Wiped my surefire X-300 lens today after 200 rds since it was pretty crusty. Lens did not get very clean with a moist towel. How should I clean the lens?

I've had success with rubbing alcohol and a cotton ball or q-tips.

I’ll give that a try. Thanks.

If you are taking your weapon light equipped pistol to a range to shoot, put a smear of petroleum jelly on the lens as thin as possible. After the session, simply clean it off along with all of the unburnt powder and what not. Wipes right off.

I use super quick clean Gun cleaner on the lens before shooting. It seems to work well to easily wipe off any unburnt powder.

Just tried alcohol, there still seems to be a gray film over the lens.
Have I effed up my light?

Discovered a trick to clean the lens in this situation.  Put a drop of water on the the lens, then use the eraser from #2 pencil to rub in a circular pattern. This completely removes the gray residue from the glass.

I usually like Castle Plexo for glass and plastic.  Pretty amazing stuff.  You can also use a glass stripper, which is a really fine polish.  The same stuff you use to polish headlights (Like Maguire Scratch-x) or remove scratches from CD's if you're a Gen-X type.  

Vaseline

Tooth paste.

This.  

A tube of chapstick does the trick.

Soak in vinegar. Not the whole light, just the lens.

With my X300, I just stand the light on the lens in a dixie cup with enough plain white vinegar to soak the lens.

Let it sit for 10 minutes and everything will wipe right off. For my Streamlight TLR light, I unscrew the lens and drop that in the cup.

Another quick way is to take a drop of JB bore paste and wipe around with a soft cloth. Will take it right off and will also polish out any scratches.

ETA: if you are shooting in light and not doing any lowlight training, cover the lends with a piece of duct tape before you shoot. Pull off when you're done.

If you're not doing anything that requires the light to be used, blue painters tape works at covering it up and easily coming off afterwards.

This works too, but I bought several bottles, not sure if still in business.



Light coat of Vaseline works too.

Never thought of using tape while at the range. Thanks for the idea

Using a small bit of CLP, SLiP, (whatever you use to lube your firearms) etc, on the lens will also allow you to wipe off the residue after a shooting session.

This is all I have ever done. Wiping down the whole gun with a rag after cleaning I usually wipe the lens at the same time. No problems so far.

Great suggestions. Thanks everyone

Another option for you OP.

https://chpws.com/product/paragon-weapon-light-cleaner/

They also have optic lens cleaner for your RDS, can confirm both are fantastic.

I use isopropyl alcohol wipes on my WLs. Comes right off. If you have a gray film left on it, you didn't wipe it all off.

#2 pencil eraser is what I use, cleans the soot off in no time.

Boretech Eliminator.

One drop on a Q tip and it wipes right off.

It’s amazing. I’ve tried the above methods and they don’t even come close (but are less expensive)

I've been wiping my lights lens with the same oily rag I wipe the outside surfaces of the pistol for rust protection.  I don't add extra oil to the rag to wipe the lens, just the oil in the rag from having wiped the guns down over and over.

WD40 pen.  Pat Rogers tip.

Q-tip & hoppes solvent…

If you are shooting with the light and need to be able to use the light Thrym has something that will help.  https://thyrm.com/product/clens-protector/

I use this:

Weapon Light Cleaner

It's specifically for when you neglected cleaning your light after thousands of rounds and the entire light's lens is crusted to the point that CLP and WD-40 can't even clean it.

Glass lenses might crack at some point, and plastic lenses will scratch eventually.  Suggest contacting mfr for spare lenses while still available.

Can also buy replaceable lens cover film - https://thyrm.com/product/clens-protector/

I've had good luck with toothpaste.

Wouldn't just use the same thing you clean optic lens with?

The eraser side of a pencil is where it is at.
Cleanes is up in no time and is super round and small to get close to the edge.

I read that somewhere on the interwebz and its life changing.

I took painters tape to both my 43X and G45 weapon mounted lights. Super easy to put on and taking off, no residue. There are also bottles of cleaners that makes it super easy to wipe off if the light is to be used at all, again super easy to use. There's also vaseline or chapstick, again as the others all very easy to use.

The eraser sounds like a chore but if you cannot be bothered to try the other ways, well enjoy your "life changing" or whatever that is supposed to mean, way of doing it.

I do the same thing. Seems to work fine.
I do it after each range trip, so as not to let it build up too much.

This. Works great.

I have tried normal cleaner and WD40 and both do not work half as good as an eraser. It takes less that 20s per WL
Especially if you dont clean it after every but only after every 10th session.

Here's my original quote, not cut and cherry picked making me look so conceded:



It takes even less than 20 seconds to remove the tape, wipe the residue with a rag, or with a solution that was applied long before. Same with chapstick & vaseline.

Anyways, I clean it after every session, it's dumb not to. And I don't know you from me, but you make it sound as if it's harder than it looks, yet is so easily done in person that what you say doesn't add up to what actually happens.

But again, you are free to have your opinion but the eraser isn't the only way or the best way. Lots of folks in here have said that other ways that I had previously mentioned are the best for them. Again, enjoy your way but there's more than one way to be efficient with skinning this cat

Users obscuring the light lens with tape for practice purposes have a point in not exposing the light to dirt.  Best to avoid dirt contamination than to clean it up afterwards.

