Alpha 3 Red Dot Sight Review Thread!

[FTP_Shooting_Sports]

We would be happy to hear from our customers who care to share a review about the Alpha 3 Red Dot optics in this thread!

We also have started a new customer review program where we will offer a discount to the first ten people that want to participate and give us an honest review of the Alpha 3 optic. If you are interested in doing that, please send us an email to sales@fasttoys.net. We will also post reviews here as they come in:

[FTP_Shooting_Sports]

This review is something I have meant to do for some time. I initially was drawn to the FTP Alpha 3 by the larger optic window at a competitive price.  I had run Cmore RTS2 optics for a long time and was happy with them. I just wanted a larger window and didn’t want to change my optic mounts out.  

 

The FTP Alpha3 performance is excellent. I now have three; all are 8 MOA dots. I have two version 2s and one version 3. The version 3 upgraded to a lockable battery tray. I personally have never had an issue with any battery trays, but I’ve seen shooters on the range using pasters, etc., to keep their optic battery trays closed. 

 

I was very surprised by the optic brightness of the Alpha3. I live in Florida and the sun will easily show the quality of your optic. I’ve never experienced dot washout with the Alpha3. 

 

My club runs a Thursday night match, and in the winter with the time change, we shoot under stadium lights. The Alpha3 allows you to turn the dot down sufficiently so as to not bloom in low light settings.

 

I have between 10-20,000 rounds on each of the version 2 optics and about 7,500 on the version 3. I have never had an issue with the optics. I shoot with plenty of guys who run optics twice the price of the Alpha3, and they have returned their optics for warranty issues. While their manufacturers have warranteed the optics, it is bad when your optic fails at a match. The inconvenience of sending in your optic for warranty—and I have seen guys wait 8 weeks to get them back—is huge. I have had zero issues with the Alpha3; no zero drift, no button issue, no dot failure, no broken battery trays, etc.  Competition shooting tests optics strenously, and I shoot about 20-25,000 rounds a year.  The Alpha3 performs!

 

With the recent introduction of the provisional “Limited Optics” division in USPSA, I pulled my limited gun out of the safe and had a Limited Optics 9mm top end built. When I had the top end built, I considered a new Alpha3 for it. I chose to go with the Cmore RTS2. This is the only gun I am not running an Alpha3 on. One reason was because I had a few used RTS2’s laying around. The biggest reason was the body of the Alpha3 was longer than the RTS2. So your slide optic cut needed to be slightly longer. I didn’t want to do this because it would leave less material behind the pistol breach face. Well, FTP just recently came out with the Alpha3 “Short Body” for slide ride mount applications.

 

In closing the Alpha3 is a great optic choice with a large window, excellent glass quality, crisp dot, full sun brightness, excellent battery life, lockable battery tray and is now available in a “short body” option.  The Alpha3 doesn’t lack any features of competitive optics at twice the price. I couldn’t be more pleased with this optic.

 

John Florit

USPSA Open Division Master class

 

[FTP_Shooting_Sports]

I have over thirty years of competitive experience shooting red dot sights.  Started with a heavily modified Tasco PDP3, then moved to a C-More, then the FTP Alpha series.  Currently I have six competition firearms all with Alpha II or Alpha III dots.  Two open 9mm pistols (8moa), production optics 9mm (6moa, aim small miss small), steel challenge/PCC 9mm (8moa), steel challenge .22 rifle (8moa) and steel challenge .22 pistol (10moa specifically to really do in Smoke ‘n Hope).  And a spare 6moa that will likely end up on my 625 once I find a mount for it. 

 

So the obvious question “ you have SEVEN FTP Alpha dots…why?”  The answer is simple. The FTP Alpha’s represent the best compromise between cost and performance for any optic that I have tried.  I have tried/owned RTS’s, RTS2’s, Vortex, Doctor, Fast Fires, Romeo’s, Trijicon, Aimpoint, and probably a dozen or so knock-off and off-brand dots.     There is a saying when it comes to optics “you get what you pay for” – nice optics are expensive, there really is no getting around that.  In the case of the FTP Alpha’s, there is enough noticeable difference over a dot at the $200-300 price point that to spend a bit more for an FTP Alpha is totally justified. 

 

On the other hand, comparing the FTP to a Sig Romeo 3 Max, yea there is a difference, but is the difference worth the price point you would have to pay?  In my mind, no.  Not like on the bottom end of the scale where spending the extra two to three hundred is almost a no brianer, I really can’t justify the very small margin of performance gained for the cost of a Sig.  If you are Max Michel, or Christian Sailer, sure when you are chasing tiniest margins of performance, but for us mortals I honestly don’t see it being worth it.

