I recently received a Fenix GL19R, and I feel like I’ve finally got the weapon mounted light (WML) that I’ve been wanting for years! For some background on my philosophy on WML requirements, I invite you to check out my previous article on the LD30 when utilized on a rifle, which you can see at https://fenixwebtest.wpengine.com/ambassadors/fenix-ld30-shines-as-a-weapon-mounted-light/. I’ve been using the LD30 on my home defense carbine for the past couple of years, and it does an amazing job as a rifle-based WML; however, after playing with the GL19R on my carbine, I believe that the GL19R is the best WML on the marketplace today.

The short version of my WML requirements are as follows:

1. It must be as lightweight as possible, as it is mounted far forward on the gun where leverage and weight work against each other
2. It should have a single-mode “tactical tail button” with a memory setting which allows for simple on/off manipulation during high-stress situations
3. The lumen output must be sufficient enough to blind an oncoming attacker…
4. …while also being adjustable enough to function in a variety of environments without night blinding the user
5. It must be mountable
6. And it must be durable

I’ll begin with addressing the elephant in the room: the GL19R is designed for a pistol rather than a rifle. I acknowledge this, and I’ll add that I don’t care. Yes, there were some mounting issues that I’ll address in this article, but once those issues were solved, the GL19R came into its element like a champ.

First off: weight. The GL19R weighs in at three and a half ounces by itself; however, this includes its built-in picatinny rail attachment. My LD30 setup with the required additional mount weighs in at a hair less than five ounces— which is already relatively lightweight, especially for a flashlight that packs as many lumens as the LD30. Nonetheless, the GL19R’s weight advantage of an ounce and a half is significant when the light is mounted far out on the nose of a rifle where leverage is working against the shooter when swinging the gun from target-to-target. Put simply, less weight means less momentum for stops and starts. Having said that, my carbine’s forearm lacks a dedicated picatinny rail, so I also needed to add on a five-slot picatinny section, which brought my total weight to four ounces— still well under the LD30 setup. Many readers out there will already have a picatinny on their forearms, though, so the GL19R’s 3.5oz weight right out of the box will hold true for you guys.

It’s with the on/off switches that the GL19R really bounds ahead of standard flashlights that are shoehorned into the role of a WML. In order to function as a WML, a standard flashlight needs to have a “tactical tail button,” as does the LD30 and many other flashlights like it. The GL19R, on the other hand, is designed from the ground-up as a WML, so its switches are optimized for this role. The buttons are short-travel, and they are very easy to manipulate. Also, the strobe function is so simple to activate and deactivate, I’m actually using it! After owning maybe a dozen strobe-capable lights over the years, this is literally the only time that I’ve used the strobe beyond its initial “does it work” check. For the GL19R, you simply turn the light on to “constant,” and then hold the switch down.

Bam, the GL19R is strobing.

Release, and it goes back to constant. It’s that simple!

And the GL19R’s lumens, in my opinion, are just right at 1200. If you glance back at my LD30 article from two years ago, you’ll notice that I alluded to 1600 lumens as being a bit too bright for indoor use, in my humble opinion. While I still wouldn’t recommend “flashing yourself” at 1200 lumens, I think that 1200 strikes a good balance between indoor and outdoor applications, and so I plan to leave my GL19R set on turbo at all times. Plus, the beam on the GL19R is tighter than the LD30, making it less likely for me to inadvertently reflect light back at myself when rounding a tight corner. I also believe that the GL19R’s tighter beam makes it punch harder than its 1200 lumen rating suggests. That said, the GL19R has a 350-lumen setting if 1200 is deemed to be too bright for a given situation.

Do pay attention to the GL19R’s lumen-to-runtime chart and take note of the quick drop in lumens that the GL19R experiences with use. Frankly, this isn’t a big deal: WML’s should only be used in quick flashes, and then maybe one long burn while telling a bad guy that he’s got till the count of three to get off your property. In this sense, a “full mission” of clearing your house and yard after hearing a bump in the night will only require a few seconds of actual use before calling, “All clear!” Nonetheless, the GL19R’s lumen drop off is significant enough that I’ll be sure to recharge the battery after every use in order to ensure that I have access to maximum lumens when called upon.

Now, mountability. As a rifle shooter, this was slightly problematic for me because the GL19R’s buttons are designed specifically for a pistol with the rear of the light butted up against a pistol’s trigger guard. I initially mounted the GL19R on top of my rifle and found it very easy to use with my thumb-over grip, and I would have loved to have left it there… but it’s a bit tall, so it blocked some of my view through my red dot. I then mounted the light on the bottom of my carbine’s forearm, and I found the side-mounted buttons to be a bit clumsy—easy to accidentally bump and difficult to find when needed—until I remounted my finger stop directly behind the light.

In order to keep my firing position consistent, a finger stop is something that I normally run on the bottom of the handguard, in conjunction with a thumb-over/index-forward grip. When I placed the finger stop directly behind the light, I found that manipulating the controls around the finger stop became intuitive. I can either slide my hand back slightly and use my index finger to turn the GL19R on/off, or I can rock the knuckle of my middle finger forward to hit the on/off button.

One more important note on the GL19R’s mount: it is awesome. The GL19R’s lever is the easiest quick-detach system that I’ve ever encountered. Frankly, it is so effortless to take this light on and off the gun, I can see an added functionality to this light in that it can be removed and used as a standalone flashlight at any time. For instance, after I’ve heard my bump in the night and cleared my yard, if I need a flashlight to return to my house—but I don’t want to accidentally point my firearm towards my family in the process—it’s a very simple matter to use the GL19R as a standalone flashlight by detaching it from the firearm and carrying it by hand.

That is awesome!

On my final note of durability, I haven’t owned the GL19R long enough to speak to its ruggedness, but after owning a dozen Fenix flashlights over the years, I have a whole lot of faith in Fenix’s quality… and this thing feels as solid as a brick. Maybe I’ll follow up this review with a long-term report on how the GL19R stands up over time, but my LD30 has survived hundreds of 9mm practice rounds without a hiccup, and so I have confidence that the GL19R will prove just as tough.

All in all, I think the combination of the GL19R with a finger stop makes for an excellent WML on a carbine, and I plan to use this setup for years to come!