Page 1 of 8 123 ... LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 76

Thread: Pump Shotgun Weapon Lights: I hate them all

  1. #1
    The R in F.A.R.T RevolverRob's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Gotham Adjacent

    Pump Shotgun Weapon Lights: I hate them all

    I said it and I stand by it. I think pretty much every single pump action weapon light, light mount, light style, sucks. And I want to fix it. Because, I don't think, in 2022, we should be stuck trying to make sub-optimal things work. We have the technology to rapid prototype and test things we can and should work out some innovations. SO, let's talk about how to do just that.

    Here is what I have identified as problematic thus far:

    1) Existing foreend integrated lights are an ergonomic nightmare.

    The Surefire smashes the index finger, unless the gun is run with the index finger pointing forward. The current switches on those are hot garbage.

    The Streamlight variants have better switches, but also dumb ergonomics with push-pull not really being easily possible with them.

    2) Existing ring-type mounts are too bulky and have poor ergonomics as well.

    The Elzetta mount is HUGE and like the GG&G and other cheapo mounts it puts a round flashlight outboard from the barrel by nearly 2", before you add in the bulk of the light. This adds unnecessary lateral bulk to an already hefty weapon. Once you add the additional weight of the light, the ring, the batteries, etc. I've found it makes guns unnecessarily muzzle heavy and swing awkwardly.

    Handheld lights have sub-optimal switches for pushing with a thumb or index finger. Try as I might, my hand does not stretch that far. If you don't train hard to get the activating finger off the light, welcome to finger jam time.

    3) Picatinny/Scout Mounts - Also too bulky/ergonomically bad.

    Similar to the situation with ring-type mounts (and also because many rings are mounted to pic rails), the pic rails end up laterally 2"+. We then typically run a square'ish pistol light that further puts bulk out laterally and offers no ergonomic improvement over other setups. Often it places the light too far forward for reliable activation with the offhand. The mounts themselves are typically sharp cornered (fixable) but most aspects of a pistol light have some kind of edge that can inevitably catch you.

    4) MLok/Keymod fore-ends - Probably the best option, except you still end up with a light mounted in a sub-optimal position to smash your thumb or index finger under recoil and taking up vital real-estate on a relatively small fore-end.

    5) Switching, switching, switching.

    What a pain. A button on the back of a round light. Or a lever/button on a pistol light. Or the terrible rocker switch on a Surefire. They ALL suck. Best case, you use a coiled remote switch and then have that 'ish to lug around and round around on your gun.

    6) Sling interface

    Basically, I haven't found a solution that lets me run a light AND a sling on the same side of the gun, without risking a serious tangling/fouling (fowling?) issue.
    ___

    So what is the solution? (Besides, buy a 1301 or M4)

    Well, I have some ideas myself, but I'll hold off and ask the crowd - particularly our heavy shotgun users (@LHS, @TCinVA, @GJM - tag others as needed)

    What would an optimal pump shotgun light look like to you?

    Where should the beam be sourced from (above, below, beside the barrel?)?

    Switching, how should it function (should there be a momentary or is On-Off fine?)?

    How should the light and switching be integrated (i.e., are you okay with a dedicated forend or should it be something as universalized as possible?)?

    What would your upper price limit be (I know the lower is $0)?

  2. #2
    WDLP Lawn Dart Champion SamueL's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    6 feet away
    Quote Originally Posted by RevolverRob View Post
    1) Existing foreend integrated lights are an ergonomic nightmare.

    The Surefire smashes the index finger, unless the gun is run with the index finger pointing forward. The current switches on those are hot garbage.
    Bob, what Surefire Forend have you used? I hated the DSF for the very reasons you mentioned but have no problem with the 618 versions. I just wish they were lighter weight.

  3. #3
    Quote Originally Posted by SamueL View Post
    Bob, what Surefire Forend have you used? I hated the DSF for the very reasons you mentioned but have no problem with the 618 versions. I just wish they were lighter weight.
    Yep, the older 618 is my favorite (by a wide margin) of any shotgun light I've used (and I probably T&E'd all of them). If I were looking for another shotgun light I'd find one on ebay, upgrade the head, and put it to work.

