Is the Burris AR-332 worth it?
I wanted to find out.
So I bought the scope and hand-tested it on the field. Here’s my honest, unbiased AR-332 review.
Read on.
Why should you trust me?
Because I’ve actually tried it.
For a while, I wanted to see if the Burris AR-332 would become my next scope for AR-10.
I looked everywhere to see if I could find an answer — Youtube videos, gun forums, ‘honest’ AR-332 reviews and even asked my local hunting buddies. Nobody knew.
So, I did what I originally was avoiding to do: I bought the AR-332.
Then, I put it through a rigorous field test, looking at the scope’s eye relief, eye box, reticle performance, zeroing, accuracy, ruggedness, turrents and every advanced scope feature.
No stone was unturned.
What you see below is my personal review of the AR-332. I hope it helps!
My Burris AR-332 Review
Some have called the AR-332 a “Poor Man’s ACOG.” I prefer to call it the “Smart Man’s ACOG.”
You know why? Because it has all the features of a $1,400 ACOG at a FRACTION of the price.
For example, you can shoot the AR-332 prism sight with both eyes open — a feature usually exclusive to expensive high-end ACOGs.
That’s why the AR-332 is my favorite scope. The scope’s just too good starting with its…
Fast Zeroing
This scope has the fastest zeroing I’ve ever seen.
All it takes is only 10 or 15 rounds and your scope is zeroed in. I couldn’t believe it!
It also continuously holds zero, regardless of any hard drops along the way thanks to Burris’s mil-spec design tough enough to take on anything the field throws at you: water, fog or shock.
With it’s O-ring sealed, nitrogen purged, aluminum hard coat anodized armor — the AR-332 is built to last a lifetime.
The glass is crystal clear and Hi Lume multi-coated for maximum light transmission and minimal glare.
It’s like looking through a 4K display without paying the price of one.
But that’s not what sells this scope. The secret lies within what many call the…
“The Glowing Donut” Reticle
The reticle is what REALLY sells this scope.
You get a great scope and etched reticle PLUS an illumination runtime of a few months.
Even if the illumination dies on you during a hunt, you can use the black etched reticle WITHOUT a battery during daylight hours. No more batteries ruining your hunt.
The reticle also comes in with a ‘built-in’ bullet drop compensator (BDC) for accurate long-range shots. Soon, hitting 580-600 yard targets become second-hand nature.
But the greatest thing about this reticle is you can now use each dot to represent a specific range.
For example:
It’s like you have a built-in variable scope with none of the fuss.
It’s no wonder law enforcement, military and competitive shooters around the country rely upon it. It makes you invincible.
However, there’s one uncontrolled factor that can destroy any good hunt…
Unexpected Weather Changes
This is every hunter’s worst nightmare and its happened to us all at least once.
Lighting conditions suddenly change on the trail. Whether it’s a passing cloud or a sudden change in weather, your reticle becomes useless.
So, you painstakingly try to manually adjust the brightness of your reticle (while swearing underneath your breath) as you watch your target slowly scurry away. Great.
Wouldn’t it be nice if someone fixed this issue, so you can instantly adjust your reticle’s brightness? Burris Optics did.
They engineered this genius rotary 10-position power selector to help you quickly change reticle colors and illumination instantly.
Now you can instantly adapt to any lighting condition without a second wasted. And that’s not the only problem the AR-332 and AR-536 brilliantly solves.
Burris also came up with a way to never lose your…
Elevation and Windage Caps
You don’t know how many times we hunters lost our turrent caps.
It’s becoming an epidemic. But Burris just discovered the vaccine to our problem by tethering the turrent caps to a steel cable.
The result? No more headaches and lost caps.
There’s a reason why this scope has become my favorite: it’s specially designed for the AR-15.
I love it. Its ruggedness, insane accuracy (both short and long-range), and stunning reticle rivals even the best ACOGs.
However, the AR-332 does have a few very minor nitpicks.
Firstly, the eye relief is great but it does require you to mount the scope at the rearmost position. It’s not really a problem — more of a preference for people that prefer even longer eye relief.
And finally, the glaring reticle at night problem.
If you’re a weird night hunter (like myself), the illumination is a bit too glaring — even at the lowest setting. Yet it’s easily solvable by using an older CR2032 battery.
However, those are honestly the only two tidbits I can think of. Which leads us to the final question…
Is the AR-332 for you?
