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Almost 40 years ago, I started my competitive shooting career on a skeet field in WA State. I went on to become a member of the US National Shooting Team and since then have shot competitively in shotgun, pistol, and rifle competitions all over the US and around the world. I’ve also had a rewarding career in Law Enforcement as a patrol officer, firearms instructor, SWAT Team member/sniper, academy instructor, and now Sales Manager for Streamlight®. Based on my experience, one of the most important lessons I pass on to people is that you can’t shoot what you can’t see. That’s why I’m so passionate about lighting and weapon-mounted lighting in particular. Whether you’re a law enforcement officer or a citizen protecting your family, proper lighting is crucial in identifying a threat and making the right decision in a critical incident.
Streamlight is proud to carry our ProTac® Rail Mount HL-X Pro. Our engineers have maximized the balance between run time and output, capitalizing on new technologies that allow us to increase candela/beam distance. The product uses a Jack-Cap® tail cap that offers a push-button switch and a port for a remote pressure switch. In the past, a light with these features would necessitate a larger bezel and a redesign of the size of the light. The ProTac® Rail Mount HL-X Pro is the same size as the existing ProTac® Rail Mount HL-X, allowing the end user to attach it to existing mounts while knowing it will look and feel the same on their firearm. The numbers on this new light are impressive!
High: 1,000 lumens; 50,000 candela peak beam intensity; 447m beam distance
Low: 60 lumens; 3,100 candela peak beam intensity; 111m beam distance
Let’s dig a little deeper into these new features and why they’re so important. As a police sniper, I had the luxury of aiding my natural vision with a 4.5 x 15 power scope to see better at distance and identify threats during the day and at night. But for most people, a good weapon-mounted light is the best way to aid your natural vision in conjunction with either red dot sights or iron sights in a wide variety of situations. Traditionally, a beam pattern was selected based on your anticipated needs. A rifle geared more towards close quarters battle to short range distances may benefit best from a wider beam pattern with higher lumen output. A rifle intended for medium range may benefit from a light with more focus on candela, casting a tighter beam further down range. The ProTac® Rail Mount HL-X Pro fills all those needs. But time of day and distance to target shouldn’t be the only considerations when choosing a good light.
I live in an area that has A LOT of precipitation. Even when it’s not raining, there’s a lot of fog and moisture in the air that can obstruct your vision. A tighter beam (higher candela) can help cut through that moisture while having less bounce back and glare from a wider beam that may reflect off fog. Tactical situations may necessitate a beam with higher candela as well. Smoke, gas, and window tinting are all issues that LE officers must deal with at some point in their career. The ProTac® Rail Mount HL-X Pro’s higher candela can help cut through those things to assist in seeing the threat and making a sound decision. Deputies/officers working in rural areas will benefit from a light with higher candela as well. Although the job necessitates that we get close to people to speak to them, sometimes distance can be your friend. Open areas with little cover may dictate that you stay further from a point of contact and identify threats at a distance. The ProTac® Rail Mount HL-X Pro allows you to see more at further distances than previous ProTac® Rail Mount models.
The other important feature incorporated into this light is the Jack-Cap®. It offers end user customization and redundancy in the light’s interface, which is a big part of equipment for tactical applications. As I have written about before, I’m big on having redundant systems, such as running on different types of batteries and in this case, having a switching system that can continue to work on the fly if damaged. I prefer shooting my rifle with the pressure switch to my light set at the 12 o’clock position. I have gone through many doors exercising the principles of speed, surprise, and violence of action. At 6’2” and with a rather large frame, I have done my fair share of damage to the occasional door frame, dresser, nightstand, screen door, car door…. you name it. I was lucky to never rip anything off my rifle such as a pressure switch, but I know people that have. With the Jack-Cap®, you have a tail cap switch and a port that allows you to plug in a remote pressure switch. If something should happen where the cord to the pressure switch is snagged on something and ripped off, you still have the rear tail switch in the body of the light to turn it off or on.
Whether you’re a SWAT cop, a patrol officer, or a person that just wants the best tools to protect their family, you should check out the ProTac® Rail Mount HL-X Pro for your weapon-mounted lighting needs.
