SureFire X400 Turbo review: a long-throw handgun light with a laser
Our verdict: 4.3/5. The SureFire X400T-A Turbo is for the shooter who wants a white light that reaches far and a laser on the same rail slot. SureFire rates it at 650 lumens and 66,000 candela, with a 514 meter beam distance, on two 123A batteries that come in the box, and pairs it with a laser under 5 mW in red (the X400T-A-RD priced here) or green. That is more than three times the candela Streamlight gives the TLR-1 HL (20,000) and almost six times SureFire's own 1,000 lumen X400 Ultra (11,300); the other full-size lights are compared in our best pistol light guide. The trade-offs are real: it is a big light that one owner calls too big for anything smaller than a full-size service pistol, it is rated IPX4 rather than waterproof, the light has to come off the gun to change batteries, and three of the six reviewers call it expensive. The red laser is not rated below freezing, and SureFire's own documents disagree on how long the green version's laser runs by itself.
OpticsPlanet shoppers rate it 5.0/5 from 8 reviews. The red-laser X400T-A-RD sells at around $570. Check price and availability on OpticsPlanet.
How we reviewed it: a research-based review built from SureFire's X400T-A product page, its X400T-A product information sheet (red and green pages), its X400 Series user manual (Revision C, September 2022), SureFire's X300T and X400U product pages for comparison, the OpticsPlanet listing, and the 8 owner reviews on it. Where SureFire and the listing disagree we print SureFire's figure and say so. We have not used this light ourselves; the score is our editorial opinion, and owner ratings are shown attributed to the retailer that collected them. The photo is the OpticsPlanet listing's, and it shows the red-laser model priced here. See how we evaluate.
What the X400T-A is
The X400T-A is the Turbo version of SureFire's X400 handgun light and laser. SureFire says it delivers 66,000 candela of tightly focused white light through a precision-made smooth parabolic reflector, with a focused center spot that is highly effective for long-range engagements and a corona of diffused light for situational awareness. SureFire calls this the farthest-reaching beam of any SureFire X-Series handgun WeaponLight. It uses the same line for the laser-free X300T, which carries the same 650 lumen and 66,000 candela rating, so the claim is shared by the two Turbo lights rather than unique to this one. What the X400T-A adds over the X300T is the laser.
The body is hard-anodized aluminum, 3.76 inches long with a 1.125 inch bezel, and SureFire lists 5 oz (141.7 g) with batteries. It clamps to Universal and Picatinny rails with a T-slot thumbscrew: the Universal cross member comes installed and the Picatinny one is in the box. SureFire's manual gives a mounting torque of 6 in-lb on a polymer rail and 8 to 9 in-lb on a metal rail, and warns that the bolt will break if it is overtightened with a tool.
The OpticsPlanet listing names the light as 600 lumens, its spec table gives a 473 m beam distance, and its description says 56,000 candela. Those are the listing's figures. SureFire's current product page and information sheet say 650 lumens, 66,000 candela and 514 meters, its 2022 manual shows the same, and those are the figures we use.
Which laser: the red X400T-A-RD or the green X400T-A-GN
SureFire makes the X400T-A in two versions, and one OpticsPlanet listing carries both: the X400T-A-RD with a 635 nm red laser, priced on this page and shown in the listing photo, and the X400T-A-GN with a 515 nm green laser. Both are under 5 mW per SureFire, and the light output is the same. The one difference SureFire publishes is temperature: its manual gives the green laser an operating range of -20 to 60 C (-4 to 140 F) and the red laser 0 to 60 C (32 to 140 F), so the red laser is not rated below freezing.
For the red X400T-A-RD, SureFire's laser-only runtime is 24 hours in every document we read: the product page, the red page of the 2025 information sheet, and the X400 Series user manual (Revision C, September 2022). The green version is where SureFire's documents disagree. The product page and the green page of the information sheet give 24 hours, while the 2022 manual lists 10 hours for the X400T-A-GN. We could not tell from SureFire's documents which figure applies to a green unit sold today, so if you pick green and laser-only endurance matters to you, ask SureFire before you rely on 24 hours.
The owner reviews on the listing are not split by laser color. Three reviewers mention a green laser, and one explains choosing green over red: “I got the green laser since I have a red dot to differentiate the two in field of view.” The same owner says the laser is “not flooded out when both functions are activated”.
“Laser is highly visible on a cloudy day; out to 50 yds.”
CHARLIE, Verified Owner via OpticsPlanet, 2024
That owner adds that in sunlight it is “ok at <25 yds against a dark target”, the same as other green lasers they have used.
