Small and light meets lumen-might
While weapon-mounted lights seem to get more powerful and durable with each passing year, they haven’t seemed to shrink in size…until now.
SureFire’s new XC-1, while small, changes the game in a big way. This new purpose-built pistol light fundamentally transforms the weapon light concept as it relates to personal-defense handguns, and legitimizes its use in the confines of deep concealment.
Based on its outstanding level of utility and many other attributes, loyal readers of On Target will remember us giving the new XC-1 an Editors’ Choice Award in this past issue. We felt these attributes needed some elaboration, so here is the extended version.
In a nutshell, the new XC-1 Ultra-Compact LED pistol light ($299) is a super-small and eminently rugged source of illumination for any rail-equipped defensive pistol (or rifle) that could possibly need to be employed after dark. The XC-1 defines a new class of small, lightweight and powerful weapon-mounted lights, and in a concealed-carry-pistol application, it will ride virtually unnoticed when inside the waistband, and create zero perceptible “printing” outside the waistband.
The fact is that night sights are only useful in low light conditions where you can see your target. In the dark, all you can see is your sights. If you can’t see your target, you’re not going to hit it. That is why a source of white light illumination is crucial for target identification in situations where ambient light alone is not adequate. Preferably, that illumination comes from a weapon-mounted unit that you don’t have to fumble to find or dedicate a hand to deploy. If it is a big, bulky, and difficult-to-conceal weapon light, chances are it won’t find a home on your concealed-carry handgun.
