Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Tell me about your handgun's tactical light

I am in the market for a rail mounted tactical light with strobe for my H&K USP that is used for home defense both inside and outdoors.

I definitely want the strobe. Not sure I need or want a laser.
I want 500-800 lumens. Reliable. Good battery life.
I'd like for the controls to be simple. If the light is cut off when in strobe mode, I'd like for it to remain in strobe mode when cut back on.

Tell me about what you have used. What did you like about it? What did you not like about it?
Thanks

I know I don't know what I'm missing - but I don't like the idea of having a 'battery' as part of my handgun.

There is Surefire, and there is everything else.

And you don't need a strobe.

I've got Surefire and Streamlight. I've seen both break. The Surefire lights are infinitely more difficult to get them to fix when they break.

I don't know about the strobe functions because they're a terrible idea that I refuse to have on a weapon mounted light. (The only potential use for them is when directing traffic in the dark, and the usefulness they add then is completely negated by the terribleness they add any other time.)

The gun still works if the batteries die. And dead batteries are so easy to avoid that it's a non-issue anyway. It bothers me to carry a pistol without a light on it.

Really? I have precisely the opposite luck. Surefire has, on the two occasions I have needed service, overnighted me the parts to fix them. Streamlight, however, has always been a bear to deal with.

Ditch the strobe. I hate those things. Surefires and Streamlights are what I would look at.

Does that USP have the HK rail?

Viking: yes it does.

You will likely need to purchase an adapter.

I don' t have one. I don't see giving a thug an advantage of knowing where I am.

Crimson Trace has one that has a light with strobe and laser.

Thanks Hawkeye. I do have an adaptor.

IME the people who definitely don’t want lights and the people who definitely do want strobes are both the people who have never spent much time with bad guys in the dark.

Maybe it was a fluke. We had 3 SFs and 1 Streamlight go down within a month with the customer service I posted about. But it could have just been a rough patch for them that passed.

It really is glaring, isn't it?

Kinda late with my $.02, but yeah the HK will need an adapter. I know years ago some guys used to carry the compact model (undercover) and they had lights, I believe they were HK brand lights.

Finding a holster might be a challenge too, unless you find someone to make a coustom Kydex.

I am happy to say that I haven’t spent ANY time in the dark with bad guys. For us less experienced, please expound on why you don’t like strobes.

Thanks Viking. This weapon will reside in the pistol safe beside the bed. No holster needed.

Weapon lights are a tremendous tool when used properly. We have to make sure of our target before giving someone the good news. I will always say that making the decision to shoot is what can make us slower. Having to descriminate a target with little to no light is always going to be harder and slower. While strobe lights will disorient those on the receiving end, it also has a effect on the user. This will also slow down our ability to process threats and make good shots. There are a lot of people that like strobe because they think it will force their opponents to look away or be unable to see. This is probably true, but this also works with 1000 lumen lights like surefire and streamlight. The difference is that the light does not have a negative effect on your vision and allows you to take in more information.