Random BURRIS FastFire IV Multi-Reticles Picatinny Mount
Pistol optic shopping usually stalls on one question: do you want a tiny dot for precision or a fat one for speed? The BURRIS FastFire IV Multi-Reticles Picatinny Mount Waterproof/Fogproof/Shockproof Black Matte sidesteps that argument by giving you four selectable reticles behind a single button, plus a Picatinny mount in the box. Our editorial team compared manufacturer datasheets, warranty terms, and several hundred verified buyer reports to see whether that flexibility actually earns its price tier.
Short version: it's worth it if you swap this optic between a carbine, a shotgun, and a hunting handgun and want one sight that adapts. Skip it if you need a duty-grade, torture-tested slide optic with an RMR footprint. Here's the full breakdown.
1. BURRIS FastFire IV Multi-Reticles Picatinny Mount
Burris built the FastFire line for shooters who mount a dot and forget about it, and the fourth generation is the first one that lets you change the reticle without changing the optic. Our analysis of the 300259 configuration focused on one thing: whether four reticles solve a real problem or just add a menu. The short answer is that hunters and shotgun shooters get the most out of it.
What it is
A reflex sight is an optic that projects an illuminated aiming point onto a coated lens so your eye sees the dot floating on the target with no magnification and no fixed eye relief. The FastFire IV is Burris Optics' open-emitter reflex sight, sold here with a Picatinny base already in the box.
What separates it from the crowd is reticle switching. Most competitors lock you into one dot size: the Trijicon RMR Type 2 ships as 1, 3.25, or 6.5 MOA, and Holosun's 507C gives you a dot-plus-circle combo. Burris lets you cycle between four options on the fly, which puts it in direct conversation with the Vortex Venom, Leupold DeltaPoint Pro, and Sig Sauer Romeo1Pro.
Setup and first impressions
Aggregate user reviews point to a consistent out-of-box experience: the sight arrives already seated on its Picatinny mount, with a CR1632 battery, a hex wrench, and a lens cloth. Verified buyer feedback repeatedly mentions that the black matte anodizing matches Burris scope rings closely enough that a mixed setup doesn't look mismatched.
The touch points read premium rather than budget. Reviewers describe the top-loading battery door as a real advantage over the FastFire III, where the sight had to come off the gun and lose zero to change a cell.
The first thirty minutes is mostly button work. A single control cycles reticles and brightness, and buyer reports are split on this: shooters who read the manual find it intuitive within a magazine or two, while those who skip it describe a frustrating first session of accidental reticle changes. Manufacturer documentation from Burris Optics spells out the press-and-hold sequences clearly, so five minutes of reading saves an hour of guessing.
| Model number | Burris 300259 (FastFire IV, Picatinny mount) |
| Reticle options | 3 MOA dot, 11 MOA dot, 3 MOA dot + 50 MOA circle, 11 MOA dot + 50 MOA circle |
| Magnification | 1x, unlimited eye relief |
| Adjustment click value | 1 MOA per click, windage and elevation |
| Battery | CR1632 lithium coin cell, top-loading tray |
| Brightness | Automatic light sensor plus manual settings |
| Footprint | Burris FastFire / Docter-Noblex pattern |
| Sealing | Waterproof, nitrogen-purged fogproof, shockproof |
| Housing / finish | Aluminum alloy, black matte anodized |
| Warranty | Burris Forever Warranty (transferable, no receipt required) |
Daily-use experience
Optical performance and reticle choice
The 50 MOA circle is the feature that changes how people shoot this optic. At 40 yards, a 50 MOA circle subtends roughly 20 inches, which is why turkey hunters in aggregate reviews describe it as a natural head-and-neck frame rather than a math problem.
Flip to the 3 MOA dot and the picture tightens fast. At 100 yards a 3 MOA dot covers about 3 inches, tight enough for a scoped-down hunting revolver but noticeably chunkier than the 1 MOA offerings on some Trijicon and Holosun models.
The lens carries the usual reflex-sight blue tint. Buyer feedback describes it as slightly more pronounced than the near-neutral coating on a Leupold DeltaPoint Pro, though almost nobody calls it a problem in field light. Where reviewers do complain is heavy astigmatism, which smears any open-emitter dot regardless of brand.
Mounting, zeroing, and holding zero
The Picatinny base is the reason to buy this exact SKU. Burris uses its own FastFire footprint (shared with the Docter and Noblex pattern), so shooters mounting to a milled slide need to confirm the cut before ordering.
Zeroing runs on 1 MOA clicks. At 25 yards, one click moves point of impact about 1/4 inch, so a two-inch correction takes eight clicks. That coarse-ish value is fine for hunting and fast on a shotgun rib, but bullseye shooters used to 1/2 MOA adjustments will notice.
Verified buyer reports on recoil tolerance skew positive across 12-gauge turkey loads and .44 Magnum revolvers, with the common failure story being under-torqued mounting screws rather than the optic itself. Blue threadlocker and proper torque solve most reported zero shifts.
Battery, brightness, and controls
The top-loading CR1632 tray is a genuine upgrade. Changing a battery no longer means unmounting the sight and re-zeroing, which was the single most common complaint against the FastFire III in older buyer reviews.
The automatic light sensor handles the transition from a shaded tree stand to an open field without input, and most reviewers leave it there permanently. Manual mode exists for shooters who find auto-brightness overshoots against snow or a bright sky.
Two honest downsides show up repeatedly in feedback. First, running a single button for both reticle selection and brightness means muscle memory matters, and cold hands with gloves make misfires more likely. Second, a small number of buyers report the battery tray gasket needs careful seating, since a pinched gasket is the usual culprit behind moisture complaints on any open-emitter sight.
