Flashlight Ring and Pocket Clip

We think the Thyrm Switchback handheld flashlight ring and pocket clip is a great idea, however they don't work on the smaller diameter Streamlight flashlights that we use regularly. They are primarily made for the thicker diameter Modlite and Surefire handheld lights.  Although it's a little large to carry in a pocket every day, we recently purchased the larger Streamlight HL-X that is supposed to work with a Switchback, so we picked up a Switchback 2.0 for it, but ended up being very unhappy with the way it fit onto the flashlight.  We also did not like that the pocket clip was placed 180 degrees away from the ring, as it did not work well with the specific way we carry flashlights in our pocket. So... we decided to try making our own flashlight ring with an integrated pocket clip out of kydex, since we have plenty of it around for holster making purposes.  We must've made and carried 20+ different prototypes before getting to what you see below to find the most versatile solution while keeping it as simple as possible for ease of installation and a minimal amount of separate parts (this design is limited to what can be done with kydex in this particular application).  Our flashlight ring/clip can be made from any color/texture of kydex that we stock or can order, and it also can be made for just about any diameter flashlight up to 1" (why would you want to pocket carry a flashlight thicker than 1" diameter?).  It's also easy to install and adjust with only one screw, and it won't scratch up the finish of the flashlight like metal clips do. The unique coiled ring gives you the versatility of two different ride-height options, so that it will work for multiple carry preferences. It gives the average concealed carry person the ability to:

    1 - Deploy the light quickly by using the ring
    2 - Utilize a two-hand grip on a handgun while using the light
    3 - Chose between two different ride-height options based on personal preference
    4 - Convert your flashlight into a cool tactical "fidget toy" 😁

The pocket clip is obviously not a spring loaded clip that will pinch fabric, but just allows you to "hang" the light on the edge of the pocket fabric as you can see in the examples below.

Disclaimer: This was NOT designed as a "duty" style ring, as it is made of kydex and will most likely not stand up to extreme usage like a molded polymer product. 

We are currently making them for the Streamlight ProTac 1L-1AA, the 2L-X, and the HL-X (all pictured below), but they can be made for just about any diameter flashlight body up to 1".

Pocket placement options with different ride-heights

Check out our website for more details and pricing on all of our products!

http://www.rfvtactical.com/

All The Lumens! Compact Weapon Mounted Lights

With the much anticipated release of the new Inforce WILD1 compact weapon light and no other new compact lights slated to come out in the near future, we thought we would compare the latest offerings of the most popular compact lights. These lights include:

Olight Baldr S and PL-Mini2

Streamlight TLR-7A/TLR-7sub

Nightstick TCM-550XL/XLS

Inforce WILD1

RFV Tactical makes holsters for these lights mounted to several popular compact and subcompact handguns (see the list of guns here), so we own and have experience with all of these lights. We are not going to comment on the durability or reliability of any of these lights because several of them are fairly new to the market and long term testing just isn't feasible at this time. We won't go into as much detail with these compact weapon lights as we did with our full-size weapon light blog post, but we wanted to at least give some comparison of the light output of each light. The size, switch activation, fitment, and price are all very similar with these lights, so we won't go over those aspects with much detail in this post. The photos below were taken with brand new batteries installed or freshly recharged.

Olight Baldr S

The Olight Baldr S is the company's newest compact weapon light offering and is slightly larger than their popular PL-Mini2. It also includes a green laser sight that is projected from inside the bezel of the light, so there is no extra "wart" hanging down from the body of the light to accommodate the laser. While this light is not as aesthetically pleasing to the eye as some of the other compact weapon lights, it's performance is actually really good! It is rated at 800 lumens, but it's probably closer to 600 lumens which is still brighter than all the other compact lights.  It also has the widest spill of all the compact lights. The fact that it also has an easily selectable green laser is a nice bonus to an already great performing light. A unique thing about all of the Olight compact weapon lights is their adjustable rail mounting mechanism with a quick release lever that allows you to easily mount the lights to a very wide variety of handguns. We don't really like the aesthetics of this adjustable mount as it spaces the body of the light farther away from the frame of the gun, but we appreciate the versatility of it. As with almost all current Olight weapon mounted lights, it's rechargeable battery is not removable, so when the light is in need of a charge, it is out of commission for several hours while it's attached to a special USB charger. It's probably a good idea to buy two of these lights and keep one on the charger ready to swap out when the one mounted to your gun dies. 😏

