Which rail mounted light?

[wash]

So I'm building up a KT 1911 80% frame and it has a rail under the dust cover.

The slots are not cut so I want to figure out if I want to use a light and if so, cut the rail to get a perfect fit.

The gun will be heavy so I'm looking for something light. Hopefully it will use a single CR2 lithium battery, have about a 100 lumen output and a run time of more than an hour.

I want a nice LED and reflector with a fairly wide sweet spot and a little spill. The intent is less than 15 yard QCB so the throw does not need to be very long.

A strobe setting is strongly preferred and a low power long life setting would be nice.

I've got no ideas on controls. I don't think I want wires or pressure switches but I have big palms and short fingers. I have to roll a 1911 over in my hand to activate the mag release or a standard length slide stop and I prefer a shorter trigger.

I will have a high ride beavertail and probably a high ride front strap so controls under the trigger guard might interfere.

I think I've handled one hand gun with a rail and a light and I didn't pay much attention.

So what light would fit my needs?

[21SF]

Sorry probably doesnt have all the features listed, but my vote is X300.

[SDM44]

The gun will be heavy so I'm looking for something light. Hopefully it will use a single CR2 lithium battery, have about a 100 lumen output and a run time of more than an hour.

Most of the weapon-mounted lights for pistols (the good ones) use CR123 batteries. Maybe the TLR-3 might be your choice for this.

I want a nice LED and reflector with a fairly wide sweet spot and a little spill. The intent is less than 15 yard QCB so the throw does not need to be very long.

The X300 is perfect for this, strong beam with little spill.

A strobe setting is strongly preferred and a low power long life setting would be nice.

The TLR-1s is pretty much the most popular model for this, and is very bright at 160 lumens.



Those are some of your top choices right there. On a "clean" 1911 setup, I like the X300 because the lines just flow well with the gun. But for the operational use of the light, I really prefer the TLR-1s over the X300 since I like the controls better on the TLR, it has the strobe feature if I choose to use it (very easy to operate for me, others maybe not), and at 160 lumens it's nearly the same brightness as my X300 that's at 170 lumens. The TLR has a bit more spill, but for my environment (in home use), it works better for me.

[wash]

I'm not sure about those two.

So far I've seen a 90 lumen S&W, the TLR-3 and the Insight X2 that meets the size and brightness requirements, but as far as I can tell, none have a strobe or low power mode.

It seems like such an obvious feature set, someone must make one.

[21SF]

Strobe is highly not really needed, have you ever looked into a 170 lumen light in the dark?

After the first milisecond of being flashed your eyes are shut and if you open them your seeing spots and colors.

The strobe would probably disorient you more than the perp, since hewill have his eyes shut.

[slikna99]

I have a tlr-1... pretty nice light for what it cost. I assume the strobe version would be to your liking.

[SouperMan]

Midway had the TLR-1s for sale for $89.99 just this last Thanksgiving. It's a great light, and the strobe function can be turned off completely.

The TLR-3 is polymer based, and if you close the mount too tight, you are liable to break the mount on the light, rendering it useless.

[wash]

I have a Fenix 2 CR123 hand held flashlight that has the strobe and low power modes and I think it's a 200 lumen flashlight.

It's way brighter than I need for anything indoors and plenty for most outdoor things, it would give you enough light to make a shot at 50 yards or more on a night with no moon.

That class of light output would be good on a rifle and the weight wouldn't be that bad.

On a handgun I'm looking for something an order of magnitude less in size and output.