Mossberg 590 Light -- Best Non-Surefire Options --PICS ADDED

[jkchan83]

Okay, I have used the search tools and seem to find conflicting information about lights for the Mossberg 590.

Some say that the Surefire fore-end 590A1 will work with the Mossberg 590 with the bayonet lug. Surefire's website says that all of its current fore-arms will require removal of the lug. So, I have decided to skip the Surefire issue entirely.

What are the best options for a non-Surefire fore-end shotgun light? How would you mount it? Here are my requirements/issues:

- Bayonet lug needs to stay
- Prefer to be able to switch light on for momentary and for constant
- Prefer to use CR123A batteries since they have the longest shelf life
- Prefer the least amount of extra wires/cords

And, if you still feel like typing, what would you recommend to replace the standard bead sight? Do you like tritium sights or fiber optic? Both/Neither?

Thanks for all of your help.

EDIT: My final solution was to replace the Mossberg forearm with an after-market forearm that has built-in Picatinny rails. I used a Pelican M6 2320 flashlight in a Viking Tactics mount. I had to push the flashlight to the end of the mount in order to be able to hit it with my thumb while holding the forearm, but it seems really stable and secure.

Here are pics I promised:

Full View:


Forearm & Light Close-up 1:


Forearm & Light Close-up 2:

[mydogsmonkey]

you can check out fenix lights

https://www.fenix-store.com

some people use those and are happy

Ernest

[prc77]

My opinion>>> I would dump the lug in favor of a Surefire forend

[Scooterg55]

Get a surefire forend on the shotgun.

Also if you want good sights get ghost ring night sights.



Here is a picture of my Remington 870 with SureFire and Ghost Rings.

[jkchan83]

Get a surefire forend on the shotgun.

Also if you want good sights get ghost ring night sights.

Part of the reason that I don't want to remove the bayonet lug is that my sling is mounted to the screw point on the lug. How do you mount the sling to your shotgun?

[maxicon]

Regarding CR123s, you can also use AA lithiums for long shelf life. Same chemistry and shelf life as CR123s, and typically $1.50 or so each, so that shouldn't be a major factor. The other plus of AAs is that you can use alkaline in a pinch, while CR123s can be harder to find in an emergency if you don't have a stash of them.

Most quality tac lights are CR123, though, so that limits the selection a bit.

Tritium's the best bet if you don't mind the money. Always on, and they work better as the ambient light gets lower, while fiber optic needs ambient light to work and go dark in low light.

[jkchan83]

Regarding CR123s, you can also use AA lithiums for long shelf life. Same chemistry and shelf life as CR123s, and typically $1.50 or so each, so that shouldn't be a major factor. The other plus of AAs is that you can use alkaline in a pinch, while CR123s can be harder to find in an emergency if you don't have a stash of them.

Most quality tac lights are CR123, though, so that limits the selection a bit.

Tritium's the best bet if you don't mind the money. Always on, and they work better as the ambient light gets lower, while fiber optic needs ambient light to work and go dark in low light.

Thanks for the info on batteries. It's been a while and I remember using CR123's in all of the Surefire handheld flashlights that I have. I didn't know that the lithium AA's were the same chemistry/characteristics in a different package.

Do you have any recommendations for tritium shotgun sights? I was looking at the XS Sights 24/7, but they don't seem to have a model for the Mossberg.

[MGf]

For a low cost option you could get a M1913 rail section from ERGO and mount it on an extra 590 synthetic forend. From here you could get a low cost VTAC or Vltor scout mount to put any kind of 2 cell 3V light on it. Cheaper method, but it works.

[oogabooga]

For a low cost option you could get a M1913 rail section from ERGO and mount it on an extra 590 synthetic forend. From here you could get a low cost VTAC or Vltor scout mount to put any kind of 2 cell 3V light on it. Cheaper method, but it works.

This seems like the most KISS way to go. I'm in the same boat as jkchan with not wanting to remove my bayonet lug. I've been thinking of putting the Ergo rail on, but I was wondering if the rounded contour of the 590 forend would cause some problems. If the Ergo rails are flat, it wouldn't be as easy as drilling holes in the forend.
I swear somebody posted a tutorial on it before.