Olight PL-Mini2

The Olight PL-Mini2 has been around for a couple of years now, but is still a current and very popular compact weapon light despite all the negativity associated with Olight on various internet gun forums. It is rated at 600 lumens but is probably closer to 400 lumens. As with the Baldr S, it's not very aesthetically pleasing to the eye with it's adjustable rail mounting mechanism (although it is smaller than the Baldr S), and it also has a rechargeable battery that is not removable.  Better buy two of these lights too! 😁

Streamlight TLR-7A

The Streamlight TLR-7 has been around for several years, but the "A" version came out to address the consumer dislike for the activation buttons being on the sides of the original version which placed the buttons slightly out of reach for a lot of people. The newer 7A has improved switches that come back farther towards the trigger guard area and includes two different style of buttons/paddles for your preference. The original version with side buttons is still available for those that like those switches. This light is rated at 500 lumens and performs as good as you would expect from a Streamlight, but it does not have as far of a throw as some of the other compact lights.

Streamlight TLR-7sub

The Streamlight TLR-7sub is a slightly smaller and sleeker version of the TLR-7A that was made specifically for subcompact handguns.  It comes in three different versions: "GL" for the Glock 43X/48 MOS, "SIG" for the Sig Sauer P365/X/XL, and "1913s" for the Springfield Hellcat, but the 1913s will also fit several other subcompact and compact handguns that have a 1913 picatinny accessory rail. It's performance is nearly identical to the 7A, but appears to be slightly brighter than the 7A as it's light output is a little more white in color temperature.

Nightstick TCM-550XL/XLS

The Nightstick TCM-550XL and XLS (strobe) appears to be a clone of the Streamlight TLR-7A with some subtle differences, but actually has slightly better light output than the 7A. This light has a nice white output of 500 lumens with a good amount of throw. One weird quirk to this light is that there is a split-second delay when turning the light off from the momentary-on mode.  Not a major issue (more annoying than anything), but worth noting. 

Inforce WILD1

The Inforce WILD1 is brand new to the market as of the date of this blog post. The WILD1 is the company's new and improved replacement for the long discontinued APLc compact weapon light that was very popular despite only having 200 lumens and being plagued with flickering problems when they first came out. It has the same overall appearance as the APLc, which is subjectively a very good looking light, but is a little larger than the APLc, so it won't fit any holsters made for the APLc.  It's also made out of aluminum instead of polymer like the APLc, so it should be more durable. The 500 lumen output is good, but it has the most narrow hotspot of all the compact weapon lights. This makes it seem not as bright when used indoors, but it has the farthest throw of all of the compact lights.

As we mentioned in our full-size weapon light blog post, regardless of which weapon mounted light you use (or don't use), we recommend that you ALWAYS carry a good handheld light with you.

Check out our website for more details and pricing on all of our products!

http://www.rfvtactical.com/

Popular Optics Ready Compacts And Subcompacts - Out Of The Box Pros And Cons

At RFV Tactical, concealed carry is our jam! We daily carry compact handguns with full-size weapon mounted lights 90% of the time and subcompact handguns the other 10% of the time (14 hours a day, 7 days a week). There are plenty of reviews on the popular compact and subcompact optic ready handguns listed below, so this article is just focusing on the most obvious Pro and the most glaring Con of each gun when they are fresh out of the box without any modifications done or accessories added. There are obviously more optics ready compact and subcompact handguns currently available, but we actually own and have experience with all of the guns below for holster making purposes as they seem to be the most popular in their given categories. By the way... the guns are listed in the order of our preference with the best at the top of each category.

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Compact Handguns

CZ-USA P-10C OR

Biggest Pro: Excellent Trigger

Biggest Con: Stiff Slide Release

The trigger of the CZ P-10C is one of the best out of the box triggers that we've seen. In regards to break, reset, and pull weight, it is as close to a 1911/2011 trigger as you can get with a factory striker fired polymer gun. There is more initial take-up on the trigger compared to a 1911/2011, but it is very smooth with very little resistance. The biggest problem with this gun is that the slide release lever is extremely stiff and difficult to actuate when the gun is brand new.  This issue improves over time with use, but its very noticeable and frustrating when new.

