Streamlight TLR-1 for Winchester Defender

[minutemen1776]

I recently bought a Winchester Defender that I'll use mainly for home defense purposes. With that in mind, I'm considering a weapon-mounted light. I'm not really interested in the uber-expensive Surefire dedicated forend lights, both because of their cost and the permanently attached design. I am thinking of getting a Streamlight rail mount that attaches to the mag tube and then affixing a Streamlight TLR-1 LED light (see links below). Has anyone tried this combo or something like it? Will it really stand up to the recoil of a shotgun?

http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=981281

http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=711505

 

[Gordon]

The TRL-1 is a great choice! I would put that mount on (since it's a Winchester) and have the light at 3 oclock position as cantilevered back as far possible.IF I run a push buttom light I use it at 9 oclock for the left support thumb, BUT I run a paddle operated light like the TRL1 on the other side (3 oclock for a right handed person) so the finger tips rock the switch.The light will also work at the 6 oclock position. At the side position there is just enough light spill to illuminate the front sight some.

 

[minutemen1776]

Well, I picked up a very similar Streamlight mount at a local police supply shop, and I've now mounted it on my Defender. Gordon, that was good advice about putting the mount at 3 o'clock. I had assumed I'd mount it at 9 o'clock, as I have a light mounted in that position on my CAR-length AR15 on a sight tower Picatinny rail. But, whereas my left thumb can comfortably reach the switch on my AR15, the reach is just a little too far to do that on the Winchester Defender. But, when the mount is at 3 o'clock, my longer index finger has no trouble getting to the switch. Good call!

Now I'll have to fire the shotgun with the new mount. I'm hoping that the mount is rigid enough that it won't "walk" on the mag tube under recoil (I had a cheapo mount one time that would do this). Also, I'm concerned about how much a shotgun will beat up the M3 light I have on my AR15. I obviously won't be shooting the gun a lot with the light mounted, but I want to be confident that several shots won't make the bulb shoot loose. That's one reason I was considering the TLR-1, since I think that an LED light would be more durable. Does anyone agree or disagree with that idea?

 

[Fred Fuller]

I definitely think LED weaponlights are a better idea for shotguns. Recoil is pretty ferocious, and incandescent bulbs don't handle it all that well. The batteries tend to batter the inside mechanism of the light in recoil as well, and I think light designs (like the TLR) which has its batteries parallel rather than end to end will fare better on a shotgun. And a light that can be easily removed from the gun for practice whenit isn't needed is likely to survive longer as well- another plus for the rail mounted lights IMHO.

FWIW,

lpl