User Panel
Posted: 12/27/2020 9:36:16 AM EDT
This post is for the newer guys. I like this setup for the following reasons. But - should be done in conjunction with the Daniel Defense Front BUIS which helps protect the light battery door from hard impacts and shield against accidental activation. Feel free to add any cons I missed.
Pros. + Ambi switches - Press forward (towards muzzle) on rocker for temp activation + Integrated mount - No extra cost / weight to purchase separate mount + Lightweight: 4 oz (including mount and batteries) + Low Profile: Doesn't add any bulk to profile and no chance of light backsplash off barrier + Bright: 1000 lumens + Suppressor or Barrel Shadow: at 6:00 so doesn't cast a shadow in field of view + Bonus: Can be used on a pistol also + Cost: $220ish from some Arf vendors Cons. - No go if you use 12:00 mounted IR laser - Rocker switch sucks for constant on (very stiff). I don't use constant on but still ... - Must remove light to change batteries - No lockout mode - I don't like sight picture using this setup with LPVO at lower magnification levels. No issues with 1x RDS (light bezel is out of sight / below buis ... see bottom pic) Pinned 14.7 with 13 inch rail Attached File Attached File Attached File |
|
Good write up. It's the vickers lightweight carbine setup you can see from some of his YouTube videos. Another pro is since it's on the same axis as your sights you don't have to worry about when you stick your rifle around a barracade the light not making it past that barricade and blinding you when you turn it on if that makes sense.
|
|
Quoted: Good write up. It's the vickers lightweight carbine setup you can see from some of his YouTube videos. Another pro is since it's on the same axis as your sights you don't have to worry about when you stick your rifle around a barracade the light not making it past that barricade and blinding you when you turn it on if that makes sense. View Quote Also - the new streamlight RM1 and RM2 offerings would be a good candidate as well. |
|
It’s a solid go to and has been. I remember in a lot of the old magpul videos dudes rocked it like that. I think there’s a company that makes a mount/shield for the switches as well.
|
|
Quoted: It’s a solid go to and has been. I remember in a lot of the old magpul videos dudes rocked it like that. I think there’s a company that makes a mount/shield for the switches as well. View Quote Unity tactical exo, helps prevent accidental activation and also protects the light body somewhat. OP I like this setup, easy to use and ambidextrous. Mine is on a 10.75 rail/ 11.5 barrel. Attached File |
|
Probably going to replace a WML with this setup. Have a couple of scouts with tape switches, but I just don't care for tape switches and 12 o'clock activation just feels right to me.
|
|
I have considered the inforce wml at 12 o’clock. Does anyone have an opinion of that light? My hope is that it would be low enough profile that it would work with a lpvo and also offset irons.
|
|
Quoted: I have considered the inforce wml at 12 o’clock. Does anyone have an opinion of that light? My hope is that it would be low enough profile that it would work with a lpvo and also offset irons. View Quote Depending on mount height, It’ll be visible on lower mag. Not too obtrusive. But visible. My only gripe is I’ve seen a few of those have the head snap off below the threads. I think they’ve since updated them. But I wouldn’t rely on it for a hard use gun. |
|
Quoted: I have considered the inforce wml at 12 o’clock. Does anyone have an opinion of that light? My hope is that it would be low enough profile that it would work with a lpvo and also offset irons. View Quote I've used some Inforce stuff and it has been OK. I owned a super early APL that had the mount dissolved by Loctite, they replaced it with another part and it was A-OK. My brother has a WML-X and it seems to work fine as we haven't broken it yet. |
|
I ran a X300V at 12:00 in the same manner until I got my LAM.
