Rail Light or Handheld?

[WisBorn]

I have been considering adding a rail light to my nightstand gun and/or carry pistol. How many lumens? Does the plusses out weigh the disadvantages?
I have night sights on one handgun and a red dot on another.

Your thoughts?
I have several handheld lights.

 

[powermad]

Handheld for carry.
I have WML's on pistols and long guns for around the house along with handhelds.

 

[12Bravo20]

I generally have both close at hand and will use both depending on the situation.

 

[buck460XVR]

I just cannot get used to rail mounted lights. Cannot get past the idea of sweeping areas with a loaded gun before I know what is there.

 

[onibaba]

I favor handheld in all cases. I can always combine the light with the firearm when needed.

With the weapon mounted light, one can never separate the light from the firearm when needed.

That means if I need the light alone to search for my keys, I must use the gun...

It also means I need more equipment. Extra holsters, different gun, more lights if I want to maintain autonomy with the light.

 

[jmr40]

I wouldn't try to carry a handgun with a mounted light. At least the way I use a gun. Lots in LE now carry all the time with a mounted light in an appropriate holster. But I have one on my dedicated HD pistol that stays near my bed at night.

With the weapon mounted light, one can never separate the light from the firearm when needed.

Of course you can. Mine comes off in about 2 seconds if necessary. Most of my pistols have rails and I have several lights that can be mounted as needed. When away from home overnight I will carry the pistol without the light in a conventional holster most of the day. But at night, in a hotel room or when camping the light is attached.

The ability to have a free hand to open doors or any other task outweighs any other negative.

I just kaint get used to rail mounted lights. Kaint get past the idea of sweeping areas with a loaded gun before I know what is there.

Then you're doing it wrong. With the gun pointed safely at the ground the powerful lights available will light up a room almost as well as turning on the lights. And outdoors will allow you to see quite some distance. You can easily assess the situation before pointing the gun at anything.

One fear is that the light will give away your position. Folks, we aren't assassins trying to sneak up on someone and I'm not a cop trying to sneak up on a suspect and arrest him. I WANT an intruder in my home to know I'm there and armed. Chances are good that is enough to get them to leave. If so, mission accomplished, and I've saved myself from a lot of headaches, paperwork, lawyers, and investigations to prove the shooting was justified.

 

[herrwalther]

I use both. My carry handguns during the day have lights and I have a light (or two) in a pocket. At night the handguns go off my belt and into a lock box for HD duty.

 

[dweis]

I go with hand-held. I do not want the extra weight of a light on my pistol. I do not want to be waving a as I scan a dark environment because I would be pointing a gun at the same time. I can see a light for interior home defense but at such close distances I can easily handle one hand grip with shooting hand resting on arm across by body with flashlight in hand.

 

[Buzznrose]

I have been considering adding a rail light to my nightstand gun and/or carry pistol. How many lumens? Does the plusses out weigh the disadvantages?
I have night sights on one handgun and a red dot on another.

Your thoughts?
I have several handheld lights.

I have WML’s on several handguns specifically positioned in my home for self defense. I also have handhelds around the house too.

I am transitioning from a G43X no light to a G48 with a light for carry.

In the event I need to use my support hand, I still want a light if it’s zero-dark-30.

JMR40 is 100% correct that you can light up a hallway, room, area with your WML pointed down at the ground low ready. The myth you need to sweep your gun level needs to go away. I’ve walked through and outside my home after dark with every light to know what to expect. I’m most happy with a 300-500 lumen inside, and a 500-800 light outside as I have a large area with trees out back. But my 300 is still effective out to 40-50 yards.

There are several excellent brands and models. Most of mine are Streamlight. The TLR1 is solid for a full size firearm, but I especially like the new TLR-7 and 8 where applicable.

 

[hso]

How many lumens?

All you can pack on!

I'm old school and don't like pointing a gun at what I'm trying to identify so I'd go handheld, BUT a small combo laser/light on the gun and a eye burner in the hand is a good combo.

 

[luzyfuerza]

Find a place where you can shoot at night. And take somebody who has been trained to search and shoot at night if you can.

Try controlling recoil using FBI, Harries, and Rogers holds with a handheld light.

Then experiment with a gun-mounted light.

Shoot some standardized drills. Measure splits and accuracy with each method.

