The tension between Burris and Vortex is not new. Their rivalry goes way back. The funny thing is, neither the two brands nor the followers have any hate among them. They keep making great sights over and over again.
Fastfire 3 is an iconic sight with great features to offer to all sorts of hunters. But what about Venom? What does Venom bring to the table? Let’s find out when you put up a venomous snake against fast as a flash.
That’s right, I am talking about Burris Fastfire 3 VS Vortex Venom. Without further ado, let’s start.
Burris Fastfire 3/ Vortex Venom – Outlooks
Burris Fastfire 3/ Vortex Venom – Specs
| Specs | Burris FastFire 3 | Vortex Venom |
|---|---|---|
| Magnification | 1X | 1X |
| Weight | 1.5 Oz | 1.1 Oz |
| Waterproof | Yes | Yes |
| Battery | CR1632 | CR1632 |
| NV | No | No |
| Adjustments | Windage, Elevation, Brightness | Windage, Elevation, Brightness |
Burris Fastfire 3 VS Vortex Venom – Differences
- Vortex Venom is lighter than Fastfire 3.
- Vortex Venom offers more brightness control than Fastfire 3.
- Both of these sights don’t have any night vision capabilities.
- Venom offers more adjustment than Fastfire 3.
Quality
Burris Fastfire 3: When it comes to quality, Burris means business. Their QC control and customer handling have always been praiseworthy. They want to keep your trust no matter what. The lens used on this sight is fully multi-coated. It’s a single-piece lens with a glass etched reticle. This reticle comes with an automatic brightness sensor and manual brightness controller on the side of the sight.
The switches on the side are a bit mushy. But they work from a single press.
Vortex Venom: Vortex makes some of the best lenses in the market. There aren’t many sight makers on the market available who can say they make equally or better lenses than Vortex. Venom is no exception. The lens used here is fully multi-coated. It’s scratch and waterproof. There is no tunnel for water to stick inside, that’s why it’s fogproof as well.
There are also O-ring sealings involved to make the sight a bit more waterproof than it is.
Durability
Burris Fastfire 3: It’s made out of aluminum. The lens is made out of high-quality glass. Aluminum is the same quality you see on other big Burris sights and scopes. It’s durable, it’s lightweight, it’s small. This is the perfect sight for any tactical shooter. No matter who you are, I am sure you have use of this sight.
The warranty is also good and this sight will outlive the warranty as well.
Vortex Venom: This is also made out of high-quality aluminum as well. It’s the same quality aluminum you see in much more expensive Vortex sight and scopes. You can throw it under a bus and probably nothing will happen. On second thought, don’t do that.
You get my point. Both lens and sight are durable. As durable as it can get.
Performance
Burris Fastfire 3: This is fast to lock on target and quick to perform actions. There is windage and elevation adjustment present in the sight. You can adjust those as you desire. Once you are happy with your dialing, you can then take it to the range to test out the true potential. In both controlled and regular environments, this sight will exceed your expectations.
Vortex Venom: Viper was a fabulous sight that outperformed Fastfire 3 to some degrees. Despite having a higher price tag, Venom still packs more performance in its tiny body.
One of the key advantages of this sight is the brightness setting. You can use up to 10 brightness settings. It’s way brighter than Fastfire 3 ever can be.
Size
Burris Fastfire 3: It’s a pretty small sight, the length of the sight is 1.9 inches. That’s on par or smaller than most other reflex red dot sights in this price range. The weight distribution for a sight this small is quite good. Often, you see sights mess up the backside and make it a bit heavier as the battery sits on the backside.
Vortex Venom: A funny coincidence here. Venom is also 1.9 inches long. If you were thinking that you would choose after knowing the sizes, ha-ha bamboozled. This size is the perfect size for any sized handgun or rifle. You can also use this sight as a canted sight if you so wish.
Weight
Burris Fastfire 3: This sight weighs at 1.5oz. That’s not too heavy compared to other reflex red dot sights. The weight is also balanced quite nicely.
This tiny sight is capable of sitting on top of your handgun as well. If you are using a sight on a handgun, it has to be light. Otherwise, there will be an issue of the gun becoming too back heavy.
You don’t need to worry about that with this sight.
Vortex Venom: Just like Viper, the weight of Venom is also quite low. It weighs at 1.1oz. It’s lower than Fastfire 3, but slightly heavier than Viper. All while still being compact and easy to mount. This is something a lot of new manufacturers fail to do.
Vortex has been doing this for ages now, they know how to make a sight with good weight distribution.
Burris Fastfire 3/ Vortex Venom – Videos
Burris Fastfire 3 VS Vortex Venom – Summary
Burris vs Vortex is always fun to watch. Fastfire 3 vs Venom was no different. Both of these sights were after each other throats.
In some regards, Venom is the better choice. But it’s also an expensive one. If you have budget issues or you generally prefer Burris Sights, then you should go for
Fastfire 3. Otherwise, stick to Venom.
Don’t worry, it doesn’t bite.
Hi, I’m Brent Hansford. A writer turned hunter & now sharing my love for the sport through writing. As I practically breathe weapons, I firmly believe I’m capable of providing you with new knowledge about firearms and hunting. My mission is to help more people get better at hunting & master the weapons. Let me help with unleashing the beast within you!