[Fuzzy5]

For a low cost option you could get a M1913 rail section from ERGO and mount it on an extra 590 synthetic forend. From here you could get a low cost VTAC or Vltor scout mount to put any kind of 2 cell 3V light on it. Cheaper method, but it works.

This is pretty much what I was planning for my shotgun since:

1. I don't like the 12 o'clock shadow cast by the magazine tube with a light mounted at 6 o'clock.

2. No need for remote switch cords since you can put the light exactly where you want it for ergonomics.

I'm going with the Streamlight TLR-1 because when mounted to the side of the forearm, it's easy to manipulate the switch for either momentary or constant-on operation. I've got 2 of the newer C4 versions and I like them a lot- great beam and build quality.

Some other mount options you could consider are the mag tube-mounted picatinny rail (I've seen single- and triple-rail versions) or the barrel/mag tube clamp with integrated rail.

[JDay]

Part of the reason that I don't want to remove the bayonet lug is that my sling is mounted to the screw point on the lug. How do you mount the sling to your shotgun?

If you look at that picture you can see that the sling is attached between the forend and the locking lug.

[sb_pete]

Regarding CR123s, you can also use AA lithiums for long shelf life. Same chemistry and shelf life as CR123s, and typically $1.50 or so each, so that shouldn't be a major factor. The other plus of AAs is that you can use alkaline in a pinch, while CR123s can be harder to find in an emergency if you don't have a stash of them.

Thanks for the info on batteries. It's been a while and I remember using CR123's in all of the Surefire handheld flashlights that I have. I didn't know that the lithium AA's were the same chemistry/characteristics in a different package...

This isn't totally accurate with regards to batteries. The lithium chemistry used in the Energizer E2 Lithium AA sized batteries is somewhat different from that used in CR123 primary cells. Both lithium chemistries are equally resistant to temp extremes and have very long shelf lives so what maxicon was saying is absolutely true in this respect.

The E2 cell chemistry results in a 1.7V output though, whereas CR123 primary chemistry results in 3V. This would only really matter if you were trying to jerry rig a CR123 flashlight to run on E2's, but because surefire heads fit on many different flashlight bodies, it might matter. On the other hand rechargeable CR123 cells (3.7V nominal) use the same chemistry as "14500" lithium cells which are the same size as AA cells.

Using LED flashlights, the AA size battery tube lights are great and far more versatile than the CR123 ones. CR123 was great with incan lights because of the higher voltage. When they were popularized in the early 90s by Laser Products Inc (Surefire), they were a very serious improvement on the existing alkaline cell maglite stuff on the market. This allowed one to use higher current bulbs in small packages. Current 100-300 lumen range LED lights are more limited by amps than volts though. As long as the battery technology is able to put out lots of milliamps without developing internal resistance (the reason why AA alkalines work so poorly in cameras and such), the LED lights are able to put out lots of light. This means that LED's can put out the same type of output regardless of whether the light is using 1.2v NiMh chemistry or 4.2V LiIon chemistry. What matters is the battery throughput, not its nominal voltage (this is some what oversimplified, but more or less true).

AA size battery led lights have a narrower body (fits easier into the mouth when you need two hands - yeah we all do it.). They also allow max output with E2 primaries, 14500 lithium rechargeables, and in many cases close to the same output with NiMh rechargeable AA's. They also are capable of being used (at a cost of reduced runtime and output) with alkaline or even "heavy duty" 1.5v AA cells available everywhere.

As to your shotgun mount, I would get one of the setups that allow you to insert any tac light into the holder. Then check out tac lights that have "forward clickie" light switches. Surefire has great lights, but they are limited with batteries. Even their LED lights are optimized to run on primary cells.This is less a performance enhancement than a bid to sell more CR123 batteries. If a light is sitting for a while, you definitely want it to be filled with fresh primaries that will last for years. OTOH, if you are using the light alot, and don't have pockets deep enough to throw away half used cells on principle, rechargeables can be a better option as you simply replace the batteries with fresh ones at the end or beginning of each duty day (or every week if it isn't a daily kind of thing). You aren't left wondering if your primary cells are half empty. Primary cells have more energy than rechargeables, yes. But topped up rechargeables always outlast the primary cells that have been in the light since you don't remember when. The battery in my EDC pocket light is rechargeable. The batteries in the emergency lights in my car are lithium primaries though.

