Why Do Airsoft Players Use a Flashlight

Other than being an awesome tactical accessory flashlights are probably ane of the more useful items y'all tin can attach to your airsoft gun.

Non every field or airsoft game necessarily makes use of ideal lighting weather condition and some of the most adrenaline-pumping games can happen at night, in the evening, or indoors doing CQB where airsoft players can't ever rely on their natural vision to terminate themselves from missing targets, bumping into things or causing friendly fire incidents.

Taking a folio from law and military tactics, mounting a flashlight to your airsoft replica can be very helpful, providing ready illumination on the get without fumbling effectually with a dissever object or taking your hands off your gun.

If you lot're looking to shed a trivial illumination on your game play, this guide will talk over all the things a role player might need to consider before buying their first airsoft flashlight.

Advantages of a flashlight in an airsoft game

There are quite a few reasons, too looking absurd, why an airsoft actor might attach a flashlight to their gun.

It's dark. You need to run across.

Depression low-cal conditions, such as during nighttime games or indoors when entering dim areas, tin can brand things quite difficult for airsoft players for obvious reasons.

Flashtlights can assist players place targets, notice their way around and help forbid friendly fire easily and effectively,

Stun your opponents….and influence people

Across helping you lot run across better in the nighttime, flashlights tin can be used equally a tactical reward in an indoor game, equally well.

If you come across an opponent in the night, a quick flash from a flashlight tin briefly dazzle them, interfering with their nighttime vision and leaving them temporarily night-bullheaded.

This can momentarily requite y'all the advantage and let yous transport of a quick volley of Bbs their way.

While this may audio like an underhanded tactic to employ, it is actually a fairly common utilize for flashlights in real-life CQB and low-lite tactical operations.

People aren't calling hits in low lite

While it is dainty to believe that most airsoft players are honest and will ain up to being hit, the reality is that a non-insignificant number of players tin and volition use the cover of darkness to cheat

A flashlight can help you better track the arc of your BB shot, let you see its impact and help you keep other players honest, putting them on the spot, if you will.

Squad play

If you are part of a more organized team game you might want to direct your teammates' attention to a certain area or object, tell them where to go or which target to approach.

Much like a laser arrow, a flashlight'due south beam can exist used in just such a way and aid maintain a maximum of auditory stealth every bit yous move along.

They're a cool looking tactical accessory

Finally, adding a flashlight to a side rail or under a pistol can add a tactical affect to your airsoft replica that just looks absurd and adds a sense of realism to CQB games.

Potential disadvantages of airsoft flashlights

With flashlights offering so many benefits, one might be excused when wondering why not everyone mounts them to their airsoft replicas.

Largely, it'southward because at that place are some downsides to flashlight utilise in airsoft that potential users demand to consider.

Adds bulk and weight to your airsoft gun

Adding a flashlight to your airsoft gun, whether a burglarize or under a pistol, tin can add together some weight to information technology.

While most modern tactical flashlights employ modernistic, lightweight materials such as polymers or aircraft aluminum to keep weight down, they can still come in at 2.5-3 oz (71–85g) or more, which is something to have into account equally information technology can touch on balance and handling to an extent.

Can give abroad your position

Accidentally triggering your flashlight while waiting in ambush, or worst of all, triggering its strobe at the wrong moment tin can be a critical error that will draw attention to the airsofter in question.

An accidental knock or a wayward finger press can result in a sudden incoming barrage of BBs, and and then some airsofters practise without for the sake of stealth.

Requires batteries

As with any electronic accessory, flashlights require batteries, either standard element of group i, rechargeable, lithium ion or even NiCads.

While information technology's usually non too much trouble to keep them in order and charged up for a careful and diligent airsoft enthusiast, they can and will run out of batteries, or lose their charge periodically, which is an added cost to consider.

It'southward as well another dangerous indicate of failure that can lead to disaster if they suddenly die in-game.

