The modern world of weapon lights has both grown and shrunk. Everyone is either trying to squeeze as much power as possible in low profile lights or not fearful to up the ante with massive lights that pack massive power. Today, we are talking all about low profile lights. Great big lights are a dime a dozen, but what about little lights for long guns?
Why Low Profile Lights?
What’s the point of a great big light on a little bitty gun? I think it’s funny to shove an OWL on the littlest 9mm AR I have, but is it really necessary? Low profile lights work best with small guns. Small guns are often designed to be lightweight and small, so the less bulk and weight is beneficial. Most small long guns aren’t designed for long-range use, so they don’t always need the power cranked up to large light status.
These lights are typically designed for close-range use and tend to take up very little rail space, which is great because you might not have much rail space. Low profile lights tend to integrate their controls and aren’t dependent on pressure switches and clicky rear buttons. They often integrate the button a bit more seamlessly.
The Downsides of Low Profile Lights
The problems with low profile lights tend to relate to their power and range. They can’t pack a ton of light in most cases. They are best used at close range and work way better indoors than outdoors. Most of these low profile lights have about the same power as a handgun light — sometimes even less. Power and size will always be a tricky balance. With that said, let’s look at a few low profile light options for your micro-sized blasters.
The Best Low Profile Lights
Crimson Trace RIG
The Crimson Trace RIG integrates a forward-angled grip with a light to give you a combination of grip and light. It’s quite small and clings tight to the rail body. The light can be attached to either an M-LOK or Picatinny rail, depending on the adapter in place. The light has a button integrated into the grip and there is also an option for a pressure switch if you want the button to sit above the light.
You can also configure the grip for right or left-hand dominance. Both control options are intuitive. The RIG uses rechargeable proprietary batteries, and you can hot-swap the batteries without having to remove the grip from the gun. It’s a clever system and needed since the light only runs for about an hour.
The RIG has a 500-lumen light, which isn’t a ton in the modern era. It’s certainly an inside-the-house light. The design throws the beam wide rather than far, which gives vision-filling light indoors.
Viridian 4LUX
I first got hands-on with the Viridian 4LUX this year. I’ll admit I didn’t have a whole lot of faith in the system. I was happily proven wrong. The 4LUX is another light integrated into an angled grip, but it’s even smaller than the RIG. What made me think the light wouldn’t be worth a dang was the tiny reflector. It looked like a camera flash.
Then I hit the go button and the light sprung to life. It throws a mere 400 lumens of light, but makes use of every single lumen. At least indoors, the light worked quite well. It really filled in a room and sent a bright light to every corner and crevice surprisingly well. Outdoors, light performance suffered. However, up close and personal, you can’t hide from it.
It’s also fairly affordable. The integrated button makes operation easy. The grip portion is very nice and allows you to really pull the gun back and into your shoulder. The 4LUX is surprisingly nice, and I was happy to be wrong about it.
Streamlight TL RM2
Streamlight has had a lot of success with the TLR-7 light and body design; so much so, they’ve expanded it into several different lights. One dedicated long gun option is the TL RM2 series. This low profile rifle light comes in a short and long variety. The RM2 is the longer, more powerful, option with 1,000 lumens.
It comes with a Picatinny mount and mounts much like a handgun light, but the rear end comes with a more rifle-like design. The big rear button is on a ramp that’s easy to engage. Hidden below that big button is also the option for a pressure switch. It’s surprisingly well thought out and perfect for smaller guns.
The power is what you expect from a company like Streamlight. It’s respectable with great indoor performance and decent outdoor power. The TL RM2 is one of the most ergonomic options and can be mounted to the side, bottom, or even top of some guns. It fits low enough to work with AR height optics.
Inforce WMLx Gen 2
Inforce was the master of low profile rifle lights for years. While Streamlight and Surefire focused on tube-shaped lights, they studied the wedge. Their lights utilize a wedged, ramp-like design that integrates a simple, easy-to-press button. It’s huge and designed for thumb activation on the fly.
The WMLx Gen 2 is an 800-lumen light with 10,000 candela. It works well indoors and does pretty decent outdoors. The beam won’t need a magnified optic like an OWL, but you aren’t restricted to near pistol ranges with it. The integrated mount and design make it easy to mount to a variety of rail locations, including across the top rail.
Inforce has drawn some flak in the past for their polymer designs, but the latest gen two series seems a good bit tougher. We’ve seen them mounted to Navy Special Warfare Noveskes, and they seem to hold up in that outfit.
Modlite PDW350
The most traditional low profile light is also the most powerful. The Modlite PDW350 is made for the shorties out there. PDW stands for personal defense weapon, which typically means a small, easy-to-use weapon. The light is made up of a PLHv2 head, PDW body, and simple tail mount clicky button.
The mount is very low profile and hugs your rifle like a drunk aunt at Thanksgiving. The light is under short at less than four inches with the standard rear cap. The light weighs 5.5 ounces and still blasts more light than most full-sized rifle lights.
With Modlite in the name, we know we’re getting an uber-powerful option — 1,350 lumens with 54,000 candela. It’s crazy bright and provides a ton of light indoors and out. This thing cuts through the darkness without issue, overpowers other lights, and gives you unbeatable power in a very small package.
Keep It Low Profile
Low profile lights provide low profile guns with the power needed to establish positive identification without adding much bulk, weight, or complication to your weapon system. Low profile lights come in tons of varieties and at numerous price points. Hopefully, you’re walking away with a diverse group of options for your weapon system.
