Burris AR-332 Review: The ‘Smart AR-15 CQB Sight’

This is a guest blog post from Richard Douglas showcasing his first experience with the Burris AR-332. 

I watched as the deer scurried away into the dark forest.

I missed...AGAIN. This was the fourth time. It wasn’t because of me — it was because of some sort of cheap scope ‘malfunction.’

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I was fed up. I needed a scope that could work every time, regardless of range (CQB to long range), terrain and weather.

But no matter where I looked, everyone had a different opinion on what the best scope for AR-15 really was. Nobody could give me a straight answer. 

That’s when I accidentally discovered the Burris AR-332 and it surprised me.

My First AR-332 Experience

After that embarrassing scope ‘accident,’ I was determined to find the right scope for me. I bought the AR-332 more on a whim because, well...it sounded good.

Matter of fact, people called it the “Smart AR-15 CQB Sight” and that’s exactly the type of scope I needed. Tempted, I ordered it and waited for the scope to come.

When it came, the packaging didn’t look very impressive and I remember thinking at the time, “Oh great. Another crappy scope.” Later, I’d learn a very valuable lesson on judgement.

However, it wasn’t until I took the AR-332 to the range that I found out it was different.

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The Range Test

I got to the range, hooked up my scope and was expecting the zeroing process to take a while as the majority of scopes I’ve set up in the past did.

Yet, it was the complete opposite.

In fact, I had the scope zeroed in with only 10 rounds. Seriously. At first, I thought it was a fluke but round-after-round the scope held steady zero. I was impressed.

Then, I did a bit of target practice and got some surprisingly tight groupings. And another thing I noticed was I could keep both eyes open — a feature exclusive to expensive scopes.

But that’s not what really surprised me. The “glowing donut” reticle did. I know, it sounds and looks weird but believe me, it works TOO well. With very little setup, I was able to hit 500+ yard targets with relative ease thanks to the ‘built-in’ BDC in the reticle.

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By now, I was super excited about the scope. I was hoping it wouldn’t end like the other scopes I tested — promising in the beginning and then a dud at the end.

So, I took it to the dreaded field test. That’s when the AR-332 showed its true colors.

The Field Test

I searched for hours.

I’ve been all over the field, looking to shoot anything that moved. But no animal showed up. I was frustrated, yet determined to try out my new secret weapon.

Admittedly, a few times along the way I dropped my gun, went up a few high hills and banged up the scope a bit. I didn’t expect it to hold zero but it did.

Anyway, things weren’t looking good, so I kept on searching. And that’s when I spotted a white-tailed deer, standing there, chewing on grass about 200-yards away.

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I quickly retreated behind tall grass. I stuck out my AR-15, shouldered it, sighted the target and had the whitetail locked into my crosshair. He was mine.

However, the crosshair was a bit dim, so I quickly used the fast reticle switch knob and instantly adjusted the brightness -- a life-saving feature. I was ready.

Then, after what felt like an eternity, I took the shot. My gun roared and then there was pin drop silence. I saw the deer fall.

“Did the deer really die?” I thought amazed.

I slowly crept up to the deer’s original location. There he was, lying sprawled on the ground dead. I was relieved and excited at the same time, making what would become...

My Favorite AR-15 Scope

This was the first time where a scope actually delivered. It was super easy to setup, zero and was dead-point accurate.

It’s definitely a ‘smart AR-15 CQB sight.’ It contains all the advanced, costly scope features and even longer range capabilities thanks to its ‘glowing donut’ reticle (Ballistic CQ reticle).

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I highly, highly recommend this scope to anyone looking for a budget-friendly AR-15 CQB scope. You won’t find a better CQB scope. It’s one of the best scopes I’ve tested and it’s definitely staying on my AR-15 for years to come.