Your Views On Weapon-Mounted Lights

Very good thing to have.

For those folks worried about "accidental discharges" a flip up cover can be placed over the light.

I think majority of gun owners don't have a clue on how to use a flashlight let alone a gun mounted light in a defensive situation. light coming from an opponent is a perfect target especially if they are using any of the AK style weapons.

light coming from an opponent is a perfect target especially if they are using any of the AK style weapons.

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Why would it make a difference if they are using an AK versus some other weapon?

They're ok. But keep in mind that you're pointing a gun at anything that you need to shine a light on. God forbid it's your daughter in the kitchen pouring herself some milk.

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Unless your daughter is blind she probably doesn't pour milk in the dark. Is there some rule against asking "Who's in the kitchen?"

Depends on the circumstances. The downstairs of my house is pretty dark at night, so my HD weapon has a light mounted on it.

I don't carry it for CCW, though. I might if I knew I was going someplace with little to no light. Then again I normally have a Fenix light of some kind with me - they work great.

I have a "dedicated" bedside drawer weapon, an XD-45 and it has a 90 lumen light on it. At fifteen yards the small high intensity spotlight exactly centers on the poi. I can hold the pistol off to my side at arms length, identify and hit anyone and if they shoot at the light, they miss me. The chances of anyone getting hit in the face with that light and being able to function are slim. Other than that specific application I have little use for weapon mounted lights as I don't work LE and am no longer in the military.

I've never seen the desirability of providing a large aiming point for my assailant to aim at and around.

I like a mounted light as long as I can instantly and simply control its on/off. I don't want one on my handgun but I can choose to use a seperate hand-held high intensity light with it. My primary long gun, a shorty AR has a surefire scout light with SR05 rail mount switch for fingertip control without shifting of my grip. I live in a rural area just me and the wife- no kids, no streetlights, etc. Not much worry about painting an unintentional target. Actually, not much worry period. With 2 big dogs and a security system, I don't feel I need to launch full out on any little bump in the night.
mounted weapon lights? sometimes great, sometimes not...

I like the rail option, but I think using it is situation dependent. Certainly being able to mount a light or other accessory offers additional flexibility to the user, but I don't think we should view this as an opportunity to become cavalier about where we point our weapons.

But keep in mind that you're pointing a gun at anything that you need to shine a light on. God forbid it's your daughter in the kitchen pouring herself some milk.

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Sure, but better to have the light and SEE that it's just your daughter than not have the light and shoot her because you think the milk is a weapon and you can't see well.

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Unless you are talking long guns only, you can just as easily carry a flashlight in one hand and a handgun in the other. Why purposefully point a weapon at someone if you don't want to shoot them? Yes, they could be a bad guy, but I would prefer to identify before covering someone with the muzzle.

What's range safety rule #2? Never point a weapon at anything you don't intend to shoot? This was established because too many people violated this simple rule; the results are, of course, predictable.

Unless you are talking long guns only, you can just as easily carry a flashlight in one hand and a handgun in the other. Why purposefully point a weapon at someone if you don't want to shoot them? Yes, they could be a bad guy, but I would prefer to identify before covering someone with the muzzle.

What's range safety rule #2? Never point a weapon at anything you don't intend to shoot? This was established because too many people violated this simple rule; the results are, of course, predictable.

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As stated above, you don't have to point the weapon to illuminate the target if you've chosen your equipment with a bit of prudence.

As for using a handheld, there's nothing wrong with that if you have no use for the support hand. If you need to manuever loved ones out of the way, carry a child, open a door, change mags, clear a malfunction, you start having issues.

As stated above, you don't have to point the weapon to illuminate the target if you've chosen your equipment with a bit of prudence.

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If we are talking home use, then it's still to close for comfort in my opinion, but everyone makes their own choices in this matter.

As for using a handheld, there's nothing wrong with that if you have no use for the support hand. If you need to manuever loved ones out of the way, carry a child, open a door, change mags, clear a malfunction, you start having issues.

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Seriously, I don't want to be difficult, but how many people really need to do any of those things unless they are on an entry team? Are you going to engage in a gunfight in your home with a child in your arms? The malfunctions bit might be a factor, but how many people change mags when investigating a bump in the night - even if they engage a target? People have used an offhand flashlight for decades, and I've yet to read a detrimental report as a result. Again however to each their own.

I guess we've reached the same point as most such discussions do. If you play the odds and expect things to roll your way, you won't need the capability (just like statistically you won't need a spare mag or ammunition). If you forego the capability, you won't have it when you roll snakeeyes.

Personally, I can see a situation where I've had a failure to feed/eject and need the support hand to clear it, or when I need to get my wife to a safer location. I could ask her to hold the light for me while I deal with said situation but that seems a bit cumbersome and how exactly does one train for those situations on the range. So, weapon lights make sense to me. I also know that I can keep a weapon at low ready and illuminate any target in my home without aiming the weapon at a person.

But, to each their own.

In my post I mentioned that with either option one should train in how to use the light. If you look into this, you'll find that the light painting you as a target is mitigated by the fact that by the time an intruder who's noticed the light gets a shot off, you're either shooting them, or you aren't where you were when you flashed the light. Weapons mounted lights are not intended to be used in "constant on" mode in most home defense-type scenarios. You don't turn the thing on and go cruising room to room. Heck if there's even a little bit of ambient light, you don't even have to turn it on at all.