Switch, modes and remote switches
The switch sits at the rear of the body and works from either side: press and hold for momentary light, or rotate the toggle up or down for constant-on. A rotary mode selector behind the laser housing picks one of four modes, according to SureFire's manual: light only, laser only, light and laser together, and disable, which has two positions. The OpticsPlanet listing names only the first three. SureFire offers optional DG grip switches for pistols and an XT07 pressure tape switch for long guns, so you can work the light without changing your grip. One owner found it “Quick and easy to flip through all the functions”.
Zeroing and battery changes: the part to know before buying
SureFire recommends zeroing the laser at 25 yards and says the point-of-aim difference between 10 and 25 yards is negligible. Windage and elevation are set with the 5/64 inch hex wrench in the box, which also holds a spare set of Nylok adjustment screws, which SureFire says may need replacing if adjustments are made frequently. SureFire's information sheet says the laser rarely needs re-zeroing once zeroed, because the Nylok screws do not back out under recoil; its manual adds that the laser may need re-zeroing after the first 10 rounds, as the adjustment may settle.
The bigger practical point is the battery change. SureFire's manual says the X400 must be removed from the gun before replacing the batteries, and that the laser calibration should be verified every time it is removed. So every battery change means a remount and a zero check. SureFire also says to always fit two fresh batteries together, because mixing a depleted cell with a new one can damage the light.
“I have it zero'd at 25 yds and so far it has held that zero.”
CHARLIE, Verified Owner via OpticsPlanet, 2024
What owners say
The OpticsPlanet listing shows 8 reviews with a 5.0/5 average, written by 6 reviewers between June 2024 and October 2026 (two reviewers wrote twice), and every one is tagged Verified Owner. The listing covers both the green and the red version, so the reviews are not split by laser color. It is a small pool, and the owner with the most detail runs the light on a rifle-caliber braced pistol. They write that the focused beam “easily reaches out beyond the effective range of the pistol”, and that for a braced pistol or short-barreled rifle “it is an excellent choice”.
Price is the one complaint that repeats: three of the six reviewers call it expensive, and all three say it is worth it. One owner who bought one went back for another: “I was so impressed with the first one I bought a second one.”
“For me, this weapon light would be too big/heavy to use on anything smaller than a full-sized service pistol.”
CHARLIE, Verified Owner via OpticsPlanet, 2024
Trade-offs, plainly
- Size: 3.76 inches and 5 oz with batteries per SureFire, and one owner calls it too big for anything smaller than a full-size service pistol.
- IPX4, resistant to splashes from any direction, where SureFire rates the laser-free X300T IPX7 (waterproof to 1 meter for 30 minutes).
- Battery changes mean taking the light off the gun and checking the laser zero, per SureFire's manual.
- The green laser's laser-only runtime is 24 hours on SureFire's product page but 10 hours in its 2022 manual.
- The red X400T-A-RD priced here has its laser rated only from 0 C (32 F) upward; the green X400T-A-GN is rated to -20 C.
- Lower total output than the X400 Ultra: 650 lumens against 1,000, by SureFire's figures. SureFire describes the Ultra's beam as a large central spot with plenty of spill light for close- to medium-range engagements.
- Three of the six reviewers call it expensive.
Key specifications
| Model priced here | X400T-A-RD, red laser (the same listing also sells the green-laser X400T-A-GN) |
|---|---|
| Light output | 650 lumens, 66,000 candela peak beam intensity (with the included SF123A batteries), 514 m distance |
| Light runtime | 1.5 hours, light only |
| Laser | Under 5 mW, 515 nm green (X400T-A-GN) or 635 nm red (X400T-A-RD) |
| Laser-only runtime | Product page and 2025 information sheet: 24 hours. 2022 user manual: 10 hours green, 24 hours red |
| Laser operating temperature | Green -20 to 60 C; red 0 to 60 C (user manual) |
| Modes | Light only, laser only, light and laser, two disable positions (rotary selector behind the laser housing) |
| Switch | Ambidextrous push (momentary) and toggle (constant-on) at the rear; optional DG grip switch for pistols and XT07 tape switch for long guns |
| Mount | T-slot thumbscrew clamp; Universal cross member installed, Picatinny cross member in the box |
| Batteries | Two 123A lithium, included |
| Length / bezel | 3.76 in (9.55 cm) / 1.125 in (2.9 cm) |
| Weight | 5 oz (141.7 g) with batteries (product page and 2025 information sheet; the 2022 manual table shows 4.0 oz) |
| Body | Aluminum, hard anodized (MIL-A-8625 Type III, Class 2), O-ring and gasket sealed |
| Water | IPX4, resistant to water splashes from any direction |
| In the box (manual) | Light, battery cover, laser certification label, U and P cross members, 5/64 in hex wrench, one set of Nylok replacement screws, two 123A batteries |
| Warranty | SureFire No-Hassle Guarantee: defects in material or workmanship for the owner's lifetime |
Specifications from SureFire's X400T-A product page, product information sheet and X400 Series user manual (Revision C, September 2022). SureFire states its performance claims are tested to the ANSI/PLATO FL 1-2019 standard. The warranty excludes consumables and normal wear such as batteries and switches wearing out, and damage from abuse, alterations or unauthorized repairs. SureFire's manual says the product is subject to export controls administered by the U.S. Government, and its laser safety guidelines say never to shine the beam in a person's eye or at anyone operating a vehicle, boat or aircraft. We claim no editorial award for this light; the OpticsPlanet listing's "Best Rated" label is the retailer's own.
