SureFire XC3 Sub: A 1,000-Lumen Weaponlight for Subcompact Carry Guns

Handgun lights keep getting smaller and keep getting brighter, and SureFire is leading that charge. The new XC3 Sub is built for subcompact and microcompact carry guns, puts out 1,000 lumens and 13,000 candela, and charges over USB. We put it in a shoot house, with fog, to see what that light does when you have to decide shoot or no-shoot.

What Is It?

The SureFire XC3 Sub is a weaponlight designed specifically for subcompact and microcompact handguns. SureFire also makes a version for double-stack, Glock 19-size pistols, but the rails on this one are moved back slightly to accommodate the very short rails on the smallest carry guns.

It comes with a set of mounting hardware in the box. Mounting sets for the SIG P365, Glock 43X/48, Springfield Hellcat and the new HK CC9 are all included, so it fits a wide variety of the most popular carry guns on the market. On many of these pistols the rail is much smaller than what a standard light expects, which is exactly the problem the Sub is designed to solve.

Power and Battery

The XC3 Sub puts out 1,000 lumens and 13,000 candela. It runs on a rechargeable RCR123 battery, and the light includes a USB cable port, so you can charge it on its own outside a charging dock. The rechargeable battery comes installed in the box.

It will also run on a standard CR123, but output drops. To get the full 1,000 lumens you have to run the rechargeable. SureFire lists 550 lumens and 7,200 candela on a CR123A, and a runtime of about 45 minutes at full output on the rechargeable.

Switching

The switch is ambidextrous, so it doesn’t matter if you shoot right- or left-handed. Either side turns it on, and you can press anywhere on the shape of the paddle. A quick press gives you constant on, and you press again to turn it off. Press and hold, and the light stays on only until you release. There are lots of methods for turning lights on, and SureFire tries to accommodate the end user as best it can.

As for holsters, there are plenty on the market already for this type of light. You should be able to find one without trouble.

In the Shoot House

A light on your gun lets you see what’s out there, and that matters most when the question is shoot or no-shoot. To test the XC3 Sub, host Ryan Gresham and SureFire’s Trevor Oosterhof ran a shoot house with targets in several locations. Not all of them were bad guys, so they had to light each one up and tell good from bad. It wasn’t a tactics demonstration, just a look at what the light does for target identification. Cameras showed what they saw as they moved.

They mounted the XC3 Sub on full-size guns, since those are the guns on hand. On the small carry guns it fits flush. Both ran the house using the light on and off as needed.

“Being able to identify a target with this is so great.” — Ryan Gresham

Ryan liked how the light showed targets even when they were backlit. “I can’t see what’s in front, but being able to illuminate it with that is amazing.” Then came the haze. A little fog caught him off guard, and it demonstrated why candela matters. Candela is what cuts through barriers like fog and haze. “I could clearly read the words on there, which was great.” Ryan was pretty sure he shot all the bad guys.

Final Thoughts

That’s the case for a light on your carry gun: it lets you identify what’s in front of you before you decide. The SureFire XC3 Sub brings that capability to the smallest carry guns, with 1,000 lumens, a switch that works for both hands, and mounts for the most popular subcompacts in the box.

If you carry a P365, Glock 43X, Hellcat or CC9 and have been running without a light, the XC3 Sub is worth a close look.

Watch the full episode on Shooting Sports Life at shootingsportslife.com.