HD Weapon Lights

[Chad 3]

I'm taking a spin off this thread to talk about Home Defense weapon lights.

 

I think its extrememly important to have lights on home protection weapons, weather it be a shotgun or a pistol. I have some expensive ($200+) lights on some of my guns but more recently I tried an inexpensive, not using the word "cheap" here, flashlight. I was concerned about quality and reliability, which in my opinion is THE most important thing for home protection, not just for the firearm, but also for whatever accessories you have on it.

 

This is what I have mounted on my remington 870. For $36 bucks (with shipping) I figgured I would give it a try. I was very impressed with the brightness of this light and the durability. I have shot in excess of 500 rounds thru that 870 with the light mounted on it and it has not blinked once. It has the "CREE" bulb which is supposed to be very durable and EXTREMELY bright, which it is. It is advertised as being 300 lumens, but I have no way to test that. But I can tell you this, it is brighter than my TLR-1. If anyone is considering a light for their HD gun and you dont want to break the bank this one is pretty good!

 

Anyone else have one of these (or similar)?

Do you think you should spend more $$ maybe just for a name ?

Would you trust a no-name light on your HD gun?

Do you think a light is necessary or does it make you an "easy target"?

[Caine 147]

First, let me start off by saying, that I'm pretty new to all of this, so take anything I say with a grain of salt These are just my opinions based on research I've done trying to address my own home defense needs. Let me also say that I'm slightly biased in that I own a number of surefire lights and have a very high regard for them.

 

Anyone else have one of these (or similar)?

No - dont have this particular light, or anything similar to it

 

Do you think you should spend more $$ maybe just for a name ?

I don't look at it as spending money just on the name really - to me it's more like I'm spending the money on quality. I have a limited amount of money I can spend on my "toys" and I'd rather spend it on known products, instead of doing the trial and error thing. Granted, at $30 am I really out that much money? No... but $30 here and $30 there trying out things, and I can afford that fancy new Surefire

For me, it's the same as the knives I own - I stick to Emersons mostly with a few Kershaws, Striders, Benchmades and Spydercos mixed in. Yeah, I can spend 20 bux on some junk steal made in China knife and it'll cut fine for the most part. But when the SHTF, I'd rather have something with me that I KNOW won't fail me if I do my part correctly.

Same reason I own a Glock and not a Bersa or something like that

 

Would you trust a no-name light on your HD gun?

No - I wouldn't. As I mentioned in the earlier thread, I have TRL-1, and will more than likely invest in a Surefire X300 when I have a little extra cash I can part with. That said, if I had put a couple thousand rounds thru a firearm with a no-name light and didnt have any issues, I'd be more inclined to trust it. Seems like you're well on your way to gaining that trust from the light you found on eBay.

 

Do you think a light is necessary or does it make you an "easy target"?

Yes and Yes

There's a good chance in a home defense situation it's gonna be dark... and last thing you wanna do is take a pot shot at where you THINK the BG is... so you NEED a light, in my opinion.

Now, as far as being an easy target - it really depends on how you use the light. I'm not gonna get into how people should be using the light, cuz I'm not really qualified to discuss that - but there's plenty of info on that if you look around. But, basically, if your light is in the "constant on" position, you're doing it wrong

This also bring up the issues of weapon mounted lights vs. hand held lights - pros and cons to both. But that's a topic for another day

 

And I really need to get back to work, cuz this ended up being a bit longer than I intended.. good topic tho

[djg0770 481]

Perhaps not the best idea, but with the pitter patter of lil feet, one must have a myriad of nightlights unless one wants to be awoken every night when junior forgot to go peepee before beddybye. Therefore, there's little point for me to have an HD 'light'.

[Caine 147]

light is your friend....I travel with them as well...on aircraft, in hotels...at neighbors homes etc...

 

+1 - I never leave home without at least one light... In my case a surefire e1e with TID bezel in a kydex holster on my belt. I probably use that light more than any other single tool/knife/weapon I've ever owned.

 

ETA: Good to see another USN (not to be mistaken for US Navy) member here

[tgz13 0]

I can't speak for the ones that mount to a gun since my only 9mm has no rails.

 

But I do believe in having lights readily available. I love the 2c Mag lights and have a bunch all over the house.. 1 on my night stand, 1 on the main level right by the front door, 1 in the basement and even 1 in the garage on my workbench.

 

Besides being nice and bright and having long battery life with the led style bulbs, it can definitely fill in as a close quarters baton.

 

I have used it to look around my house for things that go bump in the night (pre-gun and NO FUN), as well as grabbing it when I thought a tree branch fell on my house, which ended up being one of the old storm windows falling down in the track. Can never have enough lighting!!

[djg0770 481]

Perhaps not the best idea, but with the pitter patter of lil feet, one must have a myriad of nightlights unless one wants to be awoken every night when junior forgot to go peepee before beddybye. Therefore, there's little point for me to have an HD 'light'.

 

I humbly disagree.....due to the fact that you have the blessed patter of little feet...moreso to have a proper handheld light or weapon light to PROMPTLY ID the threat.

 

I like my Blackhawk Gladius light....

 

PLEASE negate the HD scenario....think of a home fire....light is your friend....I travel with them as well...on aircraft, in hotels...at neighbors homes etc...

