BrutalGardener 205 Posted July 7, 2009 Report Share Posted July 7, 2009 (edited) Hi guys, I got my Saiga 12 recently and converted it, adding a pistol grip and a folding stock, making it a sweet, compact home defense weapon that's always within reach. I also have a CHAOS Tri-Rail coming (couldn't pass up on that 4th of July sale deal). Any way, I plan on utilizing that rail system by adding a vertical grip and some kind of a flash light. I considered a light/laser combo, but that seems a little excessive, since a flash light should be enough for aiming buckshot loads during the limited range of various home defense combat scenarios, which are most likely to occur in the dark or limited lighting conditions. Or am I wrong here? So, what would be some reasonably-priced, tough, practical flash light and mounting options for my kind of configuration? I mean, something that's going to stay on solid, easy to switch on an off, etc. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks is advance. Edited July 7, 2009 by SpetsnazGRU Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Paladin 37 Posted July 7, 2009 Report Share Posted July 7, 2009 Right now I have a Surefire G2 LED on mine. 80 lumens, durable, etc. It's held up fine to the recoil so far. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BrutalGardener 205 Posted July 7, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 7, 2009 Right now I have a Surefire G2 LED on mine. 80 lumens, durable, etc. It's held up fine to the recoil so far. Looks good to me. How do you mount it though? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BrutalGardener 205 Posted July 8, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 8, 2009 Any one know if this thing is any good? http://magnoliastatearmory.com/products-pa...uild-parts/fga/ Quote Link to post Share on other sites
avnate 335 Posted July 8, 2009 Report Share Posted July 8, 2009 It is a solid piece....... Bigcec1 ordered one and well........... I'll let him tell you. Here is what he sent in PM. "Hey Nathan got my stuff today Very impressed with the FGA ive looked at some in the past but where cheaply made but this one is nice how long are yall planing on haveing them on sale I might just have to get anouther one from you guys might be a few weeks till pay day playing catch up on bills :/ well never the less +1 great products and fast shipping. keep up the good work. (Name edit for privacy) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mike1972 1 Posted July 8, 2009 Report Share Posted July 8, 2009 (edited) Avoid incandescents if you can. They use a filament and can be more sensitive to shock than an LED type light. This is not to say you cant put an incandescent on a gun and have it work just fine ( I guess it would depend on the caliber/recoil and amount of shots it has endured). But an LED is a solid state type bulb (for lack of better terminology). There is no filament to break, as the bulb itself is one piece. I live in the boonies & my closest neighbor is bout 300 yards away. We have lots of varmints out here & quite a few times I have had to sit and waylay a groundhog tearing up the garden at night, or dispose of a skunk or two. Even had some wild dogs show up that needed ran off. In other words, Ive done more night shooting than most non operative type folks. ( I like shooting at night & train at it often. Its just plain fun, not to mention practical.) Personally, I find the LEDs light spectrum to be a more "white" than the incandescents. Which seems to be brighter. I like SureFire lights. I have had a few and they are SOLID. Or any other company that makes a comparable light. As far as set-up & placement, I use one mounted on the side of the forearm stock that I can push with my thumb. But as Bruce Lee said, do what works for you and lose the rest. EDIT TO ADD: You may also want to choose a light with a tight central focus beam, with a softer outer corona. The tight beam can be used to index a target, with a shotgun, even more so. But you may like a wide beam so that it lights up more of the entire room. Hope this helped. Edited July 8, 2009 by mikw1972 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BrutalGardener 205 Posted July 8, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 8, 2009 Avoid incandescents if you can. They use a filament and can be more sensitive to shock than an LED type light. This is not to say you cant put an incandescent on a gun and have it work just fine ( I guess it would depend on the caliber/recoil and amount of shots it has endured). But an LED is a solid state type bulb (for lack of better terminology). There is no filament to break, as the bulb itself is one piece. I live in the boonies & my closest neighbor is bout 300 yards away. We have lots of varmints out here & quite a few times I have had to sit and waylay a groundhog tearing up the garden at night, or dispose of a skunk or two. Even had some wild dogs show up that needed ran off. In other words, Ive done more night shooting than most non operative type folks. ( I like shooting at night & train at it often. Its just plain fun, not to mention practical.) Personally, I find the LEDs light spectrum to be a more "white" than the incandescents. Which seems to be brighter. I like SureFire lights. I have had a few and they are SOLID. Or any other company that makes a comparable light. As far as set-up & placement, I use one mounted on the side of the forearm stock that I can push with my thumb. But as Bruce Lee said, do what works for you and lose the rest. EDIT TO ADD: You may also want to choose a light with a tight central focus beam, with a softer outer corona. The tight beam can be used to index a target, with a shotgun, even more so. But you may like a wide beam so that it lights up more of the entire room. Hope this helped. Yeah. That all makes good sense. I'm settled that mine is going to be an LED... probably a SureFire G2. I'm still confused about the mounting though. Do you use something like this or what? http://www.amazon.com/Tactical-Light-Serie...259&sr=1-19 Thanks. