I am looking for input from experienced users for patrol rifle setups for officers who patrol at night. Any input you could lend would be appreciated.
Do you have NODs? That changes everything…
I run a 500 lumen Surefire Fury with the clicky tailcap and an Aimpoint H-1 on my work gun. If you can swing it get the 1000 lumen. I haven’t run into a situation where I’ve needed anything else. I’m figuring you already have a sling (I run a V-TAC) but any quality adjustable 2 point will work (it’s nice to be able to cinch it up tighter then you need to jump a fence or conduct a pat down). If you usually use a vfg rock it, I find them helpful to control the rifle when running. I only use handheld thermals & NVG’s but have used a helmet mounted NVG with a Dbal equipped rifle and it felt like cheating, if you are authorized to run gear like that I’d seriously look into it and get some training. It seems like the way to go if your job involves going hot at night.
Here’s how ours are set up:
Bushmaster Patrol M4 (Not my choice, blame the bean counters)
Aimpoint PRO red dot
Magpul MS3 sling, can do single point or two point (pros/cons of single/dual would need a whole separate thread).
Magpul MOE forend
Streamlight TLR1 LED weapon light, w/remote switch, both mounted on MOE forened (lefty or righty- pick your side).
Get a good red dot (aimpoint is my choice)
A quality sling you can manipulate
A good light that won’t go TU or blast so bright during building searches that you get to see your own corneas.
Get stuff you can try out ahead of time and try hands on. Let the most active graveyard poop-magnets try them out. Assembling patrol rifles on paper and within an arbitrary budget doesn’t always work.
Give the other LEOs here a bit of context like the type of area you’ll be in, be it rural or urban, and what you already have so that they can really help you out. I would probably advise against a 1k lumen light though. There is such a thing as too bright.
I think a good light is the main thing. match the light to your expected environment. You’ll want something bright and sturdy for anywhere, but if you live in a more open area, that’s where the brighter lights come into their own. I only worry about closer (<100 yds) so I opted for a small TLR-1 that I can also use on a handgun. I don’t like the real powerful lights in a confined area like my home. Too much of the light will flash back at me.
A good set up would include a 2 point sling, quality light, and red dot optic. I personally run a vtac padded sling, scout light, aim point m4 and dd rail on my issued colt le 6920. The above three items would be the minimum I would run. Your agency will also determine what you can do, ours for instance does not allow removing the delta ring, trigger assembly, flash hider and so on. We can only make changes that can easily be returned to stock. I added few comfort items such as b5 stock because I like the cheek weld and bcm charging handle. I would make decisions based on where you work, such as city compared to highway or rural county, if the later two I might consider a good 1-4 optic. These are only based on my experience and opinions so take them for what there worth. Good luck and keep us posted.
In my experience I would recommend a 16" middy for a good combination of range and maneuverability indoors. I would outfit it with;
Vickers sling, my preference is padded
Aimpoint of your choice in a lower third co-witness, right now the PRO is a hard to beat price point
Fixed rear BUIS (I prefer DD or Larue)
Fixed front sight
Lightweight profile barrel
Lightweight forend, rail or keymod/MLOK based on your preference
A quality light of at least 500 lumen (I prefer Surefire) close to the rail in the 11 o’clock with a clicky tailcap (no wires)
Stocks and grips are really subjective, but my biggest priority was to keep it lightweight. You will carry it more than use it, and any bit of weight you can save pulling guard helps. Even more if you have to clear a large building such as a school. If you want a comp or brake and you are not running a can, keep away from the really obnoxious ones, your mates will thank you. Better yet, birdcage. Good luck.
Area is rural and urban. I should have been more specific, looking for sights/optics. I have a light already. What’s a NOD?
Night Observation Device - night vision. If the light isn’t Streamlight or SureFire, you may want to reconsider. For optic - go with an Aimpoint.
What’s your personal opinion of the Inforce WML?
Forgot about them - another good option. I still prefer SureFire but my one WML has never given me a reason not trust it.
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Did you say your area is rural AND urban? That’s two settings with two different needs.
I use the Inforce WML and love it. I like being able to use the momentary only option.
I just put an X200 Surefire on the rail handguard and called it good. The biggest mistake people make is not checking the batteries. They stow the rifles in a hot trunk or whatever and you can have the best light ever but a dead battery renders it pointless.
I also have a Surefire 6p that gets checked religiously and some 100 mile tape. Just in case. Not even for what you think…the 6P has simply been super handy (had it 12 years) and 100 mph tape is always handy.
I like the x200 because you can pop it on a Glock pistol. I know they have better newer ones but that’s all I have.
In the Southeast that’s common. In some metro areas you can go from pretty built up to woods pretty dynamically.
If someone really bad is hiding out in the woods, it is time to use thermals
If you need an affordable thermal solution, check this out from torret pines logic. I got to see these in person at warrior west in April, and they’re Damn nice. You can mount them to a weapon (not an optic, so I don’t think you can zero it or anything), a vfg, or to the included hand strap. These things are affordable too, $500-900 I think.
I run an Aimpoint, a V-tac sling, and a Streamlight SuperTac. I like the SuperTac a lot because it isn’t horribly bright indoors yet has great range because of the focused beam.
I really like the surefire fury lights. Damn bright at 500 lumens but the beam is dispersed enough the in a dark house it hasn’t been too much at all for me. Lights up a large backyard like the sun and despite not having a strong center hot spot, it has great throw for a solid 100 yards, maybe more but that’s the farthest I’ve been able to go with mine so far. I find it to be a very universal light.
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I don’t know why you guys are scarred of lumens…I was in a single wide a little while ago that had white walls, small rooms and a bunch of mirrors. I cleared it with my 500 lumen Fury and wasn’t blinded, was able to finish my shift and didn’t melt anybody’s eyeballs…once it was cleared I pulled out my 1000 lumen Fury to see how that would be…again no melted eyeballs, no blindness, still was able to finish my shift. The one thing I did notice was that with the 1000 lumen Fury…I could see better in the trailer.
Just like everything else in the world, different people are different. My 600U inside is definitely doable but I wouldn’t really want more than that. I’m not overly concerned with white-washing or whatever it’s called, but that’s a ton of light coming back at you. Plus, the brighter it is, the long we it’s going to take for your eyes to adjust back. A 600U or 600P would be my ideal.
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