AR Sponsor
Posted: 10/14/2006 7:02:29 AM EDT
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Are LEDs on weapons limited to navigation or as supplemental lighting if used on a weapon? Lately I've been intirgued by weapons lights and their pratical uses. My first foray into this world was a used Surefire M962 125/230 lumen unit with integral ARMS mount last years ago. I like it, throws out a lot of light with the 230 lumen bulb, but is physically big. Earlier this year, I picked up in a trade the Petagon X2 70 lumen unit with a mount. At first I thought of keeping this as a hand held light but actually like it on one of my M4 style carbines. Nice and compact and bright enough. So now I start playing with LEDs for my flashlights in the car and around the house. I like Maglites (don't laugh) as they are cheap. I am not LEO or .mil so these serve the purpose for me. One day I was window shopping in Home Depot and saw a $10 third part LED conversion for my AA mini Maglite. Picked it up just to try out out of curiosity plus anything that will save battery life is a plus for me. I was under no illusion this would have the light ouptut of the stock bulb. It's alright and only good for looking for stuff in small dark places, which is what I usually use the mini Maglite for around the house. Two days ago, I'm in Lowes and see an official 3 watt LED lamp conversion for my four D cell Maglite in the car and figured I'd give this a try. I'm happy with this setup and was surprised how much light this can put out. Thinking of getting another lamp for the other 4 cell I have laying around. Next year I want to get a Surefire M-900. For stealth, which color between red or blue are better for night time navigation in the absense of night vision? What dedicated LED lights do you guys like? |
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Like: Don't break-recoil is a non-issue Relatively low battery draw Potential for a smaller package Supposedly SF has 5 watt LED lights that are bright enough for a weapon light Dislike: Most "white" LED's put out a blue-ish tinged light Cost for the "good stuff" like a Surefire w/a 5 watt LED Tend to wash out in other light. ETA: Some are going to green LEDs for general nav because they don't kill night vision & are easier to read maps with. Red & blue tend to wash out the more important (compared to green) red & blue markings on topo maps. |
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