AR-15 Tactical Lights - The BEST Tactical LED Lights for the AR-15 Rifle

Imagine kicking down the door of a bad guy's house, your AR-15 held ready in your hands, and not being able to see what you're shooting at. Maybe someone is desperately shining a light over your shoulder, or maybe you're even trying to hold a plastic flashlight next to your rifle. What happens when you drop it? It crashes to the floor and breaks apart into pieces.

Whether you're an AR-15 enthusiast or someone whose real life may one day reflect the above situation, a good tactical flashlight, securely mounted, dependable, tough, and bright, is a must. There's a reason lighting up a dark room with the strobe-like muzzle flash is a popular trick in horror movies. It's not just terrifying, it's disorienting, and a real disadvantage. Mounting a tactical light on your AR-15 is a necessary step in creating an all-around useful tool. It preserves your vision while depress the trigger, and with a blast of ultra-bright LED light in their face, it's your target who will be disoriented. In a tactical situation, it's all about finding advantage.

So what tactical light is best for your situation and AR-15? We will be looking not only at tactical lights, but at their accessories, because this is also an important factor. In essence, we'll be taking in the whole package with what these lights entail and can offer.

1) Klarus XT11GT

The XT11GT is Klarus's signature light. Adaptable to a wide array of situations thanks to its fully programmable interface, the light can be adjusted to fit the tactical needs of most any situation. It also has its own custom pressure switch, the TRS1 (also compatible with the XT11S and the XT12GT), but if you're just interested in the light, it uses Klaruss' patented dual-tail switch design. This is an ideal switch setup, great for mounting with an AR-15 or any other rifle, with both of the most tactically important switches located in an easily accessible location.

And thanks to the programable nature of this light, the switches can be set up to work the way you need them to work. The modes range from the outdoor setting, which leaves out the strobe entirely; to the classical tactical setting, which allows for both strobe and brightness-changing; and the advanced tactical setting, which deletes brightness-changing entirely in favor of total idiot-proof easy access to both the full 2,000 lumen blast and the strobe.

As far as mounting on an AR-15 and using in the field, this is an improvement even on the original XT11 model, which can't go instantly from being turned on to strobe. It's also twice as bright as that flashlight. If you're worried about the side switch getting in the way, this switch actually has a lock-out function, so it won't cause issues in the field. Plus, this light is rechargeable, so you don't have to worry about making space for a charger.

2) Klarus XT11

For a straightforward tactical option, you can't do much better than the Klarus XT11. The XT11 preceded the very popular XT11S and XT11GT models, but unlike these more complicated lights, the XT11 has always been designed only with tactical use in mind. There is no side switch to be accidentally pressed, and instead utilizes Klarus's patented dual-switch on the tail. The primary switch is easy on/off (straight to the max brightness mode, of course), and the strobe switch provides instant access to the strobe or switches brightness modes.

Klarus also produces great accessories for the XT11. You can buy offset and onset variants of Klarus's Picatinny mount for secure attachment to your AR-15. Klarus also offers a remote pressure switch for easy access to the light while mounted. This, too, comes in two variants: the TR10 and the TR10NS, or "No-Strobe" version. These accessories provide essential customizability in the immediate and most tangible sense.

3) FlashlightZ Beacon

FlashlightZ has recently released its own tactical LED flashlight, the FlashlightZ Beacon. It's a tactical light meant to bridge the gap between consumer and tactical markets by offering the quality and brightness of tactical lights without many of the frills that have collected in the industry. This makes the Beacon an excellent affordable option for your AR-15. It's shock proof and will stand up to gunfire recoil, and it's a super-bright 1,000 lumens, providing that tactical advantage of blinding a room. But it also has an adjustable zoom feature for targeting, and is rechargeable.

As a new item, it doesn't have as many dedicated accessories out there as other tactical LED flashlights. But since the body has the industry-standard one-inch diameter, making it compatible with most any Picatinny gun mount.

4) MecArmy SPX18

This tactical light is, in my opinion, a highly underrated product from MecArmy. Featuring the industry-standard 1-inch body diameter for compatibility with any common gun mount is just the beginning. The large head has a CREE XM-L2 U3 LED giving it 1100 lumens of output.

This light's main attraction, though, is its 360-degree tail switch, a very unique design. The rubbery dome-like switch can be tilted in any direction for instant access to the strobe. It's an excellent design for use while wearing thick gloves or to quickly get to the strobe in the dark.

The light also has four optional color filters available, all highly viable tactical options for the right situation. The ability to customize your visual experience is vital - don't underestimate it!

5) Nitecore P10

The Nitecore brand name is well-known, and for good reason. They're tough, effective, but intuitive. The P10 is not exception. Like most Klarus tactical lights, it uses a dual-tail switch (though arguably, a slightly less effective design). In fact, this light reminds me of Klarus's lights in many ways - probably why I like it so much!

The dual-tail switch provides easy access to strobe from any state as well as simple operation of the brightness modes. The P10 is also fully programmable, including a 'tactical mode' which gives instant access to both the maximum brightness - it's a heady 800 lumens - and the strobe.

One of the best things about this light, though, is its high-quality accessories. Nitecore offers the RSW2 remote switch for tactical use, as well as the GM02 gun mount for secure mounting on your AR-15. Throw in two types of quality lanyards and several color filters and you have a tactical LED flashlight with maximum customizability.