Try shooting with your night sights.

Learn how to search with a flashlight. (Light on, search in one direction only for two seconds, light off, MOVE! etc.) Even how to use the switch matters.

Learn to perform administrative tasks (chamber check, unload, tac reload, clear malfunctions, etc. in the dark).

The advantages and disadvantages of each will become apparent. And then you'll know for sure what works best for you.

Learning to fight with a handgun at night is FAR more involved than just deciding "handheld or pistol-mounted?"

 

[rust collector]

Hand held. More flexibility, no need to cover items of interest, potentially more powerful and useful as a blunt instrument.

 

[luzyfuerza]

BTW, my answer to the OP's question: have available and know how to use both!

For citizen defenders, I think WMLs belong on a home defense gun but not a concealed carry pistol. Out and about, I carry a handheld.

 

[Chuck R.]

Find a place where you can shoot at night. And take somebody who has been trained to search and shoot at night if you can.

Try controlling recoil using FBI, Harries, and Rogers holds with a handheld light.

Then experiment with a gun-mounted light.

Shoot some standardized drills. Measure splits and accuracy with each method.

Try shooting with your night sights.

Learn how to search with a flashlight. (Light on, search in one direction only for two seconds, light off, MOVE! etc.) Even how to use the switch matters.

Learn to perform administrative tasks (chamber check, unload, tac reload, clear malfunctions, etc. in the dark).

The advantages and disadvantages of each will become apparent. And then you'll know for sure what works best for you.

Learning to fight at night is FAR more involved than just deciding "handheld or pistol-mounted?"

+ 1

I've taken several low-light defensive shooting classes, handgun and long gun. In addition we occasionally shoot low light IDPA stages (Hand held only), and I get to shoot low-light at my place. I've trained and practiced the common HH techniques. Note that several; Harries, Rogers, place the light parallel to the bore, so that light might as well be mounted as far as risk of sweeping goes. Neck Index, puts the light next to your head, and does nothing to aid aiming ad recoil mitigation. FBI, while keeping the light away from you, also does nothing to aid shooting, nor recoil mitigation.

For HH techniques:

IF I'm searching I like Harries, because it's quick to disengage the flashlight.

IF I know I'm going to shoot, like in a stage, I like Roger's because it's better for recoil management.

IF I have my druthers, my light will be mounted. It's like cheating.

Modern tactical lights have a lot of "spill" and can be used to ID things at the "low ready" without sweeping.

My HD guns wear mounted lights, have HH lights stored with them, and I carry HH lights with my CCW pistol.

I believe there is such thing as too much of a good thing for HD, when it comes to lumens and around 300-500 is fine for indoors. You'll get bounce back as it is with every shiny surface you hit.

My advice mirrors above, take a class and learn how to use a light.

 

[kidneyboy]

Lots of lumens (painfully bright) on both the WML and the handheld works for me in my house. I use a light/laser combo. The extra weight on the front of a pistol mitigates recoil, for me anyway.

One fear is that the light will give away your position. Folks, we aren't assassins trying to sneak up on someone and I'm not a cop trying to sneak up on a suspect and arrest him. I WANT an intruder in my home to know I'm there and armed. Chances are good that is enough to get them to leave. If so, mission accomplished, and I've saved myself from a lot of headaches, paperwork, lawyers, and investigations to prove the shooting was justified.

^^^^^^^^
What he said.

 

[Corpral_Agarn]

Handheld for finding out what's going on

Weapon mounted light for addressing known threats.


A weapon mounted light is huge shooting advantage. Find a place where you can try both in an actual low light environment.

 

[Shawn Dodson]

Any tactical advantage, if there is one, to having a WML on a CCW pistol is outweighed by the potential legal risk of being arrested and prosecuted for felony aggravated assault if you point your loaded pistol at somebody that you aren't legally allowed to point it at or a witness(es) reports you pointed your gun at somebody when you used the WML in attempt to identify your target or "search" with it.

There are no laws that I know of that prohibit you from pointing a handheld flashlight at anybody to see who they are.

A WML on a home defense gun - no problems legally, however keep in mind that you could end up pointing death at a loved one whenever you use the WML without also using verbal challenges as part of your threat identification process.

