I'm considering getting a Surefire M500 light for my carbine.  These models include an LED 'low output' light, that is available in 3 colors:  red, blue, or white.

I'd like to get some opinions on which LED light color works best for navigation, while not giving away your position.  I'm thinking that red might be the best bet.

Any thoughts?

Texas Sig:
I got my 500A with the white LEDs, primarily because they came available first, & I needed the light quickly. If I had a choice, without having tried all three, I would probably go with the blue LEDs, on the theory that they would probably affect night vision less than the white. The red LEDs would also save night vision, but I have an Aimpoint on my rifle, & I would be concerned about the red dot washing out against the red LED, if I had to shoot too quickly to turn off the LED & turn on the main lamp.

I think it was NewARGuy who posted about using a blue filter on the SureFire, & how it made a red reticle (on a TA31 ACOG, IIRC) stand out. So the blue sounds pretty good to me....

I doubt that the M500's red LEDs would wash out the Aimpoint's red dot.

I've tested this using a SureFire 8NX with red filter. I aimed an Aimpoint Comp M-XD's dot at a red brick wall, white painted wall, and red-painted steel. For each background, I covered the dot with the 8NX's central beam. No problems seeing the Aimpoint's dot.

jvn

All the LEDs are so dim they cant ruin your night vision.  Blue is brightest and I find it annoying.  White is next and has a blueish tint.  Red is by far the dimmest.

None will washout any optic under any circumstances.

None will ruin your night vision unles you shine it in your eye.

None are usefull beyond 6 feet.

All will give your position away to anyone in front of you up to hundreds of yards away if they can see your LED and anyone up to 160 degrees in front of you can see them.

All will turn on if you dunk the thing in any water and stay lit for up to 8 hours.

I got white because its the closest to the natural color spectrum so I see truer colors.

A .1 Second AD of your main light will do 10X the damage to your night vision any of these LEDs will.

The only reason to get a color other than white IMHO is because your stalking deer (red, they dont see it) or you want the most light (blue)

If someone is going to notice the white light not from the LED but from the light it reflects I say no other color would help these things throw out no usable light past 6 feet.  If they can see the light they are so close the color does not matter.

I pretty much agree with DevL.  The white  allows movement without tripping over something and has little effect on night adapted wision.

I haven't tried the red or the blue, but the white LED's on mine work perfect. DevL's post runs close to my experience. I will say that I love mine.

I picked mine up from C4iGrant[url]www.gandrtactical.com[/url], his service is great and his prices are very competitive. If you are in the market for a surefire product, check with him before making any purchase.[email][email protected][/email]