Happy Holidays to all. I hope You got what you wished for. I have choice to make. I am going to put a light on my short barrel build 12.5” and I would like some feedback on whether to go with a SF300 or SF600 ? I am planning on adding a pressure switch. Is there a particular configuration that you like?
Thank you in advance.

On SBRs with no FSB I usually go with an X300U/V at 12 o'clock and a Magpul Pro flip sight right behind it. I don't have a 12.5, but I use this setup on a 11.5" and 16" rifles with Aimpoint Micros. I like it because its simple and ambi, with no cords.

I have M300/M600 Scouts at 10-11 o'clock on longer barreled rifles with variable optics but don't use a pressure switch, just use my thumb on the back of the weapon light. I have tried to use 2 Surefire pressure pads, the momentary only and the one with both and really didn't like them much, but it might have been the combination of handguard I was using at the time making it more difficult to use (this was 4-5 years ago).

My personal rifle has a x300U on it. It's plenty of light for the purposes I'm likely to use that rifle on, and I hate pressure switches. We used to have Surefire forends on our duty rifles and i was not a fan. They didn't seem to come on when I wanted them to but would come on if a leaf brushed the switch when I didn't want light. With the tail switches I can press and hold for momentary or switch the light on if I want a constant light for some reason.

I will add that with my Scout lights, I mount them with Arisaka Mlok / KMR inline light mounts - it allows you to get the light a lot closer to the handguard that with the bulky OEM mount.

https://arisakadefense.com/collections/light-mounts-1

Also there is a company called Reptilia that has some Scout replacement bodies which have MLOK mounts machined into them - it's obviously more expensive than just a mount, but they look uber durable as well.

https://reptiliacorp.com/product-category/reptilia/

I don't own a Reptilia light mount, but I have one of their ROF mount for my RMR to piggy back on a Geissele scope mount and it is awesome.

Brownells carries both and is usually a good bit cheaper than buying direct.

I prefer the scout lights over the x300's. I pick the 300 or 600 depending on the range I want. I used to use the arisaka mounts, but have since switched to the bobro mloc as it gives me some angle flexibility. On guns that have a pretty long handguard I just run the light as is as it doesn't compete with my hand position. On the shorter barreled stuff I like a pressure pad using the cloud defense mount as I can put that somewhere I can reach easily in the mess that goes with a short barrel and a ton of crap competing for space.

Thank you for the ideas. I have an x300 on my bedside gun I could try. I have to buy another light anyway. I just thought about the position at the end of the rail. It’s going to go on a LMT Piston gun. I need to see which way up the gas is directed then. I didn’t think about competing for space.

https://haleystrategic.com/sho...inforce-wmlx-400-800

I like mine.
Mounts directly to the weapon, the switch sits at my thumb. I can easily change between 800 or 400 lumen.
They make a 400 lumen too

https://haleystrategic.com/sho...sp-wml-inforce-black

I just got the new Cloud Defense Optimized Weapon Light for a 14.5 build.

It isn't cheap, but is one amazing piece of gear. When you add up the Surefire, switch/pad, cable and CD shoe, the price makes sense.

Cloud Defensive LCS w/Streamlight ProTac HL-X Rail Mount 1000 Lumen (LCSmk2-KIT-b), Black
Excellent light,just put a second one on my new
9X39 house gun.

I use an Arisaka scout type light with an Arisaka mount on my 11.5" I think my next light will be a Modlite PLH with a Bobro mount that hrcjon was talking about, it offers more flexibility if you add items like lasers etc.

I'll echo Rhino, X300 on the SBR at 12 o'clock and I run a SF Dual Fuel with Arisaka on my 16".

Jasper, I have an M300 in an Arisaka mount on my 10.5" MRP. I like using the forward sling point so I mounted it on the right side of the rifle. I'm using a Cloud Defensive LCS to activate it with the Surefire tape switch. I'll try to get a picture of it up later since we have the same rail/upper setup.

Truth be told, if I wasn't dead set on using the forward sling point of the rifle, I could have mounted it using the factory hardware and tailcap and saved a decent amount of money.

I would give the HL-X a look over Surefire. Higher candela than the M600DF, tape switch and tail cap included, uses Scout mounts and costs about half what the Surefires do.

Arisaka is the answer. 300 series with Malkoff head. Can use tail cap or pressure switch. I have Arisaka lights and mounts on all rifles that have lights.

quote:

Originally posted by JoshNC:
Arisaka is the answer. 300 series with Malkoff head. Can use tail cap or pressure switch. I have Arisaka lights and mounts on all rifles that have lights.

Which Malkoff head?

Finally got a chance to snap a couple of pictures. The Arisaka mount definitely brings it in close.

quote:

Which Malkoff head?

Current M300 are LED and quite good, actually no need for malkoff. I had some older incadescent scout ones and converted with the E1/Scout M300 1CR123 Head. And those are also quite good.
also have a few of the arisaka body lights and the Surefire KM1-E White/IR Scout head since I need IR. But the body is really just an equivalent to surefire in this case.

quote:

Originally posted by hrcjon:

quote:

Which Malkoff head?

Current M300 are LED and quite good, actually no need for malkoff. I had some older incadescent scout ones and converted with the E1/Scout M300 1CR123 Head. And those are also quite good.
also have a few of the arisaka body lights and the Surefire KM1-E White/IR Scout head since I need IR. But the body is really just an equivalent to surefire in this case.

I have 2- Malkoff MD2's with 22.3 hi/lo heads, 6- Surefire 6P's with various Malkoff drop in heads, Surefire 6PZ, Streamlight TLR-1 and a Surefire X300. I much prefer the beams of the Malkoff heads. How does the E1 Scout compare to the M300 head? Also curious about the difference between Malkoff's E1 Scout and Scout Hyper Throw.

I am not your guy for discussion of various beams. I'm sure you can find some good pictures on internet searching and of course it depends on what you are trying to do. I have a huge number of malkoff heads on various things and sometimes they are magical (like the M91 conversion on an M3). In the M300 case I happen to like the surefire head better as it has more range. If I was trying to use it indoors then maybe that wouldn't be true, but when I use an M300 I'm outdoors searching tree lines. I don't know anything about the various malkoff
m300 heads available as I only have one.

Excellent comparison of most of the current weapon light options.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JPB8COBBxHE