Gone are the days when you had no choice but to grip a handheld flashlight awkwardly in one hand while using your other hand on your firearm. Weapon-mounted lights are seeing increasingly common use, and for good reason: Target identification is vital to being a responsibly armed gun owner. And if you want to make it even better, add a laser to the light to aid in the visuals of point of aim versus point of impact. The Nightstick Subcompact Weapon Light and Laser delivers both those things, all in a small, streamlined package that doesn’t add unnecessary bulk to your daily carry gun.
What is the Nightstick Subcompact Weapon Light with Green Laser?
The TSM-12G Subcompact Weapon Light w/Green Laser for Glock G26, G27, G33, or G39 is the specific model we are talking about today. According to Nightstick, the Subcompact Weapon Light with Green Laser was designed for superior reliability for dedicated concealed carriers. It’s made to stand up to the rigors of daily use on a carry gun without adding excessive bulk or protruding edges that increase the risk of snagging. Where some weapon-mounted lights are big and bulky, this one is slim and compact. It has a lightweight, streamlined profile for a rapid, snag-free draw.
This system is made from 2 glass-filled nylon plastic housings to ensure impressive durability and resistance to wear and tear. Gun owners concerned with using a rugged light and laser combo on their carry gun need a truly tough housing on the accessory; the last thing anyone wants is an aftermarket product mounted to their gun that can’t handle hard use. Fortunately, Nightstick built this one to last.
Mounting the light and laser to the gun is simple and locks it securely to the front of the gun’s trigger guard with the lowest profile possible. There’s even an optional trigger lock to keep the gun secure while the light is charging. Nightstick created this product to stay snugly mounted to your gun even during lengthy live fire.
The weapon mounted light is an LED listed as delivering 150 lumens on high and a max candela of 2700. The high beam distance is listed as 104 meters. The reflector is precision engineered to create a strong, focused beam. According to the manufacturer, the runtime on high is 0.75 hours, so if you want it to last longer, don’t run it continuously on high. Possible settings include momentary on, constantly on, or a combination with the laser turned on as well.
As for the laser, it’s a Class IIIa 532nm green laser. Green is ideal for shooters interested in laser color with greater daylight visibility capabilities. Although red can be seen during the daytime, it’s not nearly as easy to visualize as green tends to be. Utilizing a laser is a good way to improve rapid target acquisition and more quickly judge point of aim versus point of impact.
Controls on the light and laser are fully ambidextrous, making it a versatile product whether you’re right or left-handed. The light runs on an integrated rechargeable lithium-ion battery that utilizes a Nightstick MagMate USB magnetically coupled charger. Charging your light and laser setup is as easy as setting it down and letting the magnetic charger attach to the charging port.
Mounting the Nightstick to the Gun
This is a fantastically simple accessory to put on your gun. Simply place it ahead of the trigger guard and use the included miniature Allen screwdriver to increase tension. Take care to tighten it so it doesn’t move or wiggle. After spending time doing live fire, check to see if it loosened and re-tighten as needed.
Although the light doesn’t need zeroing, the laser does. You won’t get accurate hits using a laser as a point of aim if it isn’t zeroed first. Getting that done with the Nightstick Subcompact Weapon Light with Green Laser is a straightforward process. Use the same Allen screwdriver you used to mount the light to your gun to make incremental adjustments to get the laser precisely on target. If you’re having difficulty seeing, consider zeroing in low light. That, or move in closer to the target, then slowly back up once it’s on paper.
Does the laser really need to be zeroed? Yes. It might look like that tiny beam of green light is dead on due to its location beneath the light, but it’s not. Get it zeroed and re-check zero periodically whether it’s on your carry gun or a gun you use only occasionally.
Performance During Live Fire
For this review, the Nightstick Subcompact Weapon Light with Green Laser was mounted to a Glock 27. It’s made to fit a variety of subcompact Glocks including the G26, but the G27 is fun to shoot. No, 40 Smith and Wesson isn’t dead, but that’s a story for another day.
Thanks to the smaller dimensions of the Glock 27, it isn’t difficult to reach the controls for the light and laser. Depending on your finger length you might need to adjust your grip slightly to operate it, but generally speaking there should be little to no grip adjustment needed. It’s imperative you take the time to practice with this setup; don’t just holster it and go. There’s more to proper weapon mounted light and laser use than point-and-shoot. It takes practice just like anything, and the more familiar you are with it the more likely you are to run it well under pressure.
This is a relatively bright light for target identification. It has a strong, focused center beam and offers a good halo for visualizing the areas surrounding the main beam. As for the green laser, it’s bright enough to see in daylight and delivers a clear, direct point of aim in low-light and no-light situations. If you’re using the laser for target practice you’ll notice it isn’t quite as easy to see against certain colored backgrounds, but it’s always at least somewhat visible.
The battery does run down in under an hour of continuous use, but that’s normal for most lights. Utilizing the light and laser simultaneously wears it down a little faster. As long as you shut it off when it’s not in use, it has no problem lasting through a class. Take your magnetized charger along just in case.
Overall, this is a nice little light and laser combo. It’s a nice fit on subcompact Glocks and maintains zero well even after somewhat extensive trigger time. The fact that it doesn’t protrude excessively beyond the frame is nice considering the bulk of many lights. Keep in mind the lack of protrusion does mean it’s a somewhat smaller beam of light than larger products might deliver. Even so, it’s a capable little package.
MSRP for the Nightstick Subcompact Weapon Light with Green Laser is unknown but it’s listed on dealer sites at $119.99.
