Remember that iconic photo of Margaret Thatcher and the SAS just after they successfully rescued the hostages in the Iranian embassy back in the 80s?

The 2018 Shooting, Hunting, and Outdoors Show is upon us! Over the next week, the TFB Team consisting of over 16 writers, and 4 videographers will be working our hardest (and fastest) to try and bring to you, our readership, some of the broadest coverage of SHOT Show 2018 that we hope we can provide the internet. We’ll be shooting new firearms at lanes on Media Day at the Range, climbing all over booths on the show floor, and quizzing sales representatives left and right about the latest and greatest for 2018. Days will be long, shoes will get worn through, gratuitous amounts of photos and videos will be taken.

Gator McKlusky sent these photos to us.

As we head into the new year, Surefire is now shipping several new flashlights that were announced this past fall. One of the new lights now shipping is the new Tactician flashlight.

Haley Strategic Partners, a company founded and run by the renown firearms instructor Travis Haley, has announced the availability of an entire line of new light mounts called Thorntail2. All models of these new mounts have a refined design over the previous Thorntail series and now also have M-LOK compatible versions, too. Let’s take a brief look at each one of these new models of light mounts.

A joyful, happy man, Santa Claus – or Father Christmas or Saint Nicholas or Sinterklaas – delivers gifts to good boys and girls throughout the world. After working for 364 days straight, he loads up his sleigh with packages and parcels containing everything from basketballs to jewelry. In my calculations, based on intense population studies and deep scientific research, Santa’s sack could hold up to $50 trillion US dollars worth of presents. As the lone responsible person for millions of gifts as well as delivering happiness on Christmas morning, it is only natural that we consider that he needs to protect himself and his load from all sorts of danger.

Defending yourself against an unprovoked attack is a fundamental right. A firearm is one tool that can be used with this right. But the right to self defense comes with responsibilities including only using force when appropriate. I have read far too many stories about an innocent person being shot because the shooter failed to identify the victim as being an actual threat.

Merklight is a new company located in Indianapolis, IN. They have recently launched their first product called X-Series Light. It is a weapon light designed to be installed inside the AR-15 handguard resulting in a set of eight LED lights around the circumference of the barrel.

ArmsUnlimited.com

Tactical flashlights worn on the wrist, known as wristlights by SureFire, have continued to develop since TFB first reported on them in 2013. At that time, the adornment was little more than a flashlight with a max output of 180 lumens with a steep initial price of $495. That particular light-only variant evolved significantly in both quality and consumer price – now seen on SureFire’s website for $169.

Due to Smith & Wesson’s recent  acquisition of Crimson Trace it didn’t take a crystal ball to predict that we’d be seeing more Crimson Trace accessories bundled with Smith & Wesson products, and this example falls into that category.

Armament Systems and Procedures (ASP) announced a pair of new flashlights that are aimed at the law enforcement and personal protection niches. Called the Pro DF and Pro AA respectively, the new lights are programable by the user and tested to the FL1 standard.

Soldier Systems Daily announced a new light from SureFire. This time it is an exclusive collaboration with Haley Strategic.  The D3FT (Disruptive Environments Firefly Technique) is a single cell light loosely based on the E1 series of lights like the E1B. It will be 500 lumens on a single CR123. The ring at the base of the head works similarly to the combat ring found on older SureFire handheld lights. It is dubbed the SureFire Grip but it is also called the Rogers Grip or Syringe grip.

If you’re a manufacturer of laser lights you should continue reading, there’s some potential business ahead from the German Special Forces KSK.

Almost two months ago TFB wrote about the upcoming Surefire lights, and the mystery specifications of the Surefire XC1-B are now revealed.

SureFire lights are the industry standard for weaponlights and handheld lights. They are 100% American made and hard to find a fault in their performance. However if you talk to flashlight afficionados SureFire has moved away from the glory of their past.

