I bought the Burris for my AR10A4 with the intent of it being a stopgap until I could save up enough for an Elcan Specter. Once I started shooting with the Burris, I decided to just save my money and stick with it. Like you noted in your original post, I am highly reluctant to use, and have never purchased a sighting system that was totally reliant on batteries. Throwing 147 gr FMJ out of a 16" barrel, I'm not really going for distances that require more than 3X and I like the wider field of view and the compact size of the Burris.
Also, right after my purchase, I over-torqued a mounting bolt and snapped it. I called the Burris customer service people and they sent me two...at no cost :-)