Need Light and Red Dot Recommendation.

[ThomasWJames]

Hello everyone. New to the forums and basically the firearms world. Getting 9mm 5” barrel M&P 2.0 Performance Center C.O.R.E. and looking to eventually get a light and red dot optic on it. Are there any suggestions or recommendations?

Not looking for top, top of the line where it’s like $500 bucks or something (I don’t even know if they go that high or higher), but want something reliable and good quality. This is a home defense and range hand gun. Might want to maybe try some competition shooting for fun to maybe test myself. So yeah that’s pretty much it. Thanks in advance!

Best Regards,
-Thomas

 

[armorer951]

Welcome to the forum Thomas. The M&P is a great choice.

I have a couple of different Olight brand lights, and a Surefire. One of my Olights has a built in laser (Baldr Mini) and one does not. (PL-Pro Valkyrie)
Less expensive than the Surefire without compromising on build quality or light output. (my opinion)

Military Lights, Police & Tactical Flashlights - Olight Store

I'm not that familiar with the red dot optics so I probably shouldn't comment concerning a possible recommendation.

Carter

 

[KalamazooKid]

I have the Olight PL-Mini 2 Valkyrie on my Sig 226 and love it. Rechargeable and bright (600 lumens) in a very small package. No laser however.

 

[Eric300]

Gotta agree with the above recommendations for O-Light. Great quality & function at very reasonable prices. Surefire lights are THE best around, bar none. I depended on them, and trusted them for 28 years. But, probably not in your price range. Streamlight is OK, but they're not in the same class that Surefire is.

I run Surefire lights on all of my other firearms but the only light that I could find that fit my needs for my M&P Compact 3.5" was the O-Light Mini. So far it's held up pretty well with no malfunctions.

As far as a Red Dot optic goes, there's quite a few great ones to choose from in the $300.00 range. Sig Romeo, Burris Fast Fire, Holosun, Leupold, etc. Take your pick. Can't really go wrong with any of them.

 

[9mmPatriot]

I don't use a light but I do have a Holosun 407c Green Dot (2moa) on my EDC (M&P2.0 9mm 4")


I mounted it using a OuterImpact adapter. Some folks will poo-poo the combination since it deletes the rear sight, but it works for me.

 

[mscampbell2734]

Everyone has their own opinion, and since this is a free forum I suggest you remember what you paid.

Given that I'll say the vast majority of law enforcement use either Surefire lights, around $250 for a 1000 lumen white light, or Streamlight, around $150 for 1000 lumens. While Olight seems to have enchanted the market with it's magnetic recharge system I'm not sold. It adds bulk and complexity, neither of which are good if your going to rely on a piece of equipment to bet your life on.

As for optics, again there are a lot of options. Trijicon rules the high end and for good reason. Their RMR have a solid reputation for reliability and durability over the long run. They run $500-600, depending on where you find them. On the lower end Sig's Romeo 1 Pro has been approved by at least one major police department and is well thought of in competition circles. It can be found for $350-400.

 

[vista461]

For a light I’d go Surefire or Streamlight. I have a TLR 1HL on my work gun and have used TLRs for the almost 8 years on duty and never had a problem.

For a Dot I’d go with a Trijicon RMR or Holosun. They have great battery life, and are durable. Check out Sage Dynamics YouTube channel for Red Dot tests.

 

[circuit star-29]

Big fan of the RMR. RM09 currently mounted on the M&P. And RM06 on a Poly build.

 

[tnmandpshooter]

I recommend holosun for the dots and streamlight protac hl for the light.

Sent from my SM-A515U using Tapatalk

 

[Maddog 521]

I use a Streamlight TLR-ls on a M&P 40. I went with this light because it is 300 Lumens. It is very bright, easy to mount and it works great. Works for me.

 

[seldon14]

Lights I'd say surefire>streamlight>olight

Red dots trij rmr>holosun: end of list.

 

[BloodyThumb]

I have had Streamlight TLR1s or TLR1HLs on my duty gun and house gun for several years. Never had an issue, and holsters are easier to find if you stick with SureFire or Streamlight.

Red dots... RMRs are nearly bullet proof and all I can / will use for duty, but I have had excellent luck with the Vortex Razor line so far on my personal guns. The oldest has seen several thousand rounds of 45 and still ticking. Warranty is lifetime replacement.

Just sayin.... I tend to look for folks whose gear looks like it has had the snot beat out of it and ask them what they use and why.

 

[KalamazooKid]

Everyone has their own opinion, and since this is a free forum I suggest you remember what you paid.

Given that I'll say the vast majority of law enforcement use either Surefire lights, around $250 for a 1000 lumen white light, or Streamlight, around $150 for 1000 lumens. While Olight seems to have enchanted the market with it's magnetic recharge system I'm not sold. It adds bulk and complexity, neither of which are good if your going to rely on a piece of equipment to bet your life on.

As for optics, again there are a lot of options. Trijicon rules the high end and for good reason. Their RMR have a solid reputation for reliability and durability over the long run. They run $500-600, depending on where you find them. On the lower end Sig's Romeo 1 Pro has been approved by at least one major police department and is well thought of in competition circles. It can be found for $350-400.

One observation ..... while I like my Olight, it's really NOT battle tested so take it for what it's worth. I really value the LEO's that come on here with their real world experience and would always lean that way - if you can afford it.

 

[ThomasWJames]

Thank you everyone for the quick and great recommendations. I have a guide now. Great community!

