Nightstick Long Gun Light Kits

Nightstick Long Gun Light Kits (MSRP $50-65.00) – @TerryHardy03

We’ve seen some very nice quality lights from Nightstick for as long as we’ve known about them. During that time, the behind the scenes discussions about future product directions have always been as interesting as they are confidential. For a long time, I was teased with promises of a set of lights that would be weapon mountable. For all that time I had to stay quiet about what I was being told. Now the cat is out of the bag and I couldn’t be more pleased that Nightstick chose to share the Long Gun Light Kits with us before anyone else.

Nightstick put up three offerings in the gun light category for us; TAC-460XL, TAC-300B and the TAC-302B. Each light is substantially different in the job it’s designed to do and each is well suited for its job. Each kit comes with a pressure switch tail cap as well as a regular tail switch. (These light’s function with on/off mode only because they are programmed to work with a pressure switch.) I was lucky enough to see samples of all three, I say lucky because I don’t know how I would have chosen between them.

The Nightstick TAC-460XL is the most expensive offering of the group at a very reasonable expected retail of $65.00. The light is all aircraft aluminum construction with the same toughness and size as its close cousin the TAC-560XL. The 460XL is a whopping 800 lumen tactical option that provides a maximum amount of light in the surrounding area while still reaching out to approx 205 meters of visible beam distance. This light is fully capable of sitting astride your 870 and filling the 1st floor with light in that bump-in-the-night scenario we all prefer to avoid. In fact, with 800 lumens bearing down, an intruder won’t need to be shot at all. He’ll likely be down for three days with a migraine. The TAC-460 also offers some options not found elsewhere; because it shares the same tube design with the 560XL it retains the recharging contacts, allowing the owner the option of purchasing a rechargeable battery and charger. This is a nice option as, each kit comes with a pressure switch tail cap as well as a regular tail switch, thus your light can pull double duty, mounted when you need it and in a pocket when you don’t.

The Nightstick TAC-300B is an option more suited to hunting or dealing with midnight trashcan raiders. This light is well suited for longer stints riding the rail of a favored light rifle of shotgun. The reasons are multi-fold; first among them is weight. The TAC-300B is all polymer and light enough to be forgotten on a long night of coon hunting. The reduction in weight is a positive for anyone that hunts on foot for long periods. The lumen output of the 300B is down to 180 lumens but the design of the reflector reaches the beam nearly as far as the 460XL pushing out 9150 candela. The reduction in brightness increases the run time by 50% over the 460XL. The 300B is a great choice for your go-to night hunter or midnight scatter gun.

Next in line to impress is the TAC-302B. The light is the same in every way to the 300B with the exception of a GREEN LED bulb. I’ve seen plenty of flashlights with filter options over the years but, for me at least, this is the first colored bulb designed for long distance work. Using a regular light source with a filter added one can expect a substantial reduction in light output. That is what was so surprising to me about the 302B. Due to my curiosity, I mounted the 302B on my 10/22 first and picked my target at midnight at a range of 50 yards and I was astonished by how well I could see my objective. (In sharing some photos of these views and I would note that the eye sees far better in these conditions than the iphone camera I was using. You will see even better than the images I am sharing.) The green LED option allows varmint hunters to gain an upper hand with some nuisance animals. While I am no hunter, I have a father chomping at the bit to see how this beam will work with coyotes. It seems, many of these animals do not see the colored light as well and tend not to react to it, giving you more time to take a shot. I’m very impressed with this offering.