Shown with a Holosun 509T optic on a CHPWS

optic mounting plate and RFV Tactical grip texture

Staccato 2011 C2 DPO

Biggest Pro: Excellent Trigger

Biggest Con: Expensive

The incredible feel of the single action only trigger design of the 1911 makes it the standard by which all other triggers are compared to and strive to achieve. It is nearly impossible for a hinged striker fired trigger to safely replicate the feel of the 1911 trigger. The Staccato 2011 series of handguns offer that sought after 1911 trigger with increased capacity for duty or concealed carry use. Unfortunately, most high quality 1911s and 2011s are also very expensive and the C2 is approximately 4 times the cost of most polymer frame handguns in the same category.

Shown with a Trijicon RM06 optic on a milled non-DPO

slide using a Trijicon 1911/2011 specific mounting plate

Glock 19 Gen5 MOS

Biggest Pro: Aftermarket Support

Biggest Con: Grip Angle

The Glock 19 is the standard by which all other polymer frame handguns are compared. However, the Glock handgun has remained relatively unchanged for several decades with only small improvements with each new generation.  Thankfully, there is a huge variety of aftermarket support to improve and customize just about every aspect of the gun.  The biggest complaint about the Glock 19 (and most other Glock models) is that the grip angle is substantially different from most other modern handguns, and not in a good way. People go to great lengths to modify the grip angle of Glocks with the addition of aftermarket beavertail backstraps or even permanent modifications like trigger guard under-cuts and grip reductions that remove the infamous "Glock Hump" on the lower half of the grip's backstrap.

Shown with a Trijicon RM06 optic on a CHPWS optic mounting plate,

Ameriglo sights, a modified OEM backstrap, and a re-contoured trigger guard

Walther PDP Compact

Biggest Pro: Excellent Trigger

Biggest Con: Optic Mounting System

The Walther PPQ is very well known for its excellent factory trigger. The PDP is an updated optics ready version of the PPQ with better grip texture and aggressive slide serrations. Just like the PPQ, the PDP's trigger is excellent for a factory striker fired handgun and is very similar to the CZ P-10C. The biggest issue with the gun is that the optics mounting system does not have any type of locating lugs or recoil bosses for an optic mounting plate to index on. It is simply just a flat pocket milled into the slide with two threaded holes for the screws to hold an optic mounting plate in place. If the optic mounting plate that is used is not precision cut to perfectly fit that milled pocket front to back, there will be unnecessary shear forces placed on the mounting screws each time the gun cycles during recoil which could potentially fatigue and break them. There is also no lateral support for the mounting plates, so a harsh bump on the side of the optic could potentially fatigue and break the screws.

NOTE: All new PDP handguns produced in mid 2022 are supposed to come with an optics cut that now has locating lugs for the plates.

Shown with a Holosun 509T optic

on a CHPWS optic mounting plate

Smith & Wesson M&P9 M2.0 Compact OR

Biggest Pro: Optic Mounting System

Biggest Con: Trigger

While the M&P optic mounting system uses plastic filler plates for different optics, it is one of the most robust factory optic mounting systems available. It includes 7 different filler plates and screws for a wide variety of optics, and the mounting screws for any compatible optic go directly and deeply into the slide for a very solid and secure installation. The factory trigger with it's hinged safety design is this gun's biggest and possibly only flaw.  The trigger isn't horrible by any means, but it is commonly replaced with a drastically improved trigger kit from Apex Tactical.

NOTE: All new M&P handguns (late 2021) are supposed to come with the flat face trigger that comes in the new Shield Plus.

Shown with a Holosun 508T optic

and an Apex Tactical curved trigger

Sig Sauer P320 XCarry/XCompact

Biggest Pro: Modularity

Biggest Con: High Bore Axis

The modularity of the Sig P320 fire control unit (FCU) is such a great innovation that comes with a really smooth trigger pull (especially with the X-series).  You can essentially build multiple guns for different purposes with only one serialized FCU by simply purchasing additional slides/barrels and grip modules. The biggest downside to the Sig P320 series is that it has a very high bore axis for a striker fired gun which causes more muzzle flip compared to other guns in the same category. The increased muzzle flip isn't a night and day difference, but it is definitely noticeable.

