The SureFire Story

The SureFire tale begins in 1969 when a young engineer with a Ph.D. from Cal Tech decided that his future lay in lasers. Dr. John Matthews founded the Newport Corporation to harness the power of this technology for industrial applications. Over the next decade, the Newport Corporation grew to become a leader in the field, pioneering a host of industrial uses for the laser. Patents were issued, contracts were won and business boomed.

In time, Dr. Matthews decided to forge a new trail, merging his expertise in laser technology with his passion for firearms. Experimenting with weapon-mounted lasers, he quickly realized their potential, and chose to devote his life to the pursuit of avant-garde tactical solutions geared toward military and law enforcement use. In 1979, these concepts became reality as he designed and patented the first commercial laser sight for use on a firearm.

The original laser sight was large and unwieldy, and further refinement of the technology would have required the board of the Newport Corporation to approve substantial investments outside its core business interests. So Dr. Matthews, along with several key members of Newport’s technical staff who shared his vision, approached the board with an offer to buy the laser sight business. When their offer was accepted, Dr. Matthews resigned as president of Newport Corporation and assumed leadership of the newly formed company — Laser Products — which would later see its name changed to SureFire. Now he could devote all of his energy toward the commercialization of laser sights for firearms.

SureFire Weaponlights

SureFire’s combat-proven WeaponLights answer the call of duty whenever and wherever necessary, by warriors on the battlefield, police officers in dimly lit back alleys and citizens defending their families. It has been that way since the 1980s, when Laser Products responded to a need by military and law enforcement officers. They wanted to mount lights to their duty weapons without adversely affecting the ability to shoot quickly and accurately. Dr. Matthews and his team came up with a solution, and the modern WeaponLight was born. By 1985, our first WeaponLights were fully developed and marketed under a new name, SureFire.

The SureFire Model 300 WeaponLight was the patriarch of our history-making line of tactical illumination tools, and it represented a true advance in tactical gear. A ruggedly designed flashlight mount that securely mounted existing duty flashlights to a weapon, the Model 300 utilized a brilliantly designed tail cap that replaced the light’s stock tail cap and featured a coiled tape switch for remote activation of the light. For even greater utility, the Model 300 bracket also accepted the same mounts as our Model 32 laser sight, allowing the flashlight and the laser to be used interchangeably.

Surefire then advanced the state of the art by introducing the first modern handgun-mounted WeaponLights. The SureFire Model 310 (3-volt) and Model 610 (6-volt) WeaponLights were built for the popular Colt 1911A1 pistol. As military, law-enforcement and civilian users continued to validate the benefit of weapon-mounted lights, SureFire led the evolution in the category.

Today every Sure Fire WeaponLight, from our best-selling X300 handgun light and trusted long gun Scout Light family to the amazing XVL2 Pistol & Carbine Light/Laser Module, continues to set the bar for what a tactical WeaponLight can provide. Each and every model is connected by a 40-year heritage of innovation and tried-and-true engineering.

SureFire Hands-Free

For the past 15 years SureFire has also applied cutting-edge technology to hands-free illumination tools, beginning with our HL1 HelmetLight in 2005 and our Saint line of LED headlamps in 2008. The same SureFire innovation can be found today in our latest hands-free products such as our 2211® WristLights, and Maximus and Minimus® variable output LED headlamps. These feature-packed products incorporate our patented MaxVision Beam® reflector, which shapes the LED output into a smooth, seamless wall of light that’s perfect for maintaining situational awareness.

Dueck Defense Rapid Transition Sights

SureFire’s legendary performance and durability are combined with careful design for a superlative fit and long-wearing comfort, making them ideal for night-time exploration in the most environments. They provide a critical capability everyone from law enforcement personnel to outdoor enthusiasts.

We also maintain a strategic relationship with Dueck Defense, developer of Rapid Transition Sights When attached to the upper Picatinny rail of a rifle, these revolutionary sights are mounted at a 45-degree offset to provide an alternate sighting system with a seamless transition between an optic mounted on top of the weapon and the Rapid Transition Sights. Built for combat and proven in high level 3-gun competition, they are handcrafted in the U.S.A. of premium materials.

SureFire Batteries

SureFire’s relentless pursuit of smaller, brighter and better illumination tools has often led us down alternate paths. That’s definitely true when it comes to battery technology. SureFire-brand batteries have led the trend toward greater energy density. We not only pioneered the use of compact 123A lithium batteries in our lights, we provided the battery industry with a critical solution that improved their utility. Today SureFire-brand batteries are the definitive power source for our illumination tools.

Made in the USA, SureFire batteries deliver superior power density and voltage maintenance compared to alkaline batteries, and our batteries operate over a wider environmental-temperature range for more reliable energy delivery in extreme conditions. With built-in heat/fault protection and a 10-year shelf life, SureFire batteries are designed to be as advanced as the products they power. Our SF123A lithium-ion batteries continue to be the gold standard in their class and, more recently, our SF18650B batteries have raised the bar in energy density while retaining the convenience and environmentally-conscious option of recharging through a simple micro-USB cable.