Pistol light during the week, shotgun spotlighting on the weekend 

By Zach Bianchi 

The Nitecore NPL35 is a high output tactical light designed to be fitted to a handgun for law enforcement and security operations. To the average hunter or target shooter, you might not give this light a second look, but if you dig a little deeper, the NPL35’s versatility carries itself from the pistol range deep into the Australian bush and may just be one of the best multi-purpose lights I’ve ever had the pleasure of using. 

The NPL35 is built to be a serious duty light: pumping out 2000 lumens at peak output, around 42,500 candela of intensity and an impressive 412m total beam distance. It runs on a removeable 1,900mAh Li-Ion battery with a very respectable maximum run time on low setting of three hours and 15 minutes. The removeable battery has LED charge status indicators on the unit and charges by plugging in a USB-C cable, which is very convenient. The body is compact at 88mm long and lightweight at just 129 grams with the battery attached; this is important when it will be spending all of its time at the front end of your pistol or rifle. Out of the box, the NPL35 fits directly to Glock-style rails but thankfully Nitecore also includes a small adaptor to allow the light to fit any standard picatinny rail. This means I can quickly detach the light from my handgun and snap it on to my shotgun or rifle with ease. 

At the pistol range, the NPL35 performs flawlessly, which is what you should expect from a duty light of this build quality. It pairs perfectly with my full-size Canik Rival but may appear a bit chunky if mounted to smaller handguns. The NPL35 is very bright on the highest setting (2000 lumen) but is much more user friendly on the low light setting (320 lumen). The ambidextrous paddle switch sits where your trigger finger or support hand thumb rests, which makes changing between high/low mode or turning the light on/off very intuitive. It even has a strobe function with alternating frequencies and is very disorienting, so maybe avoid testing the strobe at a busy range! 

The NPL35 has no trouble with the recoil of my 9mm Canik and the hotspot of the beam had absolutely no shift from centre of the target even after 100+ rounds. The mounting system uses a proper screw clamp, rather than a cheap spring clip other lights have, and can be adjusted to slide on the rail for the perfect fit. The benefit of a quality mounting system is being able to repeatedly attach and remove the light without any loss of zero. The added weight at the end of the Canik helped tame muzzle flip and certainly felt manageable in the hand. 

Where the NPL35 really shines, though, is in its versatility going from a ‘tactical pistol light’ to a ‘mid-range hunting light’ out at the farm. The long beam distance of 400m+ combined with enough spill or ‘halo’ to pick up eyeshine in the scrub really suits the guys and girls going out to chase pigs, dogs and even deer out to that 100-150m range comfortably. I opted to fit my NPL35 to my Adler B230 straight pull shotgun to take pigs at around the 50m mark. The Adler has a picatinny rail located on the fore end, which suits the NPL35 perfectly and with a 2m impact rating, the light had no trouble handling all the bumps associated with trudging through the bush and even the occasional knock on a fence post. I am also pleased to report that the light had no problems handling the recoil of both buckshot and slugs for the entire trip. The IPX6 waterproof rating also gave me the confidence that whatever the amount of dust, mud or rain we encountered, the NPL35 was going to see me through. 

Practically speaking, the low 320 lumen mode is what you end up using most as you work through the lantana and thicker scrub; it gives plenty of light within shotgun ranges without reflecting too much. When you stop to scan an open paddock or dam, switching to the high output 2000 lumen mode allows you to positively ID pigs, roos or livestock at the outer limits of where you would reasonably shoot with a shotgun. 

Controls are the one area where the NPL35’s ‘pistol focused’ design shows on a long gun. On a handgun, the paddle switch sits right under your finger, on the shotgun you will need to use your support hand to toggle the brightness, which is a little unnatural at first. That being said, the ability to slide the light on the rail fore and aft really allows you get the controls in the best possible position to suit your support hand rather than adapting your grip to suit the light. 

Where the NPL35 earns its keep is not in doing one job perfectly but being able to do multiple jobs so well that you can confidently move the light from handgun to shotgun (or rifle) without feeling compromised. The combination of high output, genuine long-range beam and the sensible low power mode means it works everywhere from low-light range shoots to spotlighting the edges of the paddocks. USB-C charging of the battery means you don’t have to burn through CR123s and you can charge it on the go using the same power bank you use for your phone or in the car on your way to the farm. At the time of writing this article, Nitecore Australia don’t offer the batteries separately which is a shame, as I would love to keep one spare to extend the night hunts well into the morning. 

Retailing at just $149.99, the NPL35 offers great value for a well-designed, tough and truly multipurpose firearm light. Ambidextrous controls, a lockout mode to prevent inadvertently switching it on and robust waterproofing and impact protection gives you the confidence you won’t need to be too careful out in the bush. If you are the kind of shooter that wants to buy a single, do everything light that can live on the 9mm during the week then migrate to the 12 gauge for the weekend chasing pigs, then the NPL35’s blend of power, mounting flexibility and practical runtime make it a strong choice. 

For the build quality, functionality and sheer versatility of the Nitecore NPL35, I have to score it a solid 9/10. Happy hunting! 

Specs Overview: 

• RRP: $150 

• Max Output (Lumens): 2000 lumens 

• Max Runtime (Hours): 3h 15min (Low Mode)  

• Beam Distance (Meters): 412 metres 

• Battery: Rechargeable 1,900mAh Li-Ion 

• Waterproof Rating (IP Rating): IPX6 

• Impact Resistance: 2metres 

• Weight: 129g (with battery) 

• Dimensions: 88mm × 37mm × 36mm 

Nitecore is offering 10% off through the SSAA Queensland Exclusive Deals program: ssaaqld.org.au/exclusive-deals/. Mention SSAAQLD10 when shopping. (This offer was valid at the time of writing – August 2026.)