 

Back to having six dots on six different competition guns.  While the gun is different the sight is, other than the dot sizes I use, essentially the same.  That is a great benefit when shooting multiple platforms.  My sight window is the same on everything I shoot competitively and I don’t have to spend any mental energy trying to process something different.   Couldn’t afford to do that shooting Sigs. 

 

Failures and reliability. Yes, I have had one failure around the battery compartment contacts.  There is an easy DYI fix that Fast Toys shared for older models and it works.

Shot 10k through one of my open pistols (all major loads) with the fix and still going strong.

 

Dislikes.  I don’t like anything that tries to be smarter than me, so auto on/off anything like that doesn’t appeal, and I think adds unnecessary complexity.  Also, not a huge fan of the new battery tray screw system, wish a more elegant solution could have been found.   

 

Would like to see.  A 4 moa! Think this would be sweet especially shooting with the dot occluded.  Would also like to see the 6moa just a tad brighter.  With the 8 moa I have never had a situation where it wasn’t bright enough, the 6 moa I have wished for it to be just a tad brighter under certain conditions. 

 

Overall, the FTP Alpha’s just work.  They hold their zero (and are easy to adjust), they don’t blow up (open guns with big compensators are not friendly to optics), they are nice to look through with a clean crisp dot.  For me the choice has been easy and will likely continue to be that way. 

David Low

[FTP_Shooting_Sports]

We still have some openings for people if they want to do a review. Just send us an email!

[FTP_Shooting_Sports]

We still have a few spots for reviewers. Please email us at sales@fasttoys.net if you are interested.

 

[FTP_Shooting_Sports]

To the wonderful team at FTP,

 

 

I just received my second FTP Alpha 3 (8 MOA) dot and would like to let someone know how great it is! 

 

Other dots I have used:

 

SIG Romeo 3 MAX (6 MOA)

RTS2 (6 MOA) and 10 (MOA)

Holosun 407 and 507

 

My other FTP Alpha 3 dot is mounted on a BUL SAS II UR open gun and is such a great dot that I ordered a second one to be mounted on my custom 2011 Limited Optics that was just built.  The dot is super bright on these sights so you do not have to have t he brightness turned up very high which keeps the dot sharp and you don’t have a starburst effect on the dot.  But even with the dot turned all the way up on its highest setting it is much crisper, cleaner and sharper than the other dots that I have used!!!  The glass itself is super clean and gives the shooter a perfect sight picture.

 

Another positive that I like is that the mounting configuration is a common one and doesn’t t take any kind of special order plate to be mounted on the firearm. 

 

The battery door being a side access panel that doesn’t require the sight to be taken off is another premium feature that I enjoy about the optic and shows that FTP is really building these optics with input from shooters and with the shooters in mind when they are developing them! 

 

Planning on having a second open gun designed and will definitely be ordering another FTOP Alpha 3 optic to be mounted on it as well! 

 

I would highly recommend to anyone that is looking for a quality optic at a great price to not waste any time getting their hands on a FTP Alpha 3 optic!

 

 

Thank you

 

 

Richard Heater

[FTP_Shooting_Sports]

We have two spots left for reviewers. If you are interested, email us at sales@fasttoys.net

[Joe4d]

On 2/4/2024 at 9:11 PM, FTP_Shooting_Sports said:

We still have a few spots for reviewers. Please email us at sales@fasttoys.net if you are interested.

 

send me a sight, I will review it

[FTP_Shooting_Sports]

Review for FTP Optics Alpha 3, V3 short body red dot in 10MOA

TLDR: This thing is great, wonderful dot, great sized window and enjoyable for competition use.

The “Long Story” … I’m a B classed USPSA shooter that has an astigmatism. I’ve been working my way through all the red dots so that I can find one that I really enjoy and works well for my eyes. I’ve tried SROs, RMRs, 507Comp, Romeos & even the Acro P2. All of them with the larger dot variation and all of them still starburst badly. I like many others have found that the larger dots on a lower brightness seem to work better. So, I was excited when I started researching FTP optics that they had more than the normal 5 or 6 MOA dot. I reached out to FTP and they were very quick to get back to me recommending that I try the 10 MOA so I could reduce the brightness and might reduce the star bursting. Their customer service was extremely helpful and quick on all of our interactions. In the end I ended up placing an order the end of March on a Sunday and I had one in hand Wednesday…. SADLY the optic plate I also ordered took longer to get in but finally received it and mounted it up.

Upon first receiving my 10 MOA FTP Alpha 3v3 I compared it directly to my SRO currently mounted on my Limited Optics gun as well as the 507 Comp. The build quality between all three of these premium optics seemed very similar and I didn’t find the new FTP Alpha 3 lacking or lesser in any regards. Next up I popped in a battery and turned it on comparing it to my other optics. I fell immediately in love with the large 10 MOA dot and customer service was right reducing the brightness still allowed me to see the dot by also drastically reducing the star burst effect to almost nothing.

