Hey Todd can be a "good buddy" too ... and a guy that has stock on hand is a rarity in this business !!!
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As to the Radius, yes, I use both the Radius and the RAPTAR ...
there's the RAPTAR on L&S mk6 3-18x tremor3 on 6.5G(18)
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And there is the Radius on xtr2 3-15x scr-mil on 5.56(18).
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I use them the same way for the same purposes and the seem to function in the same way. This says a lot for the Radius and not so much for the RAPTAR as we can buy about 8 Radii for the price of one RAPTAR !!
The RAPTAR is certainly smaller and lighter, so there is that. But I got them to range and they both range and I can't really find a way the RAPTAR ranges better yet. Maybe it works better in bad whether, not enough data on that yet.
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In this pic you see the zeroing rig. The clipon is not actually on there when zeroing, but when I carried the setup outside, I mounted the clipon on the rifle, so I would not have to carry it out separately.
Once outside, I setup the tripod. Then I removed the clipon and set it down. Then I turned on the pvs-14 which is mounted on the rear of the day scope with the Night Optics "Day/Night" adapter. Then I turned on the ir-laser on the RAPTAR. Then I aimed the center of the reticle at a corner of a mineral feeder at 415 yds. Then I used a jewelers screw driver to align the ir-laser with the center of the reticle, while keeping the center of the reticle on the aiming point. That's it !
Then I turned off the pvs-14 and flipped it out to the side. Then I mounted the clipon.
Then I tested the whole setup on known distance targets. Aim the center of the reticle at the target, press the range button, read the distance off the display with the non-aiming eye, while keeping the aiming eye looking thru the scope at the target. Yes, you can see the display with your other eye, while keeping your aiming eye on the target. And this is true for both the radius and the RAPTAR if mounted on the badger or spuhr mounts.
The Radius zeroes exactly the same way. Mount the pvs-14 on the rear of the day scope with the day/night adapter. Now the Radius does not have an ir-laser, but that matters not, just use the vis-laser the same way. Turn it on, aim at a solid known distance target and aligned the laser with the center of the reticle. Then test with known distance targets and repeat if there is an issue.
On my land I can't get out beyond 750yds, but on another property I've zeroed the Radius at 1000yds and it works fine out that far. Said to work further, but that's as far as I've gone.
The above process works for thermal clipons and NV clipons. But for NV clipons you don't need to use the PVS-14 on the rear, the PVS-30, for instance, can see the lasers directly.
If you want to zero your laser with a dedicated thermal, like the Mk3 60mm, that is best done with two people.
Send one guy to the target (make sure the gun is unloaded !! (hecque, hand the guy going to the target, the bolt from the gun)
Put the gun on a tripod. AIM the gun at the target (all guns should be zeroed first and should be set to their zero distance), then activate the laser. We use radios. The guy at the target guides the guy on the gun to adjust the laser until the laser is pointed at the center of the target, while the thermal reticle is pointed at the center of the target. It takes a little bit of patience, but it takes longer to head down to the target and back than it does to zero the LRF.
Once that is done then test and repeat if needed.
You could also do it with a bench rest, with one person, but then you would have to go back and forth to the target a lot. And it is best to zero the LRF on a target that is farther away than you will want to range. So, we've done this exact process at 1,000yds for instance.
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For clipons, the day scope must be set to the zero distance in order to range. I use no-dial shooting primarily for this reason, so I am always sitting on either 50yds or 100yds, depending on the gun, so I can always range.
And again, I have found no functional difference , so far, between the Radius and the RAPTAR and I've been using them both outside since Nov 2017.
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And I had heard "bad things" about the Radius and had crossed it off my list. But when I got the RAPTAR, I asked around some more and heard good things about the Radius. So I got one for me and my shooting buddy.
The complaint about the Radius was that it would not hold zero.
Well, I don't expect them to hold zero, I test them everytime before I use them and expect to zero them before I use them. The Radius has been on the 5.56(18) now for 4 months and has held zero.
I've had to rezero the RAPTAR. I think if you transport the gun with the LRF on there, you should expect to have to rezero it. I have the gear to do that and it can be done in a few minutes if you have the right gear. So, expect to check and rezero before each use and you will not have an expectation issue !! And that's really the issue, expectations. Manage your expectations and you will be fine !
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Are the built in LRFs easier to use because you don't have to zero them? Yes, but will they range accurately out as far? I doubt it!
With the PVS-30 and UTC-x clipons and day scopes with 15x to 20x magnification, you can zoom in more precisely on smaller targets at greater distances. We lase steel targets out to 750yds on my land and 1,000 yds elsewhere at night with these setups. Not sure that can be done that far out with the reduced magnification/resolution of the Trails with LRFs. So, if you only need to range out to say 400yds, then the Trails should work fine. But if you want to go out to 1,000yds, then you just might not be able to aim them at a small target at that distance.
The Radius and RAPTAR can also be used for UNK distance shooting in the day with your day scope.
So all that boils down to "what is your use case" ... for ranging with thermal scopes while hunting at normal hunting distances, inside 300yds at night, the Apex/Trail LRF are fine and easier to use.
