Weapon Lights - What and Why?

[GriffonSec]

Over the past couple of weeks, lighting, both weapon lights and hand helds have been on my mind, and after a bit of a search here, found nothing that covers the questions or even thought process behind the choices of lighting. I went through the "Explain your layout" thread, but it turned into a parts list fairly quickly, with lighting just touched on at times.

So if I may:

What weapon light do you run, ouput level, and why?

Also, what would you prefer in a weapon light? Dedicated, removeable hand held, ect...

Reasoning behind the question, I just modified my TLR-1 to correct the one issue I had with it. I've been pleased with the output and outdoors I can view and identify at range in the night. Indoors is a bit different. The thought came to me that there may be a possibility of too much output on a HD weapon during the bump in the night scenario. I put it to a small test by keeping my eyes closed for a length of time, lights out, and getting up and activating the light. Wash against the walls was pretty bright prior to adjustment, and I'm not on a full battery (less than 135 lumens) with the TLR. An upgraded 6p handheld is just fine for about anything I need to do, because I'm up, adjusted, and carrying.

Is there a difference in your decision for a HD weapon and a duty/work/training weapon?

My lights are as follows:

TLR-1 mounted on the SBR. Admittedly chosen due to cost, and output comparable to the X300. Output rated 135 lumens, and I've been pleased for the most part with the light. A bit bulky on limited 7" rail space.
Surefire 6p that will be upgraded to either Malkoff head or TNVC. Great light all around, and the upgrade will allow more output, and longer battery life.

I prefer a dedicated weaopn light over a mounted handheld. The mini scout light is more in the ideal use, however it certainly is priced out there to justify consideration for me. That said, I'm trying to come up with something for myself, that stays compact, better than adequate output, and single 123 battery in a self contained mount.

Your feedback is much appreciated.

-Steve

[Paulo_Santos]

For an AR, I prefer the Surefire G2 LED. Very affordable and works great. I prefer to have a QD mount for it, but any decent mount will work.

[Hmac]

I had been using a G2 in a Gear Sector mount, but recently have gone to mounting my TLR-1 on the top rail instead, at least on my SBR which has no FSB. I like that better because it's so easily detachable.

http://www.pbase.com/hmac/image/130121630.jpg


I can still could mount the G2 (LED) if I need/want to.

http://www.pbase.com/hmac/image/130121501.jpg

[TehLlama]

For me, every weapon that isn't used exclusively during the day gets a light, and some still get a light. This even dated back to my days airsofting - I had weaponlights installed for the 'cool guy' factor, only to discover that even during the day they were extremely useful indoors and when clearing structures. At night they were invaluable, as long as I had the switching laid out correctly.

Anything between 70-200 lumens will work - the Surefire options seem to always be my preference. X300 is the most adaptable light there is, with adequate throw for pistols or carbines. Every go-to weapon in my house wears one (1911 with Dawson Rail, S&W M&P9; DD 14.5" Light Rifle @ 12:00, ADCO custom Mk18 clone pistol also at 12:00).
Other rifles get X600's or M300 scout lights, but I haven't figured out the switching just yet (offset lights and URX front sights make this tricky for me) - if Surefire could just roll out a G1 (3V Polymer light with KX1 head) that would be the go-to budget weapon light.

An LED version of the G2 qualifies for an ideal value light - I wish I kept the one I had and stuck with those, but the Scout's are such sex machines I couldn't resist.

[Creeky73]

I have a Surefire Mini Scout on an IWC mount, sitting on top of magpul hand guards. At 110 lumens, it is not as bright as a lot of other lights out now, but I think it is sufficient enough. The main advantages to this setup are weight and location of light. Since the Mini uses only one CR123 battery, it is very small, and the mount puts the light right beside the front sight while keeping it out of your hand's way. Admittedly, there are cheaper setups out there, but I think this setup compliments a lightweight build pretty well.

[Jerry R]

Remington 1187 20" Deer Barrel with Rifle Sights. TLR-1s at 3 O’clock on a dedicated 1-slot picatinny on the magazine extension. 160 Lumens with a Tape Switch on the fore grip. Selected for size and output. This works very well in an HD environment. Appears to put #4 buck in the center of the light's 'hot spot' at HD distances.

