Weapon Light Advice

[Douglas-001]

While testing the kit on Christmas Eve at my father in laws, the small Insight light I have on the quad rail of the 6920 proved to be somewhat lacking. Here at home in the yard and around the house it works quite well. I was out in Henry County and there are NO lights or anything around. The stars that night were impressive. The insight needs more oomph. His house is well out in the sticks and once I got beyond his barn, I was stunned at just how much more light I should have. I know that Surefire makes good kit, and the Insight is a good little light. Do members have a portable sun that they mount on their guns for these type of operations? I could have been attacked by a Great White Saber Toothed Rabbit and would have never seen him.....fortunately, I only suffered minor frostbite. Recall members that I have sensitive skin. Thanks.

Doug

 

[HD1911]

While testing the kit on Christmas Eve at my father in laws, the small Insight light I have on the quad rail of the 6920 proved to be somewhat lacking. Here at home in the yard and around the house it works quite well. I was out in Henry County and there are NO lights or anything around. The stars that night were impressive. The insight needs more oomph. His house is well out in the sticks and once I got beyond his barn, I was stunned at just how much more light I should have. I know that Surefire makes good kit, and the Insight is a good little light. Do members have a portable sun that they mount on their guns for these type of operations? I could have been attacked by a Great White Saber Toothed Rabbit and would have never seen him.....fortunately, I only suffered minor frostbite. Recall members that I have sensitive skin. Thanks.

Doug

SureFire Scout Light Ultra....500 Lumens in an LED. I really like mine. Pretty stunning beam out in the country at night....def. overkill and counterproductive in a home with white walls!!!

 

[Chris@InterstateGuns]

I like my surefire x300 ultra on my dd. Couple it with an EXO and you're golden.

 

[Papa Zero Three]

There are several lights that would better suit your needs but it would help if you stated your budget as some of them are quiet pricey.

 

[Zebra644]

I have used a Stream Light TLR2, a Black Hawk Xiphos and a Surfire 300X 500 lumen Ultra. I would rate them Surefire,Streamlight,Blackhawk. I have the Surefire with the pressure pad on my Spikes that is used for work rifle. Its pretty well put together. I also use a 700 lumen Powertac with strobe that can be recharged. it's awesome especially on a traffic stop at night.

 

[Cdiver0109]

Owned both surefire and stream light. If it were my money I'd spend it on the tlr-1 hd. If cash is no concern then you won't go wrong with surefire.

 

[fireEMT5]

Just another option, but I really like these - HDS Systems: EDC Tactical Flashlights, EDC Clicky Flashlights, EDC Custom, EDC Executive, EDC Tactical, EDC LE, EDC Rotary, Ra Clicky, EDC-120 you the option of using either primary or rechargable lithium batteries.

 

[S4599]

I've been happy with my X300 Ultras ever since they came out.

 

[coastwatcher42]

You might want to look at Elzetta. I don't have this particular light but I have several of their other lights and they are top notch.

Elzetta High Output Flashlights, AVS Technology

 

[Derek01]

Here is an 800 lumen light/strobe on sale
LA Police Gear Operator L1 800 Lumens Flashlight

 

[Centuriator]

Thumbs up for the Surefire x300.

You have to be careful about TOO many lumens, for you can end up blinding yourself in a bad situation, as well as the bad guy.

Also, another big plus of the Surefire x300 is that it is very small, light and compact. That's a big factor to consider.

It is extremely bright.

Just FYI.

 

[19Scout77]

Thumbs up for the Surefire x300.

You have to be careful about TOO many lumens, for you can end up blinding yourself in a bad situation, as well as the bad guy.

Also, another big plus of the Surefire x300 is that it is very small, light and compact. That's a big factor to consider.

It is extremely bright.

Just FYI.

So Amsdorf, which light is best for late night microwaving of a tactical burrito or better yet a mil spec hotpocket without waking your platoon of low speed high drag attack felines??

 

[pizzamanny]

Used surefire lights for long guns are a great deal. You can get QD and IR for around 200.

 

[Zebra1]

I would consider the main usage of the light to decide. If the main use will be indoors, you don't want too bright a light, outdoors you need more. The type of light source i.e. incandescent, halogen, led, etc. also comes into play. There are great reviews/comparisons that explain it a heck of a lot better than I can. Some bulb types reach out further than others for the same lumens. As you probably well know, there is no true 'Do All' with most gear.

The Surefire Mini Scout is a good light. A little bigger profile than the x300, but more versatile as you can also use a remote switch which it comes with as well as the tail cap switch. At 200 Lumens, not too bright, a little brighter than the standard x300, but not overly bright as the x300 ultra which is 500. It can be considered as a good compromise, usable for indoor use and some outdoor. I have the x300, and while a bright, compact light, having the tail cap switch only can have some drawbacks dependent on position. You can buy the remote switch, but they are not cheap, 80 bucks or so. The mini scout also runs on just 1 CR123. That will be my next light. I also have the Surefire 961, but that is a big light using 3 Cr123's.

 

[WaveNature]

If you want a weapon light for outdoor use out in the boondocks then you should be looking at candela not lumens. You will want a focused narrow beam in order to get as much distance as possible.

The only light I've found that was specifically designed as a weapon light and also has a deliberately narrow beam is the streamlight TLR-1 HP. It's rated at 200 lumens but it puts out more candela and appears brighter at distance than the TLR-1 HL, (rated at 600 lumens) because of it's focused beam.

That said, streamlight customer service blows and their weapon light accessories are cheap and gimmicky. YMMV

 

[Douglas-001]

Great advice as always members, thank you. I found the X300 at $229 and it has 500 Lumens. Then there is the Mini Scout Light at $258 and it has 200 Lumens. The scout has the tail and pad switch as well as being offered in a sort of flat dark earth/tan color that matches some of the parts on the rifle.
(Anyone find them cheaper) Boredom is a terrible thing....I checked out the other options posted but I have a surefire flashlight (10 years now) and will stick with them as they have stood behind their product. So in closing, help me make a choice. Thank you.

Doug

P.S. sticking my head in an oven is not on the list I can get that abuse here at home

 

[HD1911]

Great advice as always members, thank you. I found the X300 at $229 and it has 500 Lumens. Then there is the Mini Scout Light at $258 and it has 200 Lumens. The scout has the tail and pad switch as well as being offered in a sort of flat dark earth/tan color that matches some of the parts on the rifle.
(Anyone find them cheaper) Boredom is a terrible thing....I checked out the other options posted but I have a surefire flashlight (10 years now) and will stick with them as they have stood behind their product. So in closing, help me make a choice. Thank you.

Doug

P.S. sticking my head in an oven is not on the list I can get that abuse here at home

PM Sent

 

[-Claybuster-]

Take your time these were $160 a couple weeks ago.

Amazon.com: Surefire Ultra High Ouput LED Weaponlight, Black: Sports & Outdoors

Great advice as always members, thank you. I found the X300 at $229 and it has 500 Lumens. Then there is the Mini Scout Light at $258 and it has 200 Lumens. The scout has the tail and pad switch as well as being offered in a sort of flat dark earth/tan color that matches some of the parts on the rifle.
(Anyone find them cheaper) Boredom is a terrible thing....I checked out the other options posted but I have a surefire flashlight (10 years now) and will stick with them as they have stood behind their product. So in closing, help me make a choice. Thank you.

Doug

P.S. sticking my head in an oven is not on the list I can get that abuse here at home

 

[jolofree]

Check out the Fenix line of lights, they're pretty decent for the money

 

[Bunkin]

One option I'm considering for my next AR build is running the new 1000 lumen SF light. Its a bit on the large side, but the light output is fantastic and the price is not bad, under 200 IIRC.

 

[Hootiewho]

The X300 is a great light, but is best suited for a pistol. It was too easy to get a ND of the light when I had one of my patrol rifle. The light was also never designed to withstand impacting on a barricade the way it will on a carbine front end like other lights. Kyle Lamb brought up some very good points around this that were learned the hard way.

IMHO the best thing going right now is a single output Fury. It is the perfect balance (to me) of having a ton of perapheral coverage (great in a structure) and a long throw (great for traffic stops & outdoor work). Plus you can get a Fury in a mount from places like Bravo for a good bit less than a new Scout.

 

[Chucky]

Here are a few of my opinions for weapon lights.

1. Led is the way to go. You can still find plenty of incandescent lights for a good price but if you cannot upgrade them to led they are outdated and should be steered away from unless you are a firefighter or tracking which it is a little better suited for but with the warm tint led's it is almost as good.

2. While the X300 line is amazing on a pistol I try to steer away from it on a rifle unless you are not going to shoot it a lot or it has almost no chance of getting banged around. The plastic mount is fine on a pistol but mounting it on an aluminum rail where it might get sheered off and light ND's are an issue I usually recommend against it.

3. Lights are not all created equal. While the P2X makes an affordable light that you can mount on the side of a rifle it doesn't have the throw of a M600U or the switching options. The P2X uses a reflector so it has a huge wall of light where as the M600U has a TIR head which focuses the beam so it has a lot more throw.

4. If you are going to use the light mostly indoors I would go with a reflector or something with under 200 lumens for the most part. You will save some money this way and it is more than enough. Hell 50 lumens indoors would still disorient someone and allow you to have positive ID before a shoot or no shoot incident.

If anyone has any specific questions just ask me. Because something costs the most doesn't mean it will fit your needs the best. I never recommend the most expensive of anything unless it fits your needs.

 

[kthomas]

I have a surefire x300 on a pistol, its a great little light for that purpose, but as Chuck states above there are probably better options suited for your needs. I'm sure he would be a great guy to ask regarding which surefire product would suit your needs, sending him a pm or an email certainly couldn't hurt.

I just recently purchased a WML for my KAC sr15, and decided to go with Travis Haleys Insight wml, with his thorntail offset mount. I have it mounted on the front of the rail on the left hand side. This allows me to activate it with my left thumb, when using a "costa" or "haley" style grip on the firearm. I haven't really used it beyond playing with it inside my house, but so far it seems like a quality unit. The Haley Strategic WML differs slightly than the standard options that Insight offers. It has only 1 setting, a 200 lumen LED light, with a momentary on/off pressure switch. I'm a big believer in the K.I.S.S. principal, and this WML seems to suit that purpose quite fine.

This is my first WML for an ar15, so I really can't compare it to any other ar15 WML. So far I like it, and I believe it's a light you should throw on your list.

 

[Douglas-001]

Again, thank you members. I made the move on a Surefire M600. This will be for outdoor use as anything in the house is covered by an Insight that is a little stronger than the other model. Here in the city there is usually some ambient light around. But like I said, out there in the sticks I knew that I would move into something much stronger. I looked into all the options posted but stuck with Surefire as I have found that they stand behind their kit. Maybe I should have waited to get with Chuck from surefire for the best pricing. I'll try to warm up a slice of cold pizza with the light, and give members a full report. Good luck and good shooting.

Doug