Weapon Mounted Tactical Lights/Lasers
- Thread starter DHonovich
- Start date
jimmycrackcorn said:
Lol, we had some last week, but Kodiak gets a lot of the warmer/wet weather from Japan, so we usually stay in the mid 30's here during the winter... now fly 200 miles north, different story... highs on the mainland are usually at 20 degrees less
jimmycrackcorn
.270 WIN
aksavanaman said:
Wow.. that's weird considering you are still extremely far north closer to the Arctic circle than the rest of the 48. Must be the jet stream. Out here we just got something like 28" @ once. Never seen snow that that in my life. Of course the media scared everyone into staying indoors believing it was the apocalypse but I still went out driving around anyways. It was pretty bad ass weather. So much snow I was able to my sled around the inner city roads & didnt even ruin my carbides or picks.
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I always make it a point to go driving in crappy weather, keeps my skills up!!! Plus it's just plain fun 
Nick Burkhardt
.270 WIN
I am considering this Coast HP7TAC High Performance Focusing 251 Lumen LED Flashlight with Tactical Strobe http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007ECWAMI/ref=ox_sc_act_title_4?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER for my Mossberg 500, but am not sure if the handle is too thick for standard flashlight mounting rings.
Anyone have experience with this model?
Anyone have experience with this model?
jimmycrackcorn
.270 WIN
Nick Burkhardt said:
Not for nothing but there are ALOT of options for lights, I cant say whether or not that will fit a 1'' weapon mount but i can say I doubt it will hold up to the recoil. Try looking up Coast's website, any company selling lights intended for weapon mounts or for any use for that matter should have their dimensions posted.
Coast prides there marketing on the fact that they're lights are focusable. I bought one & was sadly disapointed by the output & quality. Just a bunch of cheap plastic lenses inside of it & i could see them rattling around. It definitely wouldn't of lasted on the Mossy.
Personally I don't like that feature from any manufacturer, it shines an awkward beam profile that stops at the outer edge of the beam profile instead of gradually diminishing like a normal focused reflector setup with a corona. When they are zoomed out, its just a tiny circle of light & you can only see what inside the circle, nothing ouside it(no spill at all). When its zoomed in you get a big wall of light with a clear cut circle again but you can only see 20ft in front of you (no throw). The beam profile isn't very usable in other words. Just my 2cents though..
Whether your looking for flood or spot, any decent manufacturer making lights with a up to date CREE led used to its real potential will work just fine producing flood or spill. Technology has come a long way, now you can get good spill & throw with out having to own two different lights.
If you've never used a focusable LED light, Id buy one off dealextreme.com. You can get high lumen focusable lights there for probably $10. Try one out & see if you like the focus feature vs conventional.
Check out Streamlights new Protac HL, i believe its only $10-15 more, but is way more of a light, will fit a regualr 1''mount & will most likely have a WAY better chance of standing up to the recoil.
I hope some of that is useful information to ya bud.
Later dudes & dudettes.
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jimmycrackcorn
.270 WIN
nitesite said:
I tried to Google that... What is it... Dowse it in lighter fluid & let it burn?
Im very curious about those Malkoff's dropins Elzetta uses & the different dedicated TIR lenses in them. I know the Elzetta housing & Malkoff's build quality are indestructable but how do you like the beam so far, does it throw the 235lm nice & far or is it set up for a flood profile?
I've always wanted to pull the trigger on one but the output rating has always held me back in fear of dissapointment @ a premium price point. Im used to higher lumens in my lights, 500 being the minimum but have never used one with an dedicated optic. Im curious whether it utilizes the lower lumens in a more efficient way & in return produces outstanding useful beam where lumens don't rule the roost.
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Nick Burkhardt
.270 WIN
Thanks jimmycrackcorn, I am looking for this sort of output http://modernsurvivalonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/068.jpg with a broad flood for the room with a super bright spot to shine a 3' diameter at 20' away.
jimmycrackcorn
.270 WIN
Nick Burkhardt said:
Get something with an Cree XML-T6 , XPG-S2 or an XP-G2 (LEDs options from Cree). If you wanna get that specific with measurements your gunna have to do some research. It can get pretty complicated. You might want to check out candlepowerforums.com or budgetlightforums.com
Generally speaking, with the specs your asking for, a 3ft super bright spot @ 20ft away is going to give you something with almost no flood. When your asking for superior performance of those two different types profiles (throw/flood), super bright spots are a class of there own & floods are at the other end of the spectrum in a different class of there own. You wont get those exact specified measurements unless you contact a custom light builder & thats a whole nother road with all sorts of variables. For the best of both you usually have to compromise. Any of the listed LEDs above will give you a happy medium depending on the LED, bezel size & reflector depth.
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Nick Burkhardt
.270 WIN
Well it does not have to be super bright in the center, just something with a bullseye in the center that will show my wife where to point the shotgun. She wanted a laser, but I figured that would get washed out by the LED and may be more difficult to spot under stress. I ordered a cheap focusing flashlight to play around with until I decide what to invest in.
jimmycrackcorn
.270 WIN
Nick Burkhardt said:
Are you trying to use the weapon light as an aiming device? I'm not sure I could recommend that, especially to someone who needs a little extra help knowing where to point the weapon. That could turn out really ugly... Lights are used to identify not aiming. Correctly zeroed lazers are a different story, I'd suggest that over the light as far as helping aim.
As far as lights go for identification there's hundreds to choose from. If beam profile is a concern do you research on LEDs & reflector sizes & go from there. Smooth reflectors will give you the tightest hotspot/corona. Orange peel reflectors give you a blended hot spot. Find something with a XPG-S2 or XP-G2 Cree led & I think you'll be golden.