It works, actually works pretty well, it’s just that a pistol light isn’t good at doing rifle light things as far as punching out and illuminating anything past 30-40 yards. |
|
We had a lot of officers running pistol WMLs on issued patrol rifles, and beyond CQB or vehicle take-down range (inside 35yds), they were garbage. Pistol WMLs are floodlights, and generally for longer range capabilities that you find with rifles, long range illumination is desirable. As such, a lot of officers eventually got rid of the pistol WMLs for mounted handheld flashlights or dedicated rifle WMLs that had better throw. I’ve attended, as well as instructor in, low light shooting courses where we put people onto targets at 100yds and further. It becomes very apparently very quickly that positive target identification beyond about 75yds gets incredibly difficult and inconsistent with pistol WMLs because of their design. If the rifle is strictly a HD gun, a pistol WML works just fine so long as you can operate it with both hands under stress.
And if you run a Streamlight TLR, do yourself a favor and deactivate the strobe function. It’s useless garbage. Quoted: I have considered the inforce wml at 12 o’clock. Does anyone have an opinion of that light? My hope is that it would be low enough profile that it would work with a lpvo and also offset irons. View Quote If it works for you, then have at it. That said, every guy I’ve ever known seen that ran an Inforce on a LE duty gun (rifle or pistol) has gotten rid of it. For pistol WMLs they’ve gone to SureFire, and for the rifle lights everyone has gone to various options ranging from SureFire to Cloud Defensive and Modlite. Inforce lights have subpar performance. Lower lumens, lower candela, spotty durability, no modularity and overall inferior to competitors. |
|
The 12 o’clock setup for a Surefire X300U is good for home defense rifle but definitely has limitations.
I’ve got a couple rifles setup that way but on most of my rifles I use a SF Scout for better throw. My work rifle has the SF Dual Fuel and is a great setup. Attached File Recent parts build I just rattle canned... Attached File |
|
Quoted: The 12 o’clock setup for a Surefire X300U is good for home defense rifle but definitely has limitations. I’ve got a couple rifles setup that way but on most of my rifles I use a SF Scout for better throw. My work rifle has the SF Dual Fuel and is a great setup. https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/86935/8E74F52B-736E-40CA-A8D7-BBC1DE5A4C41_jpe-1769270.JPG Recent parts build I just rattle canned... https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/86935/086AA848-A9F4-421A-8359-BCBF61EF26AE_jpe-1772677.JPG View Quote While the DF scout 600/640 has better throw with 18650 batteries, its only slightly better than the x300 with 123 batteries. The X300 has more candela than the M300 scout and the same as the M600u. |
|
I’ve always wanted to try this but for some reason never have. Would there be any other fixed front sights that fit the bill than the Daniel Defense?
|
|
Quoted: I’ve always wanted to try this but for some reason never have. Would there be any other fixed front sights that fit the bill than the Daniel Defense? View Quote I picked up one of these. They shipped quick too. |
|
Quoted: We had a lot of officers running pistol WMLs on issued patrol rifles, and beyond CQB or vehicle take-down range (inside 35yds), they were garbage. Pistol WMLs are floodlights, and generally for longer range capabilities that you find with rifles, long range illumination is desirable. As such, a lot of officers eventually got rid of the pistol WMLs for mounted handheld flashlights or dedicated rifle WMLs that had better throw. I’ve attended, as well as instructor in, low light shooting courses where we put people onto targets at 100yds and further. It becomes very apparently very quickly that positive target identification beyond about 75yds gets incredibly difficult and inconsistent with pistol WMLs because of their design. If the rifle is strictly a HD gun, a pistol WML works just fine so long as you can operate it with both hands under stress. And if you run a Streamlight TLR, do yourself a favor and deactivate the strobe function. It’s useless garbage. If it works for you, then have at it. That said, every guy I’ve ever known seen that ran an Inforce on a LE duty gun (rifle or pistol) has gotten rid of it. For pistol WMLs they’ve gone to SureFire, and for the rifle lights everyone has gone to various options ranging from SureFire to Cloud Defensive and Modlite. Inforce lights have subpar performance. Lower lumens, lower candela, spotty durability, no modularity and overall inferior to competitors. View Quote Are you guys routinely having to PID beyond 100 yards out there? I work in an urban environment and there has not been a single time where i've had to PID beyond thirty five yards. My X300 has always been up to the task with my pistol and for three years, was just fine on my patrol rifle. I went from an X300 to a Malkoff head that had 77K candela. I absolutely hated it as it was SO concentrated that it did nothing to actually illuminate anything but a very, very small area. I was finding that on felony stops, it would NOT illuminate the interior of the cabin in the manner that I wanted it to as there was zero spill. The 1K lumen X300 has a pretty generous spill and no real defined hot spot. For my purposes, it illuminated vehicle cabins just fine (once again, never beyond 35 yards as we dont conduct felony stops beyond those distances), people at MY normal engagement distances and anything else I might want illuminated with my rifle. For MOST purposes, pistol lights at 12 o'clock are absolutely fantastic and will do everything you need them to do. Long range predator hunting at night...yep, it aint gonna work. |
|
For all those saying the x300u doesn't have enough throw for rifle duty, then that would suggest that the only surefire light out there that is sufficient is the DF while using the 18650 batteries and not the 123s.
