Vortex Venom or Burris fast fire.

looking to see what deals there may be for these two dots?  What does the hive-mind know?

I have a Venom 3moa and like how round and clear that dot is. If you can get the military/first responder discount from Vortex, you can buy the Venom direct from them.  Otherwise companies like CameralandNY offer deals that are almost as good.  You can give Doug a call there and see what he can do. Don't think he is a Vortex dealer anymore, though.

I've started using these. Been very pleased.

https://ads.midwayusa.com/product/293965/ultradot-l-t-reflex-red-dot-sight-1x-26mm-4-moa-dot-with-integral-weaver-style-base-matte

Joel

No offense but there's no way I'm spending $265 on an UD reflex sight. First, their CS/Warranty service sucks. Secondly you can get a Vortex and run it over with your truck, send it in and get a new one under warranty. I had a Venom and would get one again, very nice round crisp dot.

I have the Burris on over well over a dozen of my pistols. Not suggesting it is the best, but it works well for me. They have a lifetime no questions warranty, so I watch eBay. It’s easy to find then for $150-165, although it might take me a couple weeks. Only once did one not work perfectly (one setting was dim), cost me $5 to ship it to Burris.

Out of 4 Burris FF III, two have died (start loosing the dot) after 2 years of consistent use. 5-6K rounds on each 9mm and 45ACP. Burris replaced both with new in one week. Cost me $7 to ship both in one box.

FF3 3MOA on my RO9 has nearly 4K rounds with no change in zero or any other issues.  Only problem I've experienced is turning the dot off.  The lowest brightness on the button is next to the off position which makes the dot difficult to ensure it is off.  I sometimes have to start from auto mode and count the (hard to feel) clicks.  A darkened space makes the lowest setting easier to see.  I look upon that as a minor issue.

Excluding price, how do these compare to the similar Ultradot LT ?  Is there a good reason to use one rather than another?

My inclination now is to get the small Aimpoint sights, but for an S&W Model 52, all these sights are lighter. 

It's been a year since this thread was started - any new thoughts or updates?

I went with a Burris.

To me at this price point, there are two brands. Vortex and Burris. Aimpoints are excellent and Trigicons are probably the most rugged. But the Vortex and Burris give good value and are robust enough to last a very long time.

You did good. I have two with no problems.

I use the Burris FF3 on all my guns. I look For deals on EBay, the Burris warranty is excellent, so if I get  bad one, I could just send it in,k no questions asked.  I usually pay around $150-160 shipped, and haven’t had any issues.  I probably have 20 of them.

I had 3 Ultradot Matchdot 2s, and sold them.  They were fine, I didn’t like the size or the weight, and they are difficult to mount on some of my guns.

Tried FF3 and found it difficult for some competitors to use.  Turning on/off was especially if-fy.  Venom - now 3 MOA and a 6 MOA - proves to be more easy to work with.  Being used from 22LR Victory for Bowling Pin competition to Dan Wesson 9mm for Bullseye competition.  Even in bright sunlight, if one looks at the actual red-emitter, one can confirm whether it is on or off.  Still, some like the SIG Romeo-1.

I tied a Burris FF first, but found the controls awkward (just my lack of dexterity I guess). I have subsequently bought several Vortex Venom's, mostly 3 moa, one 6 moa (tried that cause I was considering steel challenge where the larger dot is recommended by some - but I don't like it for Bullseye). I recently had a problem with two VV's, could not change brightness, sent them back to Vortex, they mailed them back immediately with a note that they had both been checked, all in good working order, I had apparently changed the setting to auto brightness.

Moral of the story - read the instructions! Vortex customer service is excellent.

Looks like your Expert card is on the horizon; those aren't Marksman holes.  Nice job.