Holstering

More of a concern if yous're mounting a flashlight to an airsoft pistol, calculation a flashlight will add extra bulk to your weapon and make it a niggling harder to detect holsters that fit and permit you lot to describe smoothly.

That said, there are plenty of holsters out in the airsoft earth that accommodate mounted accessories and with a little research finding a good i isn't that hard.

They can ruin the expect of a replica for some players

Finally, a large role of airsoft revolves around personal gustation (how the guns wait to their owners) and not every airsofter is into a tactical look.

Some may adopt to run with a stock AK and feel that attaching flashlights and other accessories ruins it, for example.

This is particularly true with vintage replicas but can likewise exist true with more modern airsoft guns where users just desire a make clean look.

Other airsofters prefer to maintain a stock look to maintain historical accuracy, and flashlights weren't always issued to soldiers and police units.

Flashlight placement

When information technology comes to airsoft and tactical flashlights, although you don't take to worry almost things like muzzle blast and carbon build up (as airsoft guns don't involve gunpowder or other chemicals that leave a residue), oroper flashlight placement is withal of import for proper function and handling.

Considerations with flashlight placement

Barrel Shadowing

Something many airsofters don't consider before it happens to them is that the cage of their replica will block office of the light emitted from their flashlight, casting a shadow and reducing the amount of light effectively emitted to some degree.

The only way to eliminate this is to mount the flashlight in line with or extending beyond the muzzle, which isn't always possible, comfortable or even a practiced idea.

Although practically every airsofter will deal with some shadowing, playing with placement, mounting and fifty-fifty the bending of the axle (finding your own personal sweet spot, if you will) can minimize its consequence for the user.

Ambidextrous operation

Some airsofters are right-handed, some are left-handed.

Where to mountain the flashlight for maximum comfort and employ is a hotly debated issue and each player needs to determine this for themselves.

That said, the dominant school of idea is that a flashlight should be mounted opposite of your dominant hand, i.eastward. a correct handed shooter would mount information technology to the left side, so that the gun can exist held on target and the flashlight easily and apace operated with the supporting hand, which is in position anyhow.

Alternately some users prefer to continue their flashlights on the side of their ascendant hand, making it a niggling harder to activate the flashlight accidentally, and thus a little more deliberate, and preventing accidental flashes.

When it comes to using clickers, pressure pads or other remote activation for the flashlight, the opposite is commonly true.

Users tend to want to make it every bit awkward and as deliberate as possible to prevent adventitious activations (since it is a lot easier to do with a pressure pad) and therefore may mountain information technology on the same side every bit their dominant paw.

Comfort

Depending on where you've mounted a flashlight. information technology can interfere with getting a proficient, solid and steady grip on your airsoft gun.

Mounting it also far frontwards (for instance when trying to minimize shadowing) or backwards may mean you lot'll instinctively motility your supporting hand upwardly or down the length of the barrel to be able to easily use the light.

This can interfere with your natural shooting position and make your shooting more awkward and inaccurate.

Consequently it's important to mountain your flashlight where it tin can exist activated comfortably without sacrificing stability, which is paramount, wven if information technology necessitates the utilize of a pressure level pad or clicker.

Other Accessories

Airsoft flashlights are usually mounted by a rails system and tend to accept upwardly valuable space on your airsoft gun'south barrel.

Improperly mounted, they can hands get in the way of lasers, optics and grip accessories, or foreclose these from existence fastened altogether depending on how many rails a replica has installed on it.

When selecting placement, it's therefore important to take into consideration what other accessories if any volition be mounted and how they volition interact in game.

Firing from cover

Depending on where an airsoft flashlight is located on the butt, it can have a dramatic outcome when firing from comprehend, as they tin can easily bang into things, catch on objects, expose the user or but awkwardly get in the way.

Airsoft Flashlight Placement Options

Undermount

Probably the most obvious and common place to mountain a flashlight on an airsoft gun is nether the barrel, a placement known equally undermounting.

