Some years ago I purchased a High Standard Mil Spec AR 15. It became the subject rifle for evaluating accessories and for conducting gunsmithing projects for the Real Guns site. Most of the time it has a set of battle eights installed, but it has seen lots of red dot and conventional rifle scopes and associated mount gadgetry. What had been missing was a well integrated system of sight and mount that didn’t require a separate riser under a set of rings or quick release ring-mount.
A spacecraft from the Sci-Fi Channel? Perhaps not…
If you have ever watched “American Pickers” you’d know that Frank, the irritating guy with the beard, is always trying to bundle purchases as a way of getting a good price on items he wants to buy. Apparently the bundling tactic works. This particular XTR is a bundled product from Burris that includes an XTR-14 Tactical Riflescope, a P.E.P.R.™ (Proper Eye Position Ready) Mount and a 3 MOA FastFire III Reflex Sight.
Purchased separately, approximate discount retail prices are: riflescope $699, Mount $80, FastFire III with Picatinny base $249, for a total of $1,028. Purchased in the bundled configuration shown here, the price is $899, a 12% savings, and each component can be used independently of the other on one or multiple firearms. Neato. Now there is a word that embarrass my children when I used it in front of their friends. Neato! Nea-to. N-e-a-t-o… Neato! Parents revenge.
The heart of this set up is the XTR-14. There are actually 5 models of XTR Tactical scopes in the Burris Optics line up, one for this particular application.
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Extra-large, premium lenses provide high resolution and excellent clarity and brightness
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Burris’s HiLume multicoating increases light transmission, clarity and contrast
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StormCoat™ lens coating sheds water.
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30 mm tubes are 25% thicker and 42% stronger than 1″ tubes.
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Double-force coil spring suspension locks the lens holding erector tube in place.
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Side turret-mounted parallax adjustment on non-illuminated reticle models.
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XTR-14 has a side turret-mounted illumination system.
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All models are waterproof, fogproof, shockproof and warranted forever.
The XTR-14 adjusters hiding under dust caps are knurled around the edges like a coin and, while they stay put, they are easy to adjust with finger pressure. Increments are 0.5 MOA which is about right for this level of magnification. Range of vertical and horizontal adjustment is 130″ @ 100 yards.
The XTR-14 illuminated reticle is powered by a long lasting CR 2032 battery while the FastFire III portion of this combination is independently powered by a CR 1632. The XTR-14 is fully functional without the battery, only the center of the reticle would not be illuminated. Below, primary specifications in comparison to other XTR scopes.
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Xtreme Tactical (30mm)
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Model
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1-4-24
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1.5-6-40
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3-12-50
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4-16-50
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6-24-50
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Field of View Low-High
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100-32
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60-20
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34-10
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27-7.5
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19-5.3
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Exit Pupil (mm) Low – High
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24-6
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26-7
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16-4.2
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12-3.1
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8.3-2.1
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Click Value – Inch@100yards
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.5 MOA
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.5 MOA
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.25 MOA
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.25 MOA
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.25 MOA
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Max Adj. – Inch@100yards
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130
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110
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90
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74
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79E, 29W
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Weight – Ounces
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17
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19
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26
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25
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26
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Optimum Eye Relief – Inch
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3.5-4.0
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3.5-4.0
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3.5-4.0
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3.3-3.8
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3.2-3.7
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Objective End Dia mm
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30
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48
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58
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58
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58
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Clear Objective Dia mm
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24
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40
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50
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50
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50
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Ocular End Dia mm
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42
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42
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42
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42
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42
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Overall Length Inch
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11.3
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12.2
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15.6
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15.7
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16.5
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The XTR -14 is equipped with an illuminated Ballistic 5.56 Gen 2 reticle. It is calibrated for the 223 Remington cartridge loaded with a 62 grain bullet with a muzzle velocity of 3,025 fps. The lower ticks indicate holdover out to 1,000 yards and wind drift ticks in mil increments, 3.6″ per tick at 100 yards.
For folks who like to have their scope’s reticle for a specific cartridge, this is a terrific range finding and compensating reticle. For folks like me who never seem to shoot the same ammo twice, traditional sighting in and holdover work just fine. The illuminated center does not obstruct and it is actually quite effective when picking up moving targets or just getting on a critical target and keeping on it. Very visible even in bright daylight. A good choice for this setup.
Ain’t no mountin’ high enough…
I think I have 2,723 mount, ring and riser combinations for scoping a flat top. They are all too high, too low or the assembly has more parts than desired. The Burris P.E.P.R.™, “Proper Eye Position Ready” of course, puts optics at ideal like of sight when mounted on an AR-15 flat top or other minimal stock drop firearm and it clamps to a Picatinny rail like a vise. The P.E.P.R.™ is available without or with auxiliary Picatinny rails atop the rings and in 1″ or 30mm ring diameters. It is also available in a quick detachable version.
So near, yet to far away… The very surreal
The FastFire III represents a significant over the FastFire II. It has a smaller 3 MOA dot, windage and elevation adjustments don’t require a special tool, the power button provides three levels of brightness in addition to an automatic brightness setting, and battery access on the top of the sight making it easier to change batteries. I like the protective hood that covers the sight and shields it from direct sunlight and pops off when it needs to be removed. The FastFire could be mounted on other rifles, shotguns and handguns. The mount base is changeable to allow its use on many firearms. Shockproof, waterproof, it can even survived being submerged.
How well does it work?
I apologize for the hodgepodge of targets, but I think this captures the gist of the dual purpose XTR-14 / FastFire III setup. Those are 1″ squares, the top row shot at 100 yards, the bottom row at 50 with the FastFire III. The top row was shot slowly and deliberately. The bottom row, quickly and with both eyes opened to have a wide open field of view.
Something to save for…
The basis for selection of a sight system can be very subjective, but I believe most people would agree that this is a good one. The scope may look as though it is perched very high above the scope, but that is where it needs to be for natural eye alignment. I could see the set up being used as only the XTR or only the FastFire and I can see the FastFire making it to other hunting rifles and handguns. Versatile is probably a good adjective. It is not inexpensive, but I’d rather save for a good product that will last longer and remain useful. For further information, stop by the Burris Optics site.
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