Weapon Light

[Buckles]

well i have almost finished my HD shotgun build and one of the last things i need is a light. I think i have decided on the surefire G2 LED. i went to a local gun store that sells them today and got to test out a few of their lights, and i was pretty impressed with the G2 and its brightness. i think it will be perfect on the end of my 12 gauge. anybody have any other suggestions as far as a weapon light goes? still a noob here so any help is appreciated.

 

[Painful Chafe]

Take a peak at the new EagleTac T100C2 MKII

 

[Buckles]

that light looks pretty decent for the price. how is the quality of Eagletac compared to Surefire?

 

[Search]

I've never heard of an EagleTac surviving a combat situation. Therefore general reliability is useless.

The G2 is a nice light that has been proven.

Maybe get one of these?

Or if budget allows, a complete forend.

Do you already have a mount? If not I know of a couple of places. I would have to know what shotgun you have though.

If you don't, here is one. Might not fit with whatever you own.

 

[Buckles]

i already have an ATI tactical forend, and dont really feel like dropping $300 for the surefire one lol. although that would be nice if i could afford it.

i really like that light mount on the bottom of the page of the last link you posted. although i think its a little overpriced for something like that.
i was actually thinking about adding a small picatinny rail to the magazine extension and mounting the light to that. there are so many options i dont know where to start lol.

BTW the gun is a remington 870 express. i bought it stock with a 26" barrel a month ago, since then i have added an ATI 6 position adjustable stock, ATI tactical forend, and shortened the barrel down to 18.5". i have a magazine extender on the way. and thats what i would really like to mount the light on, but i still dont know which i like/works better.

 

[Search]

A Picatinny rail allows for the attachment of a lot of various tools.

Depends on what you want to use it for though.

If I owned a shotgun I would throw and EOTech and a SureFire Scout light with a Picatinny rail system on it.

Personal preference.

If you decide with a Picatinny rail, head over to LaRueTactical.com for a flashlight mount that fits 1 inch lights.

If you just decide to add the weapon light to the extender just do a quick google search for "Shotgun Light Mount" and plenty of choices come up.

Here is an ATI mount.

Here is an article of one for the 870. Here is the actual product website.

Forum discussion specific to the 870 about a mount.

Few different options.

One from TacStar. Universal mounts. One fits 1 inch lights.

Another forum discussing lights and mounts for the 870.

You can tell I'm bored

 

[Justin Case]

For a mag tube clamp mount, it seems like cycling the action on a pump gun will force you to lose contact with the flashlight. Thus, the only way to keep the light on, if you need illumination at that particular point, is to twist the tailcap to constant-on. Now, maybe you don't want the light on anyway (e.g., you are going to use a doctrine of light on, shoot, light off, move/cycle action), but it doesn't look like you have much choice if you use momentary-on. Your finger will have to release the tailcap switch.

I'd get a dedicated SF shotgun fore-end, with momentary-on and constant-on switches. Or maybe you can find a substitute tailcap that has some pigtail tape switches that you can attach to the action.

If you still want to use a handheld light for a weaponlight, I would not select a G2 unless I had a really tight budget. The Nitrolon plastic body limits your choice of LED drop-ins. I'd get a standard 6P (the Remington 870 of flashlights) and replace the tailcap switch with a Z48 or Z49. The clicky tailcap, IMO, makes constant-on operation a lot better. If you don't like the rubber shroud, you can remove it (you probably won't be able to get it back on again, though) or trim it. For your G2 selection, I would replace the P60 with a cool-running LED drop-in, probably a Malkoff M60WL or M60L. For a 6P, I would select from any of the Malkoffs -- heat generation doesn't limit your choices with the metal 6P. Finally, for reliability I would stick with the SF123As to run the light, not protected 2x16340 Li-ions (except maybe for training). 1x17670 (unprotected) Li-ion could be a consideration, instead of 2xSF123A, if it fits.

 

[angelofwar]

Here's an easy, cheap, and quality (I know the 3 don't always go together, but they do this time). This is the set-up I use on my other 870. My Marine magnum uses the SF918FA dedicated forend. Get a streamlight mount for your 870, it will go in front of the magazine, behind the mag. cap.