Shown with a Sig Romeo1Pro optic

and RFV Tactical grip chop and texture

Springfield XD-M Elite Compact OSP

Biggest Pro: Decent Trigger

Biggest Con: Overall Design and Execution

While the Elite series of the Springfield XD-M handguns have fairly decent triggers and the guns look pretty good aesthetically, the overall design and execution of all the XD handguns is simply subpar. Their grip texture looks aggressive, but is actually fairly smooth. Their grip safeties are unnecessary and historically problematic. The grip length of this compact is more of a subcompact length which makes it awkward to get a good grip with or without the included magwell (why offer a flared magwell with a subcompact grip length?!?) and it reduces the capacity of the gun compared to other similar sized guns. The gun is also heavier than all of the other polymer frame guns in the category.  All that weight is in the slide, which makes the gun feel very top heavy. To top it all off, their optic mounting system places the optic abnormally high on the top of the slide, which requires extremely tall iron sights to be able to co-witness through the optic window. Springfield includes those tall iron sights on their larger Elite guns with the threaded barrel, but they are not included with the compact.

Shown with a Hex Dragonfly optic and a

modified Pearce magazine pinky extension

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Subcompact Handguns

Glock 43X/48 MOS

Biggest Pro: Aftermarket Support

Biggest Con: Capacity vs. Size

As with the Glock 19, there is a ton of aftermarket support for these guns to upgrade and customize to your heart's content. The biggest issue is that the factory magazines only hold 10 rounds despite the gun having a fairly long grip compared to smaller micro compact handguns that can hold up to 12 rounds with a flush fitting magazine. That previously mentioned aftermarket support addresses this flaw with flush fit 15-round magazines available from Shield Arms.

Shown with a Swampfox Sentinel optic

and RFV Tactical grip texture

Smith & Wesson M&P9 Shield Plus OR

Biggest Pro: Great Trigger

Biggest Con: No Accessory Rail

While the increased capacity of the Shield Plus is a welcomed improvement over the original Shield, the new and improved flat face trigger in the gun is great for a factory trigger. The lack of an accessory rail to mount a compact weapon light is the only thing that keeps this gun from being perfect.

Shown with a Holosun 507K optic and a

shortened Pearce magazine pinky extension

Sig Sauer P365X/P365XL

Biggest Pro: Capacity vs. Size

Biggest Con: Small Grip Circumference

The Sig P365 is the gun that started the "High Capacity Micro Compact" trend that all other new subcompacts strive to achieve. It's high capacity for its size makes it very appealing, but it has the smallest grip circumference of all the latest micro compact handguns.  This may be fine for people with small hands, but the reduced grip surface area can be problematic for people with average size or larger hands to get a good grip on the gun with both hands.

Shown with a Sig RomeoZero optic

Springfield Hellcat OSP

Biggest Pro: Capacity vs. Size

Biggest Con: Heavy Trigger

This gun looks great and is almost identical in size and capacity to the Sig P365, but it has a fairly heavy trigger compared to the other micro compact guns, which makes it a little difficult to be accurate with the gun past 10 yards even with a properly zeroed optic installed.

Shown with a Shield Sights RMSc optic

Check out our website for details and pricing on all of our products!

http://www.rfvtactical.com/

Dual Purpose IWB/OWB Combo Weapon Light Indexing Holsters

We now offer dual purpose IWB/OWB combo full-size weapon light indexing holsters. They can be changed from IWB for concealed carry use to OWB for competition or general range use in just a few minutes by simply installing an OWB belt mount! There's no real need to remove the IWB hardware from the holster for OWB usage unless you just want to. 😉 They come with a FOMI belt clip, concealment fin, comfort puck, and an OWB belt mount. These dual purpose holsters are made with 0.080" thick Kydex.

IWB on the left and OWB on the right...

