The FTP Optics Alpha 3X is our newest, most advanced, competition grade red dot optic. It is built to exacting standards with a gigantic viewing window. This gives the shooter the maximum lens area to track the dot under recoil. These optics were specifically designed for competition use and have features that you will not find in most other optics on the market. We've incorporated feedback and testing from some of the top shooters in IPSC and USPSA. Most other optics on the market were designed for LEO, Military and micro carry pistols. These requirements greatly differ from competition use and those limitations make them less than ideal for competition use.
FTP Alpha 3X - Competition Developed Optical Sight
The FTP Optics Alpha 3X is our newest, most advanced, competition grade red dot optic. It is built to exacting standards with a gigantic viewing window. This enables shooters to more easily track the dot under recoil by proving a larger lens area. These optics were specifically designed for competition use and have features that you will not find in most other optics on the market. We've incorporated feedback and testing from some of the top shooters in IPSC and USPSA. Most other optics on the market were designed for LEO, Military and micro carry pistols. These requirements greatly differ from competition use and those limitations make them less than ideal for competition use.
The new shorter body allows a wider variety of firearm fitment include the CZ Shadow 2 Optics Ready model .Constructed of high grade 6061 T6 aluminum, it has an IPX6 waterproof rating and is shock proof again vibration to 1000G!
FTP Optics are made by the leading manufacturer in the industry that also produce some of the name brand optics you are familiar with. There is no loss of quality, precision, product testing or durability. You can be assured of fantastic performance without inflated prices.
Featuring a 10 position manually operated soft touch brightness switches, you can set the dot intensity to match your shooting environment. The optic remembers the last brightness intensity and will turn back on at the same level. Based on feedback, we have also lowered the first illumination level to be friendlier for dimly lit indoor ranges. The remaining levels are all designed to deal with the absolute brightest outdoor conditions you will find at any range. This optic will not wash out under any outdoor lighting conditions! The FTP Optics Alpha uses a standard and easy to find CR1632 battery which can be changed without dismounting the optic or re-zeroing. We have dramatically improved battery life to approximately 20,000 hours when used at a medium brightness level!
The latest industry hardened electronics feature the ON start circuit board which assures the sight will not turn off while shooting. A low battery indicator is also programmed on to the circuitry board to notify the user when the battery is low.
New Alpha 3X Version!
FTP is always looking to improve our optics to maximize reliability, performance and offer a competitive advantage. The Alpha 3X features a gigantic window, the best anti-glare coatings and a new state of the art dot emitter that eliminates the pulse modulation for brightness levels that most competitors use. Pulse modulation is a method for reducing the brightness by strobing the emitter light. For most people, they don't realize this is happening but there are some people that can detect the strobing when moving the firearms extremely quickly which appears as a .....pattern where they see a series of dots moving. They can also see that same pattern tracking the dot under recoil. Our new emitter uses continuous lighting so any movement is seem as a soild streaking line which optimizes tracking under recoil.
The newest state of the art circuit board has dramtically improved battery life as well!
The 3X series has an upgraded 5 year warranty to assure many years of reliable service.
Lens
Everyone knows that optical quality is completely dependent on lens. The lens features a premium, optically superior G-Coat that improves clarity and light transmission while offering superior anti-reflective capaiblities. You will not see the double reflections or edge distorting that many other optics suffer from due to cost cutting on the most crucial component! This is what sets our optics apart from the competition. The lens is parallax free at 70m. The lens itself is one of the largest in the micro red dot industry which is a huge benefit to competition shooters by increasing the available lens area to track the dot under recoil.
Motion Technology
An exciting feature of the FTP Optics Alpha 3X is the incorporation of a motion sensor that will turn off the optic after 3 minutes if no motion is detected. The same sensor will turn the optic back on as soon as motion is detected at the last brightness level. This is a great feature to help extend battery life!
Elevation & Windage Adjustments
Elevation and windage adjustments are made easily with a click adjustment system that requires no locking screw.
Dot Size
Dot size is extremely important to competitors for fast target acquisition and visibility in sun light. The FTP Optics Alpha 3 is available with big and bright 6, 9 and 12 MOA dot sizes!
Many other micro red dots on the market are suited to more tactical rifle operations and feature dots that are too small to be optimal for competition shooting. Simply put, a larger dot has a significant advantage is bright sun and allows the dot to be used at a lower power level which improves accuracy and dot tracking. Smaller dots tend to star bust when turned up to deal with the sun and that makes it more difficult to aim and track under recoil. The advantage goes to FTP!
Why Big Dots Are Better!
Most high level competitors are using 6 and 8 MOA dots. Historically for us, it's a 60 % 8 MOA to 40 % 6 MOA split. Between the two, it is a matter of personal preference but the 8 MOA will definitely outperform the 6 MOA in very bright outdoor conditions. The extra reserve brightness of the 8 MOA dots are really noticeable under sunlight conditions in FL, AZ, TX etc.
