SureFire first patented its dedicated forend WeaponLight for shotguns in the late 80s, however, there have been numerous improvements and upgrades since the original design. In fact, SureFire totally redesigned their entire line of shotgun forends in 2002, resulting in the best version yet.

The key thing to understand about putting a light on a shotgun is that the recoil of a 12 ga. is the most severe of any firearm that would reasonably ever be fitted with a WeaponLight. Shooters who cringe at the idea of firing a .375 H&H Magnum think nothing about running a box of slugs through their 1187. Ignorance is bliss, I guess, for a .375 H&H doesn't kick any worse than a 12 ga. with slugs.

SureFire had to tackle the recoil problem first. The solution was an ingenious design for cushioning the lamp module called "shock isolation." Shock isolation is essentially a method of shock absorbing the actual lamp from the effect of recoil. The shock isolation system is excellent, but a long, hard practice session with 00 buck or slugs still takes its toll on the light.

For extensive practice or training, SureFire offers a screw-in plug to replace the lamp module in the dedicated forend. No point in subjecting the light to more pounding than necessary.

The next issue, after solving the recoil problem, was the switching mechanism. Obviously the WeaponLight has to be operated with a momentary-on tactical switch, but there were other switching considerations. Taking the obvious hurdle first, SureFire engineers incorporated a relatively long "tape switch," a pressure-sensitive rubber sealed pad, that contains two strips of beryllium cooper contacts. When the tape switch is pressed, the contacts are brought together and the light activates; releasing pressure separates the contacts and the light instantly extinguishes.

All shotgun WeaponLights come with two metal tabs, called "switch blockers," that are self-adhesive and can be positioned anywhere on the long pressure pad, at the user's option, is deactivate part of the pad. I like the block the rear portion of my pad, preventing me from accidentally lighting during a vigorous, adrenalin-surged pump of my 870.

The pressure pad is on the right-hand side of the weapon, positioned to be activated by the fingers of a right-handed shooter's support arm. Truly ambidextrous, the pad can easily be operated with a left-hander's thumb. All shooters should train to fire bilaterally, from either shoulder, depending on tactical conditions, so the ambidextrous aspect of the switch was not a mere nod to the 17 percent of the population that is left-handed.

Additionally, some law enforcement customers wanted a constant-on switch so that once a threat has been located, the light can be permanently switched on, freeing the officers support hand for other purposes. SureFire has a long history of taking user-feedback and upgrading its designs to meet the real-world needs of those who go in harm's way, so the "F" option was created.

The "F" option is a rocker switch on the left side of the dedicated forend, on and off. The switch requires a conscious effort to press to minimize the chance of accidentally lighting your teammates or otherwise comprising a tactical situation.

Because the "F" option was considered such an important tactical advantage, SureFire incorporated the on-off rocker switch into its new design. The designation is now "FA" and all dedicated forend WeaponLights now come standard with this option. Better still, the price remained the same as the older non-"F" model.

The last option that some users prefer is the ability to totally disable the light, render it completely inoperable. This is important in some tactical situations where the chance of a white light AD must be completely blocked. Accordingly, SureFire adapted the rocker switch to be a disable switch. Engaged, the disable switch deactivates the momentary pressure switch; disengaged, the disable switch allows the pressure switch to function. The disable option on the newly designed forends is now only available on a special order basis from SureFire.