Call Lighthound.com & speak to a tech directly. Tell them what you want & what your use is & price point, they will suggest a bunch.
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jimmycrackcorn
.270 WIN
Here's a link where I posted some beam shots from different lights for reference.
Not very good shots but served the purpose if you look closely enough.
http://mossbergowners.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=5557&hilit=+g2x
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Not very good shots but served the purpose if you look closely enough.
http://mossbergowners.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=5557&hilit=+g2x
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Found this sick light in my area for a steal.
Not exactly sure how it will hold up in recoil condition, but then again I do not plan on shooting the 500 with it on unless its for SHTF situation.
http://www.nebotools.com/prod_details.php?id=193&cid=26
TOP VIEW WITH ZOOM FLOOD/BEAM OPTION
DIFFERENT LIGHTING STAGES
310 LUMENS ON STAGE "100" IN BEAM POSITION IN A LIT ROOM.
Not exactly sure how it will hold up in recoil condition, but then again I do not plan on shooting the 500 with it on unless its for SHTF situation.
http://www.nebotools.com/prod_details.php?id=193&cid=26
TOP VIEW WITH ZOOM FLOOD/BEAM OPTION
DIFFERENT LIGHTING STAGES
310 LUMENS ON STAGE "100" IN BEAM POSITION IN A LIT ROOM.
I use this flashlight http://www.armytek.com/products/fla...v2-xp-g2-variable-bezel-types-and-colors.html. led is XP-G2 R5, cool white tint, 670 lumens, beam distance is 437 yd.
jimmycrackcorn
.270 WIN
super said:
There ya go Dude!!! Those armytek's are the envy of every surefire/streamlight owner I know.. Indestructible, Incredible out put, perfectly focused beam for throw or flood & insane runtimes! I will be grabbing one of those eventually. They use to only have one, but now they have matured & grown as a company & have a selection making it way too hard to decide which one to get!
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twohassez
Copper BB
I run a TLR-1 on my Glock 17 Gen 3 and after adding the light immediately noticed the additional heft it added to the gun. But this spring I ran it as seen in the pic here all day at Adamax Tactical from literally 8:10 AM until about 3:45 PM with an hour break for lunch. It was an advanced Pistol Skill Builder course for civilians with a high round count (200), and frankly, either I was just having a really good day all day (not likely) or the extra weight helped my trigger and muzzle control.
Also just added a PolyTac to my Mossberg 590A1 last weekend. Posted a before and after pic in the New Members area a little while ago. Figured on a pump shotgun like this one I wanted to keep the operation of the light simple so I could concentrate on just running the gun because if it has come to that it means I used the Glock to fight my way to the pump, at which point I don't want to have to think about double-tap to strobe, single-tap to flash, and full-up for full-on. No, at that point the only thing I will be thinking about is survival so if I need light it has to be mounted tight because I will likely beat the tail-cap button to turn it on in a manner that will probably be about as deliberate as the motion necessary to run the 590A1 properly.
So it is totally personal preference based on the situations for which you train. And speaking of training, I also run a lot of dry-fire practice at home using LaserLyte's laser cartridge and laser target system. What's more, I practice room clearing at home in dry-fire mode with A-Zoom snap caps. So all this together gave me enough hours running the TLR-1 on the Glock 17 to know that I want (and need) all those features on my primary tactical home-defense pistol but just the simple on or off light on the Mossy pump-action.
Finally, I can also share the way my opinion evolved on these topics along with my level and depth of training. As a greenhorn pistol shooter I wanted to learn just the gun and never thought I would ever put a light on the Glock 17. But with more tactical training came eligibility to sign up for a low-light class in a shoot house at night, so at that point -- well, I had to have a light or just stay home. And now after practicing with the light I would never want to be without it because chances are good that home invasion will occur at night. So you might find your opinion changing (along with the size of your kit) as your tastes and training evolves.
Also just added a PolyTac to my Mossberg 590A1 last weekend. Posted a before and after pic in the New Members area a little while ago. Figured on a pump shotgun like this one I wanted to keep the operation of the light simple so I could concentrate on just running the gun because if it has come to that it means I used the Glock to fight my way to the pump, at which point I don't want to have to think about double-tap to strobe, single-tap to flash, and full-up for full-on. No, at that point the only thing I will be thinking about is survival so if I need light it has to be mounted tight because I will likely beat the tail-cap button to turn it on in a manner that will probably be about as deliberate as the motion necessary to run the 590A1 properly.
So it is totally personal preference based on the situations for which you train. And speaking of training, I also run a lot of dry-fire practice at home using LaserLyte's laser cartridge and laser target system. What's more, I practice room clearing at home in dry-fire mode with A-Zoom snap caps. So all this together gave me enough hours running the TLR-1 on the Glock 17 to know that I want (and need) all those features on my primary tactical home-defense pistol but just the simple on or off light on the Mossy pump-action.
Finally, I can also share the way my opinion evolved on these topics along with my level and depth of training. As a greenhorn pistol shooter I wanted to learn just the gun and never thought I would ever put a light on the Glock 17. But with more tactical training came eligibility to sign up for a low-light class in a shoot house at night, so at that point -- well, I had to have a light or just stay home. And now after practicing with the light I would never want to be without it because chances are good that home invasion will occur at night. So you might find your opinion changing (along with the size of your kit) as your tastes and training evolves.
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twohassez said:
This is what every responsible gun owner and family man should do! Great advice twohassez
