Little Gun, Big Ammunition...

The gun’s light weight can be attributed to its diminutive size, synthetic stock and aluminum receiver, but it is a tough little gun that should hold up and function reliably in a less than ideal environment.

I am not suggesting this is the best low cost shotgun that could be used for this application. I am saying that being a firearm enthusiast means having a choice of firearms that bests suit individual needs and this one happened to work well for me. I didn’t want a shotgun with a combat pistol grip and/or a folding stock or lots of hardwired tactical features. I wanted a… blank slate that met my requirements, but could be further tailored to my application.

Some limitations to address

The PA-08™ TR Weatherby’s sighting system is comprised of a grooved receiver top and a ramped white dot front sight. The receiver is not drilled and tapped for accessory sight mounting and the gun is not equipped with a rail system. The PA-08™ TR is further limited for defensive gun service by the magazine plug that is installed at the factory, which limits capacity to two rounds, as required by The Federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

The capacity restriction is easy to remove. With a gun checked for empty, chamber and magazine. the magazine cap is unscrewed and removed, the plug blocker is rotated slightly downward and lifted out and the magazine plug is extracted. The plug and blocker are left out and the magazine cap is reinstalled. The gun’s capacity is now 5+1 for 2¾” shot shells and 4+1 for 3″ shot shells.

Long As I Can See The Light… A brief Creedence moment.

I’m not a weapons light kind of guy. Born at a time when electric lighting was still in its infancy, I generally see its use as… fanciful and, more to the point, it can draw attention to oneself at what can only be described as the most inopportune moment. Still, there are times when a light can be used appropriately to bring a bad situation under control, to disorient a perpetrator or even illuminate Wile E. Coyote while he is attempting to drag the trash cans off into the woods. Some of the newer strobing lights can even evoke a sense of Disco nostalgia.

I sifted through a list of popular gun mounted lights, skipped over those that were the size of a headlight and those that were the size of a penlight, looked for lots of lumens… aka “LOL”, and selected the Streamlight TRL-1s, Brownells #100-005-925WB TLR-1s Weapon Light. The light is very compact, outputs 160 lumens and can run 2.5 hours at full intensity on a set of lithium batteries.  I also like the aluminum housing, waterproof to some extent and the quick release from rail features. For spec junkies, the TLR-1s looks a lot like this –

• Powered by two 3-volt CR123 lithium batteries, 10-year storage life

• 50,000 hour life C4® LED technology, impervious to shock

• LED Rating: Up to 8,000 candela peak beam intensity and up to 160 lumens measured system output. Deep-dish parabolic reflector produces a concentrated beam with optimum peripheral illumination

• Run Time: 2.5 hours regulated run time. Solid-state current regulation for consistent illumination level.

• Rail grip clamp system securely attaches/detaches quickly and safely with no tools and without putting your hands in front of muzzle

• Mounts directly to handguns with Glock-style rails and to all MIL-STD-1913 (Picatinny) rails.

• Includes keys for Glock-style, Picatinny, Beretta 90two, S&W 99 and S&W TSW

• Machined aluminum sealed construction with black anodized finish

• Ambidextrous momentary/steady on/off switch

• Fits existing light bearing holsters

• 4.18 oz.

• Waterproof to 1 meter for 30 minutes.

Duck! Tape!

The only flaw in my master plan of installing the Streamlight on the Weatherby PA-08 was the absence of a rail.  Fortunately, Weatherby offers a $20 TR Accessory Rail to accommodate just such a light… or any other Picatinny rail fit accessory.

The install is pretty easy. After three hours of chasing the e-ring that secures the cap’s sling swivel with a tiny screw driver, you give up and use e-ring pliers. Optionally you can begin with the pliers and pull the swivel stud in about 15 seconds. The screw supplied with the accessory rail with lock washer are passed through the open swivel hole and the screw is only lightly tightened so the rail can still be turned.

The magazine cap is screwed installed on the rifle, the rail is positioned radially as desired and a pencil mark is used to index the cap to the rail Then the magazine cap is removed, the rail is positioned to the index marks, the rail screw is tightened completely, and the magazine cap is reinstalled. The rail is drilled and tapped on both sides to accommodate the included swivel stud.

Intergalactic light docking…

The rail side of the Streamlight shows the quick detach systems and the locating key that prevents longitudinal movement. The knurled knob on the right is spring loaded and only needs to be finger tight to secure the light to the rail. To remove the light, the knob is backed out a few turns, the head is depressed to spread the rail clamp, and the light is lifted off.

