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Tactical Lights

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prospect

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hello,

Looking for advice on who makes the best tactical light to mount on a gun. Looking to spend about $100-$200 so far I'm thinking about surefire, stream light tlr-1, and blackhawk xiphos. I'm open to looking for other brands as well.


thanks.
 
prospect said:
hello,

Looking for advice on who makes the best tactical light to mount on a gun. Looking to spend about $100-$200 so far I'm thinking about surefire, stream light tlr-1, and blackhawk xiphos. I'm open to looking for other brands as well.


thanks.
Click to expand...

TLR1's can be found for less then 100 bucks. I have a few, one on a pistol and one on a carbine, I can light up the tree line from my porch/deck at night and they don't blind me inside off the walls. Good enough for their purpose. That being said, I am looking for a SF Scout light, but those are a bit more money then you are looking at.
 
M1911 said:
Surefire has generally been considered to be the "best," but you pay for it.
Click to expand...

Being a former SF dealer, I'm pretty annoyed with them in general. But aside from that, I have moved on to other brands for lights due to cost and such. I'd prob go with streamlight vs SF now.
 
prospect said:
Looking for advice on who makes the best tactical light to mount on a gun. Looking to spend about $100-$200 so far I'm thinking about surefire, stream light tlr-1, and blackhawk xiphos. I'm open to looking for other brands as well.
Click to expand...

I suggest that you start by deciding which firearm(s) you would intend to use it on, and in which type of environment(s). Pistol vs. rifle vs shotgun vs. handheld; holster-compatible vs. not applicable; kept-affixed vs. quick-attach; indoor residential vs. indoor commercial vs. outdoor use. The best choice for one application may be a different light than it would be for another application. You might wish to choose several different models (for different firearms and/or different applications) or you might wish to standardize with a light that might be an effective, if imperfect, compromise for all situations.

I'd start there.
 
I have one of these and it is a great value for around $100 - Streamlight TLR1S Weapon Light. It can be used on a rifle or a pistol too. At 300 lumens, it is certainly bright enough for just about anything..
 
Just finished an AR build and tossed an Inforce on it...$125 bucks.
LOVE IT...no wires, put it on the left hand side, the on/off/strobe button is angled and my natural thumb grip on the forehand rests right on it.
Relatively low lumens but I built up a close quarters battle gun and too much light will only blind you and/or wash out the halo sight.
My $0.02.
 
Woodstone said:
Just finished an AR build and tossed an Inforce on it...$125 bucks.
LOVE IT...no wires, put it on the left hand side, the on/off/strobe button is angled and my natural thumb grip on the forehand rests right on it.
Relatively low lumens but I built up a close quarters battle gun and too much light will only blind you and/or wash out the halo sight.
My $0.02.
Click to expand...

I have wanted to check on of those out since they went to momentary switch. One of these days I will probably spring for one.
 
The one I got is full on, full off.
Hit once, hi.
Hit twice fast, hi strobe.
Hit twice but not fast, low.
With hi, strobe, or low, on for any time, hit again for off.
No need to keep pressed for on.
I really do like it and it is very intuitive just practicing around the house...not complicated at all.
Seems fairly rugged and is waterproof...I note I've not event tossed lead down range with it yet and so can't really comment on durability.
 
to switch gears from handgun to rifles

this would be on a rifle with no rails and probably running the IWC mount. Smallest flashlight available and still put out around 200 lumens ?
 
Surefire.jpg
Tackdriver said:
It is your life that is on the line. I have both Surefire and Streamlight. Go with the Surefire.

Dave
Click to expand...

+1

I am a flashlight junkie and my favorite by far is the Surefire. There are other brands that make small tactical lights that are just as bright, but the overall quality is not there. I got myself and E2D defender for Christmas and I will never buy another brand after playing with this for the past week. It was a lightning deal on Amazon for $120. I think they are normally $150ish.

It is a bare bones model. 200 lumens on high, 5 lumens on low. No stupid strobes to worry about or anything.
 
I have both Streamight and Surefire. I use a TLR-1 on my combat and personal rifle, carry a Streamlight Scorpion on my kit, and use a Streamlight Sidewinder mini on my helmet. I also have a Surefire 6P in my nightstand next to my pistol safe. They are all fine products. The difference is that I bought the Streamlights and was issued the Surefire. For the money, you can't beat the Streamlight. For your price range, the TLR-1-HL is the way to go. My only issue with the TLR is that the optional tape switch isn't as durable as the Surefire ones, mine is on its second deployment and is showing signs of wear and tear.

Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF300T using Tapatalk
 
Elzetta makes quality, tough tactical flashlights that run a little cheaper than SF. Might be worth a look.
 
edmorseiii said:
Was just going to post that. I hope that deal hangs on for a few days, I would like to grab one.
Click to expand...

Me too. Just a heads up, The reviews on youtube of the Surefire Ultra lights say that the color is kind of funky. Like a greenish, yellow. The couple different guys that were reviewing them didn't like the color, but they did say that they were very bright. I have a 200 lumen Surefire and that lights up my back yard like daylight, so it might be overkill getting the 500 lumen for indoor use. The reflection off the walls is going to blind you also.
 
gearwhore14 said:
I haven't tried them yet, but the gear sites seem to be all over them lately. Same with the Inforce.
Click to expand...

I've had one for a while now and have been very happy. It really does seem indestructible, and the build your own approach to choosing options is nice. Their new engines are supposed to be impressive too.
 
GunGrey said:
I like it but damn dude 250$+ for that thing. The inforce HSP thing looks pretty cool especially with the momentary on/off, anybody have one of these things? The price seems reasonable at about 100$
Click to expand...

I got one not too long ago. I like it, momentary on/off, tight beam, good peripheral light, nice weight. I have mine mounted on a thorntail. The activation is pretty smooth.
 

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