Crimson Trace RAD Sight

AN ELECTRONIC RED DOT optic mounted on a pistol slide is becoming as popular as having a magnified optic on a hunting rifle. If a firearm manufacturer releases a handgun without an optics cut, it will be quickly criticized and lose footing in the market.

Crimson Trace has expanded their electronic sight offerings with their new Rapid Aiming Dot (RAD) series. Coming in three sizes, with green or red aiming dot options, and two series, the RAD optic line should have something for everyone.

I recently was able to attend a weekend at Gunsite in Arizona where we ran the Crimson Trace RAD optics through their paces. Using the CT RAD Pro mounted on a Gen 5 Glock 19 and the CT RAD Max Pro on a Radian AR15 we ran drills on the flat range, down dry creek beds, shoot houses, and even night drills. The RADs kept up with the pace just fine.

I’m picky when it comes to red dots. I’ve been shooting with them since custom gunsmiths were first pioneering milling slides for the Trijicon RMRs.

I have a list of requirements before I’ll sign off on them. First is battery life. It’s gotta last a few years without my worrying about it.  The RADs claim a 20,000-hour battery life on just one 1632 battery. The Pro series automatically adjusts to ambient light and shuts down after two minutes of no motion. Then it will wake itself up again as soon as it senses movement. This obviously extends the battery life even further.

I was quite pleased with the ambient light setting and how well calibrated it was. Many times, with other optics I choose to dial the dot down a setting or two, in order to have a little more precision and less of a “bloom” on my dot. However, the RAD optics seemed to be so well adjusted I never touched the manual buttons.

Yet, what if you need to shoot from a dark spot into a brighter area? The RADs also have manual buttons for you to have as much control over the 3 MOA dot as you wish. Yet, even during the night shoot while using white lights to illuminate the targets downrange, I was able to rely on the automatic ambient setting.

The RAD series also includes features such as easy zeroing adjustments ensuring you don’t have to fiddle with “lock screws” or special tools. And while you don’t have to replace the battery often, you also won’t have to remove the optic from its mount to do so (with the exception of the “micro” model).

I also fell in love with the RAD Max Pro’s larger window, which offered a fantastic view downrange. The larger frame of the Max Pro accepts a 2032 battery which increases battery life to 50,000 hours (nearly six years).

I was pleased that all the RAD series, even the “non-Max” versions, support night vision along with the other eight brightness settings. As far as mounting is concerned, the larger Max is compatible with 1913 picatinny rails, the RAD has a Docter opticsfootprint, while the smallest Micro works with Shield RMS and JPoint footprints.

Retail prices of the RAD line range from $224 to $449. You can find out more at crimsontrace.com and even watch a video of me running them over at topshotdustin.com.

 

Email Dustin Ellermann at ContactUs@fishgame.com

 

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