DIY Weaponlight on a budget (free!)

[MacTech]

I've been pricing weapon lights for my Gen 4 Glock 17, but didn't realize they were as pricey as they were, and since I tend to be a frugal bugger, I knew there had to be a cheaper way to do it....

So, I grabbed a beat up old Novatac 120P LED flashlight (uses 1 CR123a battery) and a Weaver 1" scope ring, and bolted them together....




Voila! Holds nice and solid, the beam is aimed nearly perfectly, and all made with a few spares I had on hand

 

[Ohen Cepel]

Looks good.

Have you been able to test fire it yet? Be sure to also fire with it on some. Many bulbs are not made to take the stress of a handgun firing while on.

 

[Captains1911]

How is it activated?

There are several quality weapon mounted light options for under $100.

 

[MacTech]

Push switch in the tail cap

This is just a temporary rig until I can pick up a dedicated weapon light

 

[BigJakeJ1s]

Good idea, but I would try it at the range to make sure it stays lit during/after recoil, before you depend on it working in an emergency. A hand-held light that works is better than one attached to the gun that quits after the first shot.

Andy

 

[Jesse H]

More importantly, make sure the weapon functions with the light clamped to the rail.

Even with my Surefires and Streamlights I won't use them until I've tested fired the combination.

 

[bannockburn]

MacTech

Nice bit of handiwork til the dedicated light comes along.

 

[kBob]

I have a weaver 1 inch scope ring and a cheap multiple LED based light on a Ruger 10/22 rifle.

It works.....better than nothing by a long shot.

Don't have any center fire handguns with rails though.

Given that the elcheapo two AA cell maglight on my 12 gauge handles the recoil I think folks might be over thinking the survivability of this system.

Of course I once found that a two c cell "ray o vac" duct taped onto two wooden blocks on a S&W M76 barrel shroud worked well through several magazines one night. C. Heston was my president.

Will a purpose built system be better? No Doubt, but I would bet that does work.

-kBob

 

[bannockburn]

MacTech

When looking for a rail mounted flashlight I came across a SIG STL-900L for my P229R. I like how easy it is to use, it puts out plenty of light (I especially like the strobe light setting), and the whole set-up works very well as my night time house gun.

 

[Fishbed77]

I'd be dang sure to make sure that setup can handle recoil before I ever trusted it in a defensive situation.

The Streamlight TLR-3 is an excellent weaponlight option for under $75. I've used them quite a bit with excellent results. I have one on my primary HD pistol right now.