So I had a conversation with somebody about pistol lights and figured I’d advocate for why you need one on your EDC gun. Doubtless all of us have carried at night at some point, probably through a parking lot, probably to your car that’s not parked under a streetlight. If something pops off in the dark unless you have night sights, it’s gonna be hard to find your sights quickly. The stats show that nearly 80 percent of violent attacks happen at night. Also one of the rules of firearm safety is know your target and its surroundings. If you have a pistol light you have the ability to illuminate your target and its surroundings even if the light is indirectly illuminating the target. If something pops off in your house at night, most of us probably won’t be going around turning every light on as we search for the intruder. Some make the claim that the bad guy will shoot at the light. Well as an example of why that idea isn’t exactly legitimate I had a bright flashlight pointed in my eyes and I can say I couldn’t see the guy pointing the flashlight. So a bad guy most likely won’t be shooting at a light. We carry weapons because we’d rather have them and not need them than need them and not have them. We might as well have the light and not need it than need it and not have it.
Pistol lights
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LukeTheMan
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So I had a conversation with somebody about pistol lights and figured I’d advocate for why you need one on your EDC gun. Doubtless all of us have carried at night at some point, probably through a parking lot, probably to your car that’s not parked under a streetlight. If something pops off in the dark unless you have night sights, it’s gonna be hard to find your sights quickly. The stats show that nearly 80 percent of violent attacks happen at night. Also one of the rules of firearm safety is know your target and its surroundings. If you have a pistol light you have the ability to illuminate your target and its surroundings even if the light is indirectly illuminating the target. If something pops off in your house at night, most of us probably won’t be going around turning every light on as we search for the intruder. Some make the claim that the bad guy will shoot at the light. Well as an example of why that idea isn’t exactly legitimate I had a bright flashlight pointed in my eyes and I can say I couldn’t see the guy pointing the flashlight. So a bad guy most likely won’t be shooting at a light. We carry weapons because we’d rather have them and not need them than need them and not have them. We might as well have the light and not need it than need it and not have it.
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I have transitioned to carrying a very bright pocket light , very few defensive scenarios would have me searching with a gun light, as a uniformed Cop they come up a lot more than they would EDC.
A better alternative for most people is a light that you can use independent of your firearm.
A better alternative for most people is a light that you can use independent of your firearm.
A WML offers the user options. A WML and a handheld light aren't mutually exclusive and one can have both. And a WML is useful when it's not possible to hold a handheld light.
There are training classes available as well. The 'umbrella' technique can be useful.
There are training classes available as well. The 'umbrella' technique can be useful.
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If "something pops off", it's helpful to have some training and reinforced practice upon which to rely. This includes the use of gear, and especially if it revolves around the use of a weapon.
WML's have their advantages and disadvantages. Ditto hand held lights.
WML's attached to pistols require the use of WML-capable holsters. This can introduce considerations that may, or may not, affect concealment options and choices. Carrying a hand held light requires some thought, too.
Choosing the gear (lights) which best suit your anticipated needs is your choice.
I often carry either a J-frame snub or a LCP (pocket-holstered), so hand held lights are my default choice. Less than half of my pistols have the ability to accept WML's, but more importantly, none of the holsters I use will accept a WML being attached. I have no plans to ever acquire either a WML or a WML-capable concealment holster.
Granted, while my former agency authorized the use of WML's, I didn't carry/use one for my plainclothes assignment. I cleared literally thousands of structures with the use of hand held lights in that role, so I have a little experience and training upon which to rely in that regard. If anything, the availability of increasingly better and more versatile lights has reinforced my continuation of carrying hand held lights in my retirement, and having them in our house.
OP, if you can locate an affordable training venue for WML use, it might answer any questions you might have (or don't yet know to ask
) about this topic, and give you some perspective and insight into answering such questions for your perceived needs.
FWIW, when I was helping conduct night training, involving the use of both patrol rifles and transitioning to handguns, there were some folks caught by surprise when their WML's failed during some of the training drills, when they needed them the most. Training to encounter such a problem might be prudent ... as is having a Plan B, Plan C, etc.
Also FWIW, while the average person may be momentarily blinded and/or disoriented by a bright light beam (or 'wall of light', etc) being directed in their face, it's not like armed suspects haven't been able to quickly shoot at LE using lights. Lights aren't cover. That's just one of the reasons there are techniques and tactics often taught to LE revolving around the use of lights, including vehicular lights, WML's and hand held types.
WML's? Yes, No & Maybe. Depends.
If nothing else, learning how to avoid mistakes (including self-induced tactical problems), involving the use of WML's is arguably worth the cost of learning about in a class.
Or, someone can buy one, attach it to their light and hope for the best. Ditto hand held lights.
TANSTAAFL (Search online if you aren't familiar with the term. )
WML's have their advantages and disadvantages. Ditto hand held lights.
WML's attached to pistols require the use of WML-capable holsters. This can introduce considerations that may, or may not, affect concealment options and choices. Carrying a hand held light requires some thought, too.
Choosing the gear (lights) which best suit your anticipated needs is your choice.
I often carry either a J-frame snub or a LCP (pocket-holstered), so hand held lights are my default choice. Less than half of my pistols have the ability to accept WML's, but more importantly, none of the holsters I use will accept a WML being attached. I have no plans to ever acquire either a WML or a WML-capable concealment holster.
