Wilcox RAPTAR S Rapid Targeting & Ranging Saber Fire Control System

Laser Range Finder and Aiming Module - Lusterless Brown

Ballistic calculators, dope cards, log books, slide rules, BDCs, and good old Kentucky windage. Each has their place. Which would you choose if everything was on the line? Whether shooting for a podium, once in a lifetime hunt, or for your life, you should use the best tools available. The state of the art is no longer phone apps and laser range finders. Integrated fire control systems are no longer the future, they are available now. Wilcox has enhanced their existing RAPTAR laser aiming module to build a fully featured fire control unit that not only can range your target, but give you an accurate firing solution based on range, cant, inclination, heading, weather, ballistic data, spin drift, and even the rotation of the earth. The RAPTAR S is a tool trusted by the best, as is apparent from their frequent appearance on winning rifles seen at the International Sniper Competition. This technology sits atop scopes that keep us safe. They can also find their way into your hands and onto your rifle.

Features and Benefits

• Proven Heritage: Wilcox has been making military equipment for years.
• Results Speak For Themselves: The RAPTAR S has been taken numerous podiums in the USSOCOM International Sniper Competition.
• Long Range: Capable of 1,550m measurements helps you reach the full extent of your rifle.
• Full Featured Ballistic Solver: Applied Ballistics gives firing solutions using your rifle data, range, cant, inclination, heading, weather, spin drift, and even the Coriolis effect.
  
• OLED Display: Gives a clean read out in MOA, MIL, Inches, and ACOG.
• Connectivity: Syncs with external devices such as Kestrels and select weapon sights.
  
• Custom Ballistic Profiles: Store up to 12 rifle and bullet profiles.
  
• Integrated Environmental Sensors: On-board capabilities measure temperature, pressure, humidity, inclination, cant, and heading.
• Remote Pressure Pad: Identical button configuration to the controls on the main unit for simplified muscle memory.
• Eye Safe: Fully civilian legal to purchase (low power rated).

The concept of a self contained fire control system is alluring. Arthur C. Clarke once stated, "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” It is wild to see the state of technology where this seemingly mystical box can sit on a diving board above your scope and tell you how to shoot. Like rangefinders you are probably familiar with, the Wilcox RAPTAR S uses a laser to measure the distance to the target. While other rangefinders can do simple things like compensate for high angle shots, the Wilcox brings much more to the table. By setting up profiles for your rifle and ammunition, you can receive a full firing solution at the push of a button. The RAPTAR S can even be linked with a Kestrel to feed it real time atmospherics. The RAPTAR S doesn't stop there, it also packs a full aiming module with both visible red and IR lasers as well as an IR illuminator. The visible and IR lasers are coordinated so you can zero both at the same time using just the visible laser. It's not sorcery, you really can do it all with a single unit. Science lets you focus on your fundamentals of trigonometry and physics.

Can you get these capabilities in other devices? Yes, but you'll end up hanging multiple devices on your rifle. If you want all in one package, the Wilcox RAPTAR S is for you. While it is expensive, its capabilities eliminate the need to purchase multiple different devices. This is for the most dedicated shooters and professionals.

Technical Deep Dive

Many rangefinders on the market offer basic functions such as angle compensation. We all remember the Pythagorean Theorem. That's basic middle school math. Some more advanced models might have a compass or maybe a thermometer. And while there are weapon mountable units, the Wilcox RAPTAR S brings a full suite of capabilities to bear. 

Unlike less advanced models, the RAPTAR S integrates a full featured ballistic solver and atmospheric sensors to give the most accurate data. Applied Ballistics provides the software for this powerful hardware. From a simple glance at the OLED display the shooter can get all the information they need. And with a 1,500 meter range, you can push the unit to extreme ranges.

The other major feature of the RAPTAR S is its laser aiming and IR illumination capability. Don't let the dark take you out of action.

Unique Insights

So why would you want an advanced LRF unit like this? There's a saying in computing, "Garbage in, garbage out." If you have bad data, insufficient data, or no data then you can't expect good results. When you're on the clock, getting that data fast matters. Having the ballistic computer mounted to the rifle takes crucial seconds off the time to fire. Instead of getting off the rifle, picking up a rangefinder, finding the target again, lasing the target, entering the range and inclination into your ballistic calculator, taking that result, adjusting your optic, getting back on the rifle, and finding the target again, the shooter keeps aim, hits a button, and gets a firing solution. Get good data fast. This level of speed and precision can put shooters on podiums, make once in a lifetime long range hunting shots, and more.

Specifications

Photos courtesy of Wilcox and the Army Times