Check out our website for more details and pricing on all of our products!

http://www.rfvtactical.com/

Sig P320 XCARRY Grip Chop and Texture

Here is a Sig Sauer P320 XCARRY that we just did a grip chop to accept the 15-round compact mags with our concealed carry texture. The XCARRY grip module looks and feels great (especially with our texture!), but its just a tad too long for concealed carry with it's 17-round magazines.  The Sig P320 XCOMPACT is a great compromise for concealed carry, but we prefer the longer length of the 3.9" barrel, slide, and dust cover of the XCARRY vs the 3.6" barrel/slide of the XCOMPACT.  So... grip chop it is! 😁

Here is the chopped XCARRY grip compared

to an unmodified large XCOMPACT grip module

Check out our website for more details and pricing on all of our products!

http://www.rfvtactical.com/

Polymer Frame/Grip Texturing FAQs

Below are some frequently asked questions and answers about our polymer frame/grip texturing service.  If you don't see the question/answer that you are wanting please contact us via email or a direct message on Instagram or Facebook!

Aggressive Competition style texture on the left, and

less aggressive Concealed Carry style texture on the right.

Q: Do you offer "gap" or "recessed" borders?

A: Those types of borders look great when done properly, but we don't offer any type of special borders due to the amount of time it takes to make them look good.  If you want those types of borders on your polymer frame/grip, then there are a lot of professionals out there that specialize in them.

Q: Do you offer other textures besides your Concealed Carry or Competition textures?

A: Over several years we have developed and refined the technique that we use to consistently produce our Concealed Carry and Competition textures, and we feel that it looks great and is very functional, so we are sticking to those two textures for now.  If you want a specific texture, then it's best to send your polymer frame/grip to someone that specializes in that particular type of texture.

Q: Do you texture different colored polymer frames?

A: Currently we only provide texture service for black polymer frames and grips.  The technique that we use to consistently produce our texture does not work well with colored polymer as it tends to leave a lot of burned or discolored areas within the polymer that is almost impossible to avoid or remove. Colored polymer frames/grips require a specific technique, a specific heat range, and extra special care to avoid these discolored areas.

Q: Do you offer any frame/grip modifications along with your texturing?

A: We can do some basic stuff like trigger guard undercuts and finger groove removal on Glocks. We've even done a few grip chops, but we currently don't do any modifications that require structural changes to the frame/grip due to liability issues.  If you are wanting something specific, send us an email or a direct message on Instagram or Facebook to discuss.

Q: What is your lead time to get a frame/grip textured?

A: That really depends on what is already in the queue, but we are certainly not back-logged like the more well-known professionals out there. Once we receive your frame/grip, we can typically get it done and shipped back out to you or your FFL within a week.

Q: How do I ship you my frame/grip if I am not in the Texas Panhandle area?

A: If the item you are shipping is considered a serialized firearm, then you'll need to ship it to us per Federal regulations. Contact us for our FFL's contact/shipping information.  You will be responsible for the cost of shipping the frame/grip to our FFL, and you will be responsible for the cost of the transfer back to you at your local FFL when you pick it up.  We will cover the cost of the FFL transfer on our end to receive the frame, but the return shipping back to your FFL will be $65 which includes additional insurance. If the item you are shipping is NOT considered a serialized firearm (i.e. - Sig P320 grip modules or 2011 grip modules), then you can ship it directly to us and we can ship it directly back to you when done at a less expensive rate.

Q: Your rate is $25 per hour, but how many hours will it take for my frame/grip?

A: It usually takes 4 to 6 hours to prep and texture a polymer frame/grip once it's on the bench depending on what is involved, so the average cost is around $100 to $150 plus $65 for return shipping if applicable.

Check out our website for more details and pricing on all of our products!

http://www.rfvtactical.com/

CZ P-09 Grip Chop and Texture

Here is a CZ P-09 that we just did a grip chop to P-07 size with our concealed carry texture. This one was a little more difficult to do than the Glock 17 grip chop that we did recently, but it turned out really nice. Similarly to the Glock 17 grip chop, we added a little bit of material to the bottom lip of the front strap so that it lines up with the magazine base plate. The grip can now accommodate the flush fitting 15-round P-07 magazines for ultimate concealment or the extended 17-round P-07 magazines, which still make the gun shorter than the ultra long P-09 grip length. 👌

The unmodified P-09 frame.

A P-07 backstrap in place prior to cutting.

Initial cut to a P-07 size.

Original texture smoothed out and ready for new texture. We added extra material to the bottom lip of the front strap so that it lines up with the magazine base pad.

Finished texture with a 4mm smooth border at the bottom.

Compared to a stock P-07 frame.

With a flush fit 15-round magazine inserted.

Check out our website for more details and pricing on all of our products!

http://www.rfvtactical.com/