Soldier of Fortune Magazine The Journal of Professional Adventurers
by Greg Chabot
For the first test I left the weapon outside in -12 F weather overnight with a full mag and chambered round.
I like to review products that working people can afford. There seems to be a trend in publications to review overpriced firearms that work no better than more affordable options except for cosmetic features and bragging rights at the range. I personally have no time for that way of thinking, and my writing reflects that. Back in 2022, I was looking for an affordable AR pistol and found one for a workingman’s price by Radical Firearms.
Radical Firearms LLC was founded in Stafford Texas in 2013. As their reputation and business grew, they went to full time production, expanding their product line to offer a variety of products for the shooting community.
Initial thoughts
The weapon comes in a plain cardboard box with one 30-round magazine. Fit and finish were outstanding with no blemishes. The gas block and fore-end screws were properly torqued. The upper and lower receiver fit was very tight with no movement. The SB tactical brace is adjustable; the tube and castle nut were properly attached. The castle nut is not staked; end users can do that themselves if that concerns them.
Weight unloaded is 5.6 pounds with an OAL of 26 inches.
READ MORE on firearms from Greg Chabot: Contain the Concussion: Strike Industries’ Blast Shield for A2 Birdcage
The Mil spec pattern upper and lower are made from 7075 T6 aluminum with type 3 anodizing. The barrel is 4140 chrome moly vanadium steel that is Melonite coated. Twist rate is 1:7 with a true 5.56 chamber. Feed ramps are M4 type, gas system is carbine with .750 low profile gas block. The flash suppressor is the A2 style.
Radical uses their own free-float handguard called the RPR (Radical Parallelogram Rail) that is Mlok compatible with a length of 10”. Internally the auto BCG is made by Azimuth technology and is black nitride coated. The gas key is properly staked and torqued. The bolt assembly is shot peened and HPT/MPI tested. Charging handle is the standard GI type. Safety is ambidextrous and does not get in the way of one’s dominant hand. Pistol grip is an Engage V2 by Mission First Tactical.
Overall, I was impressed by the quality of this weapon out of the box. The big question, how will it perform on the range?
Range Testing
Testing was originally done in sub-zero weather conditions over the course of a month as I had a deadline to review this weapon with another publication though I had advocated for a long-term review. The weapon was tested as is out of the box. It was cleaned and lubed prior to testing with SEAL-1 CLP. It was not cleaned again, until testing was completed at that time. For sights I used some plastic Magpul flip up irons I had laying around. Magazines used during testing varied GI, Hex mag, Pmag, Lancer and the Strike industry 32 round magazine were put into the rotation.
For the first test I left the weapon outside in -12 F weather overnight with a full mag and chambered round. I disengaged the safety and fired the entire magazine without issue. Note: When I break in AR type rifles, I go heavy on lube. It’s a wet system, if it doesn’t need lube, it will leak out.
I then proceeded to continue shooting, doing everything from slow fire to hammer pairs and mag dumps. Not once did the weapon malfunction. The trigger is a standard GI type that gets the job done, pull weight was 5lbs. As the weapon was shot the trigger smoothed out. I’m not a trigger snob, and find a GI trigger adequate for my needs. The brace fit my forearm with some minor adjustments. I was able to fire the weapon one-handed without any control issues.
Recoil was completely manageable, and I experienced no issues with accuracy during rapid fire while doing Mozambique drills. The weapon was zeroed at 25 yards. Shooting was done from 5 to 100 yards using steel targets. Accuracy was good from both offhand and a supported position. All flyers were due to shooter error not the weapon. Zero complaints about the reliability of this weapon. It functioned flawlessly with all ammo in sub-zero conditions. It was buried in snow and that didn’t slow it down one bit. It was also dropped into slush and allowed to freeze to try to cause a malfunction, to no avail.
After the initial testing I kept the Radical AR pistol in regular rotation for the past three years. It has never malfunctioned regardless of ammo or weather conditions. It has been dropped in sand, mud and water and kept chugging along regardless of how hot and dirty it got. I have around 3k rounds through it and there is no excessive wear on the internals, and I have not replaced any parts. All the screws were just as tight as the day I brought it home.
My only gripe is with the pistol grip. Ergonomically it was fine. I found it a little smooth for my taste with gloves and bare hands which I fixed with some Goon tape. It is easy enough for end users to change if they do not like it. The RPR has plenty of room to attach accessories that one feels they need. It provides plenty of airflow to keep the barrel cool during sustained fire. During testing, I didn’t experience any issues with the fore-end getting too hot to grasp. Over time I added an optic and a few other things to suit my needs.
Closing Thoughts
I am happy with my purchase of the Radical Arms 10.5 pistol. It was well built and gave me zero issues during testing in harsh conditions. I have been using it hard over the course of three years, to see how it would hold up over time. I did my best to push it and make it fail, to no avail. The weapon performed to my standards and yes, I would trust my life to it.
The MSRP on Radical’s page is $685. On the street in my area they can be found for $650 or under, if you are a savvy shopper. Which is a great bargain for a weapon of this quality. I found this weapon performed just a well or better than more expensive brands on the market. I used to own another AR pistol from a “High end” assembler that was complete junk and didn’t have half the quality this “Entry” level weapon does. It looked cool but failed miserably on the range. More expensive doesn’t always mean better in the real world.
Remember, training trumps gear every time.
Greg Chabot served in Iraq 2004-2005. He is a freelance writer living in New Hampshire. He frequently contributes to Soldier of Fortune.