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productNumber=754094

Then you can get a GG&G 1" mount (in-line)

http://www.gggaz.com/index.php?id=110&parents=89

Using both of these will allow the light to be mounted in-line with the barrel.

And then you can get this tape swicth:

http://store.a51tactical.com/index....ducts_id=163&zenid=c7nnoup0qbol268u5m8jj59ka1

Post a pic when you get it assembled, which ever you decide to do....oh, and :welcome:.

Oh, and like others have mentioned, only use quality primaries when it's going to be used for business. RC's are fine but training, but are too unreliable in a "heat of the moment" event. When Surefire used to sell rechargeable adapters for their weaponlights, they put a discslaimer on them saying they should only be used for training.

 

[Justin Case]

That Tacstar tape switch is nice, but unfortunately suffers from the inherent shortcomings of all momentary-on tape switches for pump guns.

#1, attachment is via some sort of sticky tape. That is going to fall off eventually. Before it falls off, it'll probably shift around as the adhesive smears about and-or gets hot. Not much you can do about it. Plus, the adhesive probably will last for a while before starting to give up the ghost. If you shoot only a couple of boxes a year, then this issue probably won't matter. If you shoot a lot, attend a lot of shotgun classes, etc, then you might search for a different attachment method (maybe use some "liquid electrical tape", e.g., Star Brite or Plasti-Dip).

#2, without a dedicated constant-on function, you are going to have a problem if you need constant-on lighting but your non-firing hand is occupied with something else (like holding your kid). The setup basically needs two hands. if the coiled cord is long enough to reach your grip, then that could solve that problem. Make sure that the cord won't foul in anything in its path.

 

[Buckles]

wow. thanks for all the links and replies. im def. leaning more towards the 6p now.i would really like to get a pressure switch too, so like stated i dont have to let go of the gun to turn on the light.

thanks for all the help. hopefully ill be purchasing all the stuff i need soon.

 

[Xak]

http://www.botachtactical.com/itactdl1.html

 

[Buckles]

btw there is another member on here offering me a 6P defender LED with
* R2 290 Lumen LED Lamp
* S.S. Tipped Strike Bezel
* Remote Pressure Switch
* Surefire Lithium Batteries

for $79.99

is this a good light/deal? i have no idea what the R2 290 LED is.

 

[Search]

btw there is another member on here offering me a 6P defender LED with
* R2 290 Lumen LED Lamp
* S.S. Tipped Strike Bezel
* Remote Pressure Switch
* Surefire Lithium Batteries

for $79.99

is this a good light/deal? i have no idea what the R2 290 LED is.

It would depend on the manufacturer. The R2 is an led. It's the newest single emitter led on the market. I would be skeptical of the 290 lumen output though.

Like I said, if it's from DX, there's no way in hell I would put it on a weapon light.

As a side note.. why would anything think you would need to strike someone with the bezel of a weapon mounted flashlight?

Do this..

Get any number of clamps already posted. Given there is about 12 at the moment.

Get one that fits a 1 inch light. Almost all that are posted.

Go to the MarketPlace and get a used 6P. Don't worry, you won't be using the bulb.

Get a Malkoff dropin.

Get a 6P remote switch.

All this around 100 dollars and I guarantee it will work.

 

[Mjolnir]

The R2 is probably not really 290 lumens.
I don't see why the Eagletac would not be suited to use on a shotgun, since one of its intended uses is on firearms. It may be a new product, but that does not mean that it is worse than a surefire. Just because you have never heard of anyone using one on a shotgun does not mean that it won't perform well on one. In all honesty, LEDs are very shock resistant, and The T100C2 seems like a very durable light, so I don't see why it wouldn't work fine.

My problem with surefires is this: In stock form, most are outdated and overpriced. In order to bring them up to date, you have to spend additional money to get a good dropin (like $55 for a malkoff), and you can't fit an 18650. There are other P60 hosts out there for less than a surefire that would work fine, and fit 18650s. If you are going to get a Z49 anyway and replace the stock surefire dropin, then you might as well get something like a Solarforce L2 host without a dropin, and put a surefire tailcap on it, along with a Malkoff. Buying a surefire light and swapping out everything that makes it a surefire is a complete waste of money in my opinion, unless you get a used one. However, it will be used, so it might not be as reliable, and it still won't be able to fit 18650s.

