Attached light or handheld?

[Reyort]

I suppose if I had to carry a light, I would carry a maglight. Bright, directional light, and the 4 D cell batteries give it excellent "stopping power," if you get my meaning. But the way my house is laid out and the way we have certain lights on at night, I can identify my target without a flashlight. The only thing I might add to my gun are night sights, nothing more.

Some houses and their layout/lighting situations may require it. The bottom line, pressure activated, strobing, or whatever, when that light comes on, the perp immediately knows where you are at. At that point he might move to a place of cover. So if a person can flip on a light, identify a target, and squeeze off a round in a split second, then please point me in the direction of some drills or training I can get because right now that is a bit beyond me.

I just prefer having the darkest part of my house being my bedroom, the rest of the house a low ambient light. My thinking is if I had to come out of my point of refuge, then I want to be under the cover of darkness while the perp is easily identifiable from the light of the rest of the house. In my case the flashlight would undermine my planned tactical defense.

As always, I am open to advice though.

[community]

hand held for me. never on my weapon. just trained that way.

[Reyort]

Originally Posted by StrangerDanger

Seek training. Upon your first encounter with night shooting, you'll find out how hard it is to be effective during the night. If you're using the constant on setting of any light/laser, you're doing it wrong. It is a momentary device that allows you to ID your target before firing. Having the weapon light mounted to the pistol allows you to hold the weapon in a proper two handed stance. Try using a hand held light and shooting. It's not so easy. You won't be as effective.

On my carry rig, on duty and off duty, I carry both a hand held light and a weapon mounted light. I also keep the lanyard on my flash light so I can drop it if needed, and still have access to it.

I've used most of the lights on the market. My absolute favorite is the Surefire X300 and X400 series. The main reason I prefer them over all others is the optional DG remote activation momentary switch. It basically allows you to control your light output as you would a CTC laser grip. You have absolute momentary control over the light/laser. Even with only one hand, you can control the weapon light. The system is completely ambidextrous also. No other system offers this. It's not a tape switch like you imagine. It's a molded rigid piece of rubberized plastic that conforms to the bottom of the trigger guard. It then puts the momentary activation button directly under your middle finger on the grip. By squeezing your grip, you can control the output. It works very well. We have the same setup on our XD45 Service models also.

Holsters have came a long way in the past few years for light mounted pistols. I really like my Raven Concealment holster. The retention is great. It is fairly compact for what it is.


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3514/...3d508009_b.jpg


http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2578/...9a946f9d_b.jpg
Springfield Armory XDm 9mm with a Surefire X400 weapon light and it's remote DG switch. The light is a Surefire LX2 200 lumen torch.

And of course, the advice comes right after I hit post.

[Cuda66]

Originally Posted by Reyort

I suppose if I had to carry a light, I would carry a maglight. Bright, directional light, and the 4 D cell batteries give it excellent "stopping power," if you get my meaning. But the way my house is laid out and the way we have certain lights on at night, I can identify my target without a flashlight. The only thing I might add to my gun are night sights, nothing more.

Some houses and their layout/lighting situations may require it. The bottom line, pressure activated, strobing, or whatever, when that light comes on, the perp immediately knows where you are at. At that point he might move to a place of cover. So if a person can flip on a light, identify a target, and squeeze off a round in a split second, then please point me in the direction of some drills or training I can get because right now that is a bit beyond me.

I just prefer having the darkest part of my house being my bedroom, the rest of the house a low ambient light. My thinking is if I had to come out of my point of refuge, then I want to be under the cover of darkness while the perp is easily identifiable from the light of the rest of the house. In my case the flashlight would undermine my planned tactical defense.

As always, I am open to advice though.

If you mean "stopping power" as a club, sure, maybe...but if I have a firearm in my other hand, I think I'd use that, first...and, should it come to it, I think strike bezels would prove rather nasty in a scrum...

If you mean by pure, blinding light...I'll take 200 lumens of Surefire over any Maglight ever made, period.

[COB]

Hey guys thanks for all the opinions so far i'm still on the edge of wether to get one or not.
The local shop had these "NEBO" LED lights that are pretty good for the money(8 bucks ).

**
Rugged Construction Aircraft Grade Aluminum Water Resistant Anodized Body
Powerful LED Light Single LED Rated at 35 Lumens- 110,000Hr LED life
Compact Design 3/4" x 3-3/4" body fits easily in your pocket.
Easy to use in the Dark Large glow-in-the-dark button is easy to find and press - even when wearing gloves.
Aggressive Self-Defense Face The aggressive face can be used to defend yourself (please use caution when using flashlight)
1 AA Batteries included

I'm sure it's a POS compared to a Surefire or TLR but that sh!t is bright with a good light pattern! For now i'm going to practice with it and pick up a better light or two for the real deal..