For most airsoft pistols, while side mounting is possible (and more unwieldy), this is the master identify you'll be mounting a flashlight.

With longer barreled airsoft guns, such equally carbines and long rifles, this is one of the more than popular and obvious placements.

Mounting a flashlight underneath a barrel generally feels fairly natural and leaves the tiptop and sides of the airsoft gun free for other accessories such as lasers and optic sights.

It'southward also ambidextrous, with users easily using the calorie-free with either manus, and the flashlight won't blindside into doors or walls quite as much equally a side mount.

That said, undermounted flashlight tin can be a bit of a hassle when going decumbent (since they get in the style) and information technology tin become obstructed if firing over a bulwark.

Side Mountain

Another common mount for flashlights on longer barreled airsoft guns is a side mount, i.e. where the flashlight is mounted to the side of the barrel.

This can be at the 3 o'clock or nine o'clock positions (depending on if you're correct or left handed), or be mounted on a fleck of an angle at the 1 or 11 o'clock.

Whichever exact position a user chooses, the main thought is that flashlight projects out from the side of the airsoft's barrel, rather than the top or bottom.

Many prefer this mounting method, as information technology frees up the bottom of the airsoft gun's barrel and allows for a more costless movement of the supporting hand, allowing users to get a better grip, and it can make things a bit easier if you're attaching a foregrip or tripod to a replica.

On the downside, mounting a flashlight to the side does broaden your airsoft gun'due south profile, extending it out to the side, which can brand it harder to navigate around in tight spaces, as information technology can grab on door frames and narrow openings.

Every bit a issue, depending on how dynamic your airsoft game style is, abandon can damage the flashlight, its mounting system or fifty-fifty the airsoft gun itself.

Another issue is the use of cover in that if a player has to slide out from a corner or from embrace, such every bit when slicing the pie in CQB games, they may demand to movement out a bit more to either become their barrel or lite on target, exposing them to burn down.

Tiptop mounting

A minority of airsofters may mount their flashlight to the top of their airsoft gun, that is at the 12 o' clock position.

As with undermounting, it is a fairly natural position and frees up the sides and bottom of the gun for other accessories.

It's also pretty ambidextrous in functioning.

Unlike undermounted lights, a top mounted light has no bug in firing from cover.

On the downside, it can obstruct any optics mounted to the airsoft gun.

Airsoft Pistols And Flashlights: A Special Note On Handheld Vs Mounted Flashlights

Broadly speaking, with an airsoft pistol, due to their ability to be used with one hand flashlights can be used in one of two ways – either held in hand when needed, or attached to the pistol on a rail.

Attaching a flashlight to an airsoft pistol can gratis users' hands for better support of their airsoft pistol, for using other airsoft accessories (such as grenades) or for navigating around. ,

They likewise don't involve conveying and handling an extra device and, to exist honest, look quite absurd.

As a upshot, about airsofters, if they are using a flashlight, choose to mount them.

That said, much like in the existent steel world, information technology is worth considering that a mounted flashlight will requite opponents a clearer idea of where to shoot at, compare to property a flashlight in a crossed wrist manner.

Mounting a flashlight to a pistol also increases the bulk of your airsoft replica, making it harder to holster and strap on as a sidearm.

Some other consideration is that mounting a flashlight to your airsoft pistol may require some accessories and buying specifically sized flashlights that will be mainly used in airsoft, while a free flashlight can be bought and used anywhere and for about purposes, making it a more price effective purchase even if it is more unwieldy in an airsoft arena.

What to wait for in an airsoft flashlight

Calorie-free Output

Obviously, the nearly basic matter you'll desire out of your flashlight is for it to reliably produce plenty light for you lot to see and navigate around the airsoft field.

After all, the coolest looking, well-nigh tactical flashlight ever isn't worth very much if it'due south not much better at illumination than a child's birthday candle.

