How well do incandescent lights hold up on rifles?

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strat81

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How well do incandescent lights hold up on rifles? I'm considering mounting something like a G2 or 6P to my AR (.223). Does the recoil prematurely kill incandescent bulbs? Other pros/cons aside, is an LED a better choice for rifle mounted duty?
 
Incan's provide truer color rendition, and Surefire makes a shock isolated bezel for the CPZ series lights. I think they call it the Z32.

I prefer an incan with a turbohead for ranges greater than 50 meters. inside that, led and incans will both perform well.
 
I think LED's are generally better for this purpose, since they're more durable. No, their color rendition isn't as good (as highorder mentioned), but they use less battery juice.

The SureFire X300 is an amazing little light. I would have no problem using mine on a carbine.

Something else to consider is that SureFire has the P61L in the works. It's an LED module that simply drops right in to a 6P. Its supposed output will be 200 lumens! :eek:

If you do go the route of the G2/6P, I highly recommend ponying up for the LED version. The metal-bodied 6P will sink heat away faster, allowing the LED to run at full brightness, longer. This is because the LED module has a thermal regulator, which restricts power to the LED when it starts getting too hot. Basically, the polymer body of the G2 will cause the thermal regulation to kick in sooner than with the metal 6P (when left on for extended periods of time).

I love my 6P LED Defender. The tint is just a bit blue-ish, but the output is 80 lumens (vs. 65 for the incandescent), with a much, much longer battery life. The beam is also a bit better quality than the incandescent.

Careful, 'cause the stupid things tend to multiply! :D :neener:
 
Something else to consider is that SureFire has the P61L in the works. It's an LED module that simply drops right in to a 6P. Its supposed output will be 200 lumens!
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several makers have Cree led drop in's for the CPZ series that top 300 lumens, as well as the lumensfactory incan lamps that will give you 400 lumens of output from suitable Li ion cells.

also, I agree with the heat sinking abilities of a metal bodied light. the G2 will brown out an led sooner because the heat never leaves the led/board.
 
Kinda depends on where you live. If I lived out in the country I probably keep an incan lamp in my 6P, because icans tend to illuminate better at longer distances than LEDs. I live in a more urban area though, so distance is less a factor, and both durability and battery life tilt the scales in favor of LED for my situation.
If you do go the route of the G2/6P, I highly recommend ponying up for the LED version. The metal-bodied 6P will sink heat away faster, allowing the LED to run at full brightness, longer.
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Another bonus to the 6P is that you can screw on a Surefire Millennium Universal Weapon Light tail cap assembly, like the XM07. That gives you both a remote pressure switch, and a momentary/constant click on tailcap button. At $60 for a 6P, $120 for the XM07 switch, and $20 for a good weaver ring to mount the thing, you're at $200. That gives you nearly identical functionality to a Millennium M951 for just over half the price (the M951 is $344).
 
I have a 6P on my AR and have had no problems.

However it will get a P60L bulb one of these days. It puts out 80 lumins, as opposed to the incandesents 60.
http://www.lapolicegear.com/sup6ledreas.html

But the major advantage is battery life.

And the fact a LED light doesn't just suddenly go out like the incandesent bulb, with no advance warning, when the batterys run down.

rcmodel
 
I am planning to put a surefire weaponlight on my 11-87 with the P61L, when it becomes avialable.

Does anyone know when the P61L is supposed to be released?
 
As far as holding up is concerned, a rifle's recoil affects scopes and optics less than a handgun's recoil, even though the handgun cartridge has less energy.

Handgun scopes have to be built tougher than rifle scopes because of this.
 
I've had one of the nitrolon G2's mounted on my M4gery for about a year now in a CAA mount. This rifle sees some pretty rough use and gets thrown around in my truck quite a bit. I've never had a bit of problem out of either the light or the mount and I'm pretty abusive on equipment...

I've also got an original SureFire TACLITE forearm on my MP5 that has what I believe to be a short 9P on it... That's been on that gun going on 10 years now and other than changing batteries a few times and the lamp once I've never had a problem out of it either...And I'm pretty abusive on it too...Now, it does have the obligatory powder burns all over the bezel since the light sticks out about an inch beyond the muzzle... :D
-J.Burnett
 
I have used a SureFire G2 on my AR for years, no SI Bezel either. Its done just fine as have those Brinkmann copies of SureFires
 
UGAARGUY
Another bonus to the 6P is that you can screw on a Surefire Millennium Universal Weapon Light tail cap assembly, like the XM07. That gives you both a remote pressure switch, and a momentary/constant click on tailcap button.
Click to expand...

Now that has me thinking!!!
I have both a 6P LED and an M3 Combatlight.
I did some research on the Surefure website re spec and have noticed that both the 6P, 6P LED and M3 can use the same alternate replacement tailcaps (Z49 or Z59).
AM I correct in assuming then that the XM07 weapon light tailcap assembly should then also fit my M3 CombatLight if it will fit the 6P?
By comparing the specs of the M3 to the M96 weapon light, they appear to be very similar, apart from the mount attachment on the M96.
If my assumptions are true, I think I will be saving up some $'s for an XM07 tailcap purchase in the near future. I would then be able to use either the P6 LED or M3 as a weapon light and be able to switch between LED and Incand as and when needed
 
For whatever it's worth, I have a small Dorcy incandescent, uses two CR123 and is rated at 112 lumens, I think, could be 122 lumen. Cost about 20 bucks at a big box store. I have it mounted in a CAA combo forward vertical grip/light holder on my M4. It's been on there for 9 months or more now with a couple thousand rounds through and a fair bit of banging around and it still works. I even painted it black...
 
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