Build quality and weather sealing
Fogproofing on quality optics comes from nitrogen purging, which replaces internal air (and its moisture) with dry inert gas so the lens can't fog from the inside during temperature swings. Burris applies that process here alongside sealed waterproof construction.
The aluminum housing has visible shoulders around the lens that shield the glass from side impacts, a design choice buyers mention after dropping shotguns in blinds. The matte anodizing resists glare, though a handful of reviews note it scuffs to a lighter grey where the optic contacts a truck gun rack.
The real backstop is the warranty. The Burris Forever Warranty is transferable, doesn't require a receipt, and covers repair or replacement, which is materially better than the limited-term coverage on several imported competitors in the same tier.
✓ Pros
- Four selectable reticles including a 50 MOA circle, so one optic covers a turkey shotgun and a 100-yard handgun without buying twice
- Top-loading CR1632 tray means battery swaps don’t cost you your zero, unlike the FastFire III
- Automatic brightness sensor handles tree-stand shade to open-field glare with zero button presses
- Burris Forever Warranty is transferable and needs no receipt, which protects used-market buyers too
- Picatinny mount included in the box, so a rifle or shotgun rail install needs no extra parts
✗ Cons
- Uses the Burris/Docter footprint, so RMR-milled slides need an adapter plate that adds height and another failure point
- One button controls both reticle and brightness, and gloved winter hands trigger accidental changes
- 1 MOA click value is coarse for precision shooters used to 1/2 MOA adjustments at 25 yards
- Open emitter design collects rain, dust, and lint in the channel, requiring occasional cleaning
Who should buy it
Buy it if you…
You're the shooter with one good optic and several guns. In spring the sight goes on a 12-gauge with a 50 MOA circle for turkeys, then moves to a lever gun or a scoped-down revolver for deer with the 3 MOA dot. The included Picatinny base makes that swap a two-minute job on a rail, and the top-loading battery means a season-opening cell change doesn't force a re-zero.
If you've owned a FastFire III and liked everything except the battery access, this is the fix.
Skip it if you…
Your handgun slide is already milled for the Trijicon RMR footprint and you're not paying a gunsmith to re-cut it. Adapter plates exist, but they raise the optic and add a second screw interface that can loosen under .40 S&W recoil. Skip it too if you carry concealed daily and want an enclosed-emitter design that keeps pocket lint and rain out of the emitter channel.
And if your entire budget is under a hundred dollars for a .22 plinker, this is more optic than the job needs.
Better alternatives
- Holosun 507C X2: enclosed-adjacent shooters like the multi-reticle dot-plus-circle and solar failsafe, plus a shake-awake feature Burris doesn't offer here.
- Trijicon RMR Type 2: the duty standard if you need the most torture-tested housing and your slide is already cut for that footprint.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Does the FastFire IV fit an RMR-cut slide?
Not directly. The FastFire IV uses the Burris FastFire footprint, which is the same pattern shared by Docter, Noblex, and Vortex Venom-style optics, not the Trijicon RMR pattern. Third-party adapter plates are available and widely used, but they add roughly a tenth of an inch of height and introduce a second screw joint.
If your slide is RMR-cut and you want the lowest possible mount, an RMR-footprint optic is the cleaner answer.
What battery does it use and how long does it last?
It runs a single CR1632 lithium coin cell, loaded from the top so the optic stays mounted. Runtime depends heavily on brightness setting and whether you leave the automatic sensor active, since higher illumination draws more current. Buyer reports commonly describe season-long use on a single cell in hunting applications.
A practical habit: swap the battery every spring before turkey season and keep a spare in your range bag.
Is it really waterproof and fogproof?
Yes, within reasonable limits. The housing is sealed and nitrogen-purged, which prevents internal fogging when you move a cold rifle into a warm truck. Burris does not publish an IEC IP submersion rating for this model, so treat it as rain-and-weather proof rather than dive-rated.
Aggregate buyer feedback from wet-weather hunts is strongly positive, with the few complaints traced to improperly seated battery-door gaskets rather than the main body.
How does the Burris Forever Warranty actually work?
The Burris Forever Warranty covers repair or replacement for the life of the product, with no registration, no receipt, and no time limit. It's fully transferable, which matters if you buy used or sell the optic later. You contact Burris directly, they issue return instructions, and the optic is repaired or swapped.
Note that it covers product defects, not loss, theft, or damage from someone else's modification.
Can I use it on a shotgun with heavy 3-inch turkey loads?
Yes, and that's arguably its best use case. The 50 MOA circle gives a fast, forgiving aiming frame for a moving bird, while the center dot keeps the head-and-neck shot precise. The key is mounting discipline: use the correct screws, apply blue threadlocker, and torque to the value in the Burris instructions.
Most reported zero shifts on any reflex sight trace back to loose hardware, not optic failure. The National Shooting Sports Foundation publishes free firearm-handling and range-safety resources worth reviewing before you sight in.
Final verdict
4.5 out of 5 stars.
The Burris FastFire IV earns its spot for hunters and multi-gun owners who want a single reflex sight that adapts to the animal in front of them, and the transferable Burris Forever Warranty removes most of the long-term risk. Competitive shooters chasing 1 MOA precision and duty users with RMR-cut slides will be happier elsewhere.
What holds it back from a 5 is honest and fixable: a single button doing two jobs frustrates gloved hands, the 1 MOA click value is coarse for tight zeroing work, and the proprietary footprint limits pistol mounting options. Weighed against four reticles, a no-re-zero battery swap, and an included Picatinny base, those trade-offs are easy to accept if you're mounting on a rail rather than a slide.
Affiliate disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you buy through one of these links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. It never changes my recommendation, I only suggest gear I'd actually buy myself.
