Who knows anything about Radical Firearms.

[Hornett]

http://www.radicalfirearms.com/

Good company? Reliable? Quality?
I saw a good deal on a Radical Firearms upper but I don't know a thing about them.
Any info is appreciated.

 

[Spear Dane]

I own two of their AR-15s, one is a .50 Beowulf clone and the other in 7.62. I have found them to be fine rifles and worth every penny and more. There is lots of info out there. Reviews both written and on you tube. They also have great service. I only ever had one problem and they fixed it immediately.

 

[Yamadog35]

I have two of their uppers in 556. 16" and a 10.5". I used their BCG in the 16". Both have been used on Spikes lowers. I haven't shot either of them a ton yet, but they've been fine so far. Both uppers are outfitted with their basic round handguard. They seem to to be good for the price. Got both of mine on sale - one at Primary Arms and the other through AIM.

 

[LEaSH]

I have a Radical 10.5" in 5.56. I have only shot about 100 rounds through this one. So far so good.

 

[Hornett]

Thanks for all the help guys.
That's good news.

 

[Beowulf]

Personally, I would stay away from them. I owned two of their uppers (still own one). The first, my .300 BLK upper is fine, with no issues. The second was a 7.62x39 upper that just would never run right, jamming after only a few rounds, just about every single time. I went back and forth with Radical on this, shipping the upper back multiple times (with me paying for the shipping to them), with them still never fixing it properly. Finally, a local gunsmith identified that the extrator spring was very weak and the extractor wasn't particularly in good shape. I bought a whole new bolt, installed it in the carrier and then finally got it running properly.

Now, manufacturing defects can happen to anyone, but what makes companies stand out is their customer service. Flat out, their customer service (and frankly their competence) sucks.

Just remember, you get what you pay for. If you are okay with the possibility of having to replace parts to get their uppers to run, then by all means pick one up. Otherwise, go with a company that will actually stand by their products.

 

[Bfish]

I personally can't recommend them, but a friend of mine used one for their 300blk barrels and it shoots fantastic! Just as well as my aero and another guys BCM. So take that for what it's worth, just thought I'd add to it.

 

[NyleRN]

Not sure if they've got their crap together but not too long ago guys has barrel extensions spinning off and they put out some gas tubes that were out of spec. The flared end was bigger than the gas key hole.

 

[sharkey]

Personally, I would stay away from them. I owned two of their uppers (still own one). The first, my .300 BLK upper is fine, with no issues. The second was a 7.62x39 upper that just would never run right, jamming after only a few rounds, just about every single time. I went back and forth with Radical on this, shipping the upper back multiple times (with me paying for the shipping to them), with them still never fixing it properly. Finally, a local gunsmith identified that the extrator spring was very weak and the extractor wasn't particularly in good shape. I bought a whole new bolt, installed it in the carrier and then finally got it running properly.

Now, manufacturing defects can happen to anyone, but what makes companies stand out is their customer service. Flat out, their customer service (and frankly their competence) sucks.

Just remember, you get what you pay for. If you are okay with the possibility of having to replace parts to get their uppers to run, then by all means pick one up. Otherwise, go with a company that will actually stand by their products.

Better or worse than Vulcan? $500 for a.458 upper is tempting...

 

[MohawkSlim]

Their entry-level stuff is a good value. You'll get things like knurled controls and 1:7 barrel for less than you'd pay for a comparable DPMS or S&W.

 

[jd4320t]

I think all I've seen or heard about was a video Jordan Winkler of Tactical Response did on their 7.5 pistol. It wouldn't run. He sent it back and they took care of him. The follow up video showed it running flawlessly.

 

[yeti rider]

I'll have to keep an eye on this thread. I recently built my ingo lower receiver with a radical upper. At this point, all i can say is that it looks nice. I haven't had a chance to fire it.

 

[THE BIG SITT]

I've seen a few reports of shoddy gunsmithing on their end. Things like barrel nut extensions coming off, pigtailed gas tubes, and crush washers being installed backwards. They may have gotten better, but I'd still rather go elsewhere. PSA is always a favorite, and I've heard good things about MAS Defense.

 

[milton]

My impression is they are ok. I'd imagine most people will buy them and they will be fine, but you always get what you pay for. Quality of materials isn't up to snuff in my opinion.

Now how long will it take you to run it to this level? It may serve you well for years without issue. See video below. This is a series of videos testing a complete radical rifle. At first he thinks pretty highly of it, until it fails. I suspect that will be the impression most will have.

[video]https://youtu.be/kfCUjjA2F4U[/video]

 

[shootersix]

I bought one of the 16.5 in uppers last year for 375.00(shipping included with a nbc bolt carrier group,and a mellonite coated bbl), and I haven't had a problem yet. they're gtg in my book

I do have a problem with the gun, the bolt wont lock open on empty, but I think its a problem with the bolt stop, and not the upper(its a mag tactical lower, and I think the coating on the frame is the problem, I had problems with the rear detent pin, and the safety lever too)

 

[Beowulf]

Better or worse than Vulcan? $500 for a.458 upper is tempting...

Well, my upper just didn't run, it didn't pipe bomb in my face... so, better, I guess?

 

[d.kaufman]

Ive got a complete 16" in 458 socom, zero issues other than if you use standard pmags. Once i bought a couple wilson combat mags made for the 458, no problems. Pmags have to be slightly modified to function reliably. Also have a complete in 556 and after roughly 2k rounds, I'll definitely be buying another