5.56 16" Carbine. G2-L with TNVC Upgrade (220 Lumens) at 1 O’clock in a KZ OFM Offset light mount on the rail extension in front of the front sight tower. Aftermarket tape switch on a LaRue FUG. This rig works very well and is a good indoor/outdoor setup. Selected for use on this rifle because I already had it.

6.8SPC 10.5” SBR. TLR-1s at 3 O’clock on the front edge of the picatinny. 160 Lumens with a tape switch on a Larue FUG. Selection based on functionality seen on the Remington shotgun; i.e., size, weight, and apparent durability.

Nightstand. Surefire G2X (200 Lumens) handheld with a S&W Performance Center CQB in .45ACP. Selected for “Take back the night” output in a very small package. This works well two-handed for me. I do not currently own a handgun with a rail.

Go Bag. Surefire 6PD with TNVC Upgrade (220 Lumens). Selected for output, size, and weight for the bag.

Computer bag. Surefire E2D – 80 Lumens. So far no problems at the airport checkpoints. Would get me down the stairwell in a hotel fire.

Truck. Surefire 9P with TNVC Upgrade (220 Lumens). Lots of outdoor output for any use.

Truck. MagLight 6 D Cell Flashlight. Selected for reasonable illumination and because I may not have to shoot them all. Weight is not a constraint in the truck.

All lights selected, except the MagLight, were also chosen because they use the same batteries as the EOTechs. One type of spares in the VLTOR stock for anything that depletes.

[Quib]

TLR-1 on both the carbine and XD.

Attractors to the TLR-1:

- Price
- Light Output
- Battery Life

Distractor:

- Accidental light activation with the TLR-1 on the carbine HG's. I milled over how to address this for a while.
- Accidental light activation was remedied with my modification to the sw lever.
- Thumb-nut too thin. This was corrected as well with a modification I came up with.
(Pistol TLR-1 retains original thumb-nut and sw.)


http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5289/5308318040_fd8c5cff59_b.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5288/5262012397_44e7e1dc7a_b.jpg

[Eric]

A white light mounted on the carbine is critical for any duty/defensive use, but a separate hand-held light needs to be accessible as well. My work rig has an old school SF 6P that was upgraded with an LED emitter. Elsewhere I have a SL TLR-1, a SF G2, SF M900, SL PolyTac.

[GriffonSec]

Quib, you and I are pretty much on the same page regarding the TLR-1. The thumb nut doesn't get to me as much however.

I guess what I'm wondering is can there be too much light in a HD weapon vs a duty weapon? While I like the TLR-1 plenty, the size and output of a lot of the newer single 123 LED lights are appealing, and mounted similar to a mini Scout (offset) or in a Gear Sector mount would give back the very limited amount of real estate on the SBR, and cut a couple of ounces at the same time. 110-140 lumen seems more than adequate to me so far for HD, bordering on a bit too much. I've pretty much decided to put the Malkoff head or TNVC upgrade in the 6P, which is on the nightstand with the .45.

I agree that Surefire makes outstanding lights, it's choking down the price that gets me (outside of the G series).

Thanks for the input so far....

[Creeky73]

not claiming to be fully informed on this, but it seems as if I have seen it suggested that you can indeed have lights that are so bright that they negatively effect your own vision, especially if used indoors and with eyes fully adjusted for night time. and IIRC I want to say it was suggested to be somewhere in the neighborhood of 100 lumens? I could be talking completely out my butt on this one though.

[Eric]

I agree that Surefire makes outstanding lights, it's choking down the price that gets me (outside of the G series).
Agreed. Another SF to take a look at is the new G2X/6PX series. (http://www.surefire.com/G2X6PXCampaign) For about $55 you can get a high output LED light with SF quality and support.

[Quib]

Quib, you and I are pretty much on the same page regarding the TLR-1. The thumb nut doesn't get to me as much however.

