G40 + Burris FastFire 3 Range Report

[ron556]

So I was finally able to get some personal time with my new G40 MOS + Burris FastFire 3. And there was much rejoicing!

I promised a detailed report when I really got to wring the gun out... unfortunately, this ain't it: I only had time to zero the gun + run just a handful of drills... not even 100 rounds. However, I will make some time to give it a proper shake down very soon, particularly at distance and under the duress of a timer.

That being said, this first date was definitely a good one. Just for some exposition: my typical carry gun is a Gen4 Glock 20, which I shoot + with which I train quite a bit. There were some expectations on how the XL Glock would handle. Suffice to say, there were few surprises.

It's All About Balance
One of my range buddies admonished me before I bought the G40. "It's too front heavy," he stated, "I didn't like it." I consider my good friend Bob an RKI [Reasonably Knowledgable Individual] in all things that go boom and slice. He is also a big Glock shooter + certified armorer, so his words were not lost on me when I placed my order. He was not wrong. Out of the Tupperware, the big Glock was notably front heavy. It wasn't unreasonable, but it definitely had some weight on the pointy end. However, once loaded with 15 fat, fast and angry rounds, its front-end bias disappeared. Adding the mounting plate + optic made little difference, weight-wise. Besides, for the kind of shooting I do, the weight "penalty" is hardly a liability. I also suspect that many serious 10mm shooters are not necessarily weight-adverse, so I don't really see it as an issue.

Cannon Fodder
I brought three types of factory ammo with me:
:: Sellier + Bellot 180 grain FMJ
:: Double Tap 180 grain FMJ
:: Sig Sauer Elite Performance 180 grain FMJ

Like all my other Glocks, this one ran fine with nary a hiccup. No stoppages or malfunctions; like the proverbial sewing machine. I don't own a chrony, so I don't have any hard numbers for ballistic data. But from a totally unscientific and amateur impression, the Double Tap was the lightest load [surprising], the S+B just a little warmer [but still very light], and the Sig was the stoutest. All things being relative, each load was a complete pussycat. It was like cheating.

I will try some Underwood 200 and HPR 180 next time out and let you know how it handles the really hot stuff. The Double Tap almost felt too soft... it felt like it barely had enough energy to function in the big boy. It did, but it was very light.

Accuracy
After I had the gun zeroed to my liking, I decided to run short-range, trigger control drills from 5-7 meters from the holster. I'm not exactly a space-shuttle-door-gunner-ninja behind the trigger... but for fundamentals, I like to [strive for] consistent five-shot, one-hole groups on 3x5 cards or even running Dot Torture. After a few strings, I stretch out the distance and wick up the presentation speed. I am also interested in intrinsic accuracy. I plan on benching the gun on the next trip and seeing how I do at 25 to 50 meters. I know how I do with irons, so I'm looking forward to trying it with the Burris up top.

Frankly, I'm still more accurate/ faster [on pistol] with iron sights... that's how I started many moons ago. However, I only really ran this gun for an hour or so and I did not have my shot timer. Given some more time and I anticipate that running an MRDS on a pistol is akin to transitioning from irons to an RDS on a carbine: target acquisition, speed and repeatable accuracy goes up, period. As my session wore on, I could feel myself settling into red dot mode as I started getting a more rapid sight picture and thusly, faster on the trigger. IMHO [and taking into account my personal training experience], running a red dot optic gives you a distinct advantage over iron sights, particularly in close quarters or an "action shooting" sport situation. It's certainly arguable and it may not be a 100% solution, but I can't really disagree with my personal results. Besides, all the cool kids run MRDSs on their pistols...

Handling
I was working from a Kydex AIWB rig that I fabricated myself [my typical mode for concealed carry]. Interestingly, the G40 is passable as an EDC if you are committed enough. It wore fine and it's not like there's a concealment penalty because of the full-sized grip. Would I recommend it? Probably not. That is one long gun and that extra length down your pants would get pretty old, pretty quick. Since most folks tend to carry strong-side OWB, I would say that it is doable, but not necessarily practical [depending on one's day-to-day routine]. I could totally see it as a trail gun in the boonies, though. YMMV.

However, the target acquisition speed is where the MRDS shines. I will run a timer on the next range trip and see how I do. To be fair, I am still learning this gun/optic combination, so I know my times are/will be slower at first. Currently, with my G20, I average about 1.60-1.75 seconds from concealment and putting a round in the "A" zone of an IDPA target at 7 meters. I suspect that those times will drop sooner rather than later, so I am interested in the learning curve.

Summary
Overall, I would recommend this set up if someone is thinking about it. It is quick handling, accurate and speedy. It may not be everyone's cup of tea, but it has some real advantages over iron sights and it's a surprisingly practical setup. If you have been thinking about going this route, it's worth consideration. There may be some learning involved, but it will be knowledge well-earned.

[PCFlorida]

For a quick range report that was very thorough. How did accuracy compare to your G20?

[ron556]

I would say about the same. By the end of my session, it was not uncommon to have a three-shot group as one ragged hole. Much of it also is me trying to get used to an optic on a pistol... and me doing my part.

[PCFlorida]

Very cool, thanks for the write up.

[rapidray10mm]

Good write up. I am planning on going with the Vortex Venom for my 40.