Recently, we have been getting demand from some top shooters for even larger dots. That led to the release of the 9 MOA and then the 12 MOA dots. On the surface, this sounds like they would be too big and accuracy would suffer but the actual results have been noticeable improvements in performance. How could that be?
First off, the human eye has an easier time tracking larger objects. Not only can we track them better, we also perceive them to be going slower than a smaller object going the same speed. In a sport that emphasizes speed with a large A zone, this provides for a significant advantage. Our eyes can more easily find a larger dot, we can track it easier under recoil and we perceive the dot to not be moving as much when we try to settle it enough to make a shot. In USPSA/IPSC those are all formulas to go faster. We just need an acceptable sight picture and a trigger pull that doesn't move the dot out of the A zone and we score maximum points. Top level shooters shoot the dot as it is moving, they do not wait for it to fully stop unless it is an extremely difficult shot requires that level of accuracy. Take someone from Iron sights to a red dot on the same gun and 90 % of the time they go slower? Why is that? The answer is they wait for a perfect shot which takes more time than they did with iron sights.
The FTP Alpha 3 also has one of the crispest dots in the game. Simply put, since the dot is bigger and brighter, you do not need to turn it up to the point it flares like many smaller 2.5-4.5 MOA dots. When you turn a small dot up to make it brigher, it flares into a star or other bizarre shape. Trying to aim with a star or track a star under recoil is not ideal. It's also hard to aim with a shape like that. It is much better to have a crisp round dot that has a defined edge. In fact, with our largest dots, you can often turn it down to a point that you can even see through the dot and yet still see the nice crisp round shape. You cannot do that with the smaller dots. We actually have come to call our 12 MOA dot the "crisper" as the dot it ridiculously crip. We have seen other brands where the dot isn't even circular. Some are figure 8's lying on their sides. We don't even know how you zero with something like that. That is often an issue with emitter size and shape and a small # of emitters is cheaper to make but you don't get a good shape definition.
Fact:
About 95 % of our customers that try our larger dots never go back to a small one.
Why Doesn't Everyone Else Make Larger Dots If They Are So Good?
It all boils down to consumer base. Larger dots are great for USPSA and IPSC but they are not ideal for rifles and plinkers which make up the largest customer base for red dots. Large, bright dots also are harder on battery life and everyone wants to advertise a huge battery life to the "tacticool" crowd. Competition shooters just don't matter very much to optics companies as the customer base is too small. They would rather make a small MOA dot that people can put on anything and it will be OK but not great on everything. It also costs a lot more to keep inventory of multiple dot sizes instead of just 1 or 2.
Dot Clarity & Brightness
High level competitors know that dot clarity and brightness are vital in our sports. The FTP Alpha 3 features the brightest dot emitters on the markest with a very crisp dot. This is an absolute requirement for quick and accurate target engagement. Other optics on the market are blobs, starburst or other shapes that make quick and accurate target engagement very difficult. Competition shooters are faced with bright sunlight and sunset conditions that can completely wash out other dots on the market. Claims of extremely long battery life by some other optics on the market will always come with the sacrifice of illumination levels. The Alpha 3 was designed from the ground up to maximize competitor performance.
Competition Programming
Not only are our illumination levels intended to maximize brightness, we also programmed the dot to turn on instanly when EITHER illumination button is pressed at the last saved illumination level. Other optics will require you to hold down a single button for 3 seconds to turn it on. Some only have one button that you have to cycle through to get to the brightest level and if you go one click to far, it goes back to unviewable outdoors. If you have even forgotten to turn on your dot before the buzzer, you know that fumbling for a button sequence or holding a button down for 3 seconds might as well be an eternity. It just doesn't make sense for shooting sports!
Mounting:
The FTP Alpha Optic 3 will install on standard mounts used for the RTS2TM and Romeo 3 Max TM.
Optional: A removable Picatinny rail mount can be purchased to mount the optic on your favourite firearm. Select the drop down to add this to your order.
Specifications:
Dimensions: (LxWxH): 51 x 28 x 36 mm
Sight Window: 33 x 24 mm
Elevation Adjustment Range: 100 MOA @ 100m
Windage Adjustment Range : 70 MOA @ 100m
Glass: Anti-reflective, G-Coat multi-layered coated glass lens is parallax free with 97 % light transmssion
Weight: 39.6 g
Water Resistance: IPX6
Battery Life: 20,000 hours at brightness position 3 at 10 degrees C
Warranty/Liability:
FTP warranties the optic to be free of defects for a period of five years from the date of purchase. Due to the fragile nature of the glass, this warranty does not cover the glass against breakage, scratches or impact damage. Damaged caused by improper installation, neglect or abuse of the optic will not be covered under warranty. This warranty does not apply to defects cause by unusual wear and tear, mishandling or lack of maintenance. Any attempts to disassemble or modify the optic will void the warranty.
No liability is expressed or implied for damage or injury caused by the use of this product. Warranty is limited to the replacement or repair of the original product only.
