Burris has entered the closed emitter game with the FastFire E, the latest red dot in their FastFire lineup and their first enclosed emitter model. It’s powered by a single CR2032 battery and features a 3.5 MOA dot that’s always on. Burris claims 60,000 hours of battery life, and the dot runs a programmable 13-hour brightness timer with lockout options. The FastFire E uses the Aimpoint ACRO footprint, offers 1x magnification, and includes aspherical lenses for a crisp, distortion-free sight picture through its generous 22x17mm viewing window.
FastFire E Out of the Box
Burris includes everything you need to get started. Inside the box, you’ll find the optic itself, a T10 tool, protective cover, mounting screws, and a user manual.
While the FastFire E doesn’t ship with extra mounting plates, it uses the common ACRO footprint, so finding compatible mounts is easy. During initial testing, the clamp loosened after my first range sessions. However, I was in a hurry to try it out and didn’t follow the instructions. Burris engraves the proper torque spec (23 in-lbs) on the bottom of the mount, a detail I appreciated when I went back to install it correctly. After applying thread locker and torquing it to spec, the clamp held solid and zero was maintained throughout further use.
Housing on the FastFire E
The FastFire E’s monolithic housing feels solid. Crafted from 7075 aluminum, it’s waterproof, shockproof, and fogproof. Exactly what you want in an enclosed emitter optic. The front glass is sufficiently recessed, which protects the lens if you slam the optic into a barricade to rack the slide. The sidewalls are not as thin around the edges as something like the Steiner MPS, but the bulk is justifiable considering the side battery compartment and added durability.
Speaking of the battery compartment, it’s side-mounted for easy access. This makes changing the CR2032 battery quick and painless, and you won’t lose your zero in the process. The housing is a bit wider than slimmer open emitter designs, but sight picture obstruction is minimal and still very usable. It’s a good tradeoff for durability and convenience.
Battery
The FastFire E runs off a single CR2032 and features an “always on” dot with an estimated 60,000-hour battery life. The side compartment lets you change batteries without disturbing zero, which is becoming a must-have feature in modern enclosed emitters.
The optic defaults to a 13-hour timer that dims the brightness back to level 7 (red) or 6 (green) after inactivity. Although you can disable the timer entirely by holding both brightness buttons for 10 seconds. Then the optic will remember that setting until you change it back.
Buttons
Brightness is controlled using two top-mounted rubber buttons. This is a clever design that prevents accidental adjustments when concealed in a holster or carried on duty. The buttons are slightly recessed with a raised ridge in between to shield them from being activated during hard impacts.
Brightness adjustments are tactile and audible, and the optic offers eight daylight and two night vision settings. While it gets pretty bright, I wouldn’t have minded one more level at the top. On bright summer days with reflective backgrounds, the dot remains usable but appears slightly dim at max brightness.
The lowest NV brightness settings also work great when shooting with night vision. Dim enough to not bloom out, and easily bright enough when I want to dial it up a click or two.
The lockout function is great. You can hold both buttons for five seconds to prevent accidental brightness changes, which adds peace of mind during carry or duty use.
Turrets on the FastFire E
The windage and elevation turrets are located on the top and right side and offer 100 MOA of adjustment range. They require a T10 Torx driver, which is included, but I would have preferred a flat-head or slotted design for field adjustments using a cartridge or multitool.
Each adjustment click is tactile but soft. They’re acceptable, but I wouldn’t mind if they were just a touch firmer with less mush. That said, the layout is clearly labeled and easy to dial in for your perfect zero.
Glass
The FastFire E’s aspherical lens design offers a crisp view with minimal blue tint or distortion. The glass is clear and resists glare well, even in harsh lighting conditions. While the Steiner MPS edges it out slightly in minimizing an obstructed view due to thinner housing walls, the FastFire E holds its own.
The 22x17mm window is generous and allows for quick target acquisition and fast transitions. Shooting with both eyes open is easy thanks to the 1x parallax-free design. The red dot version I tested was crisp and well-defined.
Parallax
This is a critical area where the FastFire E shines. I mounted a pistol with the FastFire E on a tripod and tested parallax by placing the dot in each corner of the window from a fixed 13-yard distance. The dot shifted about ¾ of an inch or roughly the width of the window itself. This displays a true infinite focus. That’s impressive compared to many competitors, which often show much larger shifts up to or exceeding 30 MOA.
This means that even if your dot appears off-center in the window, your point of impact remains largely unchanged. A huge win for accuracy when trying to shoot fast.
Durability
Throughout testing, the FastFire E held zero once torqued properly and ran without a hiccup. The closed emitter design ensures the dot remains visible, regardless of the weather or environment. Whether it’s mud, snow, or rain, this optic stays in the fight.
Overall, I never had any issues with this red dot. Everything ran as intended. The mounting system is also low profile, so the glass sits nearly flush with the slide of my ACRO cut Glock 19 slide.
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Summary of the FastFire E
The FastFire E is Burris’s most robust offering yet in the red dot world, delivering a rugged enclosed emitter with features that make it a solid choice for everyday carry or competition. The optic features a true parallax-free design, an always-on dot, and solid battery life, all in a durable, ACRO-footprint platform.
While I would have preferred easier turret adjustments and one more brightness level, the FastFire E still checks nearly every box. Its recessed buttons, clear glass, side-loading battery, and sturdy housing give it the reliability you want from an optic. At an MSRP of $420, the FastFire E strikes a good balance between features and affordability. For anyone looking to mount a rock-solid red dot on a pistol, shotgun, or carbine, the FastFire E is worth a serious look.
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