Generally speaking, flashlights have 2 ways of expressing how much lite they'll put out or how bright they are.

Lumens

A lumen is a standard unit of what's called luminous flux.

This refers to how much visible light is put out by a light source (your flashlight, in this case) per second.

About flashlights you lot'll see sold in stores range from a hundred or so lumens to x m lumens or more than.

As with anything else in airsoft, some manufacturers can exaggerate their claims a bit and the actual light output can fall well short of the claims on the box when tested.

Consequently, users want to look for products that give a lumen rating that is tested past external standards labs.

In the The states, for example, you would await for ANSI lumens, which tells you that the device was independently tested by the American National Standard Institute to produce whatsoever number it claims to produce.

When it comes to lumens in airsoft, the more-is-better aphorism doesn't unremarkably agree true since nearly flashlights in airsoft are used indoors at closer range.

This means you should have a second before buying a 40 000 lumen monster. Every bit agreeable as it might be in theory, it might be overkill for what you lot're intending and really badger other players.

When making a decision, information technology's important to accept into account that thousand lumens is skilful for about 218 yards or 200 meters.

We'd probably recommend staying under this limit for most games, since generally speaking 1-300 lumens is skilful enough for shut in play and is least probable to annoy other people if y'all end up shining information technology in their eyes.

If you are playing airsoft and yous actually want a high lumen light, consider one with more fine controlled output (with loftier, medium and low settings) than can bring it down to indoor-friendly levels.

That said, always consider the size of the field or arenas yous're likely to play in and whether you'll want to utilize this flashlight for things like camping ground or outdoor activities as well.

Most good retailers and manufacturers will give y'all an idea of axle altitude or "throw" in meters or anxiety, merely you'll accept to use your best judgment.

Candelas

The flashlight you desire to purchase may or may not include a measurement in candelas (cd).

In example information technology does, broadly speaking this is a measurement of how intense the low-cal produced past your flashlight can be – basically the brightness at any signal along the beam of lite (beam intensity).

Since most airsofters with flashlights will be operating at close range, intensity is really the more than pressing business concern, as you don't want to blind everyone in the surface area, yourself included.

So the existent trick is finding a residue between how stiff a light is and rubber.

Lumens vs Candela

Because lumens and candelas effectively measure two different things, in that location isn't always a direct relationship between the two (max light output vs intensity).

Sometimes you'll come across yard lumen flashlights rated for nigh xxx 000 candela, while other times an 1000 lumen flashlight will simply rate at just under 10 000 candela.

And then you'll take to wait at both to make a sound decision, unfortunately.

Heat output

Ane thing to keep in listen is that the brighter and more powerful the flashlight, the hotter they get.

Fifty-fifty LED flashlights are built with heat sinks to prevent damage and cheaply made, high powered flashlights can actually overheat and burn themselves out over time, particularly indoors or in hot conditions.

This tin force users to utilise them on low ability, which sort of negates the purpose of buying i.

Runtime

Runtime with a flashlight is typically measure in hours.

All things being equal, the more than powerful the flashlight (or the college the setting it is operating on) the shorter its expected battery life.

Users should await at runtime at each setting, high, medium and low ability (besides equally strobe and other modes), to get a skillful sense of how and how long they'll exist able to run their flashlight in game.

Battery types

Something to consider with a tactical airsoft flashlight is the type of battery it runs on.

Flashlights can be designed to run on pretty much any type of bombardment out there, from disposable and rechargeable standard alkaline batteries you lot can buy at a local gas station, to reusable and rechargeable lithium ion and nicad batteries and integrated batteries that are rechargeable but not replaceable.

When buying a flashlight, pay attention to the type of battery information technology runs on.

While integrated batteries are convenient, they aren't normally replaceable and if something goes wrong information technology means replacing the whole flashlight.

Rechargeable batteries are ideal, especially if yous tin remove them from the flashlight while doing and so as you can buy a spare to utilise while 1 is recharging.