  4. #4
    WDLP Lawn Dart Champion SamueL's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    6 feet away
    Quote Originally Posted by Joe Mac View Post
    Yep, the older 618 is my favorite (by a wide margin) of any shotgun light I've used (and I probably T&E'd all of them). If I were looking for another shotgun light I'd find one on ebay, upgrade the head, and put it to work.
    The older 618s I have were upgraded with the Malkoff conversion. Surefire must have realized the errors in their ways with the DSF because they reintroduced the 618 in the 618LMG-B version. I have this newest 618 on my duty 870 and would recommend it as the best option currently on the market.

  5. #5
    Site Supporter Lon's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2011
    Location
    Dayton, Ohio
    Simple solution - buy a 1301T. 🤣

    I also hate all the pump light options.
    Formerly known as xpd54.
    The opinions expressed in this post are my own and do not reflect the opinions or policies of my employer.
    www.gunsnobbery.wordpress.com

  6. #6
    The Nostomaniac 03RN's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2017
    Location
    New Hampshire
    Surefire ftw. I'll take it over any long gun light

  7. #7
    The R in F.A.R.T RevolverRob's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Gotham Adjacent
    Quote Originally Posted by Lon View Post
    Simple solution - buy a 1301T. 🤣
    Hey man...I said that already...

    I also hate all the pump light options.
    Yes. I've run the 870 DSF and old 618. The reintroduced 618 is at least going the right direction but still not a big fan of 1) the weight 2) the rubber grip section they added.

    ___

    Here are a few of my thoughts:

    1) The light needs to be as close to the midline of the gun as possible.
    2) The light needs to be as rearward as possible, without interfering with the support hand and the forend.
    3) Switch need to be ambidextrous.
    4) Way of integrating magazine tube clamp/sling QD mount into the light body (to not have redundant components).
    Last edited by RevolverRob; 11-14-2022 at 07:00 PM.

  8. #8
    Site Supporter PNWTO's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2012
    Location
    E. WA
    Following with interest; my 590A1 is frozen in 2007 with a SF foreend and a single point sling, for all the mentioned reasons. I’m lukewarm with it all, but love the actual gun.

    In the past I’ve entertained having a friend weld another sling attachment to the front of the receiver, but that really interferes with, or totally eliminates, a side saddle and any hope of expedient loading.

    Off the cuff, a light that was integrated with the magazine tube and had a pressure switch on the grip would be a start.
    Last edited by PNWTO; 11-14-2022 at 08:08 PM.
    "Do nothing which is of no use." -Musashi

    What would TR do? TRCP BHA

  9. #9
    The Impact Weapons Components SMC is the best light mount solution I have found. It doesn’t fix all of the problems, but it keeps the light tight to the gun, and elevates above the forward sling mount. It also mounts with a larger interface than standard MLOK nuts, which I think is prudent. Considering the forces involved, I doubt much faith in polymer MLOK slots holding up for an extended period of time. The SMC can run scout lights (probably the best way to go), or various sized ring mounts. I just have a PT1L on it for now. Keeps everything compact and lightweight. When I stop being poor, I will put a SF on it. I could run a pressure switch on it, but I don’t mind working the button. It is enough out of the way to not be a problem, but close enough to not be out of reach.

    Name:  811B779A-E257-4F59-81A9-24D9007B5636.jpg
Views: 1268
Size:  61.4 KB

    Name:  561EFDF4-C4C7-4807-9DF5-F67118781A40.jpg
Views: 1275
Size:  69.6 KB

    Name:  C92499C1-2C7C-4FDB-9B06-1D7D6149CF95.jpg
Views: 1292
Size:  71.7 KB

  10. #10
    Member gato naranja's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2018
    Location
    Between two major rivers that begin with the letter "M."
    That old reciprocating part is going to get you no matter what, so the best a person can hope for is a lesser degree of suck. It took me a lot of time and money to come to that extraordinarily unhelpful conclusion. Once you add a sling, many otherwise serviceable light options can become problematic (and vice-versa) on a corn sheller.

    Were I to want a defensive/combat/tactical/gamer shotgun as opposed to a gray-bearded midwesterner's utility/emergency shotgun, I'd just cut my losses and start over with the most reliable and vetted semiauto I could afford.
    gn

    "On the internet, nobody knows if you are a dog... or even a cat."

User Tag List

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •