Streamlight TL-Racker Forend/Light

I received my new TL-Racker today. I haven't gotten to shoot with it yet (hopefully tomorrow) but I really like it. It's a really well thought out solution to having a light on your shotgun.



The grip feels similar to the Magpul AFG I had before, but the angle is more natural and the way it fills my palm feels just right. For the Shockwave version of the TL-Racker, Streamlight added more of a hook to the area just behind the light, giving a very positive hand stop. (The versions made for the 870 & 500/590 are more rounded at that area.) They also added swivels and a hand strap for those who are worried about their hand slipping off. The combination of ribs and texture give a really good grip without being overly aggressive.



The activation strips fall very easily to hand; a quick press turns the light on and another turns it off. Holding the switch a little longer activates momentary mode and releasing it turns the light off again. Best I can tell, you only have to hold the switch fractionally longer than a quick tap (less than a second) to activate momentary mode. Streamlight increased the light output from the original version's 850 lumnes to 1000 lumens for this second generation TL-Racker. The beam is a good medium spread between spot and flood.



The battery compartment is sealed with an o-ring and holds 2 CR123 batteries. The cap is plastic and has a notch that is VERY OBVIOUSLY sized to allow you to use a quarter to turn it if the cap gets stuck. I can't tell you have many idiots I've seen on Youtube who have buggered up the cap trying to turn it with a flathead screwdriver (facepalm).



The provisions for the hand strap are pretty well thought out, even if the strap itself looks and feels cheap. (This is really my only criticism of the forend so far.) It is thin, narrow and feels cheap compared to the original strap that Mossberg puts on the Shockwave. The ends of the strap appear to be folded over to form a loop and then heat sealed together, with no stitching through the strap. This just feels inadequate for something that is intended to prevent the shooter from accidentally getting a hand in front of the muzzle. Plus it just plain looks ugly. If I was planning to leave the bird's head grip on my Shockwave, I would either adapt the original Mossberg strap to work or replace the strap with one of woven paracord that looks and feels more substantial.

Since my Shockwave has a pistol brace and a front sling mount, and the TL-Racker has a built in hand stop, I'd really have to try to get my hand out in front of a live round. I don't like how the strap catches my hand and requires extra movement for me to get my support hand back to the breach area to load a round. I'll be taking it off post haste.

I know looks are very subjective, but I still don't think the TL-Racker looks as good as the Magpul MOE, but it's not as ugly in person as I thought it would be based the pics I saw before I ordered it. Or maybe the great fit, feel and function are making it look better to me that it would otherwise. I guess the ultimate beauty is utility when it come to an HD/SD tool.

Streamlight makes versions of this forend for the Remington 870, Mossberg 500/590 and the Mossberg 590 Shockwave.

EMT40SW said:

Cool looking gun. I like the Streamlight trackers but I have not used one. I will say I hate pistol grips on Mossbergs. They make the controls hard to reach.

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Thanks! I've been looking for the right lighting solution and I think this is it.

I read that a lot, but I personally don't find it to be a big deal. I can reach the slide release with my thumb easily enough. As for the safety, the only time it is engaged is when the gun is at rest, slung at my back, or otherwise out of my hands. If it's in my hands in a shooting situation, the safety is off and the main safety (the operator's brain) is the only one necessary. I can't imagine approaching a dangerous situation with the safety on and planning to switch it off at the last second when you need to fire the gun. So, just like most of my handguns, which have no manual safety, or my AK, which has a hard to reach original selector lever, I don't see the Mossberg's tang mounted safety as an impediment.

lemaymiami said:

In police work at close quarters, shotgun in hand... I never, repeat never, cleared the safety in many, many potential shooting situations. Can't tell you how many I had under my gun in the 22 years I spent going to bad situations where weapons were either present or highly likely... I only cleared that safety once - and that was the only time I ever fired a single shot on the street... and ended up in and out of court for the following six months before it was finally ruled justified...

In my world you had to be absolutely certain that you were ready to go but able to point a weapon at anyone and not fire a single shot unless you cleared that safety first... The consequences for an error were just too heavy to contemplate - and my incident was more than forty years ago now... I doubt that anything about deadly force has changed since then either...

I always much preferred the Remington to the Mossberg specifically because I always thought that clearing a tang mounted safety in the stress of the moment might actually be possible even though you didn't intend to clear it. With the Wingmaster (my era was before the "police model" shotguns were ever available) you kept your finger on the safety right next to the trigger and couldn't clear it except by deliberate action... For me - that was a big plus...

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You certainly have more experience than I and I respect your opinion. However, I see a lot of difference between an officer going into an unknown situation versus a home owner who is posted up in his master bedroom, waiting to see if an intruder is going to bust down the door. (Also, the police are legal targets for lawyers and activists, looking for any reason to damn them and take them to court. So their procedures have to be made bearing this in mind.) If I think someone has broken into my house, the safety will be off, finger poised near the trigger. Again, I fully acknowledge your experience and appreciate your service. This is just my opinion and what I feel works for me.

FWIW, the original forend on my Shockwave is 6 3/4" long. The Streamlight TL-Racker and the Magpul MOE I had previously are both 8" long. What is the length of a standard, non-tactical pump shotgun's forend.

I see what you mean. The rear edge of TL-Racker comes back to 1/2" from the receiver when it's retracted.