Illumination Tools 2005
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
2005 Illumination Tools ILLUMINATION TOOLS 2005 4 The SureFire Legacy 52 Hybrid Flashlights 10 The SureFire Difference 58 LED Flashlights 14 Flashlight Fundamentals 80 Advanced Rechargeables 20 2005 New Products 90 Accessories & Upgrades 26 Incandescent Flashlights 96 Technical Specifications Chart SureFire LLC reserves the right to correct any errors or inaccuracies contained herein, and to revoke stated offers at any time without notice. Prices, availability, specifications, and promotional offers are subject to change or cancellation at any time without Principal photography by Ichiro Nagata notice.Weights, measures, and shipping information are approximate, and product images may appear without perfect accuracy. Entire contents copyright © 2005 SureFire LLC. SureFire LLC disclaims all warranties, whether express or implied, with respect to the accuracy or completeness of any informa- tion contained herein, to the fullest extent possible under applicable laws. Under no circumstances shall SureFire LLC be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, special or consequential damages that result from any information contained herein. 2 Twenty-five years of innovation and constant improvement have led to SureFire’s position as the technology leader of illumination tools. Ever since we were the first to harness the power of the 123 lithium battery and produce a significantly smaller and brighter flashlight than was previously possible with alkaline batteries, SureFire has been the leader. From our 6P Original to our newest U2 Ultra™ with a variable-output LED light source, we have com- mitted our company and all of its resources to producing the best. XXV From our inception, SureFire has manufactured our products in America. We believe in the inherent benefits of American-made goods. SureFire has long existed to serve the needs of America’s protectors in the armed services and law enforcement communities. As we begin our 25th year of operations, we remain committed to our customers and the never-ending pursuit of excellence. John W. Matthews Founder and President 3 THE SUREFIRE LEGACY THE SUREFIRE LEGACY Those who go in harm’s way to protect others risk the ultimate sacrifice for their country and communi- ty. SureFire primarily exists to provide uncompromis- ing tactical tools to soldiers fighting terrorists, police- men battling crime and private security professionals protecting lives. SureFire manufactures every one of its wide range of products, from illumination tools to sound suppressors, as if every one could save a life. Because it just might have to. SureFire is best known for our supremely bright, durable and technically superior flashlights, but the company’s origin was in making laser sights for firearms. In fact, 2005 represents our 25th anniver- sary as a company, the genesis of which was a laser- sighted Colt Trooper revolver called the Model 7. The Model 7 was the first laser-aimed handgun ever made, a precursor of what has become SureFire’s legacy of innovating bold new tactical products. Our first weapon-mounted flashlight fol- lowed shortly thereafter when the LAPD SWAT Team approached SureFire founder Dr. John Matthews and asked if it would be possible to mount a light on a 1911 pistol. Adapting a flashlight to withstand the savage recoil of a .45 ACP handgun was no small feat, but Dr. Matthews applied science to the task, developing a shock-isolation system to cushion the lamp assembly from the filament-shattering effect of recoil. This led to SureFire’s patented shotgun forend light, shown on the facing page. SureFire continued to manufacture laser-aimed 5 firearms, and today we still produce visible and infrared laser modules although we stopped manufacturing complete guns with integral lasers a number of years ago. The laser-aimed guns were ahead of their time. SureFire modified Ruger Mini-14 rifles, Colt M16 rifles, HK MP-5 submachineguns and the original Colt Trooper revolver, but the tacti- cal market was not ready for such expensive and cumbersome modifications. At the time, the lasers were virtually as long as the barrels and they were dreadfully costly to manufacture, making laser-aimed firearms prohibitively expensive for all but the most heavily budgeted law enforcement agencies. Meanwhile, demand for white light devices, what we call WeaponLights™, soared. Police SWAT teams and other high-risk law enforce- ment officers recognized the benefits of a blind- ingly bright flashlight directly mounted to their weapons, with the switch easily activated without compromising their normal grip on the guns. SureFire steadily turned from developing lasers— in fact, the company was called Laser Products in its early years— to pioneering high- intensity flashlights. The real breakthrough came from an unexpected happenstance. In the early 1980s, cameras were becoming more and more sophisticated with autofocus mechanisms and a host of complex electronics. The tiny “camera batteries” of preceding