Light system for AAC 300 Blackout

Moderators: gds, bakerjw, renegade

Rancher899
New Member
Posts: 3
Joined: Mon Oct 20, 2014 10:46 am

Light system for AAC 300 Blackout

Post by Rancher899 »

Dear Forum,

I have purchased a 300 AAC Blackout SBR and awaiting ATF approval to get it out of jail.

It would be much appreciated it I could hear recommendations for a light system.

I sprung for a Trajicon 3x30 Blkout reticle if that makes any difference on what is recommended.

I have looked at the Surefire systems and don't know how much light is required??

Is there anything else out there that bears consideration????

Thank you in advance for your time.

Rancher899
BlogSarge
Silent But Deadly
Posts: 1336
Joined: Mon Oct 21, 2013 11:10 pm

Re: Light system for AAC 300 Blackout

Post by BlogSarge »

I have a Surefire X300 on my house rifle. At 500 lumens it is more than enough for home defense and night-time varmints within reasonable range.

I mount it right on top at the front of the picatinny rail. Sure, it occludes some of the field of view but I consider this minimal and my eyes just tune out the light's body.

I use it with my Eotech and with my Millett DMS 1-4x.
Rancher899
New Member
Posts: 3
Joined: Mon Oct 20, 2014 10:46 am

Re: Light system for AAC 300 Blackout

Post by Rancher899 »

Thank you BlogSarge for your comments.

I have been debating the 150 vs 500 lumen issue for this gun. I am mindful of the effective subsonic ammo reach of @ 100 meters... I may be wrong to thinking this way????

I would hate to "over buy" light capacity for this gun given the respectable cost for a Surefire system...

What would you recommend???

Thank you again for your input.

Rancher899
jryock
Silent But Deadly
Posts: 310
Joined: Thu May 23, 2013 12:43 pm
Location: SE Virginia

Re: Light system for AAC 300 Blackout

Post by jryock »

The brightness is key as far as I'm concerned. If you are doing CQ/HD work with 500+ lumens you are likely to go blind if anything light colored or reflective is targeted. You should be alright with 500+ lumens if you are shooting at moderate distances. 150-300 lumen lights are good for the close work. If you want the best of both worlds you can empty out your bank account and get a selectable light (high/low/strobe/etc).

You might be better served with the 500 lumen output with your setup.

FYI... My Setups
(1) 9-inch AAC MPW upper, Surefire M300 Scout (200 lumens), pressure switch on verty, EOTech optic.
(2) SIG Sauer P226R, Surefire X300 (170 lumens)
(3) Surefire P2X Fury Defender (500 lumens) on standby in pocket/belt.
User avatar
MMA10mm
Silent But Deadly
Posts: 572
Joined: Wed Dec 11, 2013 12:55 pm

Re: Light system for AAC 300 Blackout

Post by MMA10mm »

The first thing you must do is go to candlepowerforums and do some research. Everyone has an opinion (about everything), but that doesn't always make it so. What I learned at cpf is that lighting (and hence lights) is multi-faceted.

If you are doing indoors in houses, 200 lumens will take you all the way. But more importantly, you will want a light with either a diffused beam (evenly spreading the light around the entire lit area) or a focused beam with heavy amounts of "spill" so that you get peripheral or area lighting.

If you're using the rifle outside, you'll need a LOT more lumens than that and you'll want those lumens focused down-range, but still have enough spill that you can search an area (similar to needing a decent field of view on your scope so you can find your target when looking through it). And, yes, there are lights with such a tightly focused beam, that it is difficult to search downrange to find the target...

I wanted to be able to see, identify, and engage a coyote at 125 yards or see, identify, and engage a human threat at about the same distance. While a less-powerful light may let you SEE things at that distance, to identify the difference between my dog and a coyote or to see if the human target is a threat (carrying a long-gun), it takes a minimum of 900-1000 lumens.

Given the limitations (or factors if you prefer) of finding something compact and lightweight enough for my 300blk AR pistol, and something with adjustable light output (so useable both indoors and outside), something that is shock-rated for a firearm's recoil, and something reasonably priced, I choose a Nitecore SRT6. The downside of that choice is it is made in China, so quality is such that if you buy 5 lights, 1 of them will probably need to be sent back... I bought 2, and both work perfectly, so maybe Nitecore does better QC? (doubtful - I think I just got lucky.)

Nitecore says it is "infinitely adjustable" in brightness between 0-960 lumens, which is probably technically true, but I find myself feeling like it is a "between 50 & 900+" lumen light. I also find my range limitation is between 90 & 130 yards, depending on ambient lighting and weather. I have not used it in a downpour or dense fog yet, but those will also drastically cut the effective range, even at 960 lumens.
Last edited by MMA10mm on Mon Oct 20, 2014 12:14 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Sharkbite
Silent But Deadly
Posts: 1504
Joined: Sat Dec 07, 2013 2:40 pm
Location: Western slope Colorado

Re: Light system for AAC 300 Blackout

Post by Sharkbite »

Take a look at the Haley Strategic WML. MUCH less expensive then the surefires. Good light output but not SUPER bright. Perfect indoors IMHO. My 9mm AR wears this light and i thinks its a great value in a good light

I have 3 Surefire X300's and i like em alot but they are spendy. My 300blk SBR has one of the X300 ultras on it and it is aLOT of light if used inside. Outdoors its GREAT. Lights up the whole backyard at once
polizei1
Silent But Deadly
Posts: 496
Joined: Wed Mar 05, 2014 3:59 am
Location: Cinci, OH

Re: Light system for AAC 300 Blackout

Post by polizei1 »

Well...just my opinion, but people mistake lumens for actual performance. I'm no expert, but I think (generally) that people buy a light based on the amount of lumens, which IMO, is probably not the best choice.

Personally, I run an Inforce APL on my duty gun and an Inforce WML on my AR. The beam is spread out and the color is cool, the only issue I have is that the CR123's don't last that long. Surefire makes good stuff as well, but it's going to cost you more.
User avatar
300Blk
Site Admin
Posts: 7331
Joined: Mon Apr 25, 2005 9:31 am
Location: USA

Re: Light system for AAC 300 Blackout

Post by 300Blk »

It depends on the beam width.

I have two 600+ lumens flashlights and there is no way that they are "too bright" for close use in a home. A typical household LED lamp is 800 lumens. Would you go blind by turning on a 60 watt light in your house? Not even close, due to the lack of intensity. I think we get that idea because historically flashlights were so bad.

I have over 40,000 lumens in my garage, and no one is going blind when I turn on the lights.

You cannot have too much power because you can always make the beam wider, which drops intensity in the process.

I would not get a 150 lumen light in 2014. You can buy $7 lights brighter than that now. I would shop for a value though and would get a quality flashlight from Fenix or 4-Seven and mount it if a SF was out of the budget.
Rancher899
New Member
Posts: 3
Joined: Mon Oct 20, 2014 10:46 am

Re: Light system for AAC 300 Blackout

Post by Rancher899 »

Thank you everybody for your inputs. Much appreciated. I have gone ahead and purchased a
SureFire M620P Fury Scout Light LED WeaponLight (Desert Tan) for @ $314 dollars. It is rated at 600 L which is a good compromise between size of the light and light intensity.

Best,

Rancher899
User avatar
Twinsen
Silent But Deadly
Posts: 339
Joined: Tue Sep 04, 2007 11:34 pm
Location: AZ

Re: Light system for AAC 300 Blackout

Post by Twinsen »

Should mount your light on a LV 40mm sight mount for lighting up your target for subsonics.

Half joking.
Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 23 guests