On the pistol, I do not mind the OEM thumb-nut. The light was initially mounted and it stays mounted, and in this case I think the thinner profile of the OEM thumb-nut is an advantage.

ETA: What I would be interested in seeing, is Streamlight come out with a retrofit kit to modify the TLR-1 with a quick release lever.

[GriffonSec]

On the pistol, I do not mind the OEM thumb-nut. The light was initially mounted and it stays mounted, and in this case I think the thinner profile of the OEM thumb-nut is an advantage.

ETA: What I would be interested in seeing, is Streamlight come out with a retrofit kit to modify the TLR-1 with a quick release lever.


I've wondered something similar, and I always forget about doing it. I've seen this before, and wondered if it could be made to work.....

http://spinstage.http.internapcdn.net/Spinstage/userdocs/skus/p_100003575_1.jpg

From Brownell's. 36.50- http://www.brownells.com/1/1/37472-micro-mounts-lrp-quick-release-conversion-kit-aimpoint.html

I'm really wanting to try the Streamlight PT-1L. Single 123, 110 lumen, about 1.5oz lighter with a GS mount, couple tenths longer than the TLR. Bad thing is the body of the light is a tad over 3/4 inch, so too small for any GS mount without some kind of shim. Mni scout sized, similar output level. I've never had any issues with any Streamlight (TLR and old Stinger XT's) product in the past, so I may give it a shot. It'd be nice if there was a single 123 body for the 6P. Dont' know if it would work on 1 battery, and I know that life would be less, but it'd make for a nice compact light also.

[Quib]

It's funny you mention that lever.....cause I've had my eye on the same thing in my Brownell's AR Catalog

[MoxyDave]

To answer the OP's questions, I wanted the smallest, lightest effective package. Minimum weight was my highest priority. I established a minimum output of 100 lumens, as I feel a tactical light must be at least this bright. I decided on AA batteries because of availability, weight and interchangeability with other items on the weapon such as a CompM4. I chose Fenix because of my positive experience with that Brand.

I have the Fenix L1T V2.0 (https://www.fenix-store.com/product_info.php?products_id=334) in Gear Sector (http://www.gearsector.com/view/product/176/) and Larue (http://stores.homestead.com/Laruetactical/Detail.bok?no=292) mounts. The light has 2 modes: for High mode you screw the bezel all the way down. Unscrew it a little and it goes to Low mode. I have not had a problem with it unscrewing but these have never seen hard use. That would be my only concern.

The Larue mount is nice if you need to use the flashlight for something else. The Gear Sector mount is a tiny bit too big. I solved this with a thin piece of inner tube wrapped around the light. It snugs up very tight.

With the Gear Sector mount, I found the Daniel Defense front sight (https://danieldefense.com/components-parts/rail-mounted-fixed-front-sight.html) works really well because of the mounting screw placement. It's a little tight with some other sights.

I like AA batteries because they are cheap and widely available. I use Lithium cells for their higher output, excellent longevity and low-temperature performance. The L1T puts out a nice beam around 100 lumens, which I would consider the minimum allowable for this application. It's no searchlight but it is surprisingly bright. Also if you use a CompM4 you will have a spare battery on-board ;)

I can't speak to real-world tactical applications as this is mostly a hobby for me, but I have used the Fenix lights extensively in my IT career and the outdoors. I have yet to find a better value in a flashlight. As always, YMMV.

Some pics for you:

http://i1118.photobucket.com/albums/k613/MoxyDave/arlight01small.jpg

http://i1118.photobucket.com/albums/k613/MoxyDave/arlight02small.jpg

http://i1118.photobucket.com/albums/k613/MoxyDave/arlight03small.jpg

http://i1118.photobucket.com/albums/k613/MoxyDave/arlight04small.jpg

http://i1118.photobucket.com/albums/k613/MoxyDave/arlight05small.jpg

(edited to answer the OP's questions)

[GriffonSec]

Gear Sector did an incredible job with their mounting, and aside from some front sight interference with flip ups, they're damn near perfect. I looked at the Fenix lights, I didn't notice the smaller ones having a click tailcap. I need to go back and check again with their single 123 lights. Thanks MD.