Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Which weapon light?

I’m looking for recommendations on weapon lights. I was thinking of going Streamlight but have read a few bad reviews as of late. Still thinking on Streamlight. Which brand and model do you prefer for a night stand pistol light?

I have a few Streamlight TLR1-HL lights and really liked them on pistols where the switch is protected. I did run a couple on AR’s until this happened.

I’ve yet to have any problems with them on a pistol and I’ve beat on them a little since I broke the one on a carbine. But still makes me wonder what else is out there.

wow, I have a few of those streamights. Inforce Weapon lights is something I am trying, it has been reliable so far, I like the on off switch better, I am always turning the streamlights on by accident. I looked at the runtime of the rechargeable O Light and decided against that one. The inforce is on a Benelli shotgun. I have not shot it but a few times with the light, it was on an PCC, and it did fine there. So I cannot verify its total behavior, personally. Maybe someone has more experience with the inforce light??

I've got TLR-1s on a couple of house Glocks. No issues with mine

It's interesting that it would break on a long gun but not on a pistol, you'd figure the long gun's recoil impulse would be a lot less and so stress the construction of the light less.

I just ordered a TLR-1 this evening for a Ruger PC9 then saw TRH's post on that up in the Campfire forum. I googled it and lots of people report the battery cover breaking off for no reason. They just take it out of a safe or off of a shelf and it's broken. Streamlight replaces it with no questions asked but I'm guessing they don't argue with folks about it since it happens so much.

Now I'm bummed, I researched a lot of small lights and decided on the TLR-1 mainly for the 300 lumens. I wanted a low lumens light strictly for inside a dark house so I don't blind myself turning it on, but it seems everybody that makes a small weapon light is making 1,000 lumens models.

Not that every Streamlight suffers the same fate but this is going on a weapon where if it's needed, it's needed right now and everything better be working on it. Can't feel safe with something that you can't be 110% sure of when you need it.

I hit the light on a board or something, breaking the light. At least on a pistol, the trigger guard protects the battery compartment.

I thought about sticking a fixed front sight behind the light and continuing to use them but I bought some Arisaka lights for my carbines and solved that problem.

As for blinding yourself, I want as bright a light as I can get. If you’re searching your house full of white walls and mirrors, just point the light/gun at the floor at low ready.

I have an Olight with a green laser for my S&W 5.7. Either or both are available by setting a sliding switch.

Amazing coincidence! My Streamlight just broke in exactly the same way yesterday. It had just been sitting installed on a house Glock for five or six years. No rough use.

I cannot comment on the long term durability of these, but they perform great. I bought one and liked it so well I bought two more. I also have a Glock branded light that is just so-so and a Crimson Trace that is pretty good.

https://gun.deals/product/sig-sauer...unted-450-lumen-tactical-weapon-light-79

Surefire’s have broken too and Modlight’s first design did the same thing but they’ve redesigned the switch/tail cap to be more durable. Both of these options are $300 lights.

None of the cheaper lights seem to work as well as the Streamlight.

So I’m sticking with my handheld light that I carry and use everyday if I ever need one for defensive use but I might try a modlight one day.

This of course means I’d have to buy new holsters so I’ll use the TLR-1’s for now as a backup for pig hunting. I keep my Glock 21 loaded with Lost River’s 250 grain hard cast ammo and the light just in case things get wild.

Stream light TLR series. They are the only weapon light I will use on my personnel weapons.

For a gun you don't have to holster/carry, get the Streamlight TLR-1 HL, unless you can afford a Surefire. I'm not arguing with anybody's reported Streamlight failures, but given the number of Streamlights out there, if their failure rate is the same or even lower than the competition, they'll still have more reported failures. But, if their quality control has recently fallen off badly, then that's something else, and maybe Streamlights aren't worth it anymore. Whatever you get, get 1000+ lumens.

As for my own experience, I've carried the TLR-1 HL on a Sig Sauer P320 AXG LE for a couple years. It has experienced normal use, including a few thousand rounds. It has never been dropped or had a hard knock. It's incredibly bright. I rely on it when walking through the courthouse parking lot twice per day. Much of the year, it's either dark when I arrive to work or dark when I leave for home, or both.


My other Streamlight is the TLR-7x. It's mounted on a G19, Gen5 MOS. It's too new to make any comment on its durability. I went with the 7x over the 1HL, due to the nice, flush fit at the muzzle. While it looks cool, the performance of the 7x is significantly darker than the 1HL, but for my intended use, I think it's enough light. If I were to set up this G19 for nightstand use, I'd go with a TLR-1 HL all the way and not worry about the aesthetics.