Once I received my mounting plate I found that I really enjoyed the profile of the FTP Alpha 3 short body mounted on my 2011 over the SRO which always hung over the ejection port and got dirty with unburnt powder and I hoped that I wouldn’t have as much of an issue with the new Alpha 3 (I did end up having less build up). The other than that I noticed would be much easier would be battery changes… I HATE swapping the SRO batteries … its better than the RMR … BUT that’s not saying much. This has the little tray which is becoming much more industry standard and while swapping batteries isn’t something you do all the time it is nice for when its needed.
Next up was testing. I didn’t have a match the weekend I received the Alpha 3 so that allowed me to go put in some range time getting to know the new guy in the safe. It was honestly refreshing it too a little time to get used to the larger dot but within a magazine or two I was adjusted and hooked. I brought my back up gun and did a few drills with both optics (SRO and Alpha 3) I found in all cases I both preferred and performed better with the Alpha 3. The larger dot allowed me to acquire targets just a hair faster as well as track the dot better for follow up shots and transitions. The housing itself allowed me to gather more information having slightly larger horizonal box, which I find useful for field of view. The housing is similar to the 507Comp in shape. I have tried to like the 507Comp a few times, but the dots just don’t work well for my eyes/brain. The MRS with its multiple dots cause me to lose focus and slow me down when trying to acquire the target and transition even after 500 rounds of forcing myself to use it I just couldn’t. This required me to do just the 8 MOA circle or the small tiny center dot … neither of which I really enjoyed.

So fast forward to today almost exactly two months later. I’m still enjoying the Alpha 3 much more than my other optics and will likely be replacing the SRO on my backup gun in the future. I have shot 6 matches (including Area 1 Championship) since receiving the optic, I have likely close to 4000-5000 rounds through it and I haven’t had a single issue. The optic still preforming just as it did on that first day of training and I still love the dot and what it allows for me to do. I can’t tell you much about long term battery use as 2 months isn’t enough time but I’ve gotten into the practice of just turning the dot off after the match and turning it on when I gun up at the safe table and do my first practice draws before a match and I’m still on the first battery I put in.
It’s nice to have something designed for competition shooters instead of something adapted over for competition shooters. I have an open gun in the works and it will for sure get an FTP Optic when it’s done. If you’re gun is for competition or a range toy I can whole heartedly say please don’t spend SRO money, saving yourself some coin for ammo and buy a BETTER and cheaper optic with the FTP Alpha 3.

- Phillip Barlow

[FTP_Shooting_Sports]

Here is another customer review we just received:

 

I received my alpha 3 in 8moa.

 

So here is my take on it.

 

It's not a good optic at a good price , it's a excellent optic (suberb) at a excellent price.

The 8moa is perfect . I've looked thru different red dot that claim it's its 8moa but rather it's a 10 or 12.

 

I've used 10moa for while but always felt it's just a tad big. This 8moa is perfect for me.

The buttons on it are excellent, the glass is the best. I practiced on Saturday  morning in direct sunlight and no glare or anything unlike other optics.

I have around 8 thousanths clearance in front which is good.

I love the battery tray compartment,  very easy.

I've used cmore for while and had to move on from them. Broken battery trays, battery trays flying out and broken battery tabs. 

 

I've mostly used round window and this with square window is definitely  a good choice. I never knew I preferred square window until now. It index so much nicer and seems more natural.

 

For having a astigmatism  not sure how u get it so perfect but it's a very crisp dot. This is definitely  not a off the shelf brand like holosun , vortex etc. I can tell a lot of thought went into this. Coming from a cmore I feel it's much much better and kinda along the same line of cmore but nicer. In that regard  there was no learning curve with it I felt I was shooting a better quality cmore.

 

All in all I'm very impressed and as long as u keep making them I will  be buying them. I have a match this Saturday  and will be showing it off on how I found the best optic. Keep up  the great  work on best optics.

 

Thanks

Jeffrey

 

[FTP_Shooting_Sports]

FTP Alpha 3 vs SRO and Holoson 507 COMP Review

 

I have been using the SRO 2.5 MOA and Holosun 507 Comp. I was looking for a dot for my new LO gun, an Alien Creator Evolution Limited Optics and stumbled upon the FTP Alpha 3. I had seen some videos on youtube and decided to give the 8 MOA version a try. I have about 650 rounds through it at 2 local and 2 major matches in the month that I have had it so far.

 

Glass:

Alpha 3 - Offers the least fishbowl effect and flattest most natural image. Has a little bit of the notch filter blue tint at the top of the glass that’s really only noticeable in dimmer conditions. It’s not really noticeable in normal daylight shooting conditions. Has the least parallax at 5 yards as well when shifting the dot from the center to the edge of the window.

