need recommendatin for cheap weaver mount weapon light

[silverlance]

have su16ca, compact foreend.

need a little flashlight tokeep my hand from sliding forward

what's a cheap decent one? I like the Ombu Z5 but I don't know if it will fit the milspec weaver underrail.

 

[Manedwolf]

IMO, "cheap" and "weapon light" shouldn't go together. It's like a parachute. Buy the best you can afford, because you can't afford for it to fail when you need it most.

At the very least, get something that uses lithium cells.

 

[B yond]

I just got a Z-5. I did a search in THR and found someone saying they don't stand up to recoil (not that there is any on an su-16). That same person said they use incandescent bulbs too, which is completely untrue, they use Xenon.

I've started a thread in the autoloaders forum to see if anyone has any experience with this light, but so far no responses.

I'm probably going to test it out on my new .45 when I pick it up (in about an hour ), so once I've made it to the range and back I'll let you know how it holds up.

 

[stdlrf11]

Xenon bulbs are incandescent.

 

[1911JMB]

What I did for my Fal was get a surefire G2, and mount it with a scope ring. Works very well. Granted it probably wouldn't stand up to hundreds or thousands of rounds, and thats why I take it off at the range. But if something went bump in the night at home, it would certainly hold up for the 18 rounds I keep in the magazine. And surefire even has a shock absorbing G2 bezzle you can order if you think its that important.

In my opinion, its a great set up. Less than 50 bucks, (maybe 80 with the improved bezzle) and it works great for civilian purposes.

 

[Bartholomew Roberts]

Actually, I run a Surefire G2 in a 1" low-mount Millet scope ring on my AR15. Total cost is about $38. I blew my first lamp at about 5k rounds and have just under 3k on the current lamp with no problems (this one is mounted closer to the muzzle than the previous one).

So, if you need a cheap weaponlight, I would go with the G2/scope ring combo. Just be sure to loctite the screws on the rings and tighten the mount well - the polymer body of the G2 likes to wiggle out. If you don't mind spending the money, you can get a purpose designed mount (like the Vltor) for $29 that solves that problem. Otherwise, you can solve it yourself with a little experimentation, loctite and gripl tape.

 

[B yond]

Back from the range.

Xenon bulbs are incandescent.

I did not know that. I stand corrected.

I just got back from the range where I was test firing my new .45 with and without the Z-5 tac-light. Lo and behold, the Z-5 did not break under the recoil. In fact, the added weight on the muzzle-end cut the size of my groups in half (first time out with a brand-new pistol, remember).

When I first got the Z-5 it was shining off to the right a little because the bulb/reflector/bezel assembly is tightened down onto a screw on the left side of the light's interior which carries current from the battery. I used a wadded up bit of paper on the right side to balance it out, and now it shines straight out.

My only complaint is that occasionally when turning the unit on i have to lightly slap or shake it to get it to light up. This is probably caused my a poor connection somewhere and I can probably fix it. It did stay lit through firing with no problems at all.

If you're looking to save money the other guys are right, scope ring with a 1" diameter flashlight will suffice. The only reason I went with the Z-5 instead is I wanted to be able to attach/remove it without having to turn a thumbscrew.

And to answer your original question, it will fit a weaver rail. It also fits picatinny (don't think there's much difference) and glock rails, according to the documentation (which is written in very bad english).

Side note: I noticed the batteries included with the Z-5 read "risk of fire and bum," so now I'm wondering if I'll wake up in the middle of the night to find them holding cardboard signs and asking for change.