https://www.1911addicts.com/threads/considering-weapon-lights-final-update.210393/?post_id=3093860#post-3093860

 

Idpa or uspsa? I have an XC and use an x300 on and off depending on low light stages for idpa and honestly do not notice a difference. X300 is brand name and looks sexier to me. Streamlight is lighter and can hit paddle easier.

 

Surefire lights are superior in both construction and durability. They are also the most proven in terms of .mil use and combat environments.

 

I've run both over the years and prefer Surefire. The TLR-1 is a pretty decent light but I no longer consider it for a duty use application as I have broken two battery caps on them. An added bonus for us 1911/2011 guys is the X300 lines up perfectly for a 5" gun. Though if you get an X300, get a B model, the A models get loose and fit sloppy.

 

I broke a battery cap on a TLR-1 too. I submitted the warranty form on their website and they sent me a new one.

 

Streamlight makes good budget lights that can’t be beat at the price point. If you want proven reliability with superior performance, I would buy the Turbo.

 

I wonder why they still make the A version tbh, they include both the picatinny and "Glock" insert with B model.

 

Some people (me) like them better. Easier to go on and off, fit nice and tight and work fine for me.

 

I see so many 2011 owners adding lights to their competition pistols. Obvious benefits of a light are for low light or night time needs. I am also aware a light adds weight to the front end of the pistol to lessen muzzle flip.

I just got a Staccato XC and also an Atlas Athena. I'm considering adding a light, but mostly for the muzzle aspect. Although the Staccato XC shoots so flat, it begs the question, "how much difference can it make?"

I see a strong slant toward the Surefire X300 (Turbo?) as the most common. Why is the Surefire X300 the favorite? Does Streamlight have anything I should consider?

Thanks for the info.

I mainly use and prefer Streamlight TLR-1 but on my 5"+ frames I'll run a Surefire X300 for the flush fit with the frame and or slide. That's the only reason I use X300. In terms of using a light on any 2011 pattern pistol, it helps with holster compatibility.

 

I have an X300 and have no problem with it fitting and staying put on both my Staccato P and my Atlas Athena. I like the A because of the quick attach/detach capabilities.

 

A few years ago I tested a Streamlight and Surefire, these were not the latest versions. Both are good lights, each with advantages.
Just a few observations, I believe the Surefire is more robust and ready for more abuse. The Surefire toggle switch works by turning it up or down and then an instant on by pushing it forward, the Streamlight didn't have this option. Then there's the light pattern, the Streamlight pattern was wider and fairly even across it's width. The Surefire is hotter in the middle.
I prefer the construction and operation of the Surefire but like the Streamlight light pattern.
Were back to personal preferences.
Jim

 

Some competitions will verify that the light actually works and is not just loaded with lead weight. As previously mentioned the X300 makes for a flush look on a 5” gun. Generally speaking Surefire is the most field proven option. However like anything mileage may vary and occasionally someone has a story that has lead them to stick with Streamlight. For the price Streamlight is a good option, unless you want a holster for each then most people end up picking one or the other and just add more of those.

 

Surefire is the better light, but largely due to switch design IMO. That said, the new TLR-1 has me interested, but I don’t know how it is for holster compatibility with Safariland retention holsters or older TLR holsters.

 

Surefire .

 

Check out my instagram page, @elevated_performance_concepts. Lots of good low light / flashlight content.
With that said, x300turbo or the modlite PL350 w/ the OKW head are both winners.

 

Thanks 18sam2011 and everyone else. Time to try a Surefire 300 Turbo. The A option sounds great to me since I have a Stacatto XC, Atlas Athena, Sig P226 Reserve Collection XFive and an incoming Bul Tac Pro 5". Granted, I'll probably start outfitting multiple pistols so they are all at the 'ready'. But the quick interchangeability sounds like a great thing.