I ordered one of those $49 Sigs that Paul linked. Price is sure right for us brokedicks.....

buy a cheap one off of Amazon that has a high lumens... I am running three different ones I bought off of Amazon for cheap and not had any issues so far. Just pay attention to the overall ratings. What people pay for the streamlights is crazy to me.

Most of my weapon lights are Surefire, but I do have some Streamlights. No issues with any of them

I have had Surefire 300 and 300x Ultra for years, rugged, bright, reliable. One only needs to push slightly on switch for quick on/off check, there is no need to push switch to on position unless continuous illumination is desired. You can pay less and get less.

Ain't that overkill for airsoft?

After doing some more digging, I bought a Streamlight TLR-7X for my Ruger PC9 carbine - not exactly its intended matchup since the TLR7 is meant for full size or compact pistols. Ordered it off of Amazon last evening and it was delivered this morning at 4:30 AM. Kudos to the Amazon guy since around that time we were having a pretty good thunderstorm going with high winds, hail and heavy rain, but he still took the time to tuck it neatly up onto my porch out of the weather.

Have only had time to play around with it so this is an initial impression review, but also wanted to give my reasons for going with the TLR7 over the TLR1 or something else.

First off, the whole raison d'etre for this PC9 is home defense, i.e. meant to be used at ranges of no more than 17 yards, and in the .001% chance I ever had to use it, it would likely be in a dark environment with my pupils dilated. The TLR7 has 500 lumens and only 5000 candelas so it's not an anti-aircraft searchlight, but it lights up a dark room very well with a fairly wide hot spot and good peripheral overflow. I had previously tried a couple of LED flashlights at night with my eyes used to the dark and a bright 1200 lumen light shined against the off white walls of the living room definitely dazzled me for a couple of seconds.


I originally ordered a TLR1 a few days ago but then started reading about the battery covers breaking so cancelled that order. I know, it's probably a non-problem in the real world but it's just one of those things that would nag at me. The TLR-7 battery is installed by unscrewing the lens so there is no stressed part there. It also has a safe position as it were, you can unscrew the lens about 1/4 turn to a detent and that will prevent it from being activated. Not sure what you'd use that for but it's there.

The battery cover issue was more of an OCD worry but the biggest reason I liked the TLR7 was the switches. The TLR1 has an up/down rocker lever on both sides, down for momentary and up for constant. I'm left handed so would have to use the right side switch which works exactly opposite. The TLR7 has ambidextrous push button switches which operate the same on both sides, push quickly for constant or push and hold for momentary. More on that later.

It comes with a key set for various mounts, two Universals and four 1913 styles. Each of the 1913 styles - 1,2,3,4 - has the crossbar slightly rearward of the previous one which in effect moves the light forward. I had initially installed 1913-2 but the light wouldn't fit well on the rail of the PC9, the lens and the back end hit the forend. I cussed a bit and then looked at the other keys and the light went on, pun intended. So I installed the 1913-4 key and that works great. The same key also works on my S&W M&P 2.0.



The -4 key puts the light at the end of the forend with plenty of clearance.



That also positions it for quick activation with those ambi push switches, which is what sold me on this model. From a normal hold on the forend, I can quickly and easily reach my finger forward to hit either button without changing my grip - back of the finger or bump it with the knuckle. I had considered a pressure switch for the forend but rejected that, trying to keep this simple and didn't want some wire to deal with when the light switch is literally an inch from my finger.





After playing around with this on the PC9 I put it on the M&P to check that out. I tried mounting it somewhat forward but couldn't find a good way to activate it without shifting my grip. Could be I don't know the proper way to do that but I moved it back one slot to put the switches barely into the trigger guard. With my finger in the guard but off the trigger I can just push forward to activate the light and my finger is still right there ready to squeeze the trigger.

That has pros and cons. Keeping your finger in the trigger guard while identifying the target isn't the safest way to handle a pistol, but the primary motivation here isn't exactly the safety of the bad guy(s) I'd be illuminating. The other, maybe bigger drawback is possibly turning it off from my finger hitting the switch under recoil. Can't ever recall my finger moving forward under recoil in a 9mm but will have to try that in live fire. If it's a problem then I'll come up with a Plan B.



This is a better view of how the switches are positioned just back of the guard. My finger can be completely off the trigger but poised to go into action the split second the light is turned on.




Anyway, lots of ways to skin this cat depending on everyone's different needs but wanted to share why I went this way - mainly its medium lumens and the push button ambi switches that both work the same way.

The PC9 will be this one's permanent home. It's easy to move from one firearm to another so I'll switch it to the M&P and try some drills to see how that works. Don't really need two home defense firearms with lights but, ya know, that's no reason not to get another one.

I have 3 of the TRL-1's. Two on pistols and one on a AR. I have had no problems with them. I take them off when I go to the range. That might not be the best idea but it's what I do.