Grip Weaver
Rugged Compact Lights For The AR-15
The current trend is toward ever lighter weight of tactical accessories and combining them to save weight further. LED lights offer the ability to see an opponent and momentarily remove their night vision at short range. The LED has revolutionized the lamp’s reliability, power and the life of batteries and lasers add the capability to aim fast and accurately at short engagement ranges.
The Surefire X300 is a very compact and powerful 170 lumen lamp which used two CR123 batteries to give a full 2.4 hours of continuous operation. The LED will not burn out or break like legacy incandescent lights. This light only weighs 3.8 ounces with batteries – the same as an Aimpoint T-1 red dot sight. The X300 arrives ready to fit to Weaver or Picatinny rails and with an adapter for universal rails. The light is equipped with a switch with momentary and full on/off capability that be switched with one finger. Pistol grip or remote switches are available as an optional extra. This light is machined from Aluminum and given a Type III hard anodizing for protection. O-ring sealing makes it waterproof to 22 meters.
The Surefire X400 adds a very bright 5 milliwatt, 635 nanometer aiming laser that is almost twice as bright as that of its brightest competitor. Light only, laser only and combined modes are easily selected. It is possible to deactivate the unit to prevent inadvertent activation. This lamp also mounts on the three most popular rails. The common problem of the laser losing zero under recoil is addressed by nylok screws that stop the screws backing out in use. The unit rarely needs re-zeroing.
The Surefire M952V is an LED weapon light that gives both white light and IR illumination by turning and pushing the lens housing. In day mode the LED gives 1.8 hours of 150 lumen illumination, going up to 8 hours in IR mode at 120 mW. This unit comes with momentary/full on off switch at the rear of housing and a 7″ cable mounted momentary on/off switch for remote operation. The unit mounts to a Weaver or Picatinny rail via a rugged throw-lever mount.
Tactical Gun Review at the 3 Gun Match, Austin, TX: Jun 18th 2011