Debate on accessories/tactics for a new gun owner

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Didn't stop my dad from doing just that. I was coming home form work at 2 AM, and had a Walkman on with Metallica blasting. (Dating myself here!!) My Dad called my name several times, and when I didn't answer, he grabbed the Python and his D cell Maglite. I turned to go up the stairs, (split level) and was blinded by the light, but I could still see the muzzle. Never wore the Walkman into the house again.

Haha! Your dad really wanted to scare you away from that silly head banging music!!!
 
To the OP,

There is excellent advice on this thread. As many have stated, your friend isn’t giving you the best advice. He sounds like a talker to me...

Keep searching for training and products that work for YOU and YOUR situation(s). Train, train, train. When things go bad, your training will kick in.
 
What he said.
If you're actively seeking someone out (hunter) then you would want as little risk as possible of tipping off the hunted. You're hunting, you know what you're looking for. Being in a stranger's house presenting illumination to announce your presence would be a bad idea. I'm curious though, if you're on the receiving end of the invasion, are you supposed to clap all your lights on? Have nvg's? If your light becomes a target, it won't much matter if it's mounted, handheld, on your head, whatever. Maybe get some signal flares?
This was literally our conversation in person hahaha
 
To the OP,

There is excellent advice on this thread. As many have stated, your friend isn’t giving you the best advice. He sounds like a talker to me...

Keep searching for training and products that work for YOU and YOUR situation(s). Train, train, train. When things go bad, your training will kick in.
exactly! All I hope to do is to be prepared for what I believe I may encounter or deal with in my day to day life. Love all the information from everyone on this thread and posting here has really brought to light perspective.
 
Weapon mounted light, or handheld light?

View attachment 917162

Handheld light is for finding out what is going on.

Weapon mounted light is for addressing known threats.


That being said, my CCW does not have a weapon mounted light. Mostly because the firearm of choice doesn't allow for it but also because I am not sure I could get a light to conceal in my pants...

My home defense pistol (and Carbine) wear a light.

I would rather be shot myself than accidentally shoot the wrong person. Lights can be critical when target ID has lives on the line.

As always, it's a personal choice. Just make sure you know why.
I have no intent on having a light on my EDC pistol, but I do have one on my home defense full size smith and Wesson and will be building my first AR pistol in a week or two which will also consist of having a light. I’m big on preparedness, I’ve lived off the saying if you fail to prepare then prepare to fail. Obviously if I intend on using the flashlights I’ll be updated on training and technique. I have a hand held in my day pack bag that I use as a range bag or a outdoors bag.
 
I keep enough lights on in the house so I won't need a light on a gun. Now, if the Spetsnaz cut my power immediately before coming in.....:uhoh:
Weather or another event besides the Spetsnaz may cause you to lose power. In Fl, those events are usually called hurricanes. Where you live, it may be called tornadoes or ice storms. Regardless of the weather event, people with bad intentions have a history of exploiting such situations to commit crimes.
 
Agreed, I told my buddy it didn’t matter where my light is around my body if someone or more than one person cane in with the intent to kill or do harm the light mounted on my gun won’t make a difference IMO opposed to held outside of my frame. I figure most of these people who think about exploiting honest and at first glance “helpless” people are bananas and are clearly not functioning up to par for lack of a better term so I don’t see those individuals applying even semi professional tactics or training to break into my house or shoot me or someone else.
 
I agree with your friend when it comes to lights mounted on guns. Beside being a point of aim for an adversary the light presents a different issue. Suppose you hear noises outside your house. You turn On the light on your pistol to see what is out there. You are aiming a gun at anything you point the light at. Bettwe hope it not a couple LEOs. I prefer a light in my hand which I would turn on once I had reasonable belief there was a danger likely present. I would turn on the strobe effect. I can see but it really impairs the sight of anyone it is aimed at. I use the cross arm method with light in weak hand and gun in strong hand with for arms crossed. That put the beam of the light outside of the outline of my body in case a perp takes a shot at it.additionally I do not add weight to my handgun. I prefer the balance point to be as designed.

Honest question, have you attended any low-light training in the last few years?
 
Honest question, have you attended any low-light training in the last few years?

No I did not, and I will not. At 78 YO my training days are over. I did however have some real lowlight fighting experience in Nam especially when we cleared buildings in Hue City. We did not have lights on our guns. We used handheld flashlights which were the L shaped type that had a clip to mount the light on a suspender strap, but we mostly handheld them. We did fine without them. Just my opinion based upon my exprience.
 
I am not Law Enforcement and or Military. My EDC is a S&W Shield 9X19mm and it is also my nightstand weapon. Thus I have a SureFire flashlight (2) cell, it has a lanyard that one may utilize by slipping it over/on the weak hand wrist. I've practiced with this combination in night firing sequences. Its either going to be good enough or it isn't but that's the way its going to be.
 
