I’ve taken 3 low light classes, and I’m a huge fan of weapon mounted lights. I prefer the pistol type sights mounted on a rail, so I can move the light from gun to gun if needed.
1. No chance of leaving a light behind.
2. Hitting a target is much easier with a mounted light, especially with a long-arm VS a hand-held light. We practice low-light with hand-helds during the fall and spring when sunset is early, even new comers, can hit well with a mounted light, hand-held, not so easy.
3. Opening doors, windows, dialing a phone, reloading, carrying a child etc. are much easier with a light attached to your weapon (again especially with a lomg-arm) VS a handheld light.
4. Lights with a high lumen beam are actually in some ways a non-lethal deterrent. Don’t believe me, just let your night vision kick in and then get flashed by one, you will wince and look away, then see green dots for a while. (you’ll also learn where the mirrors in your house are)
5. In a pinch, they make a good poor man’s laser for close quarters. On my Benelli, IF your center beam, your center pattern.
6. Most important, it’s like any other tool, just because it’s there, doesn’t mean you have to turn it on. This is where some training comes in. You don’t leave the light on constantly, you strobe, move, strobe, shoot, etc.
Nightstand gun, with SureFire X400 light/laser:
Colt LE6920 with SureFire X300:
Benelli M1S90 with Insight M3X:
Chuck