weapon lights

I know the flashlight peddlers will not agree, but my trainer pointed out what should be obvious if going into a dark area where trouble might be lurking, the easiest and best way to illuminate the scene is simply to turn on the lights. You might be at a temporary disadvantage, but so is he and you are expecting the light, he is not.

In your home, you know where the light switches are and where the furniture is, he does not. So, unless the power is out, why mess with a flashlight that shows only part of the scene and provides a target. Just turn on the lights.
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I absolutely cannot imagine why I'd want to place myself on even ground with the bad guy I'm trying to find, whether he's in my home or in a home I'm clearing. I want every single advantage I can beg, steal, or borrow. Turning on the overhead lights and blinding the both of us is exactly what I would avoid at all costs.

And if some trainer is telling you that, I'd suggest he probably he find a trainer himself.

Sorry if that doesn't fit in with your grand idea about those evil flashlight salesmen.
 
I had a Streamlight TLR-3 mounted on my Glock 22. Worked great. Nice bright light, you didn't have to turn it on unless you wanted to, super bright.

It was a home-defense-only gun, so no concerns about finding a special holster for it.

I made sure to practice with the light attached, and it didn't seem to affect the operation or the accuracy of the gun.

Only problem was that the clip where it attached to the rail broke, so it's now useless as a gun light though still a handy little flashlight. I don't know if that was from the .40cal recoil or if I over-tightened it.

Sure seemed like a good idea to me. I wasn't going to be walking around the house in the dark with the thing on all the time. The intent would be to "pulse" the light as needed to check a room or corner, or leave full on if I in fact encountered an intruder.

Nice additional fact is that whatever was right in the middle of that bright circle was going to be point of impact, so it made a good point-shooting tool as well.

I've had power outages that have lasted days or even weeks, and I'd rather have that than try to use a candle.
 
JC, Straight products carry a lifetime warranty and their customer service has been great IME. Shoot them an email and they will get back to you rather quickly.

Sent from my HTC One X
 
I can think of several good reasons not to mount a light on a handgun.

1. Another distraction I don't need
2. I would be too embarrassed to show up at the range and practice with a "tac-light" dangling from my handgun. And, if I'm not willing to practice with a flashlight dangling form my handgun, how do I know what it will shoot like if I ever really need to use that gun?
3. A flashlight generally makes a gun which is capable of being operated with only 1 hand a 2-handed Albatross.
4. Forget CC with a dangling flashlight
5. For the cost of a "tac-light" I can buy 100 similar lights at Harbor Freight.
6. My house has light switches and light fixtures.
 
For all the disadvantages of giving away your position with a light on your gun, in close distances the light can actually blind your target and be an advantage. The only reason I don't have a light on my pistols is because I refuse to pay $150+ when the $30 flashlight sitting on my nightstand does just fine.
 
Do your lamps come on automatically at night or do you get up when the power goes out and turn all these lamps on? (In the dark)
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No they don't come on automatically.
But if the power goes out I'll just retire to the bedroom with my wife. ;)


You are right, but a flashlight beam can be directed into the shadows. Unless your house is perfectly round interior, no light source can illuminate everything, particularly lights from outside.
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What, ninjas in the shadows?
You're really just grasping at straws now.


So anyone breaking into your home will be shot no matter what?
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NC GENERAL STATUTE 14 51.1. Use of deadly physical force against an intruder. (This is commonly called the "Castle Doctrine.")

(a) A lawful occupant within a home or other place of residence is justified in using any degree of force that the occupant reasonably believes is necessary, including deadly force, against an intruder to prevent a forcible entry into the home or residence or to terminate the intruder's unlawful entry (i) if the occupant reasonably apprehends that the intruder may kill or inflict serious bodily harm to the occupant or others in the home or residence, or (ii) if the occupant reasonably believes that the intruder intends to commit a felony in the home or residence.

(b) A lawful occupant within a home or other place of residence does not have a duty to retreat from an intruder in the circumstances described in this section.


You have no relatives/friends/etc whatsoever that might gain entry into your home that you would not want to shoot?
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I don't know your living situation, but my family and friends ring the door bell.
And they almost always call first to see if I'm home before dropping by.
NO ONE in my family and NONE of my friends would ever break in to my home, especially in the middle of the night.



Maybe the lights are that bright in your area, but even when I lived in a subdivision the lights weren't bright enough that I could tell who a person was or if they were armed.
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Again, only my wife and myself should be in my home, in the middle if the night, in the dark.

Do you mean to say that you actually have friends that come by unexpected, break in to your house or come inside your house without knocking or ringing the door bell, in the middle of the night, and then hide in the darkened house just waiting for you to find them?!?!