As soon as the new Magpul MLOK Cantilever Mount was up for sale, I immediately bought one as I was curious to see how much better it was compared to previous mount setups.

Yu-Ju Chou really likes SureFire weaponlights. This is a collection between him and his friends. I count 42 pistols and 45 weaponlights. This was in Taiwan so all of these pistols are Airsoft. The G18C is a dead giveaway. Sure it could have been an FFL/SOT but it is not. All the SureFire weaponlights are legit. Even though there are some knockoffs of the current lights like the X300 and X400, there have never been replicas of the older weapon lights. The giant gray ones are the M111D. They have different model numbers for different variants. Some use Glock rail adapters, some have the remote pressure pad and some did not. The M111D is a Millennium weaponlight, like the M3 combat light, converted into a pistol light.

Thrym announced the company was now making a new version of the Switchback ring for tactical flashlights. The new Switchback 2.0 is an evolution of the original ring taking into account feedback from users received since 2014.

Magpul has offered a few different options for mounting a Surefire Scoutlight. Their offset mounts positions the light forward saving handguard space. However there has always been a slight issue with spacing. Due to the Scoutlight design, even if you directly mount the body to the mount, it still sticks out like a sore thumb.

INFORCE has introduced two compact pistol lights called APLc and APLc Glock. The former fits standard Picatinny rails and the latter is designed to fit Glock rails. The APLc comes in black or FDE colors whereas APLc Glock is available only in black color. The mounting systems and the color options are the only differences between the two models.

Instructor Zero posted up this photo of a new low light stance that he has developed. I dabble in flashlight/firearm manipulation and question the validity of this new stance. I tried to keep an open mind and asked him what problem does this stance solve where other stances failed. He did not reply but posted a 35 minute video about this stance.

SHOT Show is the pinnacle of all things fun and tacti-cool about the firearms industry. For a week every winter, gun writers, manufacturers and firearm enthusiasts all gather out in the desert of Las Vegas to see what will be the new hotness for the year. This year will be the start of something entirely new for those who are able to attend the exclusive Industry Range Day and report on it for the rest of us. A new Less-Lethal category of products will be allowed to attend and display their wares for everyone to fondle and tantalize over.

On top of the Smith & Wesson M2.0 being leaked, a couple of new Surefire lights were leaked in the same photo. It looks like the upcoming Surefire XH35 and XC-1B lights are going to be revealed soon because Surefire reposted the photo of the new pistol with confirmation that the new lights are legit.

Smith & Wesson continues to expand well beyond its well-known realm of handguns. Over the last few years, it’s been lending its name to a variety of endeavors including knives and flashlights. Now, Smith & Wesson seems to be getting a bit more serious into the weapons light game with the introduction of two new products, the Delta Force RM-10 and RM-20,

Nightstick, a brand owned by Bayco Products, announced the company was now selling four new weapon lights for your defensive firearm. The models are the TWM-350, TWM-350S, TWM-850XL and TWM-850XLS. The names may not be catchy, but I suppose not everything can be called Avenger, Patriot or Skull Crusher.

Coast Products announced several new items that may appeal to a range of shooters and hunters. The gear includes two new flashlights and a new folding knife.

Olight, the Chinese manufacturer of flashlights, is celebrating its 10th anniversary. They’ve invited Marshall of Going Gear to visit their facility in China and see how their flashlights are made – from prototyping and testing to the actual manufacturing. You can find the factory tour video below.

While the battle against the Islamic State by international forces has focused on the Syria/Lavant region of the world, it’s easy to forget there are other conflicts being waged around the world. For example, the Maute terrorist group in the Philippines has pledged allegiance to IS, leaving military forces with a steady flow of firefights. To help in their fight, the Philippine Marines just received their first shipment of weaponlights and suppressors from Surefire.

Browning announced the company was expanding its line of flashlights for hunters and other shooters that want rechargeable lights. In the announcement are six new LED lights that serve a variety of purposes.