I know that the upcoming Surefire XVL2-IRC has raised some interest, with very little information available so far, other than the “it’s coming” that’s lasted for several years.
Some may have noticed that I’ve been dropping little hints here and there, but have been fairly tight lipped about the XVL2 and especially the XVL2-IRC until I was given the go ahead to talk about it once formally announced this year at SHOT, and I’ve had an IRC demo sample since a little before the show, as well as a prototype Safriland ALS holster that I had wrapped in AOR2 Cordura by Jeff at RDR Gear.
Some additional thoughts and background:
The XVL2 has changed fairly significantly since the first prototypes were shown years ago.
The XVL2 was built based on a government request, but obviously, it was not the M17 PAiL, and the initial design work precedes that program, though it may have had a hand in renewing interest in it.
Class IIIB systems have been out there with government customers, but they’re not typically the types to talk much about it or post reviews.
Among those that have worked with both the Class IIIB version and the Class I IRC, the general consensus tends to be that the IRC is actually the better and more useful unit in terms of a handgun laser, something that’s been fairly well known for years and led to things like the TOR-MINI IR VPC as well—more power is not always better.
Now, on to my impressions:
I’ve messed with the XVL2-IRC on a couple of different pistols, including a Glock 19, Glock 17/22, and a Glock 17/22 Simunitions gun:
On the one hand, I’m still not 100% sold on the concept of what’s essentially a miniaturized PEQ-15/16 being the best solution for a NV-capable sidearm, especially as a secondary weapon.
Conceptually I don't know how necessary it is with the availability and proliferation of RDS on pistols--especially with options like the RMR, ACRO, and T1 all having NV compatible settings with more coming. Moreover, I'm not necessarily sold on whether it brings enough to the table to give up the "white light on demand" capability. One possible application could be retaining the visible light and laser while the RDS is switched to an NV setting, but then I'd be hard pressed to articulate what it would offer over say a 1,000 lumen X400U, especially combined with many BUIS combinations that would also "solve" the white light transition issue.
More specifically to the XVL2-IRC: as a result of the design constraints to make the device compact and lightweight, the white light on the XVL2 leaves a little something to be desired compared to modern options, with a wide, 400 lumen beam without a real "hot spot" and a fairly small and shallow bezel/emitter/reflector. In many ways it "feels" similar to the old X200B which on the one hand was a decent pistol white light back in the day, but on the other hand is kind of a step back in time as far as capabilities. For a short-range sidearm-only pistol application it will work, but it's not going to compete with a modern 1,000 lumen X300U in terms of white light performance.
Beyond that, the rotary selector dial (visible above on the Simunition gun) is fairly small, and not the easiest to manipulate--however at the same time, I can't really think of another or better way to do it that would allow it to still work effectively in left or right handed holsters without adding unnecessary bulk. At the same time, I think it does make it a less than desirable option for a long gun application, even for a PCC/SMG/PDW, moreover, I don't see the eventual remote tailcap option really being able to address that issue.
Also, and this being a very minor quibbling complaint, the switch is not oriented like other DoD systems, with "OFF" being at the 9 o'clock, VIS settings "down," or counter-clockwise, and IR settings being "up" or clockwise. The XVL2-IRC's current switch settings have the "OFF" at 12 o'clock, VIS clockwise, and IR counter-clockwise--there are reasons for this, however, that will be discussed below.
Finally, and similar to the rotary selector dial, installation and removal of the XVL2 requires having the correct sized Allen wrench inserted into a small hole to tighten and loosen the clamp, unlike the slide-lock installation of the X300U-A or thumbscrew of the X300U-B (it's basically the "B" series attachment, but without the thumbscrew).
So that's the bad, which may make it sound like I'm saying that the XVL2-IRC sucks and I hate it, but that could not be further from the truth.
Assuming (and there are applications for it) you are onboard with the idea of not just a white light-only on your pistol, and you're looking for a full-service LAM/MFAL mounted on your pistol, the XVL2-IRC is absolutely the best unit of its kind that I've used.
The size and profile of the unit is surprisingly compact for the capabilities, it's smaller and shorter than than an X300U, being just about flush with the muzzle on a G17/22 profile pistol, and no "deeper" than the Glock trigger guard. It is, however fairly wide, in part due to the side-mounted IR and VIS laser emitters, which despite adding a little bit of width, is a lot cleaner (IMHO) than the underslung laser emitter on the X400-family, with much better and sturdier mode-selection controls. That being said, the side mounted lasers will introduce a little bit of the dreaded horizontal offset that is the subject of so many "parallel versus coaligned" zero arguments with offset long gun lasers.
