The Hyskore Compact Revolver Grip Light
There are those out there who don’t think you should have a light on a gun. The idea is that the light will be the first thing a bad guy shoots at. Better to hold the light out to the side, and present a false target. The rest of us, and I mean most of us, actually appreciate the convenience of having a light on a gun. It allows you to hold the weapon with two hands, or keep one hand on the gun and one free for other tasks, like dialing 911, etc.
Yet the revolver has been a bit of a conundrum. How do you get a light on a gun without a rail? The old-fashioned wheel gun is overdue for an update. Some, like Chiappa’s Rhino, put rails on the gun. Tradition be damned! And Smith & Wesson make some nice compact revolvers with lasers from Crimson trace. And now, for the rest of us, Hyskore has built a compact revolver grip with a built in light. If you have a J frame Smith that you want to make more versatile, the Compact Revolver Grip Light might be the right choice.
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The light clicks on with a squeeze of your middle finger. It adds new emphasis to giving someone the finger.
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The prismatic honeycomb lens breaks up the light into a wide flood.
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Simply put, it is an over-sized J frame grip with a light that sticks up on a neck of sorts. The light rides just above the cylinder. The button for the light is below the trigger guard, on the grip, and is actuated by your middle finger. A solid grip lights the light, though it is easy enough to rock it on and off. If you want light, press the button with your finger. If not, shift off of the button.
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The grip is larger to accommodate the battery.
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The grip is noticeably larger than your typical J frame, but it gives you more to hold onto.
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The grip is larger than the typical J frame grip. I was at the range with this gun last week, and a friend took a look at this whole contraption and said something to the effect of “you just took something that was obsolete and made it almost useless.” I don’t think he gets it. If the belly gun is obsolete, or not, is a topic for another discussion. I tend to think anything that puts lead on a target has a distinct relevance. But I get what he meant. The grip is larger. And the light protrudes a bit. The entire design philosophy of the 5 shot revolver is based on how easily it is concealed. So adding length to the grip and width to the frame seems counter intuitive–or that’s that he was getting at.
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5 shots aimed at the number 8 form seven yards.
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The same point of aim seen in full darkness. At 3 yards, the hole I’d shot is very close to the center of the ring of light.
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I see it differently. I like the versatility of the revolver for home defense. When your significant other isn’t wont to train, or even understand the mechanisms that make pistols work (or not work), a revolver is easy to understand and easier to use. One of these in a bed-side safe, with a light, would be very useful for a wide variety of skill sets. It is, to borrow from the world of photography, point and shoot.
And as you can see from these photos, the light is a wide, diffuse flood. It spreads out enough to illuminate a wide target area. While this means you won’t be able to use the light as an aiming device, like you mike with a more narrow beam on a shotgun, it is useful enough–and ideal inside a house. And the gun will still fit in almost all J frame holsters, too, so it can be carried.
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I wouldn’t want to see this end of the light, or gun for that matter. From the front, the light is blinding.
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There are so many available .38 loads. Lite recoil. Frangible. Or hard hitting hollow points. These are super easy on the hands.
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Installation is super easy.
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The light runs on 1 CR 123A battery.
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There were two things about the grip that weren’t perfect. I’m having to get picky here, though. The frame of the grip is aluminum, and it has a rubber over-mold that provides the grip. There were small places where the rubber didn’t meat exactly. While it didn’t impede grip, or function, it could be easily addressed.
The other has more to do with unloading. The extra girth of the grip, on this Smith at least, kept the empties from being ejected smoothly. The rounds closest to the frame would hang, ever so slightly, on the grip as they were plunged free. Again, it is unlikely that this will ever seriously get in the way of a speed reload, and the brass could be knocked free easily enough, but a slight reduction in girth at that one spot would free up everything.
The Grip Light can be purchased through the NRA Store (with the NRA logo), The Sportsman’s Guide, and Cylinder and Slide Shop. MSRP is $129.99. If you haven’t checked out Hyskore, you should. They make a lot more than grip with shiny lights. Their rifle rests are pretty intense.
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The seam could come together better, but only in this one small spot.
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This is where the brass hit the grip.
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A simple switch cuts it on or off.
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The grip fastens on with just one screw, just like a typical J frame grip.
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Weapon lights for revolvers, I can remember a sype of mount that was spring clipped to clip over the K frame Smith & Wessons that had a tunnel where you could slide in the old Mag Lite pocket torch with a tail switch. This was back in the late 70’s.
When you didn’t need the light you just did a sideways shove and the mount being made out of spring steel opened up and slid off the revolver.
I suppose you could do the same todays with different models for different lights and revolver frames. However there would need to be a costing to see if it was worthwhile.
Although We now carry automatics as our duty weapons, I still have my old revolvers for recreational shooting out at the Range and enjoy them immencely.
Wondering if its possible if they had a grip flashlight/laser beam grip for a charter arms pathfinder 22 mag Revolver
Is there a grip light or any sort of light I can attach to a Ruger Security Six?
Thanks, Dick Hamly, [email protected]
Your friend definitely doesn’t get it about revolvers but he is right about putting this on a J-frame. Why didn’t they make it for the K/L frames? Then it would be truly useful.
Turn the light on your gun to give away your position and to show the bad guy exactly where to shoot you in the face.
Russ
Ever heard of training? Maybe you should take some classes and find out how & when to properly use a light !
Ya Rich, that’s exactly where I got that info., from training in the dark.
It’s especially lame when you wake up in the middle of the night and flip that light on and blind yourself. Try it.
I’m not a cop or military, and I don’t go checking out unfamiliar dark places with my firearm.
Enjoy your lights, I train and know my surroundings without them.
Good luck.
Russ, while you may train, you have not been trained in how to properly use a light.
If you are blinding yourself with a light, then it is being used improperly.
If it is so dark that just turning it on blinds you, then it is too dark to attempt a shot, because you have not identified the target!
If it blinds you being behind the light, then think what is does to the bad guy as it shines in their eyes!
A weapons light takes some common sense, proper training and judicious use, to be effective.
Set up your light and then try to look into it and aim and take an effective shot. You will find that being behind the light you are able to do everything more accurately and faster. Advantage, weapons light holder!!
Too often people think you just turn on a weapon light and start wondering around. While one can do that, it is not the best method of using one.
When I turn on my weapon light, the green laser has already been turned on, it is simple for verification of the target at the time it is turned on. NO QUESSING OR QUESTIONING WHAT OR WHO, THIS DEVELOPS A FAST FIRST SHOT.
They work very well when use correctly, just as a firearm works very well when used correctly.
Good honest review. This device was sorely needed for revolvers. Might not make too much sense for a CCW, but for home defense, it makes 100% sense. Combine that with an 8-shot 357 and that’s one heck of a home defense setup. 🙂