FOG HORN

June, 2016
Twobirds Flying Publication

Streamlight ProTac Rail Mount 1 and 2

Copyright 2016, Towbirds Flying Publication. All Rights Reserved.

Streamlight ProTac Rail Mount 1 and 2

2016

Streamlight ProTac Rail Mount 1 and 2

By: Sal Palma

Streamlight began shipping the ProTac Rail

Mount 1 and 2, the companys newest addition
to their family of weapon mounted lights, in
May. With their arrival, it is now possible to
have all of the ProTac features on your favorite
long gun. In todays complex and changing
environments
having
three
program
illuminations settings is very useful and unique
to the Streamlight Rail Mount lights. So I was
looking forward to the opportunity to test drive
both of these lights and share my observations
and opinions with you.
The ProTac Rail Mount lights are Streamlights
answer to Surefires M300B and M600U Scout
lights, and what a Perry and Riposte they are.
First lets consider that the Surefire lights will
set you back $299 with an additional $89 for the
long gun pressure switch. Compare that with
Streamlights street price of $100 for the Rail
Mount 1 and $110 for the Rail Mount 2, both of
which ship with a tailcap and long gun pressure
switch, thats value folks. It doesnt stop there
and this story gets better.

The Rail Mount 1 will accept several power

sources AA lithium, AA alkaline or CR123
lithium. This is a very nice feature that
accommodates those situations where your
battery options may be limited. The CR123
lithium is the breakfast of champions though
and will drive the Rail Mount 1 to 350 lumens
on HIGH for 1.75 hours of continuous use. The
AA batteries will power the Rail Mount 1 at 150
lumens for 1.5 hours if youre using the AA
alkaline battery or 4.5 hours with the AA lithium
battery. Personally, Ive given up on alkaline
batteries for both their anemic current and
durability; not to mention the damage they can
inflict on your kit. Make your life simpler; run
your lights with lithium batteries and never look
back, theyre worth the added expense. The Rail
Mount 2 requires (2) CR123 lithium batteries to
power its whopping 625 lumen output, on
HIGH, for 2 hours of continuous use.

Readers already familiar with the ProTac ten tap

programming will appreciate having the same
feature and functions on both the Rail Mount 1
and 2. When clearing a space in low or no light
Copyright 2016, Twobirds Flying Publication, All Rights Reserved

Streamlight ProTac Rail Mount 1 and 2

having the ability to quickly and easily select

between output levels, on demand, makes life
safer and easier. The ProTac Rail Mount lights,
offer three program options: high/strobe, high
only and low/high. I found the low/high
program to work best for me. I can use the low
setting to navigate a space, but if I need the
high output its just a double tap away. This is
true of both Rail Mount lights.

2016

All in all a very slick arrangement made even

better by a choice of tailcap or pressure pad
activation. Most of the shooters I commune
with run their rail mounted lights with tailcap; I
like the flexibility of the pressure switch
because it allows me to quickly transition from
low to high, or high to strobe for signaling or
to light up the dance floor.

Outdoors youll want to use high/strobe or high

only programs and thats no problem. Switching
is simple with 9 rapid taps and hold on the 10th
to move through three program settings.
Tremendous flexibility thats only available with
the ProTac lights.
From inception, Streamlights ProTac lights have
been handheld lights. So, if you wanted to use
them on a long gun rail system you usually had
to purchase a dedicated light mount or a 1
scope ring. Although both methods are
workable they werent optimal and it usually
meant your light extended well beyond your
quad rail surface. Streamlight solved that
problem in their ProTac Rail Mount lights with
an integral Picatinny rail mount. The excellent
Streamlight mount positions the lights close to
the rail surface presenting a very low profile. Its
also a very stout mount with a large knurled
thumb wheel to easily tighten or loosen the
light.

Streamlight ships the ProTac Rail Mount 1 and 2

lights with a pushbutton tailcap and a long gun
pressure pad. Unlike what you may be used to,
Streamlights pressure pad offers both
momentary and continuous mode activation.
Your typical pressure pad does not support
continuous operation of the light or requires
two presses to get to continuous illumination.
Streamlight uses a dual switch pressure pad.
The pad itself operates the light momentarily or
allows the shooter to select between program
modes while the raised switch places the light
in to continuous operation. I like this
arrangement a great deal because it frees the
Copyright 2016, Twobirds Flying Publication, All Rights Reserved

Streamlight ProTac Rail Mount 1 and 2

shooter from having to maintain continuous

pressure on the pad.

