Rifle Scopes TAC30 problems!

[Tracker God]

Hello, new here but not completely new to the shooting sport. Ive got a lot of good info off here in the past so naturally I thought i might as well become a member. On to my problem. I bought a tac 30 along with the FF3 and pepr mount but my illumination button seems to be defective. I have heard of a lot of guys saying it is hard to push but that isnt the problem. Mine activates fairly easy but then when i go to switch settings or turn it off it sometimes goes into this blinking mode where it randomly goes on and off and changes dimness settings indefinitely. If the cap is taken off and the battery removed and reinserted I can usually get it to turn on and off normally for a couple repetitions but then randomly it will start doing it again! Am I doing something wrong? I have tried loosening and tightening the cap for the battery but to no avail. Any help is greatly appreciated. Oh BTW, this is mounted on my 1187 slug gun.


Also looking for a $500 and under 1-4x optic for my RRA ar15. I thought i might get another tac30 but now i know I dont want that. Looking at possibly the vortex pst, bushnell throw down, burris MTAC, or one of the leupolds. I am really partial to vortex because i have had great experiences with them in the past but I havent found a price on the PST good enough to make me bite. Does anyone know anywhere to get one for less that $450. Any thoughts, recommendations or advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks guys

 

[Red_SC]

Sounds like the contact on your switch is defective, let Burris fix it.

I need another one, and rarely use illumination, if you decide it's not worth fixing...

 

[Tracker God]

Sounds like the contact on your switch is defective, let Burris fix it.

I need another one, and rarely use illumination, if you decide it's not worth fixing...

Thats what i didnt want to hear! ha ha...of course leave it up to me to get a defective one! I mean for $500 im not expecting a perfect scope and awesome red dot sight but the scope is broken and the red dot (FF3) is more like a mini red Picasso painting on glass ( not crisp at all) which make me kind of regret not getting the vortex pst and aimpoint pro like i was going to. If i end up getting it fixed and no longer need it I will throw it up for sale for ya Red.

Anyone else have any ideas on how to fix this thing without sending it in? Or somewhere to find the PST for under $450 (capped turret model).

 

[Red_SC]

Check your PMs.

 

[Red_SC]

When you remove the cap and battery, how does it feel when you press directly on the contact switch in the center? It should pop in and out crisply. If that's good, is the battery binding? It has to slide in and out to press on the switch.

 

[ddavis]

Mine is messed up too. It got to where I could not get it to turn off unless I took the battery out. I'm confident Burris would make it right, but I rarely need the illumination, even when hunting at night, so I just leave the battery out.

 

[Tracker God]

Mine is messed up too. It got to where I could not get it to turn off unless I took the battery out. I'm confident Burris would make it right, but I rarely need the illumination, even when hunting at night, so I just leave the battery out.

Ya thats pretty much where im at! Did your blink uncontrollably also? Im sure burris will fix it but it is still a pain in the a$$.

Red_SC- the switch feels positive but im wondering if the battery contacts are messed up?

 

[kansas]

I bought mine just under 2 years ago and had only had the red dot on once or twice and recently bought a xtr so decided to sell the tac 30 so I checked the illumination and it was doing pretty much what you said then it quit all together so I checked my warranty and burris only warrants the electronics for 3 years? I think. Sent mine in and they sent me a new unit within 9 days. Can't beat that.
I've got burris and vortex scopes on ARs and they're both great scopes but you can usually find the xtr used quite reasonable and they are tougher scopes than the tac and mtac. Send in or sell your tac 30 and get a xtr or vortex pst. Can't go wrong.

 

[Tracker God]

When you remove the cap and battery, how does it feel when you press directly on the contact switch in the center? It should pop in and out crisply. If that's good, is the battery binding? It has to slide in and out to press on the switch.

I bought mine just under 2 years ago and had only had the red dot on once or twice and recently bought a xtr so decided to sell the tac 30 so I checked the illumination and it was doing pretty much what you said then it quit all together so I checked my warranty and burris only warrants the electronics for 3 years? I think. Sent mine in and they sent me a new unit within 9 days. Can't beat that.
I've got burris and vortex scopes on ARs and they're both great scopes but you can usually find the xtr used quite reasonable and they are tougher scopes than the tac and mtac. Send in or sell your tac 30 and get a xtr or vortex pst. Can't go wrong.

PA actually just had the XTR 1-4x on sale for $470!!!! I almost bought it but decided to wait for the PST but the XTR looks to be a very nice scope and im regreting not purchasing it when i had the chance. The main thing was like you said, the electronics are only covered for a couple years whereas vortex covers the whole scope for life. I have a feeling the XTR's glass would have been a little better though which would have been nice...too bad they sold out within 24 hours. $470....what a deal!

 

[jsnspck]

Keep a look out at SWFA "The Sample List" for a lightly used Vortex Viper PST 1-4. They do come across there every so often and are priced around $450 for a lightly used model.

 

[Red_SC]

Or an MTAC- it's the upgraded model of the Tac30, with a rotary switch for the illumination and an ocular bell that doesn't change with magnification. $360 at Sport Optics.

 

[Tracker God]

Keep a look out at SWFA "The Sample List" for a lightly used Vortex Viper PST 1-4. They do come across there every so often and are priced around $450 for a lightly used model.

Well I found a place that has them for $450 brand new right now and if I cant find a better price by monday I think im just going to bite the bullet so I dont let another deal slip away...But then theres black friday and cyber monday right around the corner so im debating whether I should wait for those! Too many decisions..



Red_CS- i was looking at the mtac but after this whole illumination button thing I am thinking it might just be better to cough up the extra $100 and truly be happy...The only think i hear better about the mtac is that the illumination is more daylight visible than the vortex but thats not a deal breaker for me.

 

[kansas]

I now have the xtr, on my AR, and the 1-4 PST, on my son's AR, and both are great scopes but the xtr has better glass. Hard to go wrong either way. The Burris scopes on my ARs have been dumped in many barrels during 3 gun matches and have always held zero.

 

[Tracker God]

I now have the xtr, on my AR, and the 1-4 PST, on my son's AR, and both are great scopes but the xtr has better glass. Hard to go wrong either way. The Burris scopes on my ARs have been dumped in many barrels during 3 gun matches and have always held zero.

ya im thinking i should have scooped up that xtr for $470 when i had the chance but too late now! PST it is.. I was also looking at the Bushnell throw down but im not sure if the money savings is worth the compromise and I have had some of bushnells cheaper stuff go to shit on me in the past so im not sure what I would get at the $250 price point. I really like knowing that if i go with the vortex I will have the optic for life no questions asked aside from loosing it!

 

[GUNKy]

unscrewed

I have this same combo and I like it! My solution to the goofy switch is to un-screw the battery compartment to the distance that allows the switch button to work properly. I'll find an o-ring soon to fill the gap. Good Luck!

BTW I haven't used the FF3 yet for any real shooting - maybe the 'bloom' is from greasy glass?

 

[Red_SC]

I wanted to circle back to this, I bought another Tac30 and also experienced a problem with the button. I called Burris up and had a new button on the way within a couple of minutes. It's visually identical, but it fixed the problem right up. So, if you have an issue, give Burris a call.