|
|
Quoted: I ran a X300V at 12:00 in the same manner until I got my LAM. It works, actually works pretty well, it's just that a pistol light isn't good at doing rifle light things as far as punching out and illuminating anything past 30-40 yards. View Quote The 600 lumen has a bit more throw than the 1000 but both work just fine at distance. |
|
How good is the Streamlight TLR-1 in either the standard or HL model at throwing light to 100 yards or more? I’ve never used one but I’m just being cheap and not wanting to spend Surefire money on another setup.
|
|
I have an acog on my rifle now. Will mounting a light at the 12 o'clock position interfere with the acog site picture?
|
|
At 4x I don't think so
Eta. Just moved it to my LPVo carbine. About 3-3.5x it fades out of view. |
|
|
|
|
As a side note for anyone looking to do this I’d recommend the B model X300U over the A.
The B snugs down tight and a witness mark with a paint pen and you’re good to go. Got this setup out to the range for a couple hours of training BCM 14.5 p/w lightweight CHF, Aimpoint in LaRue mount, X300U-B, Magpul BUIS sling and furniture Attached File |
|
Quoted: As a side note for anyone looking to do this I’d recommend the B model X300U over the A. The B snugs down tight and a witness mark with a paint pen and you’re good to go. Got this setup out to the range for a couple hours of training BCM 14.5 p/w lightweight CHF, Aimpoint in LaRue mount, X300U-B, Magpul BUIS sling and furniture https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/86935/88FD8C9E-1481-4BEA-8AFC-66F8EAFD3C3D_jpe-1811511.JPG View Quote I disagree because the B model is not compatible with the Unity Tactical EXO which I feel is a must have to protect the switches and battery compartment when rifle mounted. I went with the A model for this reason alone. No issues with it fitting snug on the rail at all, either. |
|
Quoted: As a side note for anyone looking to do this I'd recommend the B model X300U over the A. The B snugs down tight and a witness mark with a paint pen and you're good to go. Got this setup out to the range for a couple hours of training BCM 14.5 p/w lightweight CHF, Aimpoint in LaRue mount, X300U-B, Magpul BUIS sling and furniture https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/86935/88FD8C9E-1481-4BEA-8AFC-66F8EAFD3C3D_jpe-1811511.JPG View Quote Love that setup. However - I wouldn't bridge your Aimpoint from receiver to rail. |
|
|
i have this setup on a rifle with fsp and have no issues with it.
|
|
View Quote How the fuck do you actually use that?? I remember those things being all the rage for a minute when they came out but hold the FSB while operating the light is somewhat suboptimal. Especially if you have to shoot the gun. |
|
I've been running X300Us for years on my HD setups. Magpul Pro BUIS even look like they were designed around the X300U.