My carry gun doesn't have a light due to size constraints.
My nightstand gun has a light because I don't want to shoot a friendly.

Any pointers to a good AR/Surefire mount?
...and any issues with a suppressor blocking/shadowing the light?

We use them on our M4's on my ship.

I also use one on my XD9 when it is on my nightstand. Also have one on the shotgun, just in case.

Other than that, i don't really use them that often, but they are useful to an extent.

hiccups said:

Unless your daughter is blind she probably doesn't pour milk in the dark.

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Mine does, and she is most decidedly NOT blind.

It was just an example folks. Really, unless I'm going on a raid rolleyes, I'll stick with my E2D.


-T.

I have TLR-1's on my bedside handgun and my bedside shotgun.

That being said, there are times to use them and a time to keep dark.

I also have strategically placed nightlights near likely entry points to the house that will light them up and not me.

I voted "Only under some circumstances" but I should disclaim that by replacing "some" with "very few".

I did a lot of training in the Army moving silently in the dark in the field. A light, a reflection, a sound, even a smell that was out of place was a big no no. I can't force myself to overcome that training nor do I really wish to.

If I am in my own home, there really is no need for a light for me to navigate. And for identification, in order for a light to work well, that is to say, blind or disorient my target, I pretty much have to get it into their eyes on the first try and the backscatter of light will play hell with my nightvision as well. I would rather not give away my position with a bright light, instead I would use verbal ID methods as it is harder for someone to get a fix on me that way. But this is all defense from my own position. Attacking, things change considerably, and a light is a good thing. Violence of action, unexpected entry, team maneuvers, all serve to disorient and minimize threats, a high intensity light works very well in conjunction with these tactics and so would be a useful and valuable addition.

In summary, my feelings on the matter are: defense, light bad; attack, light good. At least for weapon mounted lights; I always carry a 2 watt led flashlight with me and should I need both hands, I can always put it in my mouth the way a lot of us did when the mini-mag light was the lighting fad.

Just an opinion.

As a 18 y/o Marine PFC, I literally had the **** scared out of me when in Kuwait City, I went head to head w/ what turned out to luckily be one of our own tankers. I fired either 4or5 rounds at him from my M16, and he emptied half a mag at me from his Berretta in the dark. If either of us had had a weapon light, it wouldn't have happened. As soon as I got back to the States, I started playing w/ ways to hang a MiniMaglite under the barrel. I eventually mounted it on a little wooden trough @ the 3o'clock position, staring down the muzzle, using a Muffler clamp about half way back from the sight tower to the mag well. I later drilled a couple of small holes in rear of the Hand guards and ran paracord through it to hang the front sling from in a more tactically accessible way. I had already run a piece around the stock from the rear hanger. I carried it that way (except for adding a remote switch to the lite, and putting all the way forward) through two separate deployments to Somalia, and didn't fire one more round that I hadn't planned on.All was fine until we got a new CO, who during his initial inspection of the Armory, flipped his wig over all the "Damage done to Issue Weapons" by our Unauthorized Modifications. I was charged, and given NJP as the Ringleader. Thankfully our SgtMaj talked the SOB into restriction and extra duty instead of any real punishment. Now the same things Me and mine MacGyvered out are common practice. I Light my weapons. I will continue to light them when and as I see fit. I have been shot at by amateurs and by professionals, and I have a decent idea what works for me. I'd much rather Illuminate a target, and maybe I won't have to kill someone.

Unless you are talking long guns only, you can just as easily carry a flashlight in one hand and a handgun in the other. Why purposefully point a weapon at someone if you don't want to shoot them?

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Because if you don't have the muzzle up and it IS an armed bad guy, you're toast. If there are enough signs of a breakin or intrusion to warrant getting the firearm out, covering an innocent (if foolish) party with the muzzle is not a serious issue. If someone sneaks in after hours the least they should expect is the business end of a loaded firearm.

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Really? You think a bad guy in your home is better prepared to go into action than you are? He's likely to be more surprised by you than you are by him, and unless he's also a highly competent shooter, odds are you can lay down fire faster and more accurately than he can. I'm completely confident that is the case in my home, unless Todd Jarrett decides to break in. We clearly disagree on this point, and that's o.k.

Also I *AM* talking long guns. They are vastly more effective and easier to use in home defense than the short gun. And even if I'm using a short gun, I want to be able to hold in Weaver stance and not do some juggling act concentrating on simultaneously aiming the flashlight and my firearm.

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I'll definitely give you more effective when it comes to long guns. However, for home defense, depending on your training and skill, the layout of your home, the type of weapon, and about a thousand other factors, I'll personally take a handgun. The average 18" shotgun is nearly 40 inches long overall. The average doorway is 32 inches wide. Hallways vary, but are maybe 4 feet wide. Unless you are a highly skilled CQB guy, the long gun looses big time in close quarters agility. Further, one hand holds are not foreign to pistol shooters, or at least they shouldn't be. Also, there are numerous effective techniques for using a flashlight to support the shooting hand. Again, we clearly disagree, and again, that's o.k.