#PistolLight

Luke C ( @BallisticAviation ) is checking in with Andrew from SureFire LLC to check out the release of the XR1 and XR2 rechargeable pistol lights. Teased throughout the last couple of years of the SHOT Show, the XR1 and XR2 have been some of the most highly anticipated pistol lights and today SureFire has confirmed their release in just a few months. The XR1 and XR2 lights are compact size lights that boast powerful output, and rechargeable batteries. In addition the the XR1 and XR2, Andrew also has a newly redesigned tape switch with hints at a new dual-lead switch on the way.

At SHOT Show 2024, Hogue, a manufacturer specializing in firearm accessories, hinted at an innovative addition to their product lineup—a mini-flashlight designed for pistols. This forthcoming flashlight aims to offer a more compact lighting solution for firearms without the added bulk typical of larger, traditional units.

It’s Friday night and that means we delve into the dark arts of the night. Today’s topic is the LaserMaxDefense (LMD) Pistol Enhancer aka PAiL (Pistol Aiming Laser). This multi-function aiming laser (MFAL) won LaserMaxDefense a contract with the U.S. Army. So let’s take a close look at this somewhat obscure weapon light/laser.

Hello fellow photon aficionados and welcome back to another Friday Night Lights. Today we take a look at another Insight product. This time we are looking at their pistol mounted MFAL (Multi-Function Aiming Laser), the AN/PEQ-14. Friday Night Lights is brought to you by ATN Corp, manufacturers of night vision and thermal optics like the THOR LT. As with all of our sponsored series, Friday Night Lights will continue to bring you unbiased news and reviews from a variety of companies.

Axeon Optics presents the new MPL1 pistol light with 300 lumens output. Powered by one AAA battery, the light can be set at various flash modes as well as constant on. With a very tempting price, it looks like it would fit both the rail of the pistol and everyone’s wallet. According to Axeon, there are already several holsters that work with it.

By now most shooters are familiar with the major players in the weapon light game. Surefire set the standard, Modlite and Cloud Defensive continue to push the envelope, Streamlight offers viable budget-friendly alternatives, and a host of other manufacturers position themselves at various levels of the market. Pistol lights are one area that has seen increasing use and demand in recent years, as more people than ever are opting to outfit their defensive or duty handguns with an integrated source of illumination. While some buyers opt for lights like Surefire’s X300-U that extend beyond the gun’s muzzle, others value a more compact form factor like Streamlight’s TLR series, some of which include a visible laser. Now with the following press release a lesser-known company, Nightstick, has announced their own entry into the compact pistol light/laser race with the introduction of their rechargeable TSM-11G. The release reads:

Notice there are two cross sections that also came with the light marked P and U. P again stands for Picatinny and U stands for Universal. I chose the universal and it worked well for my Glock 19 lower. Add the crossbar as shown and press the mount into place.

Our Editor in Chief Pete asked some of us to honestly review some Olight lights. No this was not a request direct from Olight. As Luke C. had mentioned in his Olight S2R Baton review, this is a non-shill review. I had already bought some Olights on my own with my own money before Pete asked us to.Yeah. Normally we request loaner guns and gear on a test and evaluation basis directly from the manufacturer. As you may know me by now, I like weapon lights and the Olight Valkyrie lights were priced reasonably with decent performance on paper. As the title states, we will take a look at the PL-PRO Valkyrie pistol light.

At SHOT Show 2019 Streamlight showed off their new TLR-VIR II. It is a compact pistol weapon light that is night vision friendly. It has visible white light, IR illuminator, and an IR laser. The best part? It costs less than the SureFire X400V.

In the gun community, the Surefire X300 Ultra has one of the best reputations for reliability and quality among the flashlight companies on the market. My X300 journey started around five years ago. I picked up my first Surefire light and started using it for daily carry. Fast forward five years and countless rounds later, my Surefire has weathered the abuse and excelled over the years. The X300 especially has gained my trust. I have bought a number of other weapon lights from them in the last based on the awesome performance I get out of the X300. I tend to switch out my pistol lights between guns when I carry them so I went with the X300U-A. 

INFORCE has introduced two compact pistol lights called APLc and APLc Glock. The former fits standard Picatinny rails and the latter is designed to fit Glock rails. The APLc comes in black or FDE colors whereas APLc Glock is available only in black color. The mounting systems and the color options are the only differences between the two models.

4Sevens is starting to get into the weapon light market. They have been quietly making some great handheld lights for over the past 10 years. Their Quark series is rather popular as it is modular so you can choose different heads for different modes of light as well as different body lengths for your choice of batteries. I remember a few years ago when David unveiled his massive XM18 work light. It is discontinued now but it has 18 Cree XM-L leds and is powered by 28x RCR18650! It puts out 15,000 lumens for a solid hour or you can dim it down to 600 lumens to run for 24 hours.

This was my first year attending SIG’s Range Day. It was held at the Clark County Shooting Complex which is located in the northern outskirts of Las Vegas. It is a good hour drive from the Shot Show Range in Boulder City.

Steiner Laser Devices makes the infamous line of DBAL laser designators. DBAL stands for Dual Beam Aiming Laser. They have both visible and infrared lasers. They also make a DBAL-PL for hand guns. It is a bit bigger than your typical pistol light but it is packed with lights and lasers.

I was taught in a training class years ago that 60-80 lumens on a short range weapon light was more than adequate for defensive situations. Has that sentiment changed with advances in LED technology? A new pistol light, the  Valkyrie PL-1 II from Olight, projects 450 lumens, which leads me to believe that their is increased demand for high output lights on handguns.