 

I like the X300 on my C2 for evening and night carry. It is the screw down version so it takes a second to pull out my tool to remove it. Very impressive construction. I have a similar Streamlight that is less robust but was probably several dollars less expensive. Still has good light and works well to this day.

 

Surefire all day.....

 

I see so many 2011 owners adding lights to their competition pistols. Obvious benefits of a light are for low light or night time needs. I am also aware a light adds weight to the front end of the pistol to lessen muzzle flip.

I just got a Staccato XC and also an Atlas Athena. I'm considering adding a light, but mostly for the muzzle aspect. Although the Staccato XC shoots so flat, it begs the question, "how much difference can it make?"

I see a strong slant toward the Surefire X300 (Turbo?) as the most common. Why is the Surefire X300 the favorite? Does Streamlight have anything I should consider?

Thanks for the info.

Been carrying Surefire lights on my gunbelts since 1992 when they were Laser Products. A SureFire saved my life on 9/11. I have over thirty including the first one I ever purchased that still runs to this day.

For me, it's SureFire all the way.

 

I was looking into the Ultra versus Turbo. Looks like the Ultra projects a wider light pattern and perhaps not as far as the Turbo. But at the distance I would use a weapon mounted light, I'm not sure the Turbo is warranted for my needs.

 

Full disclosure: I am a Surefire dealer and do not sell Streamlight.

The reason for this is because I’ve simply seen too many broken Streamlights (mostly TLR-1s) to really recommend them over Surefire for “serious duty use”—I’ve broken / seen broken Surefires before too, so I’m not implying that they’re an infallible product, however again, the rate of failure is much lower.

That being said, there are a lot of Streamlights out there in LE duty and even military use as they are relatively low cost and effective, and I know quite a few folks who are very happy with theirs and have never had an issue or broken theirs, even with heavy use, and I am not saying that they’re a bad light / product or that they suck and you should never buy / use one.

I’ve run Surefire lights in various applications now since 60 incandescent lumens was considered blisteringly bright and owned almost every pistol light since the old “Classic” 310/610Rs and carried both the Nitrolon and X-Series overseas, so they’ve always been a stable and reliable companion, and I’ve never really gotten into the “fad light of the month” thing, though I have and have owned / tried various other manufacturer’s lights and many of them are good products. At this point, however, I’m so used to the switching on the X-series that I can’t really imagine going to a different manual of arms for a pistol light for any serious purposes.

If I were buying a new one now, I would absolutely, 100% recommend the X300T over the U (though I own several Us and think they’re great lights), and the high candella is great for a pistol application.

Also, just an interesting bit of “inside dish” trivia, a lot of folks I know prefer the -A mounting footprint, myself included, for most applications, and most of my X-series lights are -A variants, however officially Surefire will always “prefer” the -B series because they either used to or still do pay licensing / royalties on the mounting / locking system.

However, the -B variants are definitely more flexible and adaptable with less variability in fit from pistol-to-pistol, which is important since very few pistol rails conform to a true MIL-STD 1913 spec, and while it doesn’t apply to 1911/2011s, many pistol dustcover rails are polymer, which tends to just inherently introduce more dimensional variation in the manufacturing process as well as accelerated wear which can further alter dimensions.

The -A variant rail lock can be tightened down / swap out recoil bars to achieve a more solid fit, however you’re essentially “fitting” the light to an individual pistol, which again, will be quite familiar to most 1911/2011 users, but is less familiar to users of other platforms, making it less friendly for those who may want to use a single light across multiple pistols or fleet / organizational users—again, the -B and “rail clamp” mounting footprint is just more forgiving and flexible.

~Augee

 

Full disclosure: I am a Surefire dealer and do not sell Streamlight.

However, the reason for this is because I’ve simply seen too many broken Streamlights (mostly TLR-1s) to really recommend them—I’ve broken / seen broken Surefires before too, so I’m not implying that they’re an infallible product, however again, the rate of failure is much lower.

That being said, there are a lot of Streamlights out there in LE duty and even military use as they are relatively low cost and effective, and I know quite a few folks who are very happy with theirs and have never had an issue or broken theirs, even with heavy use.

