The Inforce pistol lights have caught a bad reputation in the last few years from people running and having them quit working either due to the activation switches failing or electrical issues. The first generations of lights were known to have issues but now the APL full size is on its 3rd generation. I’ve been running both APLc models fairly hard on my SIG Sauer P229 Legion and CZ P10C for over a year. The APLc comes in a small package than the APL weapon light. The Inforce APLc offers quite a few perks compared to other lights on the market.

If you have been following along our Friday Night Lights series, night vision is a big part of seeing in the dark. While night vision is great at seeing in the dark, it does have its limitations. Night vision can only amplify light that is already there. While some night vision systems do a better job than others in some cases you need to compensate with some IR illumination.

I often get questions on my social media pages about Weapon Lights. There are a ton of variations on the market today and it can sometimes be overwhelming. The most asked question I get is what kind of activation is best when running it on a PDW or rifle set up? I usually start to inquire how they plan to mount and use the weapon light and go from there.

In the past few years, we have seen a roller lock renaissance. I believe this is in part due to quality clones like the Zenith MKEs, Omega Arms, and PTR. The list goes on and on. The stabilizing brace also made the pistol version of the MP5 more accessible and useful for shooters. So now everyone has their own MP5 clone. But the desire does not stop at just having an MP5. Now you have to accessorize it. And the two best accessories are the suppressor and the light. However, illuminating a suppressed MP5 is not as easy as it sounds. There are a number of lighted forends for the MP5 and not all of them work with suppressors. Let’s take a closer look.

Amidst all the high-caliber new releases and blockbuster product launches are the smaller, often times one and two person companies that dedicate their skills to innovating seemingly insignificant parts, accessories and tools that make our lives easier. Warren Innovative Technologies is one of those companies. 3D printing parts from ABS plastic, the company is pushing out new additions to their lineup at a breakneck pace. Their most recent releases, the PistonPal and a Streamlight attachment plate, are focused on making suppressor and weapon light user’s experience brighter and a bit more organized.

Nitecore makes handheld flashlights and their Li-ion battery chargers are the industry standard. Cloud Defensive uses their battery chargers for their OWL. Well, Nitecore offered up their MT10C for review.

In the gun community, the Surefire X300 Ultra has one of the best reputations for reliability and quality among the flashlight companies on the market. My X300 journey started around five years ago. I picked up my first Surefire light and started using it for daily carry. Fast forward five years and countless rounds later, my Surefire has weathered the abuse and excelled over the years. The X300 especially has gained my trust. I have bought a number of other weapon lights from them in the last based on the awesome performance I get out of the X300. I tend to switch out my pistol lights between guns when I carry them so I went with the X300U-A. 

Surefire brought two new suppressors for release at NRA 2019. Both are built entirely of Titanium. This has cut the weight nearly in half compared to the weight of their predecessors. Both suppressors were designed for use with bolt action rifles and use Surefire’s quick detach mount system. While not designed for heavy cadences of fire, the titanium cans were surprisingly light.

There are a ton of arguments in the gun community about the role of flashlights in an every day carry loadout. Some people say you don’t need flashlights on your weapon or even on your person. I would respectfully disagree on both accounts. Statistically, the probability of you getting into a situation where you need to use your weapon in a self-defense situation is extremely low, and at night it’s even lower. I can understand why some people think its a waste of time to carry a weapon mounted light. There are people on both sides arguing the validity, but carrying both has its benefit.

Our friends at SureFire have partnered with three production companies to release a 40th anniversary legacy video that is a tribute to the soldiers of the Global War On Terror. The video highlights the fact that the U.S. has been in the GWOT for so long that veterans now have children fighting in the same war they had fought in themselves.

Armament Systems & Procedures (ASP) is well known for their collapsing batons. Did you know they have been making flashlights as well? They started with the Triad light which replaced the end cap of an ASP baton thus turning a baton into a flashlight. 20 years later ASP tactical lighting tools have evolved into a varying array of EDC lights to duty lights.

There is a a guy quietly making SureFire M600DF great again. Cory of Modlite has been quietly working for the past 3 years to make the best weaponlight possible. I know that sounds like every other light manufacturer’s goals and claims but Modlite’s offerings are truly going to be setting the standard. Modlite upgrades include three new heads and a mini scout like body for the M600DF.

Welcome back to Friday Night Lights – our weekly discussion of everything Lights, Lasers and Night Vision. This week we will take a look at the spatial relationship of your light and laser, a sort of “laser/light feng shui”.

Streamlight have introduced a new version of their TLR-6 weapon light for SIG Sauer’s P365. The ‘ultra-compact version’ of the TLR-6 attaches to the P365’s rail and trigger guards combining an LED light and red laser module.

