Seeking Advice on AR pistol light

[357magag]

Million options out there
Price aside what is the brighest and best built rail mounted with pressure switch light on the market.
Some I have seen but dont know the best available.
Cloud Defense Rain
Surefire X400
Modlite.

Thanks

 

[alamo5000]

My opinion only: Your criteria are too vague but also too one dimensional. IE it sounds like you are asking 'which one has the most lumens'...which is not a good way to judge a light.

Also you haven't said if you are shooting suppressed or not, or what environment you will be using it in. Also what your rail length is and what type of rail (m-lok, keymod, etc) would be helpful.

If you are using it in wide open outdoors spaces the amount of 'punch' and how much of a hot spot will matter. If you are planning to use it indoors or in closer proximity the amount of 'spill' will matter.

As for the pressure switch, you asked it like that is the ONLY option. I am a believer that more simple is more better. I do not run night vision so illuminators and all that stuff is not present on my rifles. In other words I have no need to control multiple things such as a white light, a laser, an illuminator and whatever else you can think up. Mine is simply a white light. I put it on the 11 o'clock position (from the shooter's view) so being right handed my left (IE support hand) can activate the light easily without compromising my grip. I run Arisaka lights with momentary buttons on my rifles, and all are the same approximate position. If I need to have constant on I can twist the tail cap 1/4 turn with my support hand and it's on. I've never felt the need to do that though.

I doubt very seriously that my lights are the brightest lumen monsters out there, but where they are located, and how they are activated, as well as the output and spill are all pretty much perfect for me. I am a huge fan of it doesn't have to have wires, then avoid extra wires at all cost. That said a ton of people use wired activation and there is nothing wrong with it just as long as the user has a system for why it is where it's at and all that.

As for wired activation methods the only one out there that even remotely interests me is the Unity Tactical Hot Button. If you want to go that route of wired activation that would be my #1 selection. If I ran a longer rail then the Hot Button would be my first and only choice.

 

[sawman556]

Modlite PHLv2 is my favorite these days. Add mounts, switches, whatever from Unity, Arisaka, Surefire, etc. My favorite setup is the 18350 PHLv2 with a Reptilia mlok light body. No switches. Simple and effective.

 

[357magag]

My opinion only: Your criteria are too vague but also too one dimensional. IE it sounds like you are asking 'which one has the most lumens'...which is not a good way to judge a light.

Also you haven't said if you are shooting suppressed or not, or what environment you will be using it in. Also what your rail length is and what type of rail (m-lok, keymod, etc) would be helpful.

If you are using it in wide open outdoors spaces the amount of 'punch' and how much of a hot spot will matter. If you are planning to use it indoors or in closer proximity the amount of 'spill' will matter.

As for the pressure switch, you asked it like that is the ONLY option. I am a believer that more simple is more better. I do not run night vision so illuminators and all that stuff is not present on my rifles. In other words I have no need to control multiple things such as a white light, a laser, an illuminator and whatever else you can think up. Mine is simply a white light. I put it on the 11 o'clock position (from the shooter's view) so being right handed my left (IE support hand) can activate the light easily without compromising my grip. I run Arisaka lights with momentary buttons on my rifles, and all are the same approximate position. If I need to have constant on I can twist the tail cap 1/4 turn with my support hand and it's on. I've never felt the need to do that though.

I doubt very seriously that my lights are the brightest lumen monsters out there, but where they are located, and how they are activated, as well as the output and spill are all pretty much perfect for me. I am a huge fan of it doesn't have to have wires, then avoid extra wires at all cost. That said a ton of people use wired activation and there is nothing wrong with it just as long as the user has a system for why it is where it's at and all that.

As for wired activation methods the only one out there that even remotely interests me is the Unity Tactical Hot Button. If you want to go that route of wired activation that would be my #1 selection. If I ran a longer rail then the Hot Button would be my first and only choice.

Pretty much one demensional needs.
Alot of lighr in small package that has decent battery life.
Outdoor only.
Suppressed only
Will used to approach hawgs/yotes after having been shot using thermal scope.
No lasers needed.

 

[same_O_G]

Love mine on cloud defense mount

M612U Scout Light WeaponLight | 6-Volt Scout Light® w/ DS07 Switch Assembly & RM45 Mount | SureFire

Lightweight and compact, the M612U Weapon Light offers significant switching versatility for a variety of critical mission needs. Its recoil-proof 1,000-lumen LED is activated via a waterproof DS07 switch assembly, which includes a click-on/off pushbutton switch, a system-disable feature, and an...

www.surefire.com

View attachment 8019224

x2. The Scout is awesome.