Installed is the key for a Picatinny rail installation. The 1913 spec is a little wider than some accessory rails, but mostly they do a better job of filling the a rail slot and locating a device securely. A key is held in place in the light with a hex nut and Allen head fastener supplied with the kit. The remaining three keys adapt the light to other applications. Left to right, order of appearance: Berretta 90two, Smith & Wesson and TSW/99 and Glock.

With the light in place, it should look something light this. Pushing up on the left paddle turns the light on steady, pushing it up twice in rapid succession turns on the continual strobe, down one and hold for as long as desired, momentary, and the same double hit for momentary strobe.

“The long arm of the law”… I don’t think this is what they meant

For some reason, I thought the light would be well out of reach with my hand on the gun’s forearm. Turns out that with my hand on the forward part of the forearm, I could use my extended index finger to operate the light for all modes and I have relatively stubby fingers. Some folks may not like this shift in grip to actuate the light and, for those folks, Streamlight offers a couple of accessories that permit remote operation.

Brownells #100-008-462WB Battery Door/Switch Assembly Replaces the standard TLR-1s battery door/switch and adds a jack to connect a remote control touch switch. There are a couple of functional differences, but none that are not consistent with the intent of the remote switch.

The ambidextrous paddle switch is replaced with a single side switch. In place of the right hand control is a port that accommodates a remote touch switch. The port does not compromise the unit’s weather proofing a the port is “O” ringed to seal the remote switch plug and a weather cap is included for use when a remote switch is not plugged in.

Manually, the light can be locked in continuous light on mode, momentary on and strobe in both states… South Carolina and North Dakota, I believe. The remote touch switch will keep the light on, in steady or strobe mode, as long as the switch is depressed, which is consistent with the purpose of a remote switch.

Easy to change out

I’ve seen some product reviews for this piece that indicates they are hard to install and require rework, usually material removal. I’ve done this installation a number of times and I’ve not seen this circumstance. The step that might have been overlooked is patience in the presence of a bigger hammer. Installed as received the door locks up tight with a good weather seal.

The door hinge pin is pushed out, right to left. There are small plastic nubs in the door body that are intended to keep the pin in place, the smaller on the left. When the punch has placed the pin against the left side nub, pliers are used to apply upward pressure to the pin and to pull it free. With the pin removed, the door is unlatched from the body of the light and removed. The new door goes on by reversing the process. Should look a lot like this.

Touch control… Like a remote with cable

The Streamlight remote switch kit that controls the weapon light from a distance is Brownells #100-010-589WB TLR Remote Switch. The cord is 8″ long. The miscellaneous bits and piece are for routing and securing the cord between the light and the selected location for the switch. There is a coiled cord version of the switch, but it is way too much cord to manage for a slide mounted switch on a pump gun.
 

Placement of the touch switch is subjective and very much dependent upon the person’s use of the switch and their style of addressing a threat. Most forends with integral weapon lights place single or ambidextrous switches at the grip point. I’m not as yet sure where a switch works best for me, but I began with the thought that I did not want to inadvertently turn on the light while cycling the gun, but I didn’t want the control to be a stretch. So I located the switch where it would be under my fingers as I gripped the forend, toward the forward part of my grasp range. I had no problem pointing, racking the gun, controlling the light, or avoiding the switch with this switch and hand placement.

Couple of notes… If a sling is used, the swivel stud will be moved to the left side of the rail mount where it will not get in the way of the light cord, however, I rarely put a sling on a shotgun intended for this purpose. It matters how the double-sided tape is applied; red to the switch side, white to the gun side and it will require serious effort to remove. The other way around and the switch will not stay put. I did not use the supplied screws because I am not yet set on positioning of the switch. I did not use tie wraps or mall brackets because the cord did not get in the way and it was not excessively long for the actuation stroke.

Does it work?

I think so. A couple of nights ago, I went outside to check into a noisy disturbance that turned to be two porcupines… on a date. I was able to work my way to where I could see their outline and identify the target without giving away my position. Once there, I double tapped the touch switch and held for a continual strobe, which was enough candle power to drive one off into the woods shrieking and the other straight up a tree, but without effecting my own vision. I’m pretty sure the one that went up a tree was swearing at me under his breath. Sorry Bro.