Are you sick of accessory rails?

[ugaarguy]

A light rail on a pistol especially one for CCW is just plain DUMB. Aren't pistols supposed to be relatively compact so one can easily carry it? Light rails are a step backwards in pistol design.

Are we talking a concealed carry gun, or a service pistol? Light rail on a Glock 26 - yes, stupid idea. On a Glock 17 - no, it's a good feature. On a 19 - push, are you carrying it as a duty gun, or a concealed gun? Of course if light rails are such a step backwards I wonder what the DoD was thinking with the M9A1, and the USMC with their Kimber Warriors.

 

[Onesiphorus]

Hey Krochus! Read your thread and then read your signature. Which world do you want to live in?

 

[makarovnik]

Judging by the way you worded the two choices it is obvious you are biased towards not liking rails. How about next time you just give these two choices:

Are you sick of accessory rails?

Yes

OR

No

... and leave out the wise crack about "pretending to be S.W.A.T." so as to try and sway the poll.

 

[Deanimator]

I ABSOLUTELY will not put a light of any kind on a handgun. I make a good enough target as it is without throwing in a light source as an aiming point. There's nothing else I want to hang off of a handgun, especially a bayonet.

 

[HGUNHNTR]

I love the option of adding a light, why not it makes the tool more useful

 

[R.W.Dale]

Hey Krochus! Read your thread and then read your signature. Which world do you want to live in?

It's called humor.......You should try it sometime!

 

[jhco]

yes!

 

[Chortdraw]

I got a new Bersa Thunder-9 and It has the rail and a few added fetchers. I think I like the looks of the none rail better but you never know what works best until you try one out. Never fired a gun with a laser before. Maybe these old tired eyes would do well with a laser as help

 

[XavierBreath]

If you like them, and train to use them intelligently, I guess they can be rather useful at times. I'm not sick of them. I don't think that people who like them are wannabe SWAT ninjas. I figure they just want to hang a light on their gun.

I'm still not sold on the usefulness of a gun mounted light in contrast to the potential detriments. Yes, they allow you to identify your target. Yes, they do have a momentary blinding effect. I guess I'm just a unenlightened Neanderthal, I prefer my carry guns without light rails, and without lights.

 

[dwave]

From the first paragraph of his link:

Sooner or later every human being on the face of this planet is confronted with tough questions. One of the toughest and most common is the infamous loaded question, "When did you stop beating your wife?" The question implies that you have indeed been beating your wife. How do you answer without agreeing with the implication? How do you not answer without appearing evasive?

That is where it came from.

 

[kcshooter]

I don't want one on my carry guns. If it's there, like on my p250, fine, but I don't plan on using it.

On my HD 1911, I have a light rail and a light. I also have a surefire handheld. I like options. Since the chances of me having to use my HD gun at night are much more likely than using it during the day, why wouldn't I want the option of a light? My light does have a switch, doesn't yours?

So if by your definition I'm playing swat, so be it. Other people's opinions never meant all that much to me anyway.



(By the way, your wife told me you had indeed stopped beating her.)

 

[Armueller2001]

I've got a streamlight light/laser on my full size M&P and I love it. Depending on the situation, I can have light, laser, or both pointed at the threat that needs identified.

I can't carry in this great state, but if I could, my CCW piece would not have a rail on it.

 

[gcrookston]

Pretty much for the most part I wonder what people are thinking by stacking up all the useless (and be honest--unused), crap on a gun. However, I make one important concession. Everyone of my guns will be getting the beverage holder mount...

 

[FEG]

I'm risking a ban for this, but O.K.

If you don't get the "when did you stop beating your wife" joke, then you need to study your U.S. pop culture.

Bluntly, I don't think someone should be held responsible for the fact that other people don't know their own culture and history.

"When did you stop beating your wife?" is THE classic example of a Catch-22 (long before the Heller novel of the same name). It is often used as an example of modern rhetoric in Aristotelian logic and symbolic logic classes.

I have seen this false dilemma used as an example in countless movies and television shows, for that matter.

 

[FEG]

Accessory rails will be useful some day when they invent something worth mounting there. I say, go for it!

Seriously, people may hate how they look, but I suppose it beats trying to mount accessories on a model without the rail.