If you’re a CQB hunter that’s looking for a budget-friendly AR-15 scope, you won’t find a better scope.
- Red-green Ballistic Armalite Rifle reticle
- 10 LED Illumination settings
- Parallax free at 100 yds
Trust me, I’ve looked.
This scope is hands down the best CQB scope I’ve ever come across. It’s rugged, has crystal clear glass, easy zeroing, holds zero and comes with the best reticle I’ve ever seen. The value’s insane.
In fact, they even threw on Picatinny rails (a $100 value) on the scope for free, so you can put on extra accessories like red dots, lasers, flashlights and more.
Here’s the best part: if the scope ever breaks on you, you’re 100% covered by Burris Forever Warranty.
And if, for any reason, you don’t like the scope, you can always return it thanks to Amazon’s 30-Day Money Back Guarantee.
Do what I do if I like something: just give it a try! You really never know if the scope’s for you until you give it a try (I’ve tested over 100+ scopes. I’d know).
Now It’s Your Turn
What are your thoughts on the Burris AR-332? Let me know by leaving a comment down below.
Also, if you’re looking to scope your 300 blackout build, read my 300 blackout guide. Or if you want a great short-range red dot sight that’s affordable, check out my TRS-25 review.
I bought mine about 6 months ago and ! absolutely love it!
I’m with you there brother, the AR-332 doesn’t disappoint! Thanks for commenting, David 🙂
I bought this scope and a rifle from a local gun shop at the start of the government takeover, I mean, fake pandemic. I was in a rush, and all I knew was that it was expensive ($400) and marketed for an AR-15. Obviously I was overcharged, but I would gladly pay that again. The look on my friends faces after they looked through my scope was priceless, they could not believe the clarity. The eye relief is a little close for my liking, but other than that this thing is phenomenal. Even though it has 3x magnification, you can still use it with both eyes open for quick target acquisition. I wonder 🤔 how good the 532 is?
Completely agree. Got my first one a couple years ago & have been replacing all my other Red Dots with the Burris 3x & 5x. Reason I saw this article is I’m looking for 1 of each right now to put on you ARs.
All he said is true & the “black” etched reticle that is always there if the battery runs out was the “clincher”! All the others are totally battery powered & I never liked that.
As said, it is easy to sight in, accurate, fast, 2 eyes, etc.! There is no better sight out there, to me, without, big bucks, & the still need a battery.
Can’t go wrong. Just don’t buy one for a week or so – I still need to get those 2.
I’m thinking about buying it, but honestly, does it really live up to the claim of reaching out to 600 yards?
Bought mine last year and I agree with your assessment 100%.. Very easy to zero and although I’m pretty careful with it I have not had to make any adjustments. I only wish I would have known about the 532. I also have the Burris Fast Fire 3 on a pistol and it’s a great product as well.. JB
I just returned my 2nd Ar332 for repair it was a replacement it only lasted 2 trips to range and developed the canted reticle, both of these scopes were to come down with I own numerous Burris products but never again I live in the city of the company and believe in patronizing them as well I my neighbor is employed there too! Poor Quality control and won’t replace yet so the no questions asked is crap
I put mine on a S&W M&P 15 5.56 NATO. It came with a Crimson Trace Red Dot but I needed to a little more “reach.” The Burris 332 is absolutely perfect, and it looks great as a bonus. I can lay 1 – 2 inch groups at 100 Yds and that’s inside the MOA size of the reticle center dot. It comes with additional Picatinny rails so I piggy backed a Burris Fast Fire 3 Red Dot. This package is fine tuned for ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING from 5 – 250 yards. The scope is capable beyond 250 but I’d get a long range Burris RT if I needed that kind of range regularly. I did my research before I bought my first Burris scope. The Lifetime backing on top of the quality and aesthetics worked for me. I suppose if were to deep dive into the minutiae of the scope data available I’d understand why one scope costs $500 and a similar one $3000, but this one does everything I want it to do and more, and does it very well. My two cents is that is a damn good scope and an even better value.
I am thinking of putting this on a carry handle. If I do this do you think I can sill see my front sight through the mount?
I have both the 332 and the 556 (5x power version). Currently the 3x is on a pistol AR and the 5x on carbine. I first started running the 3x at 3-gun…gives up a little on long range, whereas the 5x fixed that problem. FAST acquisition, never had a problem with either one.