P320 Entry: Gear Review-GLOCK GTL Tactical Light and Laser

By: Nathanael

Do you have a GLOCK brand GLOCK with an accessory rail? Do you want a light/laser combo for it? Then the GTL 22 might be for you, if you answer yes to one of the following: will you only buy GLOCK brand GLOCK accessories? Do you want to be able to put on/take off your light/laser combo with a minimum of fuss? If not, you will probably be better served by looking elsewhere.

The Light

This model may have lived up to GLOCK perfection when it was released. It’s functional, sturdy and fits perfectly on GLOCK guns. It also uses old technology. LED bulbs? Not for GLOCK, which is still using Xenon. Green lasers are increasingly common, but GLOCK is still stuck on red. The laser color is forgivable, but the bulb is a much graver sin.

GLOCK lists it at 70 lumens, which is enough to illuminate a room, but lacks the dazzling potential of current LED models. The GTL22 has a dimmer, but why anyone would want to use it escapes me—this light just isn’t bright enough for there to be much need to turn it down. Likewise, the beam focus can be adjusted by twisting the front lens, but it doesn’t change much. A spare bulb in included, which would be a nice touch if it didn’t rub in just how outdated this technology is.

The laser shows up well indoors, even with the lights on or some daylight coming in the windows, but washes out quickly when taken outside during the day. On the plus side, it is easy enough to zero, and remains zeroed through firing and being taken off and put back on. It even retains zero from one GLOCK to another; it has the same zero (or close enough) on my G20 and my G30S.

Controls

The controls are easy and intuitive. A toggle switch on the bottom of the GTL sets the mode (off/light only/light and laser/laser only) while an ambidextrous paddle turns the unit on or off (it can also be used to dim the light on the GTL22, but again, who cares?). The paddle is perfectly situated just past the trigger guard, right where your trigger finger should be resting until you have a target and are ready to fire. If something goes bump in the night and you need to see if it’s a bad guy or just a poorly stacked pile of dishes/toys/books/ammunition tipping over, it will be easy to grab your gun, flip the toggle to whatever setting you want, and go exploring, ready to illuminate and/or target with a quick tap of the trigger finger.

Durability

So far, so good. The GTL is cased in polymer, as one would expect from GLOCK, and seems as sturdy as it needs to be. It held on to my GLOCK 20 without a problem at the range, so while the only way to be sure is to use it for a few years and see what happens, I feel confident that it will last. It runs on standard CR-123 batteries, with easy access once the light is removed from the gun.

Mounting

This is the greatest strength of this unit. There are no tools needed, no screws to turn—just slide it along the rail until it clicks into place. To remove, pull down on the release tabs and slide it off. Repeat as necessary. It should stay just about perfectly zeroed. This appealed to me because I don’t want to have a light/laser combo permanently mounted to my gun. I use the GTL on my GLOCK 20, which I also carry at times.

The GTL lets me easily transition from nightstand gun to carry gun and back again. With regard to what gun should be used for home defense, I like options. If I definitely hear intruders in the night I’ve got a Remington 870 to aim at the bedroom door while my wife calls the police. If I hear something indeterminate down in the daylight basement and need to go see if it’s a bad guy breaking in or just some poorly stacked boxes tipping over, I’ve got a pistol with a light/laser and 15+1 rounds of 10mm. If I’m on the road, I can give my pistol a defensive boost with an incredibly easy attachment.

As noted above, this unit will also remain zeroed between different GLOCK pistols. While traveling recently, I took my 30S for carry during the day. In the evening, I slipped the GTL onto the G30S, where it was perfectly zeroed, and then removed it after a night with no threats greater than loud teenagers in the next room over. Once back home, I restored it to the G20, where it was still holding zero.

Conclusion

This probably was a great light/laser combo—years ago. But time has passed it by. 60 lumen Xenon bulbs are badly out of date, and at about $225 (on Amazon) the GTL is overpriced for what it is. The Streamlight TLR-4 can be had for about half the price. The laser is still standard, but not cutting-edge. The GTL is functional, but not outstanding, except for one feature, which is the ease of taking it off and putting it back on, and switching it from one GLOCK to another. If, like me, you value that highly, then this might be worth it. Otherwise, you can get better bang for your buck.

Specifications:

Bulb:        Xenon
Length:   2.99″
Weight:   1.80 oz.
Battery:   2 CR123A
MSRP:     $284 (about $230 street)

Ratings (out of five stars):

Brightness * *
The GTL will illuminate a room of your house at night, but it won’t dazzle a bad guy nearly as well as LED options. The laser works well enough indoors, but gets lost outside.

Features * * * *
Everything works well, though a strobe option would be nice, as would a top-of-the-line laser.

Ergonomics * * * *
Good, though the dimmer is a bit difficult to use (it’s fairly useless anyway, in my opinion).

Mounting * * * * *
Slides on and off and holds in place as well as anything on the market, and does a great job of keeping its zero all the while.

Ruggedness * * * *
It seems tough enough, so far.

Overall * * *
It will get the job done and has some good points, but GLOCK badly needs to upgrade to an LED, especially at this price.