All posts tagged sale on flashlights

Where to mount a flashlight on your M4?

streamlight flashlightsOk, Ok, I know you might not have an actual M4 Carbine but you do have an AR15 in some sort of configuration.   There are plenty of ways to get a light on a gun and you can always get your own custom mounting system, but there are always do’s and don’ts  when it comes to accessorizing.  The most common thing people don’t do is mount optics, sights or flashlights properly.  I’ve seen so many canted accessories and optics that I don’t understand why anyone would bother to shoot good ammunition when there elevation and windage are going to be off.   When shopping for a firearm, you really should put some thought into getting a quad rail or an MOE system.  I think the Magpul MOE system is a better idea because it lighter from the get go and kind of starts you at a less tactical point in the accessorizing stage.

With the Magpul MOE system you can just buy a rail, attach it to your forearm and then you you don’t need to worry about buying rail skins or rail covers.  I’ve had rail covers on my 3 and 6 o’clock for years because I never need that  now I’m looking into some of the Streamlight Flashlights like the TLR1S or the TLR2 since the newer 2013 models have 80% more lighting power.    Last years model was 160 lumens and this years are 300 lumens.  I always thought 200 lumens was a great lighting limit but it really depends on whether you are indoors or outdoors.  In most situations indoors you don’t need as much throw as you do outside.  Those are other things to consider when selecting a light on your AR15.

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Flashlights have gotten more powerful but the prices haven’t gone up!

streamlight TRL flashlightsThere’s good news for anyone that is looking for a good M4 Carbine light or handgun light but wanted something more powerful than the Streamlight TLR1 Flashlights.  Well, guess what?!   The new Streamlight flashlights that are coming out in 2013 are almost 80% brighter than the previous flashlights, same model and same price.  It’s very rare that something like this occurs in this industry, it’s almost like when Magpul came out with the Generation 3 Pmags that were actually a few bucks cheaper than the Generation 2 pmags.   We’ve been monitoring several of our distributors inventory to make sure we are only bringing in the new flashlight models.   Xenon bulbs are a thing of the past and LED is getting better all of the time.

I’ve been going back and forth between my quad rail LWRC M6A2 and trying to decide on a flashlight that didn’t rely on pressure switches.   I like the Streamlight TLR Flashlights but I thought that if  my Protac 2L flashlight was 180 lumens why would I put something like the TLR1S that was 160 lumens on my carbine.   I’ve always felt that 150 lumens was about the lowest I want on a firearm which is why the Surefire Scout 110 lumen flashlight didn’t cut it for me when I picked one up for testing.  I didn’t want to drop $500 on some of the Surefire products so Streamlight Flashlights and products were in play.

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Surefire Vs. Streamlight

I guess that sounds like the beginning of a gun forum post but we get asked about this all the time.  There are many things that I prefer to not divulge to customers because so much of this is about preference and the job at hand.   If you are going to be using a flashlight for any length of time, and you have access to a charger, then you obviously want a flashlight that is rechargeable and has the appropriate battery packs.  Most of the Police around here are using the Streamlight Strion and Streamlight Stinger because they can charge them in their vehicles or the office and know where they are starting from, unlike batteries that have been in the flashlight that are already diminished.

If you have serious use of a flashlight, the differences between having a flashlight at 80% vs 100% is considerable.  If you are using streamlight flashlights for more than 8yrs, you’ll be able to relate to the improvements that have taken place with LED technology.   I originally had a Streamlight scorpion with a xenon bulb that only lasted a few battery changes before it need to be replaced.   I’ve had every ready Radio Shack flashlights that were tougher than that, but things have changed.   Surefire came in stock because of all of the requests for Carbine and Shotgun lights.  The Streamlight TLR-1 Flashlights are still king in this business, but Surefire has the hold on most AR15 and shotgun mounted lights.   We are actively monitoring requests for Veridian lights, but we’ve had very little experience.

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Get with the program with modern flashlights

Recent we had an earthquake and a category I hurricane hit the Northeast and it made many residents scramble for flashlights and batteries.   One issue that I have seen some of my friends run into is they did not have many local options for CR123 batteries.   CR123 are becoming very popular in the tactical community but the only downside is they are not as common as AA batteries.   Rechargeable batteries and flashlights are improving, but for long deployments, you need batteries rechargeable or not.

The Professional tactical flashlights are one of my favorites because not only are they small, but not too small, they have different power settings.   The strobe feature on many of the Streamlight flashlights can be useful in some situations, but a low power options in my book is even better.   Too bad the Streamlight Scorpion does not have this option, but it would cut battery consumption considerable.  Remember that some crisis creep up on you and  only having a few hours of battery usage when you might be out of power for a week.

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