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Posted: 3/31/2005 1:33:06 PM EDT
| I had a Surefire M2 before I had my AR. Any reason I shouldn't use it as a weapon light? The M2 has a shock isolated bezel and I've got the HOLA in it. All I'd need is a mount and maybe a tape switch. |
| A standard 1 inch ring (medium height) will hold the M2 quite nicely on a rail. Round body or not, it works well. I've got the newer style body (not round) on my rifle and haven't had problems with the rings not holding it. Just put the rings towards the rear of the light (you need to remove the rubber thingie) and you're good to go. So for the price of rings, you have yourself a nice weaponlight. If you must, you can buy the high end Surefire tape / clickie switch as well. |
There is no difference between the "real" weaponlights and any other Surefire light using their shock isolated system (I think this is what you're referring to when you mention separation of batteries from the bulb). You can take any two or three cell Surefire M/C/D/Z series light, add in the right bulb for either two or three 123 cell setup, get a shock isolated bezel, and viola! You now have a "weapon" light  One of the key things that make a Surefire light a "weapon" light is their shock isolated bezel. Most other features are purely for dedicating the system for weapon mounting (ARMS mount for example) vs. handheld use.
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This is incorrect. Weapon lights seperate the batteries from the bulb to prevent the batteries from impacting the rear of the bulb due to recoil and other shock. They do make contact, but are prevented from moving far enough forward to smack the bulb. Look for yourself. Its a fact. PS, thanks for the confirmation Matt... |
From Surefire's website: =================================================================== # Can I mount my 6P or other SureFire handheld flashlight on a weapon? This is not recommended because for the most part, our hand held flashlights are not shock isolated; therefore the lamp assemblies will not reliably withstand recoil. ==================================================================== Stopping the forward movement of the battery is not what makes it a weapon light. It is the shock isolation system. Talk to Paul Kim (VP of product development at Surefire) and he will confirm this. True some of the dedicated weaponlights may have a facility for stopping forward movement of the battery, but it is the shock isolation that distinguishes a standard handheld light from a weaponlight. I don' t want to get into semantics but I believe I'm right. C4iGrant sells a "poor man's" version of a weaponlight and the primary component is a shock isolated bezel. See this link : Working Man's Weaponlight Grant has found and offered a nice solution for those that can't afford three to four hundred bills to equip their AR's with a "real weapon light". I would not feel underequipped using the solution Grant has offered. It may not be "tactical" but it's practical. |
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Man I hate to beat this to death but I just spoke with Surefire tech support and they told me and I quote them: "The only difference between the M95 (M9xx series) universal weaponlight and the handheld weapon lights like the M2 and M3 are the mounting system. The battery to lamp isolation is identical in both systems. The advantage of the M95/96 series is that the mounting system is integral to the body. You can mount an M2 or M3 to your weapon but it will not be held as securely as the M95 will..." indicating that a weaver ring is not as secure as the mounting system on the M95/96 series, to which I agree. I asked about preventing forward movement of the battery and he mentioned that you cannot do that as the batteries were designed to be removed from either end of the light body. He reminded me that in the dedicated shotgun lights, the battery can only be removed from the bezel side since the back is closed off by the attachment to the forearm. I prodded him repeatedly about stopping forward movement of the battery and he repeatedly said the shock isolation system is what keeps the battery from ramming the lamp assembly. I do not question that what you are saying is true, but the main feature of a weaponlight is the SIS (shock isolation system). His point about the shotgun light makes sense and a shotgun is a more severe platform than an AR is so that strengthens my assertion (and Surefire's as well) that the SIS is what makes a flashlight a weaponlight. I'm not trying to dis what you are saying but the truth needs to be brought out. Respectfully--cmm |
Whoever you spoke with COMPLETELY screwed up, I guarantee you what he stated is false. Here's the facts: - MU weaponslights, Classic systems, handgun system & shotgun systems ALL have battery isolation except for the M600A Scout light. - Shotgun systems have battery removal from the middle of the body, you CAN'T remove the batteries from the bezel. - The M2, M3 & M4 Combatlights DO NOT have battery isolation. They only feature a shock isolated bezel. |
This is getting real interesting. Well, I spoke to a tech support guy (Dave) at Surefire. I admit sometimes the technicians are not as versed but that's what I was told. However I stand by the assertion that according to Surefire, the SIS is what makes the light a weaponlight. So does this mean my M2 with shock isolation is worthless on my AR? Geez I hope not. That means Grant's working man's weaponlight is also worthless 
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I'll try and find one here locally and take a look. I thought that the shock isolation is sufficient. It probably is on an AR but anything more may not be enough. It sure would be nice if I can get a straight story out of Surefire. This may call for putting a Gladius on my AR--LED's don't need shock isolation like hot wires do. I'll look into this further. Thanks. |
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A lot of folks have been using plain old 6P's, G2's, etc. on their AR's with fairly reliable results but by adding a shocking isolated bezel you are adding an add'l safeguard which can help preserve your lamp from shock. However, you still have recoil issues from behind the lamp where the batteries are allowed to float 'loosely' and cause battering of the back of the lamp. With a true weaponsgrade light you have battery retention as well as the shock isolated bezel - Quoted: 6P on the left, 950 weapons light on the right:  950 weapons light on the left, 6P on the right: 
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