Should you buy it?
- Buy it for a full-size pistol, a braced pistol or a short-barreled rifle where you want one unit that throws light far and puts a laser on target, and you accept a remount and zero check at each battery change.
- The red X400T-A-RD (priced here) has a laser-only runtime of 24 hours in all of SureFire's documents, but its laser is rated only from 0 C (32 F) upward.
- Look at the green X400T-A-GN on the same listing if you shoot in the cold (SureFire rates its laser to -20 C) or run a red dot and want the laser to look different; check its laser-only runtime with SureFire first.
- Carrying a compact pistol? One owner calls the X400T-A too big for anything smaller than a full-size service pistol; the Streamlight TLR-7 HL-X in our pistol light guide is a 2.90 inch light with an included rechargeable pack.
- Do not need the laser? The Streamlight TLR-1 HL is rated IPX7 and 4.32 oz, and it fits most existing light-bearing holsters per Streamlight.
- Lighting a rifle for distance? Our best rifle light roundup covers dedicated long-gun lights, including tail cap and remote-switch setups.
FAQ
What is the difference between the SureFire X400 Turbo and the X400 Ultra?
The beam. SureFire rates the X400T-A Turbo at 650 lumens and 66,000 candela with a 514 meter beam distance, from a parabolic reflector with a focused center spot it says is highly effective for long-range engagements. It rates the X400U Ultra at 1,000 lumens and 11,300 candela with a 213 meter distance, from a TIR lens it describes as a hybrid beam for close- to medium-range engagements. Both carry a red or green laser, both weigh 5 oz with batteries per SureFire, and SureFire calls the Turbo dimensionally identical to the X400U-A series.
How long does the X400T-A battery last?
SureFire rates the light at 1.5 hours on the two 123A lithium batteries that come in the box. The laser-only figure depends on which SureFire document you read: its product page and 2025 information sheet list 24 hours, while its X400 Series user manual (Revision C, September 2022) lists 10 hours for the green X400T-A-GN and 24 hours for the red X400T-A-RD. SureFire says the light must come off the gun to change batteries.
Should I get the green or the red laser?
Both are under 5 mW per SureFire: 515 nm for green, 635 nm for red. The difference SureFire publishes is cold weather: its manual gives the green laser an operating range of -20 to 60 C (-4 to 140 F) and the red laser 0 to 60 C (32 to 140 F). SureFire's laser-only runtime is 24 hours for the red X400T-A-RD in every document we read; for the green X400T-A-GN its product page says 24 hours and its 2022 manual says 10. This page prices the red X400T-A-RD. One owner picked green because they also run a red dot, to tell the two apart in the field of view.
Does the X400T-A fit X400 holsters?
SureFire says the X400T-A is dimensionally identical to the X400U-A series. That is SureFire's statement, not a holster maker's. Before you buy a holster, check that the holster maker lists the X400T-A by name, or ask them.
Why does the OpticsPlanet listing say 600 lumens?
The OpticsPlanet spec table lists 600 lumens and a 473 m beam distance, and its description says 56,000 candela. SureFire's current product page and information sheet rate the X400T-A at 650 lumens, 66,000 candela and 514 meters, and its 2022 user manual already shows those figures. We print SureFire's numbers; none of the SureFire documents we read gives the listing's set.
How do you zero the X400T-A laser?
SureFire recommends zeroing at 25 yards and says the difference between point of aim and point of impact from 10 to 25 yards is negligible. Windage and elevation screws turn with the 5/64 inch hex wrench in the box, which also holds a spare set of Nylok screws. SureFire's manual warns the laser may need re-zeroing after the first 10 rounds as the adjustment settles, and says to verify the zero every time the light comes off the gun.
More: best pistol lights · best rifle lights · Streamlight TLR-1 HL review · best pistol red dot · how we evaluate.