably a good thing! 
 

Mounting the FastFire II starts with installing the battery into the bottom of the sight body.  The supplied 3 volt CR 2032 lithium battery provides up to 4 years of standby service (assuming the power switch is always ON and the sight's protective cover is used).  A magnet retains the battery so you don't have to fumble with it when you are attaching it to the mounting plate. 
 

The FastFire II uses a "gasket plate" to seal the bottom of the sight body.  It is coated to prevent moisture intrusion and according to the owner's manual...."The FastFire II is water-resistant and is usable even after being accidentally submerged."
 

With the gasket plate aligned on the mounting pins, the sight body is placed on top of gasket plate with the pins providing the necessary alignment.  The mounting screws are tightened to 12 inch pounds.  This seals the bottom of the sight body to the mount.  At this point, the FastFire II is ready to go onto any Picatinny or Weaver rail equipped weapon. 

More FastFire