natenkiki2004
Newly Enlightened
- Joined
- Dec 19, 2009
- Messages
- 13
Hello all. Little bit of a story, TL;DR at the end.
I originally just had a Mossberg 590 with a need for a light. I bought a Magpul rail & ring setup to hold pretty much any flashlight. I stuck a spare cheapo LED light on it like this one:
http://besttacticalflashlightreview...07/FordEX-Group-300lm-Tactical-Flashlight.jpg
Works ok but is bulky and drains the rechargeable AA battery pretty quick. Wouldn't want to depend on it but it works for the occasional night time pest control. I had been mulling over a nice Fenix PD32 or similar lithium battery based light to strap into the rings but never really got around to it.
Now I've acquired a Glock 17 and have been throwing around the idea of getting a light for it that mounts on the rail. The bonus is that my setup on the Mossberg 590, below the Magpul rings is a rail that would allow me to swap the same light from the Glock to the Mossberg.
I don't have an occupation that has me carrying either of these firearms and most of the time, I don't carry them. The flashlight's biggest purpose would be infrequent night time pest control with the Mossberg. It's a bonus feature that I could put the same light on the Glock. The light would likely spend most of it's time sitting on a shelf, unused. But when I need it, it may be for a half hour to an hour run time. When attached to the shotgun, it will likely get scratched and dirty so I don't want nor do I need an expensive Surefire or similar light.
I spent a fair amount of time researching and thought I had found the perfect light; the HiLight P20S. Quick mounts on a rail, takes a rechargeable lithium battery (I don't want to hassle with CR123's if I don't have to), puts out a decent amount of light for a decent amount of time, cheap and seems rugged enough for my needs via the reviews on Amazon. The rechargeable lithium was a pretty big requirement since most flashlights seem to use CR123's and I don't really like the idea of paying several dollars per hour of runtime. Quick mount is great so I can leave it on the shelf most of the time and attach it to a gun in seconds without tools. However, further research showed me 2 problems with this light; rechargeable lithium batteries are apparently not good for shock situations, like recoil from a gun. The other problem is that I'm not overly confident in the light's longevity since it's probably a lower-binned LED running at a higher voltage due to the rechargeable battery. With that info, I'm kind of back to square one and am not really sure what direction I should go.
TL;DR:
Looking for a flashlight for my Glock 17 and Mossberg 590 (on a rail). Rechargeable battery would be great. Not looking to spend a fortune on a Surefire, definitely prefer under $100. Will be tossed around, get dirty/scratched, swapped from gun to gun and will not be a gun cabinet queen. Not looking for daily use but reliability still a concern.
Are rechargeable lithium batteries a bad idea for weapon-mounted lights due to recoil?
What affordable options are there for rail-mounted flashlights?
Should I give up the rail idea and stick with a traditional flashlight to mount in the Magpul rings?
Thank you for reading, any insight is appreciated!
I originally just had a Mossberg 590 with a need for a light. I bought a Magpul rail & ring setup to hold pretty much any flashlight. I stuck a spare cheapo LED light on it like this one:
http://besttacticalflashlightreview...07/FordEX-Group-300lm-Tactical-Flashlight.jpg
Works ok but is bulky and drains the rechargeable AA battery pretty quick. Wouldn't want to depend on it but it works for the occasional night time pest control. I had been mulling over a nice Fenix PD32 or similar lithium battery based light to strap into the rings but never really got around to it.
Now I've acquired a Glock 17 and have been throwing around the idea of getting a light for it that mounts on the rail. The bonus is that my setup on the Mossberg 590, below the Magpul rings is a rail that would allow me to swap the same light from the Glock to the Mossberg.
I don't have an occupation that has me carrying either of these firearms and most of the time, I don't carry them. The flashlight's biggest purpose would be infrequent night time pest control with the Mossberg. It's a bonus feature that I could put the same light on the Glock. The light would likely spend most of it's time sitting on a shelf, unused. But when I need it, it may be for a half hour to an hour run time. When attached to the shotgun, it will likely get scratched and dirty so I don't want nor do I need an expensive Surefire or similar light.
I spent a fair amount of time researching and thought I had found the perfect light; the HiLight P20S. Quick mounts on a rail, takes a rechargeable lithium battery (I don't want to hassle with CR123's if I don't have to), puts out a decent amount of light for a decent amount of time, cheap and seems rugged enough for my needs via the reviews on Amazon. The rechargeable lithium was a pretty big requirement since most flashlights seem to use CR123's and I don't really like the idea of paying several dollars per hour of runtime. Quick mount is great so I can leave it on the shelf most of the time and attach it to a gun in seconds without tools. However, further research showed me 2 problems with this light; rechargeable lithium batteries are apparently not good for shock situations, like recoil from a gun. The other problem is that I'm not overly confident in the light's longevity since it's probably a lower-binned LED running at a higher voltage due to the rechargeable battery. With that info, I'm kind of back to square one and am not really sure what direction I should go.
TL;DR:
Looking for a flashlight for my Glock 17 and Mossberg 590 (on a rail). Rechargeable battery would be great. Not looking to spend a fortune on a Surefire, definitely prefer under $100. Will be tossed around, get dirty/scratched, swapped from gun to gun and will not be a gun cabinet queen. Not looking for daily use but reliability still a concern.
Are rechargeable lithium batteries a bad idea for weapon-mounted lights due to recoil?
What affordable options are there for rail-mounted flashlights?
Should I give up the rail idea and stick with a traditional flashlight to mount in the Magpul rings?
Thank you for reading, any insight is appreciated!
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