Another great customer comparison review between the FTP Optics Alpha 3 - SRO - Holoson Comp 507
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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
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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
