Has anyone used the Surefire M500A with the nav lights?  Any thoughts on having small led's vs. not having them?  I recently purchased a set without the lights and want to know if it's worth the hassle to try and return it to get the one with nav led's.  If you think they are worth it, what color? red, white or blue?

As an official high drag low speed fat old fuck, I do have one with the nav lights.

They are really low light, and would probably be great for the design intent.

I recommend them. You dont want to blast 225 lumens just to check if your boots are laced.

I like the nav LEDs too. It's nice not to FUBAR your night vision if you don't have to.

Here are a couple of mine with LEDs:



And an older M511A without them:

Is their a color preference for the led?  Red, White or Blue?  Thanks for the responses, looks like it is definitely worth sending back.  Just have to decide which one now.

CJan_NH I have a LE6920 and a 3 pt. SpecterGear CST sling.  Will the front side sling ring interfere with the LED? or fit properly?  It looks like your Colt, the one that does not have the M-500 mounted on it.  Have you ever tried to put the Surefire handguards on it?

Hi Nels!

TBone

What up RedDog!  So what do you think?  Will the LED fit with the front sling ring or what?  I've emailed Keith and he said he'd make the switch without cost, just as long as I'm satisfied.  I've just sent an email to Surefire to ask specifically.

Just looking at the above picture I'm thinking it won't work. I too like the idea having the Nav lights.  You can always contact our friend Brian at Tactical Link and he could "hook you up" with one of his 100 something dollar single point slings. Maybe you'll hear something back from surefire soon or someone here will chime in with the answer. Going to bed now. Sloooow night.

Later Homie

Sadly, the side sling mount doesn't play well with the LEDs. I'm trying to figure out a solution for the 6920 pictured above-otherwise I'd have an M500A on that one too.

I'll probably just take the easy way out and mount a sling loop on the bottom, like I did with the other two carbines pictured above. I've resisted doing it yet in hopes of finding a better alternative (I really like the side sling mount).

ETA: Oh yeah, I have blue LEDs on mine. It doesn't wreck my night vision or wash out the reticles of ACOGs or Aimpoints.

Well for anyone that is wondering, I got the official "No" from surefire.  The M-500A with navlights will NOT work with the Colt 6920.

"Sir,
 In order to mount the M500A to your weapon it will be necessary to find a different type of front sling swivel to use.   If you have any further questions do not hesitate to write back or call us at 1-800-828-8809. We are dedicated to providing world-class customer service and welcome future inquiries or comments.
SureFire Technical Support"


Thanks for everybody's input on this!

Quoted: CJan_NH I have a LE6920 and a 3 pt. SpecterGear CST sling.  Will the front side sling ring interfere with the LED? or fit properly?  It looks like your Colt, the one that does not have the M-500 mounted on it.  Have you ever tried to put the Surefire handguards on it?

I tried several sling setups on mine, but ended up with a single-point HST sling from CQB Solutions (now Spectre), with a KAC ambidextrous QD swivel. I'm lefthanded, so the LED nav lights weren't the problem for me; it was the main light that the sling kept hanging up on. But when some of our other officers (righthanded) tried their slings on my gun, the slings all hung up on the LEDs. We didn't really give them a hard workout, because it looked as if the LED would get broken off sooner or later....

With the 500 forend, I really think a single-point is the best way to go....YMMV.

Quoted: With the 500 forend, I really think a single-point is the best way to go....YMMV.

Sadly, I think you're absolutely right.

Like you I've tried everything-including rigging a paracord loop on the front sight base. I even tried nylon strapping around the handguard itself, but it interfered with the LED and rocker switches.

As much as I don't care for single points I think that's the only viable option unless you go with an underbody sling loop. If you don't mind, could you tell me how you feel about the Spectre HST sling?

Quoted: As much as I don't care for single points I think that's the only viable option unless you go with an underbody sling loop. If you don't mind, could you tell me how you feel about the Spectre HST sling?

So far, I've been very pleased with mine. I didn't need the extra quick detach loop that the MOUT sling offers, because I can just detach the swivel from the KAC mounting plate. The HST is ambidextrous, which makes cross-shoulder transitions very easy & fast on building clearing exercises, & I like having the capability to switch sides of the mounting plate & make the sling truly ambi, so if someone else (probably right-handed) needs to use my rifle, all they have to do is move the swivel.

I used the HST in an NRA Patrol Rifle Instructor class a couple of months ago, & it worked very well.
I've done a couple of building entries since putting it on, & the only problem I have noticed so far is the tendency of the rifle barrel to hit right on the family jewels  if I just drop the rifle without using the support hand to swing the gun out of the way. You really need to be conscious of controlling the muzzle with the support hand for going to prone or transitioning to a handgun, unless you're into pain...I use the sling with the loop over my strong (left) shoulder, & under my right arm, which keeps the rifle out of the way of my handgun.

Overall, I like the single-point for what I do. If I had to carry the rifle for long periods of time, patrolling or whatever, I don't think it would be as comfortable as the Giles sling I used to have....
YMMV.

Thank you Sir

I'll give it a shot then and see how it goes.

I either need to trade the one I got with LED's on it with someone who has one without, or come up with something better than the HST sling.

I like specter stuff, but this just aint working for me.

+1 on the family jewels comment, you drop that sucker it is *exactly* where the barrel goes.

Maclean,

what color are your LEd's.  Are you in Bremerton?

bobafett126

I am east of Duvall, and the LED's are white but the light they toss is actually a blue white.