Controls will be familiar for those who have used Surefire's X-series lights, while the rotary dial, besides the orientation complaints I had, will generally be familiar to any ATPIAL user and most other MFALs since the AN/PEQ-2.
The rotary dial "blade" is relatively small, however with some practice you can manipulate it with your left thumb fairly easily as a right handed handed shooter while in a firing grip--lefties, as per the usual, are just kind of screwed. Figure it out.
The reason for the dial orientation is nevertheless a little bit more clear when you consider the design envelope:
Because of the location of the laser adjustment dial, it becomes somewhat difficult to use your thumb, especially if gloved, to rotate the mode-selector dial when the selector is pointing to the 9 o'clock, or forward. "Pushing" the selector dial forward to the IR settings requires a little bit more deliberate effort to put it into the right mode. With 12 o'clock or "up" being "OFF," that means that rotating the selector dial "back" towards the shooter allows the user to access the more "immediately needed" visible settings, and switch between them faster and more easily than the IR settings.
Again, this means that it's a different setting layout than most "standardized" MFALs, however it does make more sense based on the layout of the device.
The IR aiming laser, of course, is a standard, 0.7 mW aiming laser, not much to talk about, same with the bright green VIS aiming laser.
However, one thing that really "shines" (pun intended) is the IR illuminator, which the best comparison I can really draw (see photographs below) is the B. E. Meyers MAWL-C1+ Short Range IR illuminator.
It's a clean LED illuminator, with a bright, wide beam that illuminates in more or less a 60 degree or so cone, which means that when viewed directly through the NVD, it appears as if it just "brightens the whole area" in the goggles' 40 degree field of view, though when viewed from an off-angle, you can see that it actually does have a defined beam. Functionally, however, this IR flood does not lead to washing out or overpowering the way some more focused IR illuminators can do, but rather provides good, consistent illumination without any artifacts or other weird behaviors that some IR illuminators can have.
Finally, both the IR and white light illuminator emitters are located on a "platform" that also acts as the battery cap for the single CR123 powering the device. The battery cap/emitter is O-ring sealed and rotates a quarter turn to unlock and access the battery compartment, meaning that the battery can be removed and replaced without removing the device from the weapon, unlike the X-series lights. Moreover, this also means that the emitters could potentially be upgraded and replaced in the future, perhaps with a longer-ranged module, or just to punch up the power a little bit. That being said, it's worth noting that the emitters/battery cap is not captive or have any kind of retainer, so use caution during field battery replacement. There does not appear to be any evidence of the static battery drain that exists with some MFALs when not switched to the "OFF" position, meaning that you can select the setting you want/need and drop it in the holster until needed. This does not, of course, replace PCC/PCIs, however.
Ultimately, my overall impressions are that "if you're into that sort of thing," the XVL2-IRC is an very capable and fairly well thought out combination unit, with performance well-matched to a handgun/sidearm platform, and quite impressive for its size and profile. It's not something I would "re-purpose" for a long-gun, and I might be tempted to swap it out if I had a more specialized need that might make me favor white light performance or long-range performance, but for a general purpose pistol MFAL, it works well, and I'll be continuing to use it in classes and other training and putting it through its paces.
XVL2-IRC performance and comparisons:
“Control” Photograph—note, unfortunately I took the control photograph at 50 yards, then took all the rest of the comparison photographs at 25 yards, so some imagination will need to be used.
All photographs were taken around 02 1930 FEB 2020 (EST), half-moon at approximately 71 degrees, reported 59.2% illumination, clear skies. Sea level in a small clearing, but dense rural forest surrounding (South Carolina Sea Islands).
Target is an 8” circular steel hanger.
White Light Performance Comparison:
Surefire XVL2-IRC WL:
Surefire M300V WL:
IR Performance:
Standard disclaimer—NV “through the tube” photographs cannot accurately convey the “natural” view through the tube, and therefore are posted for comparison purposes only, and should not be viewed as exact depictions of actual performance.
Surefire XVL2-IRC:
B. E. Meyers MAWL-C1+ Short Range:
B. E. Meyers MAWL-C1+ Medium Range:
L3Harris/EOTech ATPIAL-C:
Surefire M300V:
Size comparisons:
Please note that the XVL2 holster is a G17/22 length holster, while the 6390RDS is a G34/35 length holster:
~Augee