I personally couldn't stand trying to sleep in a house that was lit up like daylight inside. It is pitch black in my house at night.
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It's not like daylight, but sure isn't that dark either.

The good thing is that if I need to get up in the middle of the night (use the bathroom, insomnia, forgot to brush my teeth, late night snack, whatever...) I don't even need to turn on any lights that might wake the wife.

Just the ambient light from outside and the few night lights in the house are plenty.



PG
 
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Yeah, I've heard the same arguments, mostly from my grandpa. I think he is under the impression we are just strapping a little Maglite or something. No one has ever doubted the utility of a weapon mounted, purpose built defensive white light after taking 90 to 125 lumens to the face. These lights are powerful enough to make you see spots in a well-lit room. Anyone who thinks they are shooting anything on purpose after having their night vision destroyed and their retinas seered just isn't being realistic.

Whether you use a seperate light or a weapon mounted light, you have to identify the target before you shoot. Anything less is irresponsible, immoral, and illegal. The ability to have one hand free to open doors, operate a cell phone, grapple with someone that manages to get a little too close, or whatever else is required is one of the key advantages of using a handgun for such situations. Using a seperate handheld light negates this advantage. The Insight M3X I keep on my G20 10mm does not, and this is why I advocate weapon mounted lights.

The "specialist" at your FFL is a clown, as is anyone who suggests a $30 light from Walmart can serve the same purpose as effectively as the more expensive, purpose designed units. Pure and simple. Cops and soldiers don't invest hundreds of dollars of their own money on Surefires even if they aren't issued them because they want to be shot at more or have nothing better to spend their money on than a $200 flashlight.
 
Whether you use a seperate light or a weapon mounted light, you have to identify the target before you shoot. Anything less is irresponsible, immoral, and illegal.
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Not true.

No one has a right to be in my home without my permission or without a court order.

Any reasonable man would have good reason to believe that anyone breaking in to an occupied home could only have evil intentions....murder perhaps, rape perhaps, armed robbery perhaps...all felonies.
And there is certainly nothing irresponsible or immoral about shooting such a person without first lighting up their face with a flashlight.

As for the legality of doing such a thing....shooting an intruder who forces his way in to my home in the dark of the night....I'll take my chances with a jury.
 
Can you clearly ID the target without a light? If no, you need a light.

Pros and cons of having it mounted:
Pro: allows both hands on the weapon
You don't have to find the light in the middle of the night
Leaves a free hand for the phone, door, light switch, etc
Points where the muzzle points

Cons:
Points where the muzzle points
Doesn't give you that 18-30 inches of stand off that you get with a handheld light
 
What, ninjas in the shadows?
You're really just grasping at straws now.
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You have obviously done zero low light training, with or without a flashlight.

Again, only my wife and myself should be in my home, in the middle if the night, in the dark.

Do you mean to say that you actually have friends that come by unexpected, break in to your house or come inside your house without knocking or ringing the door bell, in the middle of the night, and then hide in the darkened house just waiting for you to find them?!?!
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I cannot guarantee with 100% certainty that I will always lock every door in my house, every night. That I turn on my security system. That a family member who has a key doesn't stop by to check on me because I am not answering my phone. That some stupid teenager isn't breaking in to steal something because he thought I wasn't home. That my wife isn't coming home early from a trip and forgot to let me know or thought that I was visiting my parents (this has specifically happened to me).

You and I must have different moral codes.

Personally, I never want to take someone else's life unless I absolutely have to. The thought that I might kill someone that I know or love or even just a random person that has no intentions of hurting me or my family because I didn't identify them or notice that they were unarmed because I refused to use a flashlight to identify them first fills me with disgust.

I hope that you never have to be in that type of situation.

Good luck to you.
 
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If you can't see it, you shouldn't shoot at it (exceptions for the military, of course). I have a hand held flashlight but opinions obviously differ on this.
 
I have both weapon mounted (long guns) and handheld (pistols). Use to have it on pistols too but I did not like the amount of light it gave off (too dim). Lights have their uses. Don't shoot if you can't see your target.
 
Tapout shirt wearing range ninja's are just that. Not people I would take advice from.

I have weapon mounted lights on my home defense and extreme situation rifle. My HD pistol uses a weapon mounted light. I use my trigger finger to flash check areas as I move through out the house. If my light goes on and off you, as an intruder, you can bet when the night blindness clears, you will be holding some lead and I will have moved positions. When you see the light come on again, you best be stopped.

Same mentality with the rifle.

