TFB Review: The Nightstick LGL-160 - Another Solid Budget Option

Weapon-mounted lights are a great addition to any solid general-purpose or home-defense rifle. While there are a few who disagree, most of us know that having a light on your rifle is a very good idea, almost a necessity. When it comes to my guns for self or home defense - all of them have lights. While most of us civilians might never find ourselves clearing multi-story buildings, or trying to ID a bad guy way off in the distance in the dark, defensive scenarios are a very different story. If someone breaks into your home or you hear odd noises on your property at night, it’s crucial to be able to properly identify what you’re hearing, especially in low-light conditions, before taking any direct action.

Although it’s popular and currently in vogue, not everyone can afford night vision, but we do live in an era where high-quality weapon lights are affordable for most people. Given this accessibility, there's no reason not to equip every defensive firearm with a light, unless it’s strictly a range toy. To that end, I recently had an opportunity to check out and review the very affordable Nightstick LGL-160 Full Size Long Gun Light Kit. Today we’ll check it out and see why I think it’s one of the best affordable rifle lights out there.

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TFB REVIEW: The Nightstick LGL-160 - Another Solid Budget Option

Nightstick LGL-160 Full Size Long Gun Light Kit

Product Link: https://www.nightstick.com/products/lgl-160

“The LGL-160 long gun light kit is a complete weapon lighting system for your rifle, carbine, or shotgun. Made of 6061-T6 aluminum and hard anodized black, it features a super-bright LED rated at 1100 lumens with a 2-hour runtime. Designed around a high-efficiency deep parabolic reflector, the tightly focused beam has a 300-meter beam distance.

The light comes installed with a standard tail cap switch and reversible thumb-screw Picatinny mount. It can alternatively be mounted with the included offset Picatinny mount, providing flexible options to clear front sights and other mounted equipment while allowing easy support hand activation. Both the tail cap switch as well as the included 6" remote pressure pad/switch feature momentary or constant-on modes. The kit also includes an RPS Picatinny rail mount and Nightstick-exclusive wire management rail clamp to prevent cable snags.”

Features

• LED technology
• Features both tail cap and 6" Remote Pressure Switches
• Momentary or constant-on function
• Standard and offset Picatinny rail mounts
• Sharp focused beam for distance illumination
• Aircraft-grade 6061-T6 aluminum housing w/Type III hard-anodized finish
• Beam distance rated at 300 meters
• IP-X7 Waterproof
• Impact & chemical resistant
• Serialized for personal identification
• 2 CR123 batteries (included)
• Limited Lifetime Warranty

Impressions

Similar to a Streamlight ProTac, the LGL-160 is pretty easy to set up on your rifle, provided you have available Picatinny rail space. The LGL-160 can be configured in a number of ways but comes in the box without a mount attached to it. This means that if you really wanted to, you can pocket carry this light as an EDC light - you’d be missing a pocket clip but it’d do in a pinch. In addition to the 90-degree straight mount for the light, the kit also comes with an offset mount which is a nice inclusion for people looking for an all-in-one solution.

The whole setup process took only a couple of minutes. All of the tools necessary for installation are included as well as instructions for installation, but this process is so simple that they aren’t needed. All of the hardware is pre-treated with a thread locker patch to keep the hardware tight. Also included is a nice and simple polymer cable management piece - this is something that is not included with other weapon lights and something that I think other companies could learn from Nightstick - we want good cable management.

The light produced by the LGL-160 doesn’t have a ton of reach compared to my other lights. What it does have going for it is a lot of spill which could be beneficial if you’re trying to illuminate an entire room, or canvas a field looking for a scurrying varmint in the night. Lights with a stronger, brighter spot in the middle will give you a much better contrast when looking at specific targets, but the LGL-160s wide, high spill beam does a good job of getting a wide area lit out to about 75 or so yards.

The pressure needed to activate the switch is enough to where you shouldn’t accidentally key it when shooting with a firm grip but not so much that you’ll wear out your hand by trying to keep it on for a few seconds at a time. The constant on function is built into the pressure pad and I find that the amount of pressure needed to activate this one is quite significant. Probably a benefit as keeping the light on for too long not only causes it to heat up but drains its relatively short 2-hour battery life.

Final Thoughts

If we’re to live by our own advice that “every rifle should have a light,” most of us probably wouldn’t have a lot of extra cash lying around. However, affordable lights like the Nightstick LGL-160 are a great way to kit out some of or less life-critical guns with a decent, durable, and reliable light that doesn’t break the bank. The  LGL-160 comes with everything you need to mount, power, and use the light on virtually any long gun. The light is also compatible with USB-rechargeable batteries which can come in handy if you happen to use your weapon light a lot. In addition, the Nightstick LGL-160 also has a healthy amount of extra parts, kits, and available accessories. Nightstick doesn’t sell directly to customers, but you can buy all of these items through Nightstick’s dealers like Natchez Shooting and Outdoors - that’s where I got the particular LGL-160 from.

The Nightstick LGL-160 Long Gun Light Kit is a solid choice for an entry-level, budget, or spare rifle light, and it's one that I don’t think will let you down no matter what you mount it to. However, I’m still anxious to see how the new LGL-160T performs compared to the standard LGL-160. Hopefully, when they start hitting shelves, I’ll be able to get my hands on a copy and compare them side by side. In the meantime, I’d love to hear what you think of lights like the LGL-160. Are these more budget-friendly rifle lights worth putting on some of your inventory or should we always be going for the highest output, latest, and greatest lights on the market? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!