Also, I see no reason why Lithium Ion cells would be any less reliable than CR123's in a combat situation. They have virtually no self discharge, more capacity than CR123s, and can be topped off to ensure that they are always fully charged, which can't be done with primaries.

 

[Justin Case]

The R2 is probably not really 290 lumens.
I don't see why the Eagletac would not be suited to use on a shotgun, since one of its intended uses is on firearms. It may be a new product, but that does not mean that it is worse than a surefire. Just because you have never heard of anyone using one on a shotgun does not mean that it won't perform well on one. In all honesty, LEDs are very shock resistant, and The T100C2 seems like a very durable light, so I don't see why it wouldn't work fine.

My problem with surefires is this: In stock form, most are outdated and overpriced. In order to bring them up to date, you have to spend additional money to get a good dropin (like $55 for a malkoff), and you can't fit an 18650. There are other P60 hosts out there for less than a surefire that would work fine, and fit 18650s. If you are going to get a Z49 anyway and replace the stock surefire dropin, then you might as well get something like a Solarforce L2 host without a dropin, and put a surefire tailcap on it, along with a Malkoff. Buying a surefire light and swapping out everything that makes it a surefire is a complete waste of money in my opinion, unless you get a used one. However, it will be used, so it might not be as reliable, and it still won't be able to fit 18650s.

Also, I see no reason why Lithium Ion cells would be any less reliable than CR123's in a combat situation. They have virtually no self discharge, more capacity than CR123s, and can be topped off to ensure that they are always fully charged, which can't be done with primaries.

Yes, of course bare LEDs are rugged. But a flashlight is a SYSTEM. If I were concerned only with the LED, I'd get a Deal Extreme light (not).

You need to know if the light as a system WILL work with the recoil of a shotgun. Some people stake their lives on their gear, and are reluctant to be beta testers for unproven gear.

Is the LED well-secured (mechanically and thermally) to the pill/heat sink? The last thing I need is an LED that shoots loose and then cooks itself.

Are the body dimensions and spring pressure appropriate so that a multi-cell battery setup doesn't cut out from cell separation under recoil?

Is there sufficient spring cushioning and pressure to protect the cells from getting battered under recoil? I've seen the top button of cells smashed flat from recoil.

Is the driver board sufficiently secured so that it doesn't get battered loose? When I look at the typical P60 drop-in and see those little solder blobs that ground the driver to the pill, it doesn't inspire complete confidence that the electrical connection is strong enough not to break if the drop-in requires removal of the outer spring to work right.

If you use a multi-cell Li-ion setup, will the protection circuit survive the recoil? Li primaries don't have a protection circuit to worry about. Are you willing to run a multi-cell Li-ion arrangement with unprotected cells?

How reliable is the switch? Will the clicky crap out after 100 clicks? How many amps can the switch take? Does it have a parasitic current drain? How much and what is the impact on battery life?

 

[Mjolnir]

I realize that the LED is not everything. However, the T100C2 seems to have shock isolated electronics, and is well heatsinked. I know that my T10L is far higher quality than DX lights, and I wouldn't ever expect the LED to come off, or the driver to come loose or become damaged for any reason. Now no one can be sure, but It is my belief that the T100C2 will be able to handle the recoil fine, based on how it is designed and my experiences with other Eagletac lights.

 

[Justin Case]

"seems to have", "wouldn't ever expect", "my belief" -- i.e., unproven. That's the point. Some people let others be the beta testers until the product is proven. I've had excellent experiences with certain product brands, but it isn't a law of physics that any new product from that same company is going to work right out of the gate. There are too many variables and unannounced, inline product changes. For example, IIRC the Glock 22 had a problem running reliably with the SureFire X200 weaponlight.

 

[outersquare]

recoil on 12G full power loads is brutal, let someone else be the guinea pig.

considering your life depends on it, if i was going to use a shotgun weaponlight, it would pretty much only be the surefire dedicated fore end...