Have you ever tried an optic that gave you all that you had wished for? Like, let’s say – clarity, magnification, illuminated reticle, accuracy, comfort? Yes! All that in one go. You guessed it right. I am talking about prism sights and trust me they are all that you need to turn that frown upside down! Sights have been made popular by hunters who preferred a non-magnifiable yet efficient optics for their outdoor shoots.
Within sights, prism sights were an advanced improvement. Why? Prism sights make use of prims instead of lenses for light transmission. This way the light is directed towards the eyepiece through a prism rather than a lens. This not only increases the intensity of the light being projected inside the optics but gives you the possibility of owning a high quality illuminated, and etched reticle. Also, such optics tend to be compact and lightweight in comparison to others. Three cheers for that!
What about our Burris sight here? Well, Burris is a well-established name within the firearms and optics industry and there is no surprise as to why! They take quality seriously and make sure that their products are well made and tested before letting it do the rounds in the market. The promise they make of “a lifetime of reliable performance” is definitely NOT a joke! In terms of this specific Burris AR 536 let us see what is cooking. Read on for our detailed review of this sight.
Burris AR 536 Review
Within the AR Sights range, Burris has a total of four models available for sale. These are AR 332, AR 536, AR 1X, and AR Tripler. While each of these has its own specificities, we will be dealing only with the second one – Burris AR 536.
This sight is equally popular among civilians and military men. This is mostly owing to its close-range interaction with an AR rifle. The sight also has many favorable features like an illuminated and etched reticle, guaranteed accuracy, and so on. Why beat around the bush? Let us dig deeper.
Optics
Rather than lenses and mirrors, this sight makes use of a prism to direct light into the optic. Any student of Physics would know that these prism models are much more efficient than normal glass reflectors. The Burris AR 536 has a 36mm objective lens diameter.
The lens is fully multi-coated to enhance not just the light transmission capability but also to prevent it from undergoing any defect. The sight is also provided with an external sun shield fitting. This way you do not have to worry about ultralight occasions or glare disturbances.
The usage of a prism is an innovative and effective means of improving the performance of the optic. The prism increases the light transmitted into the optics and also makes the device more accurate and compact.
The most exciting feature of the Burris AR 536 is its reticle. This sight has a Ballistic CQ reticle. This reticle helps you in automated aim target calculation and ensure faster and accurate target acquisition.
Hence it is the best one for tactical shootings. Like all other prism sights, this one is also provided with an illuminated reticle. This illuminated reticle can be altered with 5 brightness settings according to the environmental need of the time. And to top it all it has a 3 color illumination setting that alters between red, green, or black.
Furthermore, you need not fret over well lit environments or battery dead situations, cause the etched reticle makes sure that your shot is accurately placed upon the target in all shooting scenarios.
Magnification and Range
This sight is by default fixed in terms of magnification. The magnification of our Burris AR scope is at the 5x range. This is optimum for close-range targets. In essence, the sight lets you comfortably target in on a field of view of range 300 to 500 yards. Then again, this ain’t a concrete range. The optics works just fine at targeting even at 600 yards. So the rest is upon you to try and decide.
Adjustments
The scope has a reliable elevation, windage, and parallax adjustment feature. The elevation and windage turret dials up to 70 MOA with a 0.33 MOA per click value. The turret knows are smooth yet locked in order to make the changes felt in touch along with the sound. The scope also has a reliable parallax adjustment feature that works up to 100 yards. Dont be disheartened. This value for a fixed scope is equivalent to infinity for variable scope.
User Friendliness
Considering user-friendliness the first aspect that comes into mind is the structural specificities of the scope. The Burris AR 536 is made of strong materials that make it sturdy and durable. Yet, it is compact in terms of structural features.
Thus, this red dot sight is easy to maintain and use for long time shooting expeditions. But here also there might be a bit of inconvenience if you are not used to prism scopes. This Burris AR 536 weighs 18.75 ounces, which is definitely not lightweight.
The weight might be a put off if you are new to heavy ammo and optics. Also, you will have to be cautious about the firearm you attach your rifle to.
In terms of durability, the sight is weather and shock-resistant. That is, it is water, fog, and shockproof. Therefore you can easily use the scope in high recoil rifles at all-weather conditions. The lifetime warranty adds a sense of reassurance upon purchasing this product.
But, there is one aspect that may or may not affect your experience with Burris AR 536 devices – the eye relief. The eye relief of the sight ranges between 2.5 to 3.5 inches.
While this is considered good for a prism sight, a few customers have found it to be a tad bit inconvenient. The choice is essentially yours to make. And this choice will also be influenced by the kind of rifle you make use of.
Compatibility
The Burris AR 536 is compatible with most close range rifles. It is best used with a Picatinny rail mount. Also, as mentioned earlier keep in mind the weight of the sight. It is ideal for a heavy rifle that is essentially fitted with a rail mount. Since the scope is meant for close-range tactical shooting, you might want to keep in mind similar cartridge efficiencies.
Pros
Cons
FAQs
Scope vs Sight?
This question has been troubling hunters for a long time. So let us get this straight. Firstly, it is purely subjective. To get the facts right, a sight is basically a non-magnifiable optics. It is generally much more accurate and compact when compared to a scope. The absence of many magnification features tends to make the sight lighter and easier to use. Scopes on the other hand are magnifiable. This is the basic difference between the two.
Prism Sight vs Traditional Red-Dot Sight?
At a very basic level, a prism sight is an improvement on the traditional red-dot sight. This is a popular opinion. The reason for this is that a prism sight tends to have better optical prowess due to the enhanced light transmission capability. Also, they are included with an illuminated reticle and etched reticle marking.
So in all sense, a prism sight will produce clear and accurate targets when compared with a traditional red dot sight. These sights are also compact and easier to use. The only drawback here is that they tend to have shorter eye relief. In some cases, there might be parallax issues as well since the magnification is fixed and enhanced. If these conditions seem favorable to you then I would suggest a prism sight over a traditional red dot sight.
What is a Ballistic CQ Reticle?
A Ballistic CQ reticle makes your close quarters shot all the more accurate. They have two important features. First, a circular center. This helps to make target acquisition faster at close quarters. The second feature is the unique crosshairs.
These Ballistic CQ Reticles have smaller reticle dots to make your shot accurate as never before. Other than these two features there is the added advantage of illumination which makes target shots at low lights a possibility.
Are Burris optics any good?
Can you even say no after reading this Burris AR 536 review? The Burris line of optics has some other really optics like Burris XTR II, etc. and all the credit goes to its experienced manufacturer – Don Burris. This gentleman was a former employee of Redfield, another optics company. His sheer confidence and will power that he could make better optics brought him to establish his own optics manufacturing company in 1971. These optics are manufactured mainly in the US.
Conclusion
What more can I say now? I hope this Burris AR 536 review has opened your eyes to the wonders of not just prism sights in general but also to Burris scopes! If you are looking for a reasonably priced, close-range shooting scope then don’t think further. Just go and get yourself a Burris AR 536. Great optics, great reticle, great magnification – its got it all.
The compact and user-friendly design is an added advantage. Also, you will get to shoot at pitch dark! Trust me, you won’t regret owning this wonderful optic! So what are you waiting for? Go grab the best deal and get yourself an exemplary optic! You can thank us later. Off you go now. Happy Hunting!