genera- SureFire Fast-Attach™ suppressors tions were no longer adequate to power the new SureFire M910A Vertical Grip with infrared filter high-tech cameras. And so the camera industry SureFire Scout Light SureFire L72 visible lasers provided the demand to the battery industry to create a new cell, the 123 lithium battery. The 123 lithium battery is an extremely THE SUREFIRE LEGACY energy-dense source, producing 3 volts from a tiny, compact cell shorter than a AA alkaline battery yet doubling its power. SureFire seized on the new battery and set about designing a correspondingly powerful and compact new flashlight. The result was the 6P Original, a model we still make today, albeit with a number of improved features. In 1984, SureFire delivered laser aimed shotguns to the LAPD SWAT Team, in time for the Los Angeles Olympics where the SWAT Team was charged with providing security to the Olympic Village. From there, a host of breakthrough tactical lights emerged. A dedicated forend for subma- chineguns. A universal system for mounting a light on virtually any firearm. A waterproof pistol light for the Navy SEALs. At the same time, SureFire’s handheld flashlights evolved to serve the needs of law enforcement professionals. We developed and patented a grip ring system in a model called the Z2 CombatLight® that resulted in a whole new shooting technique for firing a handgun with a flashlight, the SureFire/Rogers Technique. (Bill Rogers was a former FBI agent who promulgated the shooting technique.) In the late 1990s, SureFire engineers devel- oped the concept of a modular system of lights that feature interchangeable components between handheld and weapon-mounted lights. The Millennium Special Operations Series of flashlights and the Millennium SureFire M910A Vertical Grip with infrared filter Universal (MU) System of WeaponLights was SureFire M971 MU System (TurboHead™ reflector version) with the new XM switch and infrared filter the result. Today the MU System is the most widely 7 issued tactical light in the U.S. armed forces. It’s seen service in Afghanistan and Iraq and been featured on the weapons of soldiers on the cov- ers of Newsweek, TIME and U.S. News & World Report. Countless television and newspaper stories on the war have shown U.S. troops fight- ing shadowy terrorists in the gloom of Baghdad with SureFire WeaponLights. Today our engineers continue to develop newer and better tactical lights, such as the breakthrough X200™ pistol light, the world’s first LED pistol light. Even as you read this, our newest military light, the HellFire™ System, an incredibly bright HID light, is being used in com- bat mounted on .50 caliber machineguns. M910A Vertical Grip SureFire recently initiated full-scale produc- L72 visible laser tion of a significant new suppressor for small M981 MU System arms. Why? Because our war effort demanded a better suppressor, so SureFire invested signif- icant resources in a rapid R&D program fol- SureFire’s new X200 pistol light is the first lowed by capitalizing a state-of-the-art produc- LED bright enough for tactical use. tion system. The result? The world’s best sup- pressor being made on the world’s most sophisticated production line. Similarly, SureFire developed a much bet- ter Picatinny rail forend for mounting acces- sories on military and law enforcement weapons. Our new Picatinny rails are signifi- cantly better, and more affordable, than any- thing on the market, which led to their recent adoption by the DEA. But that’s no surprise. For 25 years, SureFire’s legacy has been building the best for those who go in harm’s way. And the reward has been as great as the courage of those who 8 stand to do battle: knowing we helped. THE SUREFIRE LEGACY 9 THE SUREFIRE DIFFERENCE THE SUREFIRE DIFFERENCE Engineering-driven manufacturing is not the usual way to run a business. Market-driven compa- nies are far more common, fattening bottom lines with their price-point products. Cutting costs is the overriding concern, making profits the all-important goal. Make it offshore. Who cares about the decline of America’s manufacturing base? Keep the stock holders happy. Trim here, compromise there: it does- n’t matter as long as the product moves through Wal- Mart. This is how most flashlight companies are run. SureFire is different. Our founder and president, Dr. John Matthews, earned a Ph. D. in electrical engi- neering from Cal Tech. He wrote his doctoral thesis on laser holography and, after pioneering the indus- trial use of lasers in his first company, went on to develop laser-aimed firearms, the first of their kind. That led to weapon-mounted flashlights which led to handheld flashlights which led to SureFire. Along the way, Dr. Matthews injected his passion for engineering excellence into the very fabric of SureFire’s soul. “Make the best,” is the daily mantra the engineers hear at staff meetings. (They are crowded meetings. With nearly 40 engineers on staff at SureFire, there is a staggering ratio of roughly one engineer to every 10 employees.) “Make the best,” says Dr.