I find it easier to focus on the front sight without a light. This is why I don't think lasers are that valuable, either.

 

[dhoomonyou]

waste of plastic.

 

[JeepGeeek]

needs to be another selection:
"No, they don't bother me"

too much of the OP's bias inherent in the selections.

 

[Pilot]

Aren't they supposed to be compact? Not necessarily. Compact pistols may be easier to carry concealed, but if compactness was a deciding factor, then double stack guns would be pretty dumb as well. So would full size guns.

Handguns are made to be carried. Anything that reduces this ability and doesn't increase effectiveness is a detriment. Double stack mags increase capacity, what do light rails do? They entice mall ninjas into buying them. Its pure marketing.

My BHP and CZ PCR are slim compact and double stack.

 

[kcshooter]

I wonder what people are thinking by stacking up all the useless crap on a gun

Sooo, you consider target identification useless? Odd.

Nobody said anything about a bunch of stuff, just a light.

 

[Defensory]

Biased poll.

If you don't want one, don't get one. Stop worrying about what other people choose to use.

Personally, I don't have a light on any of my weapons.

However, Mas Ayoob has one on both his personal carry weapon and his "night stand" gun.

Clint Smith has lights on a number of the weapons he uses at Thunder Ranch.

Nobody in their right mind would consider Ayoob and Smith to be "mall ninjas".

 

[ugaarguy]

what do light rails do? They entice mall ninjas into buying them. Its pure marketing.

So you're saying LAPD SWAT(Kimber TLE/RL II), LAPD SIS (Kimber SIS), FBI HRT (Springfield TRP), and USMC MEU (Kimber Desert Warrior) are mall ninjas? I just wanted to get that straight.

 

[Correia]

Wow. I'm an ignorant wannabe...

I'm willing to bet that I could probably outshoot 99% of the people posting to this thread, but all this time I've just been deluding myself with my silly guns, and my silly little flashlights (that I've also been well trained how to use in a dynamic environment, but once again, I must bow before the superior knowledge of Teh Interwebs).

Thanks Everybody! I'm going to go throw my $1,800 customized STI Tactical away and start carrying my S&W 1917, that I don't shoot nearly as well, but that way ya'll can appreciate the classic lines and styling. (except wait, it takes those Moon Clips, and I'm sure that'll offend the hell out of somebody here).

At least that way when I get killed in the dark, I can have the satisfaction of knowing that I wasn't a "wannabe".

 

[wulfbyte]

Wow, I am surprised at the level of vehemence raised on this thread.

Personally I don't like accessory rails on my personal carry guns. I might make an exception for a specific night stand gun, but generally I don't want them. I would like to see rails available as an option or alternatively, no rails as an option. I don't like that pretty much everything being newly manufactured now has them on without an option to not have them. I understand that not offering the option makes it easier for tooling, but just that same that's my preference.

As for the tactical usefulness of lights, I have made my statement in other threads and don't need to repeat it here. I do think however that there is a lot of self consciousness and rationalization going on else there wouldn't be so much heat in these discussions. I could be and likely am wrong, but that is the impression that it makes. If your logic, reason and experience tells you that a light is right, great, and you may even decide to convince me of their importance, but if we differ, then we differ, and a grand conversation was had. I just don't see a need for such emphasis on making one bunch of guys "right" and the other "wrong".

 

[sinistr]

rails don't take anything away or usually cost extra,but they do add versatility.so...whats the problem?

 

[Disaster]

I am surprised at the level of vehemence raised on this thread.

The backlash was because of the "No" poll question which insinuated a person who liked accessory rails was a Mall Ninja/SWAT wannabe. I wasn't offended so much as I wanted to point out the bias in his poll, and suggest it might offend others. Apparently it did.

One comment. I read several people mention that a laser didn't make sense on a small concealed carry pistol. I used to think the same thing but since using one have changed my mind. I think it would be real handy with a small gun that has even smaller sights as long as it didn't add much bulk. The models I've seen that mount in front of the Keltec trigger guard are good examples. They don't add much bulk and might even help disguise the outline. I have a Crimson Trace grip on my M&P compact...no bulk...instant on...just grip and point the dot.