RECOIL Exclusive: Surefire XVL2

If you were lucky enough to catch a sneak-peak of the dual SHOT Show RECOIL covers, then you may have noticed a few things. Sure, there's the Maxim Defense PDX, some new Crye goodness–and something attached to the end of the Grey Ghost Combat Pistol. Not the silencer (well, actually the silencer too) but what's riding on the forward rail.

Give it a close look–that there is the new Surefire XVL2. Now, this is far from the first version that we've seen; back in 2014 we saw it for the first time, then again in 2015.

[Top from 2014 by Trident Concepts, bottom 2015 by Dave Merrill]

Then it was silent for a couple of years. However–finally we have a production version in-hand, and we've been messing around with it for the last couple of months. In short what you get in one extremely small package is white light, IR light, IR laser. and a green laser.

This gives you damn near everything you need for a pistol, or a stubby shorty like an MP7, all in one.

If you use any ‘regular' Surefire light then the controls will be more than familiar to you. Push forward for momentary, swipe up or down for constant. The selector lever is the main difference, but thankfully instructions for each setting are clearly labeled on the bottom of the XVL2. Set it and forget it.

Here's what everyone else will be getting in a day or two:

Fountain Valley, CA—SureFire, LLC, manufacturer of the world’s finest — and most innovative — illumination tools and tactical products, is proud to announce the revolutionary new XVL2 WeaponLight and laser. The XVL2 was developed at the request of special operations customers and is the result of years of R&D. Compact, lightweight, and optimized for use with handguns and PDW's, the XVL2 features a 400-lumen white light LED, a 300mW infrared illuminator, and both infrared and green aiming lasers co-aligned and slaved together for ease of zeroing in one simple step.

Available in a civilian-legal Class I version as well as a full-power, restricted Class IIIb model for Military and Law Enforcement, the XVL2 utilizes the same proven switching as our X300 series of lights, and can be ambidextrously activated in both momentary and constant-on modes. A mode selector dial allows the selection of illumination and/or aiming lasers, as well as a low-power training setting on the full-power, restricted MIL/LE version. All this capability is powered by a single 123A battery that can be changed from the front, eliminating the need to remove or re-zero the device.

Stop by the SureFire SHOT show booth #13968, for more

Now let's look at some specifications.

In a world where every light is at least 1,000 lumens (or more) it may seem like 400 lumens is out of place. But remember, the Surefire XVL2 does quadruple duty in a package that takes a single CR123A battery–some compromises are going to have to happen.

Stay tuned here for more information or keep refreshing the Surefire webpage.

Update: We have been told the MSRP will be $1,349