I carry a separate light with my CCW. It can work the same, but most likely it will be use to confirm a BG'S stopped status. More of a confirmation light to confirm the BG is stopped and weapon free.
 
You have obviously done zero low light training, with or without a flashlight.
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You're wrong.
I have.
If I'm hiding in a building, and you're clearing the building with a flashlight, I'll "kill" you every time.
In training I've seen it happen time and time again.


I cannot guarantee with 100% certainty that I will always lock every door in my house, every night.
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Why not?
Before I go to bed, I walk through the house and check the doors and windows.
I don't have a humongous home so it only takes a couple of minutes.
You care enough about your security to get a firearm, to put a light on your firearm, to get an alarm system, but you can't be bothered to check the doors before going to bed?

That a family member who has a key doesn't stop by to check on me because I am not answering my phone.
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Why wouldn't a family member simply knock on the door or ring the door bell?
Do your family members know that you are armed?
If so, then it seems incredibly stupid for them to simply let themselves in unannounced, knowing that you are armed.
And wouldn't they turn on some light once they were inside your home?
Why would they creep around your home in the dark?
This makes no sense whatsoever.


That some stupid teenager isn't breaking in to steal something because he thought I wasn't home.
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And how would you know that the stupid teenager wasn't there to kill you?
This might come as a shock to you, but teenagers have been known to rape and kill just like adults.


That my wife isn't coming home early from a trip and forgot to let me know or thought that I was visiting my parents (this has specifically happened to me).
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So she quietly crept in to the darkened house and kept the lights out?
And you were just sitting in the dark at home?
And did you "light her up" with your weapon mounted light?

This is just nonsense.

You and I must have different moral codes.

Personally, I never want to take someone else's life unless I absolutely have to. The thought that I might kill someone that I know or love or even just a random person that has no intentions of hurting me or my family because I didn't identify them or notice that they were unarmed because I refused to use a flashlight to identify them first fills me with disgust.
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When someone invades another's home, THEY have chosen to place their life in jeopardy.
I don't want to kill anyone, but I'm not going to endanger my life by stopping to ask an intruder what his intentions are.

I keep my doors locked.
Family and friends don't force their way in to my home.
And anyone who does can only have evil intentions in mind.

Your mentality just baffles me.
 
That some stupid teenager isn't breaking in to steal something because he thought I wasn't home.
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I am all for using lights on my weapon, but this is neither here nor there in that argument.

Whether I have a light on or not, breaking into my home makes you a threat to me, and you will be dealt with appropriately. If someone breaks into my home, it is not required of me to know his intentions; what is required of me is to keep myself and my family safe, which I will do or I will die trying.
 
Not true.

No one has a right to be in my home without my permission or without a court order.
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Your wife does.

Furthermore, if you admit someone with a court order has a right to be in your home without your permission, then you would do well to make a reasonable effort to determine if the person you're getting ready to shoot might be someone with a court order.
So she quietly crept in to the darkened house and kept the lights out?
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Although that kind of thing has happened and resulted in a family member being shot, there are other scenarios where a family member could get shot in the dark if one doesn't take the time to identify targets before firing.
Why wouldn't a family member simply knock on the door or ring the door bell?
Do your family members know that you are armed?
If so, then it seems incredibly stupid for them to simply let themselves in unannounced, knowing that you are armed.
And wouldn't they turn on some light once they were inside your home?
Why would they creep around your home in the dark?
This makes no sense whatsoever.
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People have been known to do things that make no sense whatsoever. The fact that their actions are foolish/senseless does NOT provide moral justification for shooting them.
No.
Very very rare.
And I have plenty of battery powered lamps.
They have a light sensor.
It gets dark, they switch on.
Not so far.
Perfect light coverage?
Like the perfect light coverage one would get from a light on the end of their pistol?
Absolutely not.
I keep my doors locked.
To enter my home without my consent one would have to break in.
No one can enter my home by "accident".
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It doesn't matter how hard anyone tries to justify it or how well they can rationalize in an attempt to make it sound reasonable, shooting without identifying the target is irresponsible.

You may not need a weaponlight to effect the identification, but there does need to be some effective method employed.
 
Your wife does.
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Yes, she does.
And she also knows that I am armed.
And she doesn't creep in to the house, in the dark, and keep the lights off, and just wait to see if I might find her or not.

Anyone who acts in this manner is insane.


Furthermore, if you admit someone with a court order has a right to be in your home without your permission, then you would do well to make a reasonable effort to determine if the person you're getting ready to shoot might be someone with a court order.
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So, the police have a search warrant and have entered my home by force.
Do you recommend pointing a loaded pistol, with a light affixed, at the police?!?!
That will get you killed.
 
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