Surefire x300u or XC1 for HD?

[Jaysop]

My HD pistol is currently running a X300u which has been great but it very bulky and has a pretty narrow beam.
I don't feel like it's too bright but I have a very open floor plan and I don't feel like it fills the rooms with light.

From what I hear the XC1 has a very wide beam but is almost a 3rd as bright. I haven't been able to find one local to get hands on with it.
Would I possibly be better off with the smaller light?

[GTF425]

You aren't going to find another pistol light with more spill than a 300U. I feel that it fills a room great and can easily PID hands at 35-50 yards no problem.

I vote to stay with the U boat. The XC1 is for carrying concealed, and there are too many compromises in capability to have it take the place of the Ultra if space is no problem. Namely its lack of ambi operation, poor spill, and the short throw distance aren't worth giving up if the pistol is going to live in a nightstand or holster at home and not on your person.

[ColtSeavers]

Do what I did, get a Surefire F04-A to put on your x300u and get rid of the 'follow the bouncing ball' hotspot, as well a fantastic throw that is not necessarily necessary indoors) that causes you to pretty much forget about any spill and go pure high lumen output flood lamp.

https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread...-the-other-day

I really should snap some indoor pics of the difference between with the diffuser and without the diffuser indoors at night.

[Uprange41]

I don't have an XC1 or an X300U, but I do have an X300U-B (600 lumens, same TIR lens), and a Sidekick (300 lumens, but the same max vision beam as the XC1). Not apples-to-apples, but close enough to share my experience. I've done some side-by-side in my own home, just to figure out where an XC1 would fit for me.

I have a fairly open plan as well, and in my home, the Sidekick offers no added visual input over the X300U-B. As in, if I point the X300 at the furthest point away, its spill is almost identical (remarkably so) to that of the Sidekick's entire beam in brightness and width. The X300 has much more of a hotspot, but I gain nothing with the Sidekick's beam, and lose some in my ability to hit the ceiling or floor with the light, and have it splash around the room. And outside, the X300U-B is a monster in both throw and spill... Like I said, not the exact lights you're talking about, but the X300U and X300U-B are 100 lumens apart with similar beams, and the same can be said of the Sidekick and XC1. So, it scales. And the X300's just send out a lot more light, and really don't give up anything but size to the XC1.

The XC1 would work fine, and if the size of the X300 is just too much, then I personally wouldn't have a problem going to the XC1... but I'd be surprised if you found a real, quantifiable difference in your ability to ID someone in your home with it over the X300. If anything, you're likely to feel its a step down.

[Jaysop]

Sounds like I should just stick with the x300u. I was hoping somehow it was much more floody of a light.
Thanks gents, you just saved me some headache and money

[Warp]

My HD pistol is currently running a X300u which has been great but it very bulky and has a pretty narrow beam.
I don't feel like it's too bright but I have a very open floor plan and I don't feel like it fills the rooms with light.

From what I hear the XC1 has a very wide beam but is almost a 3rd as bright. I haven't been able to find one local to get hands on with it.
Would I possibly be better off with the smaller light?

Streamlight TLR-1 HL or Surefire X300u due to brightness, runtime, and proven reliability. Either will be plenty of light for HD, and plenty-wide, too (I have a TLR-1 HL 800 lumen, an X300u, an XC1, and used to have an older TLR-1...I also have a Scout (KX2C 200 lumen head) and an inforce)

Edited for a bit more info: The XC1 is a very floody beam, wide, even, no hotspot, but it's only 200 lumens for 1hr...depending on the area you are talking about in that open floorplan, how much existing light there is, how adapted your eyes are, etc, that 200 lumens doesn't exactly fill rooms up with light either.

I can't help but think back to when I bought my first pistols and "defensive" flashlights...the top technology was the Surefire 6P packing 2xCR123 in a package too large for most people to pocket, producing either 65 lumens for 1 hour or 120 lumens for 20 minutes (unregulated, constantly deteriorating during that time)...and everybody said that 65 lumens was plenty for 'tactical' use. We're spoiled.

[Left Sig]

I recently sold my two old X300's (pre-ultra), a TLR-1s, and a TLR-3, and bought a pair of X300U-B's because of the side clamp rail attachment and much higher lumen rating. I keep one setup for each type of rail. The Streamlight-style side clamp is great for use on AR's, which is something the older slide-on X300's couldn't do very well.

However, the X300's are too long for the rail on some pistols I have, so I tried an XC1. Brightness was good and it's nice and light, but the rail attachment method really sucks. If you don't have a Glock 19, or something with exactly the same rail length, then I wouldn't bother. The rails on the XC1 itself are fixed in place, and the locking bar must be loosened to get the thing slid onto the rail. The locking bar is sized for a Glock rail, so on a 1913 rail (HK, Walther PPQ, 1911, etc.) it can slide back and forth due to the larger rail slots. Pushing it back towards the trigger guard improves reach to the switches, but then it will still just slide forward under recoil. To get it solid you have to tighten the locking bar clamp pretty tight. I tried it on several pistols before deciding it just wasn't right and returned it. Yesterday I noticed that tightening it to the point that I couldn't get it to shift with hand pressure had caused minor but visible damage to the polymer rails on my HK's and Walther PPQ.

The momentary switches on the XC1 are great, but the cross-bolt style on/off is really a bad idea - can't activate it without breaking your grip, and it's not lefty-friendly. I think it's essential that a light can be activated (momentary or constant on-off) with your index finger while holding the pistol in one hand. For smaller railed pistols, the Streamlight TLR-3 has the the most versatile mounting options.

Personally, if you're not in LE, pistol mounted lights are best for home defense. For concealed carry, I think it's better to have a small tactical flashlight to identify (and visually impair) a potential threat before having to draw your pistol. And for home defense, I would always recommend using a full-size pistol that can handle the X300 without issue - I tested my X300U-B's indoors and they are not "too bright". And the hotspot when pointed at a threat will definitely cause visual impairment - they won't be able to see much of anything for a while after catching it in the eyes.

[Warp]

Personally, if you're not in LE, pistol mounted lights are best for home defense. For concealed carry, I think it's better to have a small tactical flashlight to identify (and visually impair) a potential threat before having to draw your pistol.

I disagree. I think it's better to have both.

[Left Sig]

I disagree. I think it's better to have both.

Ok, that's a good point. Both would be better.

[skimbleshanks]

Went with the xc-1 on my fnx45 tactical. Creeping around my place with the lights off the 200 lumens is plenty. I really wanted a light on this pistol but didn't want to make an already large heavy gun very much larger. xc-1 came along at the right time and fits my needs quite well.