Streamlight TL Racker

[cdknox]

Has anyone here tried one? I tried the search feature and didn't find much info. I found a place selling them for $99. I figure that's cheaper than buying a Magpul forend and a light for my 870


Sent from my SM-N975U using Tapatalk

[ace4059]

I can’t believe no one has replied yet. I have one that I put on a SBS a little more than a month ago.
Picture of the gun is on the second page bottom post in this thread.
https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread...-870-SBS/page2

It’s now on the SBS with the vertical pistol grip. I went with the Magpul clamp on sling mount and the light on the right side of hand guard was being blocked by the sling.

Guns n gear did a review as did several others on YouTube.

I don’t have enough trigger time to have a hard use opinion, but first shots/thoughts were The grip texture isn’t grippy enough, the tape switch is cheap. Press pad has clicks and isn’t smooth operating. Maybe I was spoiled by the cloud defense OWL press pad. The hand guard could also be shaped a little different to be more comfortable and help control the recoil on the shotgun. I would prefer it without the dip cutout. But the light output is ok, I can’t complain and it’s out of the way of the sling. As of now, my final thoughts is for $100 it can’t be beat.

[HardToHandle]

Nice review. Straight shooting.

[Mrgunsngear]

I can’t believe no one has replied yet. I have one that I put on a SBS a little more than a month ago.
Picture of the gun is on the second page bottom post in this thread.
https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread...-870-SBS/page2

It’s now on the SBS with the vertical pistol grip. I went with the Magpul clamp on sling mount and the light on the right side of hand guard was being blocked by the sling.

Guns n gear did a review as did several others on YouTube.

I don’t have enough trigger time to have a hard use opinion, but first shots/thoughts were The grip texture isn’t grippy enough, the tape switch is cheap. Press pad has clicks and isn’t smooth operating. Maybe I was spoiled by the cloud defense OWL press pad. The hand guard could also be shaped a little different to be more comfortable and help control the recoil on the shotgun. I would prefer it without the dip cutout. But the light output is ok, I can’t complain and it’s out of the way of the sling. As of now, my final thoughts is for $100 it can’t be beat.

[usmcvet]

I hope the FB BS is squared away soon. Your review is why I bought the light. I’m completely unimpressed with their quality control. Mine binds the gun up to the point where extreme force is needed to put the gun back in battery. I liked the small package, the light is bright and the price was good. I paid $120:shipped. Mine didn’t work. It’s a POS and it’s going back.

[masakari]

I've been disappointed by lighting options for pump shutguns. I love the actual light on the surefire DSF, but the short length of the forend, coupled with the strange almost reverse grip angle made it next to unusable for me.
I would love for Streamlight to make a better forend than this. That's what I was hoping for, but everything I've seen has been negative.
I guess the Magpul forend + Surefire scout is still the best.

[Mrgunsngear]

I hope the FB BS is squared away soon. Your review is why I bought the light. I’m completely unimpressed with their quality control. Mine binds the gun up to the point where extreme force is needed to put the gun back in battery. I liked the small package, the light is bright and the price was good. I paid $120:shipped. Mine didn’t work. It’s a POS and it’s going back.

Thank you; I do as well.

I'll be interested to see how Streamlight CS handles it. In my experience they've been good but who knows... What model did you have?

[ace4059]

I did some more drills with the TL Racker this late evening. I’ve gotten use to the feel of the hand guard. I still wish it had better texture. Skaters tape would be ok for HD for a few shots but range use for drills it would chew up my hand. I don’t mean anything badly when I say the light output is “ok”. It’s just fine and probably can’t be beat for the money. $100 seems like a deal compared to building your own setup. By the time you buy a new hand guard, attachment point, and light you are almost double.

I’ve never tried the surefire version.

It fits my needs very well with the light location and the sling attachment point.
Tape switch does work as it should but doesn’t compare to the “OWL”. I guess my thoughts is I’m being “to hard” on it for $100.

[ThreeFingerPete]

I bought one for a Shockwave and calling it a cheap piece of crap would be generous. The two halves of the one that I ordered were not actually touching at the front and rear, and the tiny screws used to hold the halves of the housing itself were a joke. The light output was fine for my uses, I didn't have any issue with the cheap feeling switches, but when you actually put it on the gun, the plastic was so flimsy that if you wiggled it side to side/rotated it around the gun, it would rotate around the action bars twist up as far as you cared to twist. It was the worst fitting/worst built firearm accessory that I've purchased in quite some time. I have a video to try to illustrate it, but man, it was junk.
This video was after I'd already removed the nut and was taking it off. You can see that the forend doesn't actually hold/retain the action bars. It did the exact same thing with the retaining nut snugged down as it should be.

Video:https://gfycat.com/defiantcarefreejellyfish

I know that it's a different part between the shockwave and the standard 500/590, so the 500/590 part hopefully doesn't have the same issue.

Now I'm back to the drawing board to get a light on this little Mossberg.

[ace4059]

Did you try it with the barrel installed? Barrel should keep it from rotating.

On my 870 it isn’t that bad but yes it rotates a little but all hand guards do.

I agree it’s not the best/top of the line product and I surely wouldn’t pay msrp. I think $120 is max what I would pay for it.
But still hard to beat for $100 IMHO.