Full-size Pistol Flashlight?

[CountryGent]

I am interested in acquiring a flashlight that attaches to the front rail of a full-sized automatic pistol in 10㎜ Automatic. A laser is neither required nor wanted. I'm not wedded to any make or model, but do want to buy quality, because I've find you get what you pay for with lights.

Any recommendations? Thanks!

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[Nwcid]

I think your 2 main choses are Surefire and Streamlight. Both are high quality and I have/use both.

A lot of it will come down to 3 factors for you, cost, what gun and what holster you plan on using.

One of the big challenges with "off brand" lights will be finding holsters that work with them.

 

[Kruel J]

Surefire X300 Ultra (I have 3)
Streamlight TLR-1 HL (I have one)
Olight has some good offerings (I only have their handhelds so no experience with their WMLs)

 

[Tony617]

I like the Steamlight TLR-1s and I have few TLR-HL ones as well. I like them and they were less costly than the Surefire lights. I have some OWB holsters that accommodates the a TLR-1s lights. The only thing I don't like is the battery door is made out of plastic and the hinges are a weak point. The ones that I leave on my pistols work fine but my carry gun I sometime take the light off and carry IWB holster instead.

Streamlight sells replacement battery doors and there is a metal pin that you need to keep since the replacement battery door does not have the metal pin. I wish Streamlight would make the hinges out of metal instead but I use the Streamlight parts store and ordered a few spare doors.

https://eweb.streamlight.com/Parts_Store/

 

[Knute]

SureFire 300 Ultra but a bit spendy compared to the rest. SureFire are also an American company with a mostly made in America build that lets the Pentagon & Homeland buy these as "made in USA" procurements.

I've run Streamlights and OLight but much prefer the 300s. Amazon had the best prices on the 300 Ultra in tan I could find a few months ago.

The 300s have been around for a while now so I believe you'll have plenty of holster choices too.

If you want something really small get the Streamlight TLR-7 or 8...super small form factor but only half the light output.

Good luck

 

[American123]

Streamlight and Surefire - Streamlight TLR1 HL is what I have used. Most holster makers will have an offering with this light.

 

[User 1234]

I personally prefer metal to plastic. I use Surefire for that reason. Make sure you buy it from a trustworthy source because fraudulent Chinese copies are sold online. Arms Unlimited usually has the best prices.

 

[USMC1911]

BLEM *** Surefire X300 Ultra X300U-A Weapons Mounted Light 600 Lumens LED

These are customer returns or items where the packaging has been damaged. When a customer returns an item, if it has a battery (optics flashlights etc) we refuse to sell it as new. Those items will be listed here at significant discounts. Other times the product packaging becomes damaged during...

www.bigtexoutdoors.com

 

[No_Regerts]

I use X300U-B lights on pistols. If it wasn't that, I'd use a TLR-1. Both lights have worked well for me. The switch on the X300 takes more use to wear in, but it won't get loose. I prefer the push-forward for a quick beam vs pushing up. Holster compatibility is good on both.

 

[Member 53328]

Surefire x300. Personally I would stay away from streamlight (I have had 3 of their products break on me).

 

[Member 53328]

https://www.northwestfirearms.com/threads/surefire-x300u-a-600lm.349141/ here's one listed for 160.00. Not a bad deal.

 

[Nwcid]

https://www.northwestfirearms.com/threads/surefire-x300u-a-600lm.349141/ here's one listed for 160.00. Not a bad deal.

Yes, as long as you know it is the "older" 600 lumen not the current 1000 lumen. I am not saying one is good/bad or similar. I am just saying to compare like items.

 

[El Duderino]

Surefire X300 Ultra has been the ticket for me.

 

[L84Cabo]

Pro Tip: Make absolutely sure you can find a holster to fit your pistol/light combination BEFORE you buy the light.

There are tons of weapon lights on the market. But the further away you get from Surefire and a couple of the older Streamlights, the harder it is to find a holster for it. And especially if your gun is of a less common variety.

 

[CountryGent]

Thanks all. Went with the Surefire X300 Ultra.

 

[Member 53328]

Thanks all. Went with the Surefire X300 Ultra.

Good choice. You won't be disappointed.

 

[ArmedNovelist]

If you go Surefire, make sure to go with the U-B model. The difference between the Surefire X300U-A and U-B is the mounting mechanism. The Rail-Lock system on the U-A is plastic and easy to break if you run the handgun as hard as some do. The U-B has a metal T-Slot mechanism that's far sturdier.

I have two U-Bs myself. A complaint that I have is in the switch assembly battery contacts. The pigtails are easily broken. I've got a backplate switch just laying around because one of them broke, which disabled the on-off toggle on that side, and it subsequently allows battery drainage. Fresh batteries will drain, with no use at all, within 30-hours. But, that's about my only complaint with the platform. The type of batteries chosen for the Surefires sucks, in my opinion, but that's a battery technologies complaint. They just don't last long and are extremely expensive for how little usage you get out of them, and I've had to play with several brands to see what worked best.

 

[No_Regerts]

If you go Surefire, make sure to go with the U-B model. The difference between the Surefire X300U-A and U-B is the mounting mechanism. The Rail-Lock system on the U-A is plastic and easy to break if you run the handgun as hard as some do. The U-B has a metal T-Slot mechanism that's far sturdier.

I have two U-Bs myself. A complaint that I have is in the switch assembly battery contacts. The pigtails are easily broken. I've got a backplate switch just laying around because one of them broke, which disabled the on-off toggle on that side, and it subsequently allows battery drainage. Fresh batteries will drain, with no use at all, within 30-hours. But, that's about my only complaint with the platform. The type of batteries chosen for the Surefires sucks, in my opinion, but that's a battery technologies complaint. They just don't last long and are extremely expensive for how little usage you get out of them, and I've had to play with several brands to see what worked best.

Good call. The B will screw tight on just about anything.

 

[DennyG]

I am interested in acquiring a flashlight that attaches to the front rail of a full-sized automatic pistol in 10㎜ Automatic. A laser is neither required nor wanted. I'm not wedded to any make or model, but do want to buy quality, because I've find you get what you pay for with lights.

Any recommendations? Thanks!

 

[DennyG]

Olight pro... I've used/have some of the big money lights professionally and Olight is as good or better. Get the Valkyrie Pro. QD mount, magnetic recharging and bright!