 

SRO 2.5 - Has a little bit of fishbowl effect and image isn't quite as flat. Colorcast is a slighty less than the Alpha 3. Parallax at 5 yards is about on par with the Alpha 3.

 

507 Comp - Has the most fishbowl and least flat image to me. Has the least blue tint notch filter and it’s even throughout the glass. I have seen other 507 Comp at my club that have much darker blue tint. I seem to have gotten a lightly tinted sample. Has the most parallax at 5 yards.

 

Dot:

Alpha 3 - Super crisp and bright dot. It has more brightness adjustments available. I dont need night vision, so I appreciate having more daylight settings available. I can dial in just the right amount of brightness. The 8 MOA dot is smaller than the 8 MOA ring of the 507 Comp. The Alpha 3 dot will basically fit inside of the 507 Comps 8 MOA ring, so it’s more like a Holosun 6 MOA, if that was a thing. It does appear to use pulse width modulation to adjust brightness. However during actual use, I never noticed the flickering during transitions. Pretty much everyone that checked out my setup was surprised and commented how nice the dot looked.

 

SRO 2.5 - I’ve never been able to see a clean crisp dot, it has always looked like an asterisk to me. A big contributor to me looking for another option was the brightness adjustment. I often found myself in between settings. Max caused it to flair too much, but one brightness down wasnt quite enough brightness for say a bright white popper.

 

507 Comp - The 8 MOA and ring is much bigger than the 8 MOA Alpha 3 dot as previously stated. The ring and dot is very crisp. I find it to be about half brightness down from the SRO for all settings.

 

Body:

Alpha 3 - Easily the thinnest bezel and basically disappears. Physically the longest optic, so it may be a limiting factor if your slide cannot fit the RTS2 footprint. It does have the tallest deck height so cowitnessing irons will be harder. Mines mounted on a game gun with zero options for irons so it is not a concern to me at all. It does fit the Alien’s Retro mount perfectly in length and width. It’s almost like they were made for each other.

 

SRO 2.5 - Second thinnest bezel and super common footprint. Not the lowest deck height, but nothing crazy.

 

507 Comp - Thickest and most noticeable bezel and shares the same footprint and the RMR/SRO. Lowest deck height of the bunch.

 

Emitter reflection/double dot. Using a 4 pedal LED light as the sun:

Alpha 3 - Basically zero reflection from the emitter housing or double dot when target focused from the sun or other lighting conditions.

 

SRO - It’s well documented that the SRO suffers from the double dot. No surprises here.

 

507 Comp - Noticeable double dot and emitter housing reflection is visible. A 507 Comp user on my squad completely lost his dot on a stage during the 2024 Great Plains Hit factor Championship.

 

User interface:

Alpha 3 - Elevation and windage adjustments are tactile, but not very audible. Uses a hex wrench for adjustment and battery compartment. It doesn’t bother me because the Alien uses the same size hex wrench so it’s alway on me and I’m not constantly re-zeroing. Easy to battery access. Brightness buttons are the softest of the bunch. You cant rack the slide from the front of the LO alien due to the thumbrest, so I have to use the optic, so a lockout would be nice to ensure the adjustment doesn’t get changed.

 

 

SRO - Elevation and windage are audible, but is the least tactile. Can use the rim of brass to adjust. Stiffest brightness buttons to press and offers lockout mode. No accidental adjustments here. I prefer these brightness buttons the most since. Battery replacement is a pain in the butt. Highly recommend purchasing an SRO battery cover tool.

 

 

507 Comp - Elevation and windage adjustments are the best of the bunch. Very tactile and audible. Does require an included small flathead for adjustments and easy battery tray access. Brightness buttons are pretty crisp and audible with lockout features.

 

Overall thoughts:

Durability is still to be determined. The Alien has a very high slide speed so any issues should manifest pretty quickly. But so far so good and I am very happy with it. Bottom line, this does not fall into the “good optic for the price category”, it’s an excellent optic at a competitive price.

 

Alvin

Limited Optics - A class

 

** Due to size limitation, we were unable to post all the picture comparisons. We will post these to the FTP Shooting Sports Facebook group **

Edited July 11 by FTP_Shooting_Sports

[Cuz]

@FTP_Shooting_Sports
Where can I get the rest of the photo comparisons from this review without going to Facebook?  I don’t do Facebook. 
 

Thanks. 

[FTP_Shooting_Sports]

6 hours ago, Cuz said:

@FTP_Shooting_Sports
Where can I get the rest of the photo comparisons from this review without going to Facebook?  I don’t do Facebook. 
 

Thanks. 

 

 

[FTP_Shooting_Sports]

[FTP_Shooting_Sports]

[FTP_Shooting_Sports]

[FTP_Shooting_Sports]

[FTP_Shooting_Sports]