So I went and got my first EDC light, a Jetbeam BA-10. I know I know - made in China! Someday I will buy our expensive flashlights
There are some issues that I've heard floating around that seem contradictory as I was trying out the light in the house at night.
Many people feel tritium sights are a must to shoot straight at night.
Many people feel a flashlight is a must to identify the target at night.
It is probably better to have both (the more tools the better ).
It seems like you could do with just a flashlight for this reason: in the bright beam of a flashlight, pistol sights can be used as traditional iron sights as they are backlit. The non-tritium 3 dot format probably won't be so helpful at that time unless you backlight yourself (bad). And considering how bright flashlights can be - is it possible to notice the subtle glow of tritium sights when a flashlight is on?
That last sentence is a genuine question because I don't have tritium sights and am curious.
I've seen advocates of shooting techniques where the defender will momentarily flash the light, shoot, and then move. Or flash the light, move, and then shoot. I don't quite remember which it was but another question about that involves tritium sights - for those with tritium sights - do you find that your eyes can transition from the bright light of a lit target to the soft glow of 3 dots of tritium?
And the last issue I'd like to bring up for discussion throws another variable in the mix. Muzzle flash. Some folks are pretty concerned about muzzle flash and it influences their loads, caliber or even revolver vs. pistol. We're concerned about it blinding us. If such a short flash can blind us, it would seem that once someone turns on their flashlight they are deliberately sacrificing their "night vision" for the remainder of the encounter and are dependent on the flashlight. - oh but wait - it's crucial to be able to identify a target clearly. So it seems that if you are equipped with a flashlight and intend to use it at all, muzzle flash is no longer an issue - as the flash is probably not brighter than a clearly lit target.
To sum it up we've got some issues here that may or may not play well together. Flashlight vs. night sights vs. muzzle flash vs. the need to ID the target. I didn't mention lasers because I do believe I could see the red laser even in the hotspot of my light as they're a bit brighter than tritium - plays well with flashlight.
I can imagine 1 situation where I may feel like I do not need to ID a target well enough to make out facial features - if I hear someone shouldering the door down at night - or more likely breaking through the glass in the door to reach the lock. If they do not respond verbally, my wife is asleep next to me (or awake), and I can make out their silhouette, this may be incorrect but I feel like I would not necessarily need to know more to consider a shot. (Does anyone want to propose a hearing impaired drunkard who got an address mixed up and intends to sleep in my bed but is coordinated enough to Break in + Enter? )
So - any thoughts? Any particular situations where you find some of your night-shooting aids more or less helpful?
There are some issues that I've heard floating around that seem contradictory as I was trying out the light in the house at night.
Many people feel tritium sights are a must to shoot straight at night.
Many people feel a flashlight is a must to identify the target at night.
It is probably better to have both (the more tools the better ).
It seems like you could do with just a flashlight for this reason: in the bright beam of a flashlight, pistol sights can be used as traditional iron sights as they are backlit. The non-tritium 3 dot format probably won't be so helpful at that time unless you backlight yourself (bad). And considering how bright flashlights can be - is it possible to notice the subtle glow of tritium sights when a flashlight is on?
That last sentence is a genuine question because I don't have tritium sights and am curious.
I've seen advocates of shooting techniques where the defender will momentarily flash the light, shoot, and then move. Or flash the light, move, and then shoot. I don't quite remember which it was but another question about that involves tritium sights - for those with tritium sights - do you find that your eyes can transition from the bright light of a lit target to the soft glow of 3 dots of tritium?
And the last issue I'd like to bring up for discussion throws another variable in the mix. Muzzle flash. Some folks are pretty concerned about muzzle flash and it influences their loads, caliber or even revolver vs. pistol. We're concerned about it blinding us. If such a short flash can blind us, it would seem that once someone turns on their flashlight they are deliberately sacrificing their "night vision" for the remainder of the encounter and are dependent on the flashlight. - oh but wait - it's crucial to be able to identify a target clearly. So it seems that if you are equipped with a flashlight and intend to use it at all, muzzle flash is no longer an issue - as the flash is probably not brighter than a clearly lit target.
To sum it up we've got some issues here that may or may not play well together. Flashlight vs. night sights vs. muzzle flash vs. the need to ID the target. I didn't mention lasers because I do believe I could see the red laser even in the hotspot of my light as they're a bit brighter than tritium - plays well with flashlight.
I can imagine 1 situation where I may feel like I do not need to ID a target well enough to make out facial features - if I hear someone shouldering the door down at night - or more likely breaking through the glass in the door to reach the lock. If they do not respond verbally, my wife is asleep next to me (or awake), and I can make out their silhouette, this may be incorrect but I feel like I would not necessarily need to know more to consider a shot. (Does anyone want to propose a hearing impaired drunkard who got an address mixed up and intends to sleep in my bed but is coordinated enough to Break in + Enter? )
So - any thoughts? Any particular situations where you find some of your night-shooting aids more or less helpful?