WardenWolf
member
At $500, the Radical Firearms FGS-12 seems like a spectacular deal, almost too good to be true. It's a true flat-top AR15 with a free-floated flush-railed handguard and a nice Ergo-Grip. We've all seen or heard of cheap AR's that won't run, and Radical Firearms is a relative newcomer on the scene.
I was immediately drawn to this rifle because it was very similar to some of the Stag Arms offerings that I liked, for several hundred dollars less. The few reviews I found were very favorable, so I took a chance.
This is the rifle as I received it (cat not included):
I was immediately impressed with the fit and finish on the gun. The handguard fits so well that it's impossible to tell where the receiver ends and the handguard ends when looking at the rail. Aside from the cheap metal magazine that came with it, everything else looked spectacular.
Obviously, the rifle needed some sights. As this is a budget build, I looked for the best deal I could find. I settled on the Ultimate Arms Gear flip-up iron sights, at $40 for a complete set. They got good reviews on Amazon, and iron sights aren't exactly rocket science. I also, at this time, installed a $15 left-handed safety from Stag Arms (I'm left-handed).
I took it to the NRA range in Fairfax, Virginia, to do the initial tests and sight in. I put 60 rounds through the gun while doing initial sight-in and function tests. Both the gun and the sights did their jobs flawlessly. I did not oil or lube the rifle in any way after removing it from the box. It was running just the way it came to me.
Satisfied that I had a working gun, I set about getting it fully set up how I wanted it. A better brake was a must. I found this article comparing a large number of muzzle devices. The third-best performing device was the Miculek compensator. All the high-end compensators, both above and below it, cost $80+. The third-ranked Miculek compensator only cost $40, making it the obvious choice.
I prefer the look and feel of an A2-style fixed stock, so I ordered that, then set about deciding on a red dot. There's tons of red dots to choose from, most of them with 3 MOA or larger dots. I plan to put a magnifier on the gun eventually, so I would not accept larger than 2 MOA. Most red dots with those levels of precision are in the $400+ range, but I discovered some alternatives. There's a number of Russian and Belorussian-designed red dots available. Some of them, such as the PK-A, Kobra, and PK-06 offer a dot size in the range I was looking for.
After extensive research, I settled on the PK-06 red dot. For $200, I got a nigh-indestructible light-sensing optic with a 1 MOA dot and 3 different reticles. For all intents and purposes, it's like having an Eotech without all an Eotech's problems. After fitting it with a 0.5" riser, I was able to co-witness.
I took it to the range again tonight. I did not clean it since my original range session, as I was wanting to test its reliability. I sighted in the PK-06 and ran a total of 90 rounds through it tonight in less than an hour, with nary a hiccup. That's 150 rounds total since it came out of the box with no cleaning or lube. I'll call that a win.
Bottom line:
Is this a good rifle? Yes.
Can you trust your life to this rifle? Also yes. I've seen junk AR15's that won't run, but this is not junk. A person in an adjacent lane had a new Smith & Wesson M&P Sport that was having trouble, but I had no issues with mine.
Cost breakdown:
Radical Firearms FGS-12: $500 shipped from AIM Surplus
Left-handed safety: $15 from Stag Arms
Flip-up iron sights: $40 from Ultimate Arms Gear
Miculek compensator: $40 from Miculek.com
PK-06 red dot: $200 from Kalinka Optics
A2 buttstock kit: $90 from Stag Arms
Total (not including shipping costs): $885.
Not bad for a rifle that's set up exactly how I want. Not bad, at all.
Asia (my cat) approves, as well:
I was immediately drawn to this rifle because it was very similar to some of the Stag Arms offerings that I liked, for several hundred dollars less. The few reviews I found were very favorable, so I took a chance.
This is the rifle as I received it (cat not included):
I was immediately impressed with the fit and finish on the gun. The handguard fits so well that it's impossible to tell where the receiver ends and the handguard ends when looking at the rail. Aside from the cheap metal magazine that came with it, everything else looked spectacular.
Obviously, the rifle needed some sights. As this is a budget build, I looked for the best deal I could find. I settled on the Ultimate Arms Gear flip-up iron sights, at $40 for a complete set. They got good reviews on Amazon, and iron sights aren't exactly rocket science. I also, at this time, installed a $15 left-handed safety from Stag Arms (I'm left-handed).
I took it to the NRA range in Fairfax, Virginia, to do the initial tests and sight in. I put 60 rounds through the gun while doing initial sight-in and function tests. Both the gun and the sights did their jobs flawlessly. I did not oil or lube the rifle in any way after removing it from the box. It was running just the way it came to me.
Satisfied that I had a working gun, I set about getting it fully set up how I wanted it. A better brake was a must. I found this article comparing a large number of muzzle devices. The third-best performing device was the Miculek compensator. All the high-end compensators, both above and below it, cost $80+. The third-ranked Miculek compensator only cost $40, making it the obvious choice.
I prefer the look and feel of an A2-style fixed stock, so I ordered that, then set about deciding on a red dot. There's tons of red dots to choose from, most of them with 3 MOA or larger dots. I plan to put a magnifier on the gun eventually, so I would not accept larger than 2 MOA. Most red dots with those levels of precision are in the $400+ range, but I discovered some alternatives. There's a number of Russian and Belorussian-designed red dots available. Some of them, such as the PK-A, Kobra, and PK-06 offer a dot size in the range I was looking for.
After extensive research, I settled on the PK-06 red dot. For $200, I got a nigh-indestructible light-sensing optic with a 1 MOA dot and 3 different reticles. For all intents and purposes, it's like having an Eotech without all an Eotech's problems. After fitting it with a 0.5" riser, I was able to co-witness.
I took it to the range again tonight. I did not clean it since my original range session, as I was wanting to test its reliability. I sighted in the PK-06 and ran a total of 90 rounds through it tonight in less than an hour, with nary a hiccup. That's 150 rounds total since it came out of the box with no cleaning or lube. I'll call that a win.
Bottom line:
Is this a good rifle? Yes.
Can you trust your life to this rifle? Also yes. I've seen junk AR15's that won't run, but this is not junk. A person in an adjacent lane had a new Smith & Wesson M&P Sport that was having trouble, but I had no issues with mine.
Cost breakdown:
Radical Firearms FGS-12: $500 shipped from AIM Surplus
Left-handed safety: $15 from Stag Arms
Flip-up iron sights: $40 from Ultimate Arms Gear
Miculek compensator: $40 from Miculek.com
PK-06 red dot: $200 from Kalinka Optics
A2 buttstock kit: $90 from Stag Arms
Total (not including shipping costs): $885.
Not bad for a rifle that's set up exactly how I want. Not bad, at all.
Asia (my cat) approves, as well:
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