Saw a video on youtube about pistol attached light tactics and looked pretty cool but mostly it was aimed at LEOs or room clearing squads and the sort as in you need both hands.. Still debating if it will be necessary for my HD purposes but I will take my time deciding

[StrangerDanger]

The only reason I would consider a large maglight is if I lived somewhere where most weapons are forbidden. Even then, it would be left in the car. Who is going to carry a maglight off duty?
In your house, you should be opting for more force than an impact weapon. I like handguns in a home due to their compact nature. They're easier to keep away from an attacker than a rifle or shotgun. They're more handy in small rooms and offer a quicker reaction time. This rings true due to the fact that SBR's and SBS's are not easy to obtain. I have each, I still prefer the pistol in CQB. Think arms reach to 10 feet.
Chances are, you're more likely to have the pistol nearby than a long gun. Consider if you carry concealed. Who has access to a shotgun at arms reach?

I recommend you set some B27 targets up at night. Have someone arrange them with a shoot or no shoot type marker. This is better if you have a shoot house, but if you can find a place in the woods or the desert, it'll work. Training centers that offer this are few and far between. Plus expensive. So work with what you've got.

Now engage the targets. No light. Hand held light and pistol. Draw from a holster and your light option from how you carry it. Discover all the hang ups. Do this from on the ground on your back, like if you were pushed to the ground.

We have a beater car that is in the desert. We sit inside and arrange the targets around it. Draw from inside the car, seated and with the seat belt on. Sucks huh?
Where's that 8 pound maglight? In the trunk? How often do you fumble for the door handle when getting out of your car at night? See what happens if you have the window up vs. down when you set off 200 lumens. Have you tried to crawl out the passenger side before? Try not to break your cup holder.

Subject yourself to the light output of the light you're carrying. This will show you what effect you're having on your target. Imagine if you could return accurate fire with 200 lumens in your eyes. Watch them as they move. Try to anticipate their movements.

It is important to have someone else rearrange the target layout. You want the element of surprise during the training. You don't want a walk through where you know where all the bad guys are.

If you have no intention to train with the light, it will have very limited benefit. You'll have the ability to ID a target, but you may expose yourself. A light is a serious tool of misdirection. You can change the game so that they are now reacting to you, rather than you to them. This puts them behind the curve of the OODA loop.

[Cuda66]

Originally Posted by COB

Hey guys thanks for all the opinions so far i'm still on the edge of wether to get one or not.
The local shop had these "NEBO" LED lights that are pretty good for the money(8 bucks ).

**
Rugged Construction Aircraft Grade Aluminum Water Resistant Anodized Body
Powerful LED Light Single LED Rated at 35 Lumens- 110,000Hr LED life
Compact Design 3/4" x 3-3/4" body fits easily in your pocket.
Easy to use in the Dark Large glow-in-the-dark button is easy to find and press - even when wearing gloves.
Aggressive Self-Defense Face The aggressive face can be used to defend yourself (please use caution when using flashlight)
1 AA Batteries included

I'm sure it's a POS compared to a Surefire or TLR but that sh!t is bright with a good light pattern! For now i'm going to practice with it and pick up a better light or two for the real deal..

Saw a video on youtube about pistol attached light tactics and looked pretty cool but mostly it was aimed at LEOs or room clearing squads and the sort as in you need both hands.. Still debating if it will be necessary for my HD purposes but I will take my time deciding

Wow. 35 lumens. That may cause your attacker to squint a little bit...maybe.

Get a decent G2L; yes, you could buy 7 or 8 of your Nebos for that...but why go cheap on something you may be relying on to save your life?

And, fwiw, weapon-mounted lights have their place & time, and it's not just for SWAT teams anymore...find a good instructor and learn why.

[Joeywhat]

Small lights are great because they fit in your pocket and go everywhere with you.

They also work well as a weapon if needed. You can open someone up pretty good with a light...and they used to make nice serrated bevels for lights as well so you could REALLY get some purchase on someone and cause some damage...but don't see those offered anymore.

I know a few guys with such lights and they love them for airplane rides. Closest thing to a weapon you'll ever get on a plane...legally, at least.

[Cuda66]

Originally Posted by Joeywhat

Small lights are great because they fit in your pocket and go everywhere with you.

They also work well as a weapon if needed. You can open someone up pretty good with a light...and they used to make nice serrated bevels for lights as well so you could REALLY get some purchase on someone and cause some damage...but don't see those offered anymore.

I know a few guys with such lights and they love them for airplane rides. Closest thing to a weapon you'll ever get on a plane...legally, at least.

Yep. Just flew a couple weeks ago with my E2DL clipped on my carryon bag; TSA never even blinked...made more of a fuss over my CPAP.

[StrangerDanger]

You can get a Surefire LX2 brand new on eBay for 160 dollars shipped pretty easy. 200 lumens and a dual stage no BS tail cap. Tasking light of 25 lumens is good for 47 hours. High output second stage is 200 lumens for 2.5 hours. Basic 123A batteries that can be had for 1.25 each when bought in bulk.

35 lumens is too low. My old Surefire Aviator A2 had a max output of 50 lumens. Too low in my opinion. It cost more than the LX2 too. The LX2 comes with the lanyard too. Many Surefire lights do not. This costs 15 dollars. The belt clip on the LX2 is great. Best clip they ever made.