 

[LilGucci]

I really enjoy this video by Hop, it's just a starting point for you to sort of take into consideration when making a choice, and obviously, everything alamo5000 said needs to be taken into consideration. I'm going to be buying weapon lights next year when I start my AR-build so I'll also be watching this thread.

 

[alamo5000]

I really enjoy this video by Hop, it's just a starting point for you to sort of take into consideration when making a choice, and obviously, everything alamo5000 said needs to be taken into consideration. I'm going to be buying weapon lights next year when I start my AR-build so I'll also be watching this thread.

Excellent video. For sure.

If you freeze frame on 8:25 I have 300 series single cell Arisaka lights and the momentary cap he mentioned. On my 10.5" I am using an Arisaka 45 degree mlok scout offset mount. On my 9" 300 BLK the rail is too short so I am using a Hailey Strategic Thorntail 2 45 degree picatinny SBR mount. This pushes the light forward slightly in front of the end of the rail so I can maintain the same grip position while having the light in approximately the same position. I don't know if they are still being made even. I have it clamped to the front of the top pic rail but still at the 11 o'clock position. Also this helps slightly with excessive suppressor shadow.

Eventually when you get into the whole light thing you will more than likely find that discriminating about mounting solutions is a good thing. I try to keep my rifles set up as close to similar as possible. However varying rail lengths and whatnot complicate things. Also not all guns are set up to do the same job. Activation methods are also a very important thing. I've tried some 'solutions' that really suck.

 

[357magag]

x2. The Scout is awesome.

Being that it seems like yall are not using the surefire factory mount.
Is the actual light itself found for sale as a standalone unit.
I wasnt able to find it on their site or maybe the light itself is labeled as a different model when its a standalone unit.?

 

[same_O_G]

Being that it seems like yall are not using the surefire factory mount.
Is the actual light itself found for sale as a standalone unit.
I wasnt able to find it on their site or maybe the light itself is labeled as a different model when its a standalone unit.?

I honestly don't know man, mine was issued. It definitely came with a factory mount that sucked and would rattle loose. We run these mounts and have had no problems:

RM45 | Offset Rail Mount for Scout Light® WeaponLights | SureFire

The SureFire RM45 offset mount, designed specifically for Scout Light® Weapon Light models equipped with a thumbscrew clamp, positions the light in the off-set position between the rails of a MIL-STD-1913 (Picatinny) forend, decreasing overall weapon profile and limiting potential snag factor.

www.surefire.com

 

[Dough300]

Streamlight ProTac Rail Mount HL-X.

 

[the monk]

Modlite - General purpose rifle = PLHv2. LPVO = Okw 18650.

 

[nikerret]

The light on all of my rifles and non-standard pistols is the Streamlight Rail Mount 1. I had one assigned on my patrol rifle and it never had an issue or failure. I also have had one on my LMT for nearly a decade.

I was in the group that did the testing and evaluation on which lights we went with. The Rail Mount 1 beat out a lot of other options overall. If you need more brightness, they have the Rail Mount 2 or the newer Rail Mount HLX. In my experience, brighter isn’t better, but that’s a different discussion. I’ll continue to choose the RM1, until something better comes along.

Since you’re asking specifically about AR pistols, here is how I have my RM1 on my 10.5” LWRC DI 5.56. It’s on an Arisaka flat mount:

This pad is a newer style than the one on my LMT (or my previously issued rifle). The older ones looked nicer, but they both work.

 

[pineoak]

Easy button option if not used tactically (home defense ok) is the Streamlight TLR1-HL. Great throw, 1000 lumens, low price, durable. My criticism of it on a rifle are that an accidental/ND of white light is likely given how easy the lever moves and it's location compared to Surefire X300U. If slung on body, duty use I would not recommend.

X300U/X400 isn't a bad choice on a carbine/5.56.

You need to decide if you want to use ONLY CR123 batteries or if the larger single rechargeable batteries work for your planned usage. Bear in mind that you can get rechargeable CR123s but they have low power.

This link has pics attached to show different heads at 100 yards. Remember that for most people it's not going to be a firefight at 250 yards... your situational awareness peripherally is going to be worth more at "outside your house at night" distances for most folks that don't own acreage.

I do not use pressure switches so I won't comment on it.

Arisaka, Modlite, and Surefire Beam Shots

I regularly get asked for beam comparison photos of all the lights we carry. The following images were taken in manual with ISO, aperture, and shutter speed locked. The settings were chosen that most closely represented the amount of light visible to our naked eye. The EXIF data is preserved, if...

arisakadefense.com