Attached File Attached File Attached File There are even companies that build a front sight around the X300U: Attached File Attached File |
|
Quoted: I've been running X300Us for years on my HD setups. Magpul Pro BUIS even look like they were designed around the X300U. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/309598/IMG_20200416_190855_jpg-1836400.JPG https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/309598/IMG_20200416_190913_jpg-1836401.JPG https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/309598/IMG_20200416_190501_jpg-1836402.JPG There are even companies that build a front sight around the X300U: https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/309598/IMG_7294_jpg-1836404.JPG https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/309598/1D2847D4-0A1D-473F-88E9-579D5D4929C6-323-1836405.JPG View Quote |
|
|
Quoted: Daniel Defense fixed front works well with an X300 too. The back of the sight is a good place to park your thumb to avoid an ND and the side of the light indexes/guides your thumb right to the switch. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/278546/1A88A8E3-51CC-444A-B5DB-6F6181E3DBF8-1836729.jpg View Quote Nice rifle |
|
Quoted: How the fuck do you actually use that?? I remember those things being all the rage for a minute when they came out but hold the FSB while operating the light is somewhat suboptimal. Especially if you have to shoot the gun. View Quote |
|
Yes.
|
|
X300's accidentally did to ARs what RMR's accidentally did to pistols.
|
|
|
cant believe i just now found this thread. i run one on my noveske 10.5 and my noveske N9 .....love this setup.
ETA does anyone know where i can snag a unity tactical exo ? |
|
Quoted: cant believe i just now found this thread. i run one on my noveske 10.5 and my noveske N9 .....love this setup. ETA does anyone know where i can snag a unity tactical exo ? View Quote Here ya go. ETA: Just realized he asked that 3 months ago. lol |
|
Been thinking about the modlite pl350 on one, since they’re compatible with rifle light heads from what I understand.
|
|
You forgot the biggest pro: IG pics.
I like the 12:00 mount because it ambi and not side specific for pew pewing around/under barriers. |
|
|
I don't currently run it, but I fit it up on a Block2 FSP build and really liked it.
On my LPVO guns with ~1.50" mounts, the X300 takes up a bit of the FOV. Kinda distracting for me, but might be rectified with a 1.70" mount. Ive heard Cloud Defense is coming out with a pistol light with swappable heads. Could be a hot ticket for pistol light size/activation/weight and rifle light throw. |
|
View Quote @ajacobs I’ve liked the idea of the Mossy Oak FSB mount. The only thing that stopped me from getting one is how hot my FSB can get after firing several mags at a high rate of fire. I assume you can easily burn your thumb when actuating the switch after you have been a lot. |
|
Quoted: @ajacobs I've liked the idea of the Mossy Oak FSB mount. The only thing that stopped me from getting one is how hot my FSB can get after firing several mags at a high rate of fire. I assume you can easily burn your thumb when actuating the switch after you have been a lot. View Quote |
|
I am pretty sure you want to use momentary only. However - agree it won't be burning your hand with 1 mag.
|
|
Quoted: I am pretty sure you want to use momentary only. However - agree it won't be burning your hand with 1 mag. View Quote |
|
Sign up for the ARFCOM weekly newsletter and be entered to win a free ARFCOM membership. One new winner* is announced every week!
You will receive an email every Friday morning featuring the latest chatter from the hottest topics, breaking news surrounding legislation, as well as exclusive deals only available to ARFCOM email subscribers.
AR15.COM is the world's largest firearm community and is a gathering place for firearm enthusiasts of all types.
From hunters and military members, to competition shooters and general firearm enthusiasts, we welcome anyone who values and respects the way of the firearm.
Subscribe to our monthly Newsletter to receive firearm news, product discounts from your favorite Industry Partners, and more.
Copyright © 1996-2024 AR15.COM LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Any use of this content without express written consent is prohibited.
AR15.Com reserves the right to overwrite or replace any affiliate, commercial, or monetizable links, posted by users, with our own.