Relentless
11-09-13, 18:07
Full disclosure up front. I consider myself a friend of Gene Malkoff. He and I have "known" each other since before he started selling lights. I have never met him in person though. Seems like over a year ago we were talking and he asked me about the concept of what would ultimately become the SL-1. I told him that if someone could put those pieces together in the right way, they would have an absolute winner. Fast forward to several weeks ago and an SL-1 arrives on my doorstep for review. Gene knew up front that if this was a stinker I was going to say so. He was cool with that.
This last week I *finally* got the range with the SL-1. By this time, the technical details had been thoroughly hashed out here on this board. Let me simply say that the attention to detail is significant and the beam quality is outstanding. The beam fills a typical residential room very well, but still has very good reach outside. How Gene pulled that off, I don't know.
So what I did at the range was mount a POS UTG pic rail piece straight to the barrel of a converted 7.62x39 Saiga and run 100 rounds of Wolf 123 grain ammo through it. As it works out, I shot about 50 rounds across two mags (~25 each) at a fairly rapid cadence. (See video). Then paused for a bit to help a buddy get his AR straight, then ran another 50 rounds through in two more mags as I did the first time.
The idea was to subject the light to significantly more vibration through recoil and barrel whip than it would see on an AR free float rail which is where it is *supposed* to be mounted. Too, I got the light pretty warm. In at least one of the vids, you can see smoke coming from the handguards. I let thAt heat transfer over to the light.
End of the day, the light works like it did when it came out of the box. I was going to mount it on a Mosin next, but the mount was a tad too long and would not fit. I have that rectified I think, so that will be next. That, and/or on an FAL barrel.
http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb78/Bloodnut-07/9DFF5B2C-C9BE-425A-A4B3-80A4CA8E0701-482-00000017D789D18B_zps3cb895b4.mp4
http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb78/Bloodnut-07/C73B6FFF-D8D8-4E2B-848B-D4827EE6CE15-482-00000017FCB2AC8D_zpsb2e371e5.mp4
This last week I *finally* got the range with the SL-1. By this time, the technical details had been thoroughly hashed out here on this board. Let me simply say that the attention to detail is significant and the beam quality is outstanding. The beam fills a typical residential room very well, but still has very good reach outside. How Gene pulled that off, I don't know.
So what I did at the range was mount a POS UTG pic rail piece straight to the barrel of a converted 7.62x39 Saiga and run 100 rounds of Wolf 123 grain ammo through it. As it works out, I shot about 50 rounds across two mags (~25 each) at a fairly rapid cadence. (See video). Then paused for a bit to help a buddy get his AR straight, then ran another 50 rounds through in two more mags as I did the first time.
The idea was to subject the light to significantly more vibration through recoil and barrel whip than it would see on an AR free float rail which is where it is *supposed* to be mounted. Too, I got the light pretty warm. In at least one of the vids, you can see smoke coming from the handguards. I let thAt heat transfer over to the light.
End of the day, the light works like it did when it came out of the box. I was going to mount it on a Mosin next, but the mount was a tad too long and would not fit. I have that rectified I think, so that will be next. That, and/or on an FAL barrel.
http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb78/Bloodnut-07/9DFF5B2C-C9BE-425A-A4B3-80A4CA8E0701-482-00000017D789D18B_zps3cb895b4.mp4
http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb78/Bloodnut-07/C73B6FFF-D8D8-4E2B-848B-D4827EE6CE15-482-00000017FCB2AC8D_zpsb2e371e5.mp4