Anyone have use or review of SilencerCo Radius

[hotrodder636]

Now that the SICo Radius has been out for some time I would have expected to see some info and reviews on it but have not.

Are there any fellow members out there that have one and if so what are your thoughts?

Pros, cons, etc?

[MistWolf]

Gotta get through the wait time, first

[hotrodder636]

Wait time for a laser range finder?

Gotta get through the wait time, first

[MistWolf]

Um, yeah. Combination laser range finder and suppressor..........

[Striker6]

Um, yeah. Combination laser range finder and suppressor..........

The Radius is a rail mounted range finder not a suppressor.
They are in stock on the silencerco website and many other large retailers.

[MistWolf]

I realized that after hotrodder pointed it out. I was making a joke to cover my embarrassment

[hotrodder636]

Haha, I was wonderinwhat in the hell you were talking about....but after reading, maybe SiCo needs that idea in their lineup...

I realized that after hotrodder pointed it out. I was making a joke to cover my embarrassment

[Striker6]

I realized that after hotrodder pointed it out. I was making a joke to cover my embarrassment

Ha got it. The humor was hard to detect via internet. My bad.

[hypno02]

I've had one for roughly half a year now and for the most part have been pretty happy with it. Overall grade= B+

Pros:
1. Pretty good laser. It's no Sig kilo2k but mine will range a treeline at 1000yds on a sunny, snowy, South Dakota winter day. Overcast day trees out to 1200. Night time trees out to 1500+ (I know who hunts trees at night?)
2. Easy to zero. Just follow the directions. (Better yet take your measurements for zeroing, convert them to match your scope's reticle, and use your optic to zero the LRF at night with your visible laser)
3. Great battery life. Mine's been on roughly four sub 20* coyote hunts as well as several range visits and I've yet to change the batteries.
4. The scan mode is fantastic. Very quick readings.
5. The push button finger pad has worked very well for me thus far.

Cons:
1. Mounting system sucks. With what's gotta be some of the best R&D in the industry you would think Silco could come up with a better mount. Or potentially pay AmDef to produce them a quality mount. Iya just plain finicky. Granted mine has yet to fail, but you know when you throw the lever of a quality QD mount. You won't get that with a radius.
2. External adjustments. By golly is this both a pro and a con?! Yes it is! These adjustments are far too easy to manipulate with you bare hands. During hard use, these wheels can be turned. Especially by grippy surfaces on your pants when slung up.
3. If you sling this unit up without consciously knowing where the battery compartment is, your gear will rip the cover off at least once without you knowing. It's happened to me twice and luckily (or by design? Or both?) by batteries have stayed inside the unit. Keep in mind the unit is no longer waterproof when the cover is off.


DISRELATED CON: If you mount this system on any part of your rifle that is forward of your trigger, yet still attached to your rifle's stock or handguard, you will ALWAYS notice a shift in laser zero when loading/using a bipod. I've had mine on a scar 17 w/kdg rail and a DD MK12. Upon loading a bipod one will always see at least a minute shift in their laser's zero. Will this matter if you're ranging a tree at 700yds that a deer is standing beneath? Potentially no. But if you're ranging a stop sign at 500yds you can and will see enough variance to throw your measurement off. This is why the best mounting solution for a Radius is on top of your forwardmost scope ring. if this is tough for you to understand, just do this: 1. Take one hand and place it on your free float handguard at the exact spot the barrel protrudes from the HG. Now take your other hand and grasp the barrel with it. Push and pull the barrel and handguard in opposite directions and notice the flex in your handguard. When you load your bipod/rest your handguard/chuck Norris c clamp that m'fer you are moving your handguard/Radius in comparison to where your scope/barrel are pointing.

Now, grab your scope with one hand, and your receiver with the other. Try twisting those with your own force. Unless you own a vortex, it's probably not gonna happen. (Ouch)

Basic math.

All in all do I like my Radius? Yes. It's a great unit and even though it has its shortcomings it has proven to be very useful. Like any piece of kit, one must experiment with it and figure out what works best for you. I zero it accordingly, and I mount it as far rearward as possible on any handguard I'm using it on. Do I believe all handguards are created equal when it comes to mounting one of these? No. I expect to see FAR less shift in my LMT MWS and AIAT with the Radius compared to setups aforementioned.

Practical? Yes.

Perfect? No

[hotrodder636]

Very nice write up hypno02, thank you