Please Recommend 18650 Lights & Accessories for Guns

I’d like to add some lights to a couple of my guns.

One will go on my shotgun to be used primarily for night-hunting of coyotes. I’d like to find something that is worthy of the budgetlight name but yet is rugged enough to withstand the recoil from a 12 gauge. This light can be rather floody as it will be used at relatively close range.

Also, I would like to add a light to one of my rifles. Probably my .223 which is kept handy for longer range shots at 4 legged varmints. This light should be more of a thrower.

For both lights, I would like to have the ability to fit a red filter to the front and utilize a remote pressure switch. I’m thinking each light should run off an 18650 and be single mode. I’ve never built my own light, so this may be the perfect opportunity!

For those of you with lights on your weapons, how many lumens do you find you like? On the web, I see lots of people are running Malkoff M61 drop-ins because the seem to have a reputation for being very rugged. But I think they seem too pricey and rather anemic output-wise for my taste.

Finally, it doesn’t seem like there are good remote pressure switches available for many of the budgetlights. I’d really like to get some input in this area.

I have an ultrafire 502b with a red led drop-in on my Yote AR

From another hunter, red filters & white leds are a poor mix. Better to use red leds. As far as what is available and worth while will not be cheap. DIY is your best choice. Do a little search on this forum as plenty of info has been posted.

I have a solarforce l2m on my shotgun and a C8 on my .22 rifle. I found that a pressure pad caused a lot of problems with the shotgun because the recoil would loosen my grip on the switch. For simplicity and reliability I built my own one mode 1.4 amp xml t6-4c dropin that I thoroughly filled with epoxy to ensure recoil wouldn’t move anything around and used an 18350 to keep it short and light. Both the c8 and l2 series have many cheaply available pressure pads. L2 lights can use surefire switches, but not the other way around without some cutting.

I agree with the Solarforce L series of lights. They take most of the surefire goodies and work with out to many issues. As a Host they are hard to beat.

I had not thought of the C8 for longer range stuff, but I bet it would be a great host as well (kinda big for on a weapon). Finding mounts might be tough but hey hose clamps and zip ties can work. (/cringe)

As far as not spending a lot of cash on a drop in. Buy once cry once. Buying a Vinz or nailbender is a hit in the pocket book, but you are getting a solid dropin that is going to be around for a while.

Not sure how good you are at putting things together soldering ect. So I will point you to buying drop ins until you want to push a p60 really hard and are ok with burning up a few until you find your combination.

I don’t have one but the Maxtoch lights seem to have a following for long range rifle lights. BLF member Mudgripz seems to be an expert on Maxtoch lights, PM him.

Consider a X6 for the rifle light. Once the GB finally opens up and I order my 5 one or two will be built with red PT54’s for hunting rifle lights.

My setup. Not sure if you have picked a type of mount, but it not, check out Elzetta . They are the only ones (that I know of) that have a 6 o’clock mount for weapon lights. Fit’s a standard 1” diameter light and the best part is, instead of using a remote switch, I can bump the front sling and it hits the tailcap on the torch perfectly to click it on.

The light is a Solarforce L2 with an XML-U2 SMO drop in. Gives off more light than a Surefire and cost 1/4 the price. Couldn’t be happier.

Built a few of the 3 cell tr1200 host direct drive with coin cell powered fet switch. No resistance issues with tape switch.

Beam shot is a little tighter with the Optolife lens that my original 9A Maglite.

That is a sweet setup, Yourrid!

I use a Solarforce L2T with an XML single mode dropin on my AR.
I don’t have it mounted permanently, I use a Safariland RLS to mount the light on the rail when I want to use it.

I have a [used] Surefire M951 holding a modified no-name drop-in. Granted, you need to use a 16650 with it, but its robust.

I want to buy one for my SAR-3, but there seems to be not a whole lot wrong with the Ultrafire UF-762, at least the ones that only have a one-mode drop-in. But the Solarforce-in-a-1”-ring is proven.

A used TLR-1s is $80 and also works well. Its also flexible.

Here’s mine, been meaning to make a post in the consumable battery section about the EOTech, decided to do a runtime test of L91’s in it, I put the batteries in December 2013 and ran the eotech (around 75% brightness) a minimum 8 hours every single day and it finally died last week (tho never gave me a battery warning).

Light is a L2 with a custom built drop in (XM-L2) with a UI I developed for WML/tactical lights. It’s single mode only with a hidden strobe (just like the streamlight TLR series) I activate it with my thumb, mount is a VLTOR scout.

I like that front sight bolt-on, and CK sweet rig man

But no denero for the RRA 16” mid-length

Sweet rig man. I was looking to put some rechargeables in my EOTech but the consensus was that no one was sure due to a slight difference in voltage (if my memory serves me correct). I’d rather not fry my $600 sight for a $6 problem :\

Waiting for my pressure pad for my xpl l2m to go on my. 375 reaper dedicated build.

[quote=Yourrid]

Sweet rig man. I was looking to put some rechargeables in my EOTech but the consensus was that no one was sure due to a slight difference in voltage (if my memory serves me correct). I’d rather not fry my $600 sight for a $6 problem :\/quote]

Li-ion’s? I wouldn’t do that.

Over the 2 years since I’ve got my 511 I’ve only ran the orignal packaged alkalines, I’ve used niMH every time since then (with only about 2-3mo of daily use per charge) except this past time which I ran L91’s for ~9mo.

Note the NiMH’s gave me a low battery warning but my charger only put ~1000mA into them so I’m sure they went close to dead and the eotech never cut off, only flashed at me.

Thought i would post my dedicated 375 reaper with SEG titanium test suppressor. Rifle was built by W3PS. perfect for hog and deer hunting.

Thought I would post my Saiga 500S&W and PT54 red maglite. Both conversions done by yours truly. Note PT120 green led on S&W 500 pistol grip. The 501b is Cree green aspherical driven by single mode 7135 1400ma driver with tactical duct taped tape switch.

Wow, is it still gas powered? Never seen that before. Where’s the barrel from?

edit: and more importantly how much does it cost per round?