Granted, while my former agency authorized the use of WML's, I didn't carry/use one for my plainclothes assignment. I cleared literally thousands of structures with the use of hand held lights in that role, so I have a little experience and training upon which to rely in that regard. If anything, the availability of increasingly better and more versatile lights has reinforced my continuation of carrying hand held lights in my retirement, and having them in our house.
OP, if you can locate an affordable training venue for WML use, it might answer any questions you might have (or don't yet know to ask
) about this topic, and give you some perspective and insight into answering such questions for your perceived needs. FWIW, when I was helping conduct night training, involving the use of both patrol rifles and transitioning to handguns, there were some folks caught by surprise when their WML's failed during some of the training drills, when they needed them the most. Training to encounter such a problem might be prudent ... as is having a Plan B, Plan C, etc.
Also FWIW, while the average person may be momentarily blinded and/or disoriented by a bright light beam (or 'wall of light', etc) being directed in their face, it's not like armed suspects haven't been able to quickly shoot at LE using lights. Lights aren't cover. That's just one of the reasons there are techniques and tactics often taught to LE revolving around the use of lights, including vehicular lights, WML's and hand held types.
WML's? Yes, No & Maybe. Depends.
If nothing else, learning how to avoid mistakes (including self-induced tactical problems), involving the use of WML's is arguably worth the cost of learning about in a class.
Or, someone can buy one, attach it to their light and hope for the best. Ditto hand held lights.
TANSTAAFL (Search online if you aren't familiar with the term.
)
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I carry both. Have a braun 450 lumen pocket light on me at all times. Plus the TLR7 on my 48. Having both prevents the need for me to point a gun at someone and at the same time be able to point a gun at someone with both hands on the firearm.
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Surefire.
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Need? No Want? No
I am rarely out at night, if I end up somewhere that it’s that dark I’ll grab one of the many flashlights in my vehicle- and that hasn’t happened, well I can’t remember the last time that happened.
When I had dogs, always carried a flashlight when nighttime walking.
Not taking a shot at anyone in particular, but I think a lot of you guys just need to be tacticool.
I am rarely out at night, if I end up somewhere that it’s that dark I’ll grab one of the many flashlights in my vehicle- and that hasn’t happened, well I can’t remember the last time that happened.
When I had dogs, always carried a flashlight when nighttime walking.
Not taking a shot at anyone in particular, but I think a lot of you guys just need to be tacticool.
I carry both a handheld and a weapon light. If something happens where I need a light, the handheld will come out. However, if I do need to draw my gun and shoot in a darkened environment (as unlikely as that is), the weapon light helps me see my sights clearly. More clearly than any tritium night sights, at least to my eyes. I think this is often overlooked, assuming the weapon light is used to only identify your surroundings and what you will be shooting at. All true but the ability to light up your sights by providing a clear contrast to what you are aiming at (due to how the weaponlight is placed directly under the sights and in line with the bore) seems to me to be something your handheld is not going to help you with, at least not as well as a weapon mounted light, particularly when using a two handed grip.
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CCW: You're "never" going to draw your gun until after you've already identified there is a threat and you are going to use lethal force imminently.
Drawing a CCW gun in public just because there "might" be a threat is going to get you in real trouble.
But Law Enforcement can. They can generally point a gun at you because you might be a threat. And a weapon mounted light helps them determine if you are in fact a threat or not while they are already pointing their gun at you.
Same in your home, you can point your gun anywhere you want in your home if you think there might be a threat, and a mounted light makes it easier to identify if there is a threat or not.
CCW weapon mounted lights are a tactical fad. Sure they give you the option to use the light, but the added size, weight, and expense of a light on a ccw gun makes it pretty rediculous. IF WML's were super small like built into the frame or recoil rod like some lasers, then sure why not. But a CCW gun with a huge WML mounted is silly.
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Drawing a CCW gun in public just because there "might" be a threat is going to get you in real trouble.
But Law Enforcement can. They can generally point a gun at you because you might be a threat. And a weapon mounted light helps them determine if you are in fact a threat or not while they are already pointing their gun at you.
Same in your home, you can point your gun anywhere you want in your home if you think there might be a threat, and a mounted light makes it easier to identify if there is a threat or not.
CCW weapon mounted lights are a tactical fad. Sure they give you the option to use the light, but the added size, weight, and expense of a light on a ccw gun makes it pretty rediculous. IF WML's were super small like built into the frame or recoil rod like some lasers, then sure why not. But a CCW gun with a huge WML mounted is silly.
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Yeah the x300 is a good choice.
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No WML on my EDC, and I live in one of the darkest places in the country. I do carry a hand held though. I have a TLR-1 on my night stand gun and a light on my AR15. My G20 has an x300 but thats my woods gun, and it lives in the chest holster.
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Why?
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A WML is a specialized tool that does some things really well, but those things are mostly outside the scope of CHL. And I see WML's as a net liability from the perspective expressed in OP.
But if you're shooting dark shoothouse stages and have any real idea what you're doing, your HF is going to be way higher with the WML, no question.
But if you're shooting dark shoothouse stages and have any real idea what you're doing, your HF is going to be way higher with the WML, no question.
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I could have used a flashlight on my gun when the wolf showed up. I also wish I had my gun on me when it showed up too. Lesson learned.
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Gun in one hand, flashlight in the other. Attaching a flashlight to a gun is like gluing a spoon to a bowl because you often use them together.
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What?
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Can’t you hear me? Is this thing on???
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