While disposables are cheap to buy initially, and are unremarkably widely available, they can be a little more expensive in the long term since you lot'll run through more of them over time.

If yous exercise buy a flashlight with replaceable batteries, bank check to brand certain that they are commonly available where you live as y'all don't want to be using a weird variant that y'all have to lodge online and take delivered.

Pressure pad

Adding a pressure pad is a personal decision that anybody will have to brand for themselves.

If you're mounting a flashlight to your airsoft gun, a pressure pad can add a level of convenience and accessibility by removing the need to achieve out and manually press the flashlight button.

They as well allow players to more easily turn their flashlight on or off while keeping their hands holding their gun properly and on target.

On the downside, they add extra wiring that needs to exist taped down to foreclose snagging, and increase the likelihood of an accidental flashlight activation, which tin can requite away your position and effect in a hail of Bbs heading in your direction.

For that reason some users prefer to eschew a pressure pad or clicker, preferring the more difficult and deliberate motion of reaching for the flashlight's button themselves when they desire light.

Color filters

Although nearly flashlights sold for airsoft come in white light merely, players tin can add filters that modify the color of the output beam.

Rule of cool aside, although filters exist for pretty much any color out there and accept real effects on play.

Green and red filters are the most commonly used for tactical reasons. Red light tends to exist platonic for outdoor lowlight games as it doesn't disturb your night vision every bit much, while light-green light is harder to meet from the side in the dark.

Although non strictly necessary, the ability to add a filter without a lot of dwelling crafting can be something to expect at every bit it can add a little more functionality and realism and a lot of flavor to airsofting.

Modes

To be as useful and flexible as possible, users should expect for airsoft flashlights that have different adaptable modes that tin can exist ready depending on the situation that arises.

High/Medium/Depression

Good flashlights volition allow users to adjust the intensity of their beam using loftier, medium and low settings.

While single mode flashlights are pretty cheap, the ability to adjust the intensity tin can be probably the nearly useful feature a flashlight has, letting you lot put it on total blast or lowering the intensity to relieve battery, to avoid over exposure or to placate the refs/other players.

Momentary on

Momentary On tin exist a useful characteristic, as well.

Substantially the flashlight operates as long as its button (or pressure pad) is being pressed, giving users far finer control over the flashlight and letting them illuminate the area for as long or as short as possible.

It likewise makes signaling and pointing things out a lot easier, and makes adventitious flashes a lot less severe than only having Constant On.

Strobe

Some flashlights come with a strobe part, which causes the flashlight to rapidly turn on and off in succession (similar a strobe light – hence the proper noun).

The idea here is that it tin confuse and dazzle opponents as y'all run and gun, making it a great stunning tool.

On the downside, information technology can exist highly distracting to the user besides as the intended target, it tin can annoy refs and other players and it is potentially dangerous to players with epilepsy.

To be honest, the feature doesn't always work likewise as advertised, and many flashlights go erratic and some not working properly at all when the function is activated.

Combination flashlights

Combination flashlights exist and integrate flashlights into other accessories, such equally lasers, IR pointers or even foregrips.

On the whole these are pretty absurd, providing extra features, convenience and usefulness, while freeing up space on your airsoft gun for more than comfy shooting and handling.

On the other hand, these combination devices tend to be a lot bulkier than their individual components and, equally they have multiple features, they tend to have a slightly reduced battery life as well.

Another thing to consider is that players tin go confused in game and may accidentally use the wrong device at the wrong time, especially if they are beingness manually activated.

Bottom Line

Used properly and in the right context, airsoft flashlights tin can be a highly effective accessory that provides a lot of functionality to an airsoft game and should be considered every bit a valuable improver to an airsofters arsenal.

Will Martin – Volition has been into airsoft and paintball for well over 10 years, and has done it all – from upgrading and fixing gearboxes as a tech to building custom airsoft loadouts for his friends to supporting off those friends as a DM.