If you would like to use rechargeable CR123's in Surefires, this battery setup from Tenergy works great as they are 3.2V instead of the usual 3.7. I have used these batteries for a couple years now in many different CR123 lights including surefires and they work great.

A nice alternative to Surefire are the Pelican lights. I really like the Pelican M6 series. They are comparable to the Surefire 6P series but are much nicer and also less expensive IMHO. They also have a really nice, and really tough and overbuilt forward click type switch.

Check out these lights:
- Fenix Lights are great, especially the Fenix TK10 as a tac light.

- Nightcore flashlights are also great tac lights, esp the Extreme R2 edition (Cr123) and the NDI (AA size battery). Both of those are small 1 cell lights that put out a ton of light and have forward clicky switches. They would not add much weight to the fore end of the gun. You could also go with something like their Raidfire Spear which is more Surefire Scout size.

- Olight also makes great lights. They are similar to Fenix. The M20 is a nice tac light.

Other offerings to look at are Lumapower, Tiablo lights, Deree light.

If you are interested in going the incandescent route (shorter battery life, but better color rendition), check out the Lumens Factory EO-9 bulb with 2 rechargeable CR123 batteries in something like a Surefire 6P or Pelican M6. This makes for a REALLY REALLY bright light. The batteries only last about 40 minutes, but you are using rechargebles with this setup so it doesn't really matter. There is no low setting with something like this so it's not a good choice to find your way to the bathroom at night, but if you want a tac light that will blind the living heck out of any intruder, this is a great choice. It's like channeling sunlight through the tube. There is none of that washed out black and white effect you get with most LED lights, it is bright as heck and in living color.
**EDIT** - I should note, that using this setup requires top notch rechargeables like the "AW" brand sold by Lumens Factory and on CPF marketplace. Your average Ultrafire, Trustfire, etc batteries might work, or not. Often these lower quality cells have a trip point set too low on the protection circuit and will require a double or triple press of the switch to overcome the higher startup current needed by a cold bulb. Not what you want in a dangerous situation - so if you go this route, use high quality cells (AW are the best I know of) so you can be sure that they will always work the first time.

Here are some great retailers for flashlight stuff. These guys provide top notch customer service and really really know what they are talking about when it comes to lighting. They are not your average peddlers of "tac gear" that happen to sell flashlights as well. 4sevens with Fenixstore and 4Sevens Flashlights and gear, Matt at Battery Junction, Flavio at Bugout Gear, and Mike with Pacific Tactical Solutions. Also be sure to surf through Candlepowerforums and CPFmarketplace, if you want to a good info source on portable lighting tech.

Hope that helps,
-Pete

[jkchan83]

@sb_pete: Thanks for the great write-up. That was a lot of useful information. I really appreciate you taking the time.

For a low cost option you could get a M1913 rail section from ERGO and mount it on an extra 590 synthetic forend. From here you could get a low cost VTAC or Vltor scout mount to put any kind of 2 cell 3V light on it. Cheaper method, but it works.

I found what I think is an even simpler solution.
http://www.promagindustries.com/accessories.asp Item #PM168

It is a one-piece polymer fore-arm replacement with integral Picatinny rails. I could then use the VTAC mount (which I also have for my AR-15) for a flashlight and have a very similar (and familiar) system between weapons systems.

[oogabooga]

Here's another aftermarket forearm with rails you could consider if you haven't already seen it:

http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/SHT078-1.html

[sb_pete]

Happy to be of service jkchan! Flashlights - my other hobby

That Promag piece looks like pretty decent kit. If you end up getting it, please be sure to post pics of how it turns out.
-Pete