Following up on my previous two posts against pistol mounted lights I offer this from a LEO website. Here are two comments about pistol mounted lights from LEOs. You can read more at: https://forum.officer.com/forum/equ...departments-authorizing-pistol-mounted-lights


Mine doesn't. As long as its treated as a weapon, and not a light, I'd go along. You should not have to point your pistol at something when you need to illuminate, and not necessarily destroy it.


Ken, I have a question. Do you know of any agencies that teach that? That's... insane. I know that in some states, even pointing your weapon at someone is deadly force - and it must be justified for sworn or non-sworn.

Your flashlight is your flashlight, for general illumunation. Your weapon mounted light is for target identification and designation.
Any agencies that write policy considering their weapon mounted light a light, and not a weapon, are looking to bankrupt their jurisdiction.
 
No I did not, and I will not. At 78 YO my training days are over. I did however have some real lowlight fighting experience in Nam especially when we cleared buildings in Hue City. We did not have lights on our guns. We used handheld flashlights which were the L shaped type that had a clip to mount the light on a suspender strap, but we mostly handheld them. We did fine without them. Just my opinion based upon my exprience.


Thanks for being candid. Your concerns are valid, but are also easily overcome with training. Whether any person wants to it’s up to them and completely not my business. That said, what you bring up is easily ameliorated for those so inclined.
 
I am not Law Enforcement and or Military. My EDC is a S&W Shield 9X19mm and it is also my nightstand weapon. Thus I have a SureFire flashlight (2) cell, it has a lanyard that one may utilize by slipping it over/on the weak hand wrist. I've practiced with this combination in night firing sequences. Its either going to be good enough or it isn't but that's the way its going to be.
I have the smith and Wesson m&p 2.0 full size and love it, that’s usually on my nightstand or in my safe and I occasionally just leave my EDC Taurus g2c on the nightstand.
 
There's a reason why Grunts are told what to use, and how to use it.

And they might not be so great at picking out and setting up your gear. Despite their heroic experiences. Generally, I don't listen to cops or mil types until they can out shoot me at USPSA or SC. Then I'll pay attention.

Nobody worth jack says ''tacticool'' anymore, so I'd kindly ignore his advice.
 
There's a reason why Grunts are told what to use, and how to use it.

And they might not be so great at picking out and setting up your gear. Despite their heroic experiences. Generally, I don't listen to cops or mil types until they can out shoot me at USPSA or SC. Then I'll pay attention.

Nobody worth jack says ''tacticool'' anymore, so I'd kindly ignore his advice.

haha, unfortunately since I’m fairly new to shooting regularly as a hobby and new to ccw, I can’t outshoot him yet, however he does not deny that I’m definitely cut out to be a “marksman” for lack of a better term. I’m hoping with the information I accumulate from all of you trusty gun owners and my own research I’ll have the knowledge to pick and choose my options even against the nay sayers
 
Generally, I don't listen to cops or mil types until they can out shoot me at USPSA. Then I'll pay attention.
Yes because everyone knows, combat and real life deadly force encounters are nothing compared to skill at a game......Competition is not at all the equivalent of combat and training to compete isn't the same as training to fight.
 
Yes because everyone knows, combat and real life deadly force encounters are nothing compared to skill at a game......Competition is not at all the equivalent of combat and training to compete isn't the same as training to fight.

Indeed true. I can add that when I was trained in the Corps none of that training prepared me or others for interior CQB whether with pistol or rifle. It is amazing just how much being shot at can do to make you realize that inert targets and running around obstacles, etc does not relieve you of the sudden realization in a gunfight that you might be dead in seconds. I am all for good training and drills, but those things never condition you mentally for being shot at, witnessing others being shot. You want to win a gunfight? Understand gunfighting principles, be quick, be accurate, and pray.
 
Yes because everyone knows, combat and real life deadly force encounters are nothing compared to skill at a game......Competition is not at all the equivalent of combat and training to compete isn't the same as training to fight.

I have few illusions that competition is the same as combat. Yet I've never heard of a poor shooter magically getting better while being shot it. People don't rise to the occasion so much as sink to the level of their training. This sounds a lot like the guy that can't hit paper targets with his rifle but says he can always hit a deer offhand at 500 yards with ease. I ran into some variation of that guy on silhouette ranges all through the 80's and 90's when that form of competition was popular, couldn't hit the pig or the ram with a five gallon bucket of ammo yet still claimed he could easily do it "for real".

Competence on a flat range may not always translate to combat effectiveness but a lack of competence at the range doesn't bode well, especially for an instructor.
 
Can anyone name one downside to having a light mounted on a pistol used in a home defense roll?
I definitely thought the idea of using the weapon mounted light ( assuming someone is breaking into your house so you turn your light on ) and you muzzle your teenager or family member rummaging around the house. I can already hear someone saying only use the light when you “know” there’s a threat but if you think someone’s in your house that’s going into the situation with the mindset there is danger.
 
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