I’ve run Surefire lights in various applications now since 60 incandescent lumens was considered blisteringly bright and owned almost every pistol light since the old “Classic” 310/610Rs and carried both the Nitrolon and X-Series overseas, so they’ve always been a stable and reliable companion, and I’ve never really gotten into the “fad light of the month” thing, though I have and have owned / tried various other manufacturer’s lights and many of them are good products. At this point, however, I’m so used to the switching on the X-series that I can’t really imagine going to a different manual of arms for a pistol light for any serious purposes.

If I were buying a new one now, I would absolutely, 100% recommend the X300T over the U (though I own several Us and think they’re great lights), and the high candella is great for a pistol application.

Also, just an interesting bit of “inside dish,” trivia, a lot of folks I know prefer the -A mounting footprint, myself included, for most applications, and most of my X-series lights are -A variants, however officially Surefire will always “prefer” the -B series because they either used to or still do pay licensing / royalties on the mounting / locking system.

However, the -B variants are definitely more flexible and adaptable with less variability in fit from pistol-to-pistol, which is important since very few pistol rails conform to a true MIL-STD 1913 spec, and while it doesn’t apply to 1911/2011s, many pistol dustcover rails are polymer, which tends to just inherently introduce more dimensional variation in the manufacturing process as well as accelerated wear which can further alter dimensions.

The -A variant rail lock can be tightened down / swap out clamping bars to achieve a more solid fit, however you’re essentially “fitting” the light to an individual pistol, which again, will be quite familiar to most 1911/2011 users, but is less familiar to users of other platforms, making it less friendly for those who may want to use a single light across multiple pistols or fleet / organizational users—again, the -B and “rail clamp” mounting footprint is just more forgiving and flexible.

~Augee

Wow, awesome info thank you! That’s everything I wanted to know. X300 T -A for me then! Going on a 2011 and swapping to another 2011 if I decide to swap back and forth.

 

if you want to reduce muzzle flip, get the Antimatter wing for an x300. I have one on my 43x and it makes followups faster for my amateur level shooting

 

I use Streamlight TLR1HL.

 

I own quite a few Surefire flashlights. My puppy chewed the end cap off a new light. Called their service department, told my story and sent pictures (who doesn’t like puppy pictures.) A couple days later came the replacement parts. NO CHARGE. That kind of service creates a lot of loyalty.

 

The worst combat one of mine would face is putting it back in the holster. Buy the cheapest and then if it’s good good. If it sux throw it away but don’t start out with super expensive one. Try that 55$ knock off of the Surefire x600 or x300 from Shanghai. Look on eBay.

 

I get that STREAMLIGHT has some nice some nice offerings with good stats but Surefire or bust for me.

 

Finally found a good enough deal for me to buy a Surefire X300 Turbo this weekend. Looking forward to trying it out!

 

Wait you competition shooters put a light on the gun not necessarily for the light but for the weight to help with muzzle flip? I never would have thought of that but if it’s not against the rules, and it helps why not I guess. I don’t have any lights on pistols so I’m wondering how much does 6 or so ounces help on and already heavy 5” gun. The reason I ask is when I shoot steel and miss with my 1911s that’s usually why. I don’t get the muzzle down fast enough and keep it there.
A 1911 in FDE with a surefire on it all scratched up is sexy to me. I may buy Tisas Raider, a knock off surefire and a lanyard for the look. I hear they are good guns.

 

If your primary interest is in adding weight, I’ve seen a few “competition focused” products which are really just heavy barrel weights with a little, barely functional LED stuck in them to meet the requirements of being a “functional light.”

That being said, personally I’d prefer to have an actual useful weaponlight, but I am not a competition shooter looking to get every slightest bit of edge at the expense of functionality, but I can understand it from that standpoint, and while “gaming the system,” as understand it it’s technically within the rules.

~Augee