As a side note, Streamlight makes their weapon

mounted lights to be IPX7 compliant for water
resistance. That stndard is consistent in the
ProTac Rail Mount 1 and 2 but it is limited to
using the tailcap switch. If you use the tape
switch the lights water resistance is then IPX4
compliant. Ive found this to be a similar
situation even on devices that are military grade
for maritime opertions. The key to water
resistance is to keep those o-ring seals lubed. A
little dab of silicon grease will make all the
difference in the world for you.

warrant the sometimes not so trivial cost.

Streamlight asks that very same question
throughout its product development process,
and you will be hard pressed to find a weapon
mounted light that delivers the quality, features
and performance of the ProTac Rail Mount 1
and Rail Mount 2. Theres nothing currently on
the market that can come close to the price to
performance ratio that these lights deliver. Its
an easy decision to make.
-SP
Manufacturer Specifications
ProTac Rail Mount 1

Dual fuel - uses one AA alkaline or CR123A

lithium battery (both included); also accepts AA
lithium

CR123A lithium battery output:

o High: 350 lumens; 12,000 candela;
219m beam; runs 1.75 hours
o Low 40 lumens; 1,380 candela; 19m
beam; runs 14.5 hours

AA alkaline/AA lithium battery output:

o High: 150 lumens; 4,950 candela;
141m beam; runs 1.5 hours (alkaline);
runs 4.5 hours (AA lithium)
o Low: 40 lumens; 1,380 candela; 19m
beam; runs 8 hours (alkaline); runs 14
hours (AA lithium)

Strobe for signaling or disorienting

Remote pressure switch features momentary

and constant on operation

Integrated rail clamp attaches to MIL-STD-1913

rails
o Easy to attach, secure mounting

Includes remote pressure switch, push-button

tail switch, remote retaining clips, double-sided
tape and zip ties

Durable, anodized aluminum construction with

impact-resistant tempered glass lens

So, how do these lights perform?

The short answer is exceptionally well.
Mounting and operating the light is very simple
and secure, run times meet or exceed anything
the competition currently offers. Both the Rail
Mount 1 &2 generate a tightly focused beam
with an abundance of peripheral lighting. As
with the majority of weapon lights, heat is an
issue, so if you are trying to keep your heat
signature to a minimum youll want to consider
that fact. Lastly, and not to be understated, is
the ProTac 10-tap feature which places a very
generous amount of functionality at your finger
tips.
In closing, I always like to ask myself, do
competing options offer enough utility to

2016

TEN-TAP Programming - choice of three

operating modes: 1.) high/strobe; 2.) high only;
3.) low/high

Copyright 2016, Twobirds Flying Publication, All Rights Reserved

Streamlight ProTac Rail Mount 1 and 2

IPX7 rated with the Standard button switch

installed; waterproof to 1 meter for 30 minutes.

IPX4 rated with the Remote Pressure Switch

installed

Operating temperature: -40F to +120F

2016

Limited lifetime warranty

RoHS compliant

ProTac Rail Mount 2

TEN-TAP Programming - choice of three

operating modes: 1.) high/strobe; 2.) high only;
3.) low/high
o High: 625 lumens; 22,000 candela;
297m beam; runs 2 hours
o Low: 60 lumens; 2,000 candela; 89m
beam; runs 21 hours
o Strobe for signaling or disorienting

Remote pressure switch features momentary

and constant on operation

Integrated rail clamp attaches to MIL-STD-1913

rails
o Easy to attach, secure mounting

Includes remote pressure switch, push-button

tail switch, remote retaining clips, double-sided
tape and zip ties

Uses two CR123A lithium batteries (included)

IPX7 rated with the Standard button switch

installed; waterproof to 1 meter for 30 minutes.

IPX4 rated with the Remote Pressure Switch

installed

Operating temperature: -40F to +120F

Durable, anodized aluminum construction with

impact-resistant tempered glass lens

Limited lifetime warranty

RoHS compliant

Copyright 2016, Twobirds Flying Publication, All Rights Reserved