 

[scott.amy00]

Everyone has their own opinion, and since this is a free forum I suggest you remember what you paid.



Given that I'll say the vast majority of law enforcement use either Surefire lights, around $250 for a 1000 lumen white light, or Streamlight, around $150 for 1000 lumens. While Olight seems to have enchanted the market with it's magnetic recharge system I'm not sold. It adds bulk and complexity, neither of which are good if your going to rely on a piece of equipment to bet your life on.



As for optics, again there are a lot of options. Trijicon rules the high end and for good reason. Their RMR have a solid reputation for reliability and durability over the long run. They run $500-600, depending on where you find them. On the lower end Sig's Romeo 1 Pro has been approved by at least one major police department and is well thought of in competition circles. It can be found for $350-400.

I agree completely on your assessment of Olight and while I do have one that I use at work, non gun type, I do like the magnetic charging, but the Olight interface isn't that great...the light itself is decent and it's been through a hard year of abuse, but for a weapon light I also recommend Surefire and Streamlight!

Sent from my SM-A115U using Tapatalk

 

[ThomasWJames]

So I decided I’m going to buy a Surefire Light, the price point is good. I think the X300u-b which is 1000 lumens.

As for the red dot optic, Trijicorn RDR are up there! About $500, so that might be a future, future investment. Since I’m still new I’ll practice with the M&P’s iron sights. Should learn to walk before running and all that.

Again, thanks everyone for the help and the discussion. Very insightful.

 

[IUprof]

I installed the Vortex Venom on my 9. I really like red dots.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

 

[Eric300]

While Olight seems to have enchanted the market with it's magnetic recharge system I'm not sold. It adds bulk and complexity, neither of which are good if your going to rely on a piece of equipment to bet your life on.

Would you like to elaborate on the "..bulk and complexity..." statement, please?

The magnetic charging system on the O-Light is simple, reliable, and adds no 'bulk', or 'complexity' at all, that I can tell. Actually, it's quite user friendly. When attached to the host firearm, it doesn't add any more bulk than any other similar illumination device.

The fully charged battery has a shelf life dang near equal to one (1) CR123 battery, and, very close to the same run time (depending on the illumination device model being used).

I do suppose that changing out a dead battery with a fresh one might be a tad less 'complex' than plugging a charger into a 110vac outlet, attaching a magnet, and waiting an hour or so for the O-Light battery to fully charge, though.

At the present time, there's no way on this earth I would choose an O-Light (or Streamlight for that matter) over ANY Surefire light regardless of the purpose of it's operation. But, don't 'poo-poo' the O-Light, because it is a decent weapons light under certain circumstances. If it was all I had to use at the time, I would use it with confidence.

For what it's worth, I've had the Mini Valkyrie on my M&P Compact now and have fired over 600 rounds or so with the light attached. I've even dropped it a time or two on hard flooring. It has never flickered, faded, shut down, or fallen off. Time will tell since O-Light is a relatively new company cutting it's teeth in the world of weapon illumination. But, so far, they're doing a pretty good job.

 

[mscampbell2734]

Eric

There is no possible way a rechargeable system can NOT be more bulky then a straight battery swap system. The charger connector and related built in electronic regulation circuit both add bulk AND complexity that under hard use can fail. While you may not be able to SEE the added bulk from the outside trust me they do exist.

And no I'm not poo-pooing Olight completely. Systems like theirs do fit in certain places and provide service to some people. I just would not choice a system like that for the reasons I've stated.

 

[CB3]

Personal observations:

A bright light at night can be too bright for the limited purposes a civilian might use it. 300 lumens is sufficient; 1000 lumens is absolute overkill.

As well, if you are going to combine a (bright) light with a red dot sight, you must consider how a burst of light will interfere with your red dot.

A bright light with a fixed <4 MoA may wash out the dot. A variable brightness RDS will be slow if not completely fooled by the change from dark to light. A reasonable lumen light will reduce these problems somewhat. A thousand lumen light will exacerbate them.

A handheld light is more versatile than a weapon mounted light if you have trained with it. In truth, there are very, very few situations where a civilian needs to use a light, especially if their home has any light in it, like from night lights. Since we don’t have others in our home any more, I installed a 3-way switch from our bedroom to our living room. I would just turn on the living room lights from the bedroom. I’m not going hunting armed bad guys anywhere if more intelligent options are available.

For the WML to be useful without interfering with trigger work and grip, it should have a switch that allows on/off functions without using the trigger finger and without changing one’s grip. The light is not turned on and left on like in Hollywood. It is used in bursts. Extra junk like a pulsating strobe is unnecessary, complex and confusing. KISS. Ideally, it should be operational with either hand singly.

The only light I know that meets this switching criteria is a Surefire with an extension custom fit to your M&P grip.

DG Switches | Grip Switch Assembly for X-Series WeaponLights | SureFire

Most of what is available on the market is just a collection of cool factor gadgets that fails to meet actual need in use for a civilian. Light training is almost non-existent, but everybody is buying them. Lights add an incredible layer of complexity to shooting, especially if not properly switched. Most shooters are actually handicapped by a light in a threatening situation rather than being advantaged.

Know your needs and your limits. Gear is secondary to realistic assessment of needs and competent training with gear that should be no more complex than you can actually use to your advantage.

A quality RDS will be significantly more useful all the time compared to a WML. Prioritze.