 

Each of my daughters in their rooms have halogen high lumen lights as well as out master bedroom nightstand and the basements. So do our vehicles and our travel bags.

 

My M3 Combat light with crenulated bezel sits in my briefcase and travel bag and never has been flagged by TSA.....YMMV...

 

I'm not gonna argue with you, but I know how my kids walk and how each one sounds. Being 'blind without glasses', you get to know these things, sure I'd still identify the target first... I have a 9 light led next to the bed, providing junior hasn't been fiddling with it, it works. It's a no-name promo but it's damn bright. I also have a 4d cell maglite - better used as a close quarters weapon than a light due to its heft.

[Chad 3]

Seems like you're well on your way to gaining that trust from the light you found on eBay.

I've already gained its trust...500+ is enough for me. If it performed fine thus far, the chances of it failing when I need it seem slim to me, maybe I'm just being naive?

 

if your light is in the "constant on" position, you're doing it wrong

Absolutely!!! Pressure switches or momentary on switches like on the TLR-1 are definitley a must if you have a weapon mounted light, IMO.

 

I don't look at it as spending money just on the name really - to me it's more like I'm spending the money on quality.

How do you know these are not quality lights? Because it doesn't say streamlight?

 

And I really need to get back to work, cuz this ended up being a bit longer than I intended.. good topic tho

LOL! and Thanks!!!

[Caine 147]

How do you know these are not quality lights? Because it doesn't say streamlight?

It's usually the fact that it's "made in china" Granted, there's some good stuff coming out of China these days - I think Fenix lights are from China (altho not positive). I'm just not ready to depend on them yet. And considering something like a TRL-1 can be had from like 80-90 bux... I dunno... I'd rather go that route for no other reason than it's the "safe bet" (if that makes sense).

Don't get me wrong - I'm not saying Surefire, Streamlight, and Insight are the only ones worth having... they're not. It just happens to be what I have experience with and what I'm comfortable with.

[djg0770 481]

 

ETA: Good to see another USN (not to be mistaken for US Navy) member here

 

Good to see ya brother.... 8-)

 

Now yall gots me wondering. Care to 'splain?

[Chad 3]

Now yall gots me wondering. Care to 'splain?

 

+1

[Caine 147]

It's another forum. Originally, it was a place for fans/collectors of Emerson Knives to gather, but has since become a bit more diverse covering all sorts of knives, flashlights, gear, guns, preparedness, etc. It's kinda sorta private, in the sense that there is no guest access. I've been a member for years and I can't remember if there are any requirements for joining other than filling out the form. Shoot me a PM if you would like the URL.

 

To get this back on topic those of you that are looking for a (and I hate to use this word) "tactical" hand held light but don't want to invest too much money, check out the Surefire G2 - the non-led models can be found for just under 40 bux and they're damned near indestructible because of the polymer they're made of. They can even be mounted to rifles if you buy an rail mount. The run time is limited to about 20 minutes, but most non-led models have this issue. They'll put out at least as much light as a 2 D-cell Mag but are 1/8th the size.

It's a good introduction to the world of Surefire :mrgreen:

[Chad 3]

I recently emailed Surefire about their G2. I was told the xenon lamp would burst on the first shot of recoil and is not recomended to mount on a weapon. They advised me the LED upgrade would solve this problem. I ordered the upgrade and am currently using the G2 on my other HD SG with a pressure switch. Maybe they were just trying a sales pitch?? I don't know. I never shot it with the xenon bulb in it so I dont know first hand.

[Caine 147]

I've heard the same thing about the standard bulbs... that said, there's plenty of guys running the standard G2 on their ARs. Kyle Lamb, the author of "Green Eyes and Black Rifles" even recommends the G2 for AR systems [really good book btw for those interested in ARs].

The recoil of a shotgun may be too much for the standard bulb tho. My experience with the G2 has been as a hand held, so I can't say for certain one way or another.

[Caine 147]

Yeah - what he said 8-)

 

Chad - do you have any pix of the shotgun with the g2? I'm curious how you set it up... I don't currently own a shotgun, but always figured I'd go the surefire (yeah, I know - I'm like a broken record) forend route mostly because it seems like it would be the easiest to operate without having to worry about extra wires hanging off the gun. Do you like the G2 set up for a shotgun application so far?

[Chad 3]

Hey Caine, Here is the only pic I have on my computer, but I can take some close up shots of how it is mounted when I get home. I am happy with it so far, but I have not shot with it yet. I actually found the universal mount and pressure switch on ebay. Seems to work well, but like I said, it hasn't been put to a true test yet!

[Caine 147]

Thanks Chad! Nice blasters btw I like the simplicity of the lights set up that way.. may have to try that when I eventually pick up a shottie

[Ray Ray 3,566]

Chad, that's the kind of light mount I want for my shotgun. Can you give me some information on it?

[Chad 3]

Certainly Sir!

 

I used this mounting bracket to attach it to the magazine tube. Works great! Its a very simple setup, pretty self explanitory. You just slip one side over the magazine tube, and one side over your light of choice and tighten the screw. Very simple and took about 30 seconds to install. If you dont want to go the ebay route, tacstar has them in various sizes also, as well as alot of other online retailers.