All light/optic lenses are subject to dirt contamination and must be cleaned, eventually.  Having flip-open caps on some optics can be very useful.

Most plastic lenses are subject to scratching after inappropriate cleaning.  Suggest obtaining new plastic lenses from the mfr while still available for cheap, perhaps for free.  Your plastic lens WILL eventually scratch, perhaps into being worthless.

Glass lenses are somewhat less subject to scratching, but still vulnerable.  "Optical" glass is a lot "softer" than conventional window glass, and more susceptible to being scratched. Beyond that, external lens coatings are FAR more vulnerable to scratching than even the soft optical glass. Glass can crack, unlike most plastics.  Suggest obtaining spare glass lenses while still available, perhaps for free.

If I had to clean a dirty plastic light lens, I would give it a good puff of compressed air, then a flooding with distilled water.  Right after that, flood it with alcohol, and lightly wipe off residual dirt in a circular pattern with some alcohol-soaked lens-cleaning cloth, like folks with expensive camera lenses use.  I had to replace a pair of daily-wear plastic-lens eyeglasses because I mis-cleaned their plastic lenses and ruined them.  Cost me some $$, and lesson well-learned, dammit.

Cleaning "in the field" might involve somewhat less involved cleaning procedures, lol.  Then again, perhaps Uncle Sugar will be replacing/repairing your optics.

When I owned expensive Nikon camera lenses, I used to install a clear glass filter in front of the camera lens, right off the bat, thus protecting the lens.   Worked out very damn well, and all lenses sold for FAR more than I paid for them, on account of $10 filter protecting the lens for decades.

Properly cleaning plastic and glass lenses is a known topic, with commonly understood procedures for doing both.

Suggest putting a flip-open lens cap between your optic and the world, or a little bit of tape in front of your light, is likely to be worthwhile

An Ounce of Prevention is worth a Pound of Cure.

I agree that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, here's my somewhat pricey but effective suggestion.
It works great on my G19.
Parker Mountain

I really like Parker Mountain. What holster are you using for that comp with your 19? A G34? I like my G45 PMM micro comp but that comp you linked to was so much better at doing comp things when I had one for my 17.

Interesting alternative.  I have a Custom Shop S&W 625 .45 ACP revolver with similar cuts into upper barrel designed to reduce muzzle flip.

Not so sure about such "cuts" preventing weapons-mounted optics from being contaminated by particles due to muzzle blast.

Current S&W 625 "Custom Shop" revolver is my current "Gold Standard on accuracy of hand-loaded .45 ACP ammo.  Has longitudinal cuts in the top of barrel behind front sight.

FWIW, very old Ruger P-90 semi-auto pistol, possibly with Bar-Sto barrel, is just as accurate as S&W revolver.

I thought I heard that a T2 flip-cap scope cover fits perfectly on the 300.  Might help for keeping light discretion and keeping the lens clean when not in use.  

Don't quote me but I'm pretty sure I heard it fits perfectly.

Fitting appropriate slip-over lens cap to one's optic means being to accurately measure one's optic; takes an accurate caliper to be certain.  HF calipers are often good enough to make such measurements.

Some lens caps are useful in allowing "slip-in" anti-reflection devices (ARDs) from Tenebraex mfr.

I've been doing this for many different optics, for a long time.

Chassis lube

Pencil erasers after shooting.

It's an easier wipe if you put one drop of gun oil on the lens before shooting.  Wipe with tissue after.

Toothpaste or pencil erasers have worked well for me.

I remember Travis Haley (who has a joint product with Surefire) saying not to use toothpaste, FWIW.  That may have changed.  His basis was that the toothpaste caused micro-abrasions which caused negative dispersion of the beam.

For me, I've never needed more than dish soap and water.

@jharpphoto  I did this after shooting a match this weekend with my x300 on my 19.  works like a charm.

Whatever lenses you have, either glass or plastic, the lens will be degraded with improper cleaning; the glass lenses being slightly more resistant to scratching, but not by much.

Well-meaning folks who suggest pencil erasers, toothpaste, and other sorts of aggressive cleaning techniques/devices are mistaken unless such lenses must be cleaned in the field, using field-expedient measures.

Either cover the lens, if possible, or learn how to clean it properly so that the lens does not suffer from scratching while cleaning it.

Flooding the lens with clear water, and gently using lens tissue or a Q-tip to dislodge the remaining contaminants is a reasonable practice.

Again, having spare lenses for your device is always a good idea.  A 'New" lens is the last thing your bulb/emitter "sees".  If lens is badly scratched, light output/range/pattern will suffer.

FWIW, I've had to replace a number of pair of plastic-lensed eyeglasses before I learned this expensive lesson.  Replacing $400 a pop eyeglasses stills stings me, not so much on money wasted, but due to my failure to clean them properly.

Learn from my mistakes.

OTOH, when I owned many expensive Nikon and Leica camera lenses, the first thing I did when unboxing a lens was to affix a clear filter to the front of the lens, simply to protect the lens.  Better to sacrifice a cheap and replaceable filter than to allow the expensive lens surface to be damaged.

I make an effort to buy spare lenses for flashlights, and to install some sort of cover over all my optics.  I make an effort to gently clean dirty lenses.

All Best Wishes!

Another vote for the No. 2 pencil eraser. Cleans it right up.

Good grief man it's a gun light.