 

[Mauser lover]

For my HD gun, both. I have a light on my nightstand gun, and I also have a light on my nightstand. I can use the light in my left hand, gun in my right. If I need to, I can drop (or throw) the light and use just the mounted light if I need both hands on my gun. I still have a light at that point, and I didn’t need to point my gun at anything to see it. If I never use the light on the gun, at least it helps with muzzle climb.

For carry, I just have a light in my pocket, and tritium sights on the gun.

 

[mavracer]

If you already have handhelds what would be the disadvantage to having a second light on the weapon?

 

[tws3b2]

It's dark. You are looking for the bad guy in the dark. You don't know where he is in the dark. You hold your gun up in front of your face and turn on the light so to see and to be ready for the bad guy in the dark.
Did you Not just put a very nice Bullseye in front of your face, In The Dark?
Just saying.
Do what you gotta do.

 

[CoalCrackerAl]

It's dark. You are looking for the bad guy in the dark. You don't know where he is in the dark. You hold your gun up in front of your face and turn on the light so to see and to be ready for the bad guy in the dark.
Did you Not just put a very nice Bullseye in front of your face, In The Dark?
Just saying.
Do what you gotta do.

That is how a feel too about weapon mounted lights.

 

[Telekinesis]

The correct answer is to have both. That way you have a normal handheld flashlight for normal use things, and you have a weapon mounted light for shooting. Never use a weapon mounted light as just a flashlight.

From a shooting perspective, it is much easier to shoot with a weapon mounted light than it is with a handheld. There are several techniques that allow you to kind of maintain a two handed grip while also holding a light, but they all compromise your grip slightly at best, and at worst you’re just shooting strong hand only. It is slower and less precise to use a handheld.

Another thing to consider is that a WML puts weight forward of your hand and below the barrel. This reduces muzzle rise and perceived recoil. Competitive shooters (depending on class) often use WMLs even when they’re shooting during the day because it helps them get back on target quicker than if their gun didn’t have it. So there are advantages even if you’re not actually using the light for illumination.

The “you point a gun at whatever you illuminate with a WML” argument may have been valid at one point, but it hasn’t been true for at least a decade, if not longer. We’re not talking about maglites or even early 60 lumen Surefires. We’re talking about 500-100+ lumen spotlights that are designed to have both a spot and a flood combined in the same light. You certainly can identify people and things without pointing your gun at everything in the room.



Anyway, I second the advice to go to a low light shooting class. I guarantee you’ll come away with two things:
1) shooting with a WML is much easier than shooting with a handheld flashlight

2) the choice of WML vs handheld is only a small part of low light / no light shooting. You’d be surprised how difficult basic things like weapons manipulation, reloads, malfunction clearances, and even just holstering your gun are when you can’t cheat by taking a quick glance at it.

Go get some training.

 

[mavracer]

The myth you need to sweep your gun level needs to go away.

Absolutely
Pretty easy in a dark room
To utilize splash from a WML at the low ready to tell the threat from the non threat.

And yet multiple folks spreading the myth here.

Lots of lumens (painfully bright) on both the WML and the handheld works for me in my house.

Have you tested this from dark adjusted vision. IMHO too much can be detrimental when your eyes are dark adjusted.

 

[The Night Rider]

I have zero experience with a WML. If you stop reading right now I will not be offended.

The only person I'm aware of who has compiled any database on Citizen Defender shootings in the United States is Tom Givens.

His database is 66.

One person was caught off guard and robbed. he gave up his wallet and the robber left. No shots fired.

Three people were unarmed and were murdered.

Sixty Two fought back and won/survived.

No percentage was given but "Most" of the fights occurred during the hours of darkness (6PM to 6AM) in Well Lit parking lots (gas stations/convenience stores (which carries its own lesson) ).

Givens said he was unaware of any fight in which a WML was even a factor.

I worked as a security guard for 15 years, mostly at night. My employer forbade employees from altering issued handguns in any way, no WMLs.

I don't remember ever being anywhere in the city besides the Graveyard where I didn't have sufficient light to see my sights.

I don't leave home w/out a handheld light but I've never felt the need for a WML

 

[kidneyboy]

Have you tested this from dark adjusted vision. IMHO too much can be detrimental when your eyes are dark adjusted.

Yep. Not my first rodeo.