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tim L 0 Posted July 8, 2009 Report Share Posted July 8, 2009 (edited) How about a Streamlight TLR-1 weapon light? They have a built in, secure mount and cost about $100. The old ones were about 80 lumen and the new ones (C4 on the package) are about 120 lumen. Both old and new models are LEDs. There is a tape switch and tailcap available if you want one. http://www.opticsplanet.net/streamlight-tlr1-weapon-mounted-flashlight.html Tim edited to (hopefully) correct link. Edited July 11, 2009 by Tim L Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BrutalGardener 205 Posted July 8, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 8, 2009 How about a Streamlight TLR-1 weapon light? They have a built in, secure mount and cost about $100. The old ones were about 80 lumen and the new ones (C4 on the package) are about 120 lumen. Both old and new models are LEDs. There is a tape switch and tailcap available if you want one. see it here and here. Tim Thanks for the suggestion. I checked it out. Seems like a good option. Your links are broken though. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BrutalGardener 205 Posted July 8, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 8, 2009 Anybody have opinions on Surefire G2 LED vs Fenix TA30? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
SOPMOD 254 Posted July 8, 2009 Report Share Posted July 8, 2009 Anybody have opinions on Surefire G2 LED vs Fenix TA30? It looks really good on paper but I will wait to see how it holds up on other people's guns after some serious shooting before I buy one myself.. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Paladin 37 Posted July 8, 2009 Report Share Posted July 8, 2009 Right now I have a Surefire G2 LED on mine. 80 lumens, durable, etc. It's held up fine to the recoil so far. Looks good to me. How do you mount it though? I must resist the obvious answer!!!!! I have a DPH arms trir-ail on my S12, its on a light mount on the left side and I activate it with my thumb. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Paladin 37 Posted July 8, 2009 Report Share Posted July 8, 2009 Anybody have opinions on Surefire G2 LED vs Fenix TA30? Its apples to oranges. My SF G2 LED is half the size and weight of the my Fenix TA30. The SF puts out 80 lumens the Fenix puts out 225! On a shotgun the G2 works, on a rifle that may be called upon to reach out, it just does not have the throw. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Paladin 37 Posted July 8, 2009 Report Share Posted July 8, 2009 Anybody have opinions on Surefire G2 LED vs Fenix TA30? It looks really good on paper but I will wait to see how it holds up on other people's guns after some serious shooting before I buy one myself.. I've got a 3gun match coming up, I'm going to have it mounted. It will be its first field trial. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BrutalGardener 205 Posted July 8, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 8, 2009 Right now I have a Surefire G2 LED on mine. 80 lumens, durable, etc. It's held up fine to the recoil so far. Looks good to me. How do you mount it though? I must resist the obvious answer!!!!! I have a DPH arms trir-ail on my S12, its on a light mount on the left side and I activate it with my thumb. A light mount? Something like this? --> http://www.amazon.com/Tactical-Light-Serie...259&sr=1-19 That's what I am still confused about - best way to attach the darned flashlight to the rail. Can it be done using 1 inch scope rings too? How do most people do it? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
hoop762 0 Posted July 9, 2009 Report Share Posted July 9, 2009 i use a scope ring, works great Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Azrial 1,091 Posted July 9, 2009 Report Share Posted July 9, 2009 i use a scope ring, works great If you use a 30mm ring for a 1" light you can use a piece of rubber to make a bushing. The combined effect it a shock mount that will take a lot of shock of of the light. I have a incandescent filament light mounted to my .308 Para FAL that has held up this way for years. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BrutalGardener 205 Posted July 9, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 9, 2009 Thanks for all your suggestions, guys. So, I ended up ordering this CAA light/laser mount from CSS: http://store.carolinashooterssupply.com/se...il?sfs=70d00ce9 and A Surefire G2 LED light with case and batteries from Amazon (had a $25 off coupon): http://www.amazon.com/Surefire-G2L-BK-High...6363&sr=8-7 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.