While checking out the new lights at the Streamlight booth, their tan pistol light caught my eye. The TLR-VIR II is Streamlight’s take on an IR laser pistol light. They also have a laser integrated HLX weaponlight and a new shotgun weaponlight.

SureFire had a number of new lights on display at SHOT Show 2019. The XLV2 is probably the most interesting one. It is an all in one WML.

Good evening everyone and thank you for coming back to TFB’s Friday Night Lights series that covers the world of illumination, night vision, thermal imaging and lasers. Our beam guru Nick Chen will be your regular host of FNL going forward, but I’m filling in tonight to give you an advanced look at two new lights from Streamlight. The ProTac 90 is a dual fuel utility light with an angled head and TEN-TAP switching. The TLR-8 G is Streamlight’s latest edition to their popular weaponlight lineup, adding a green aiming laser to the compact unit. These two lights are literally hot off the presses without commercial packaging, so bear with me for this first look.

Welcome back to Friday Night Lights, where we will be continuing our weekly series on illumination related subjects. Today we will talk about some options for handheld everyday carry (EDC) flashlights.

I came across the set of images of this weird steampunk looking flintlock pistol while doing research for another article. A little additional research revealed that this gun was once consigned to and auctioned at Czerny’s International Auction House. I contacted the auction house and Michael G. Czerny, the director of the auction house, kindly granted us permission of using these images.

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and Season’s Greetings dear TFB readers, and welcome back to our third annual holiday gift giving guide. Honestly, I’m the last person who would insist our articles be politically correct, but I absolutely believe in being inclusive to all segments of the shooting community. So while this is the first day of our 12 Days Of Christmas series, it is also the last day of Hanukkah. And there’s no better way to celebrate than giving the gift of light in these darkest weeks of the year. Here are some highlights from our weaponlight, flashlight, IR laser and night vision coverage from 2018.

Crimson Trace has announced that their Lightguard LTG-770 weapon light designed to be fitted to the  M&P Shield, from Crimson Trace’s parent company Smith & Wesson, has begun shipping. The light weight 110 lumen white light with fit both first and second generation M&Ps.

The 17th Installment of Build of the Week was contributed by Michael G.  This is one of the most complete submissions to date and includes prices.

If you are fortunate enough to have access to a range that let’s you shoot at night, then shooting targets in the dark is one of the most fun and challenging things to do with a gun. Lately my friends and I have been shooting well into the late night. However I am the only one with night vision, so I came up with this steel target hack to help my friends shoot at night.

Remember those guide rod lasers for Glocks by Lasermax? What if you could have a flashlight instead and use any holster you wanted? Well Deadpoint has made a guide rod weapon light for Glock pistols.

ATN has partnered with ICOtec, Predator Tactics, and The Firearm Blog to give you the Ultimate Predator Hunting package.

The 1911 is renowned for winning two world wars. At least that is the mantra die hard 1911 fans recite. And the Fulton Industries MX991/U anglehead flashlight has been utlized for decades since the Vietnam War. Well someone had the great idea to combine these military cornerstones into one complete weapons package, a pseudo 1911 AOW.

This is my 3rd and last day at TriggrCon 2018, even though it went on 1 more day, obligations were calling me home. Overall this has been a great experience, and wonderful opportunity to connect with people from all over the firearms industry in this easily navigated intimate convention. Here are a few more noteworthy products.

I attended Practical Urban Carbine (PUC) with Sentinel Concepts in Alliance, Ohio. Steve Fisher, the owner of Sentinel Concepts, brought an incredible depth of knowledge to the course. After realizing many in his carbine courses had minimal understanding of their carbines past 50-100 yards, Steve developed PUC. The US Census Bureau showed 80% of the US population lived in Urban Areas. An urban area was defined as a densely populated environment within an area encompassing 200-300 yards. As carbines are commonly used as a defensive tool, focusing on 50 yards and in makes little sense when the weapon is far more capable and urban areas expand past those distances. Local buildings were discussed that provided shots up to 300 yards, along with parking lots and outside venues we frequent on a regular basis.

Good evening everyone and welcome back to TFB’s Friday Night Lights. In our recurring series we hope to bring you everything from basic illumination tips like every day carry choices and weapon lights to more advanced topics like the use of night vision and thermal imagery during hunting and in the shooting sports. This week we bring you the SureFire X400V weaponlight/illuminator/IR Laser unit – A tale told by a night vision beginner (me).

This article is in response to two articles recently published on defining lumens and candela. Numerous erroneous statements were made due to improperly vetting sources and some misunderstanding of the information gathered. I am not an expert on light, however, the purpose of this article is to properly define candela and lumens for a better understanding when purchasing a flashlight for EDC and defensive use.