Flashlights on guns

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Originally Posted by Ghost1958

I think maybe you misunderstood my point. Im not speaking of the light lighting up only what is in front of you. Im speaking of an assailant in the dark that is armed in your home using the light in front of your body as a bullseye before you ever locate him and even if you do see him hes long since seen the light coming blinking flashing or flicking putting you way behind the reaction curve.

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I think I understand what your saying. But I think the light will give you away no matter which hand it's in.

If my light is in the room, I see the entire room. I'm not sneaking anywhere. I'm talking, warning, yelling to my wife, turning house lights on as I pass switches etc. and all that's on the off chance I would need to clear any part of my home. hopefully, all I need to do is collect my kids and get back to my wife and wait for the police. they can have my TV. it's a Sony.

Where we train we've been taught:
1) A light is a bullet magnet, so if you are directly behind it, you have a better chance of getting shot. (We hand hold the light out to the side and practice at night and shooting one handed.)
2) If the light is mounted on the weapon, you are forced to point the weapon at what you may or may not want to shoot. Not really a good idea.

Everybodys home is different and what they are comfortable doing is different. Mine is laid out very well with only one direction Bgs can come from at one end of the house which is pretty open coming into a hallway leading to all bedrooms.
I live way out in the boonies 911 is a Hail Mary out here for a response in less than 15 min likely more.
Giving the BGs ( "that always makes me think of the band and disco by the way :blink:) that much time is likely not a good idea. Not everyone is after your TV. Some are after YOU.
I will engage and clear the house. Only wife and me here so nobody else to worry about and if you in my home by breaking in your the enemy if Ive known you since we were two. The light if used at all, held out to the side in quick flashes will give them a false target but the only one they have because they will get zero warning.

If it's a hand held light, push the button, If it's on you weapon use the pressure switch. (on then off )when needed. I personally would rather id someone before I kill them.
I have frends that are welcome day and night, but most of then call first. Seems to me firing blindly is foolish.

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Originally Posted by Ghost1958

Not everyone is after your TV. Some are after YOU.

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yep. I'm ready.

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Originally Posted by the6shooter

If it's a hand held light, push the button, If it's on you weapon use the pressure switch. (on then off )when needed. I personally would rather id someone before I kill them.
I have frends that are welcome day and night, but most of then call first. Seems to me firing blindly is foolish.

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I have friends also. Of course my friends arent in the habit of breaking into my house day or night or they wouldnt be my friends. All my friends know what happened here 7 yrs ago. They know coming thru a window or locked door into my house at night would be a great way to commit suicide. I dont legally have to identify, nor warn, nor determine if they are armed.
If your my best friend and your in my house at night after getting through a locked door or window we aint friends no more. Your here to do me or my wife harm or your wouldnt be here like that. I wont give you the chance. I for sure wont paint a bullseye on my own center mass for you to shoot at.
As far as firing blindly?? I wont be. Ill be very intent and focused on the idiot when I fire.

Better ID any potential threat than end someone's life who didn't deserve it. Say you have a break in and PD respond or are chasing someone. I would rather not shoot at PD on accident. Not all situations may require shooting. Confronting many may make them turn back or give up.

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Originally Posted by Ghost1958

I think maybe you misunderstood my point. Im not speaking of the light lighting up only what is in front of you. Im speaking of an assailant in the dark that is armed in your home using the light in front of your body as a bullseye before you ever locate him and even if you do see him hes long since seen the light coming blinking flashing or flicking putting you way behind the reaction curve.

Edit sorry for the double post

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I have an idea. Have someone shine one of these powerful weapon lights on your face and see if you still think "seeing" the light gives you a tactical advantage. Weapon lights are invaluable, for a number of reasons.

If someone were to ask me "do you put a light on your weapon for HD or use a separate flashlight?", my answer would be "Yes."

I've got a light on my AR, a light that I put on my carry pistol when it goes in the nightstand to do double-duty as my backup HD weapon, a surefire flashlight sitting next to that pistol in the nightstand, and a great big honkin' metal d-cell flashlight for when everything else breaks and I'm out of ammo.

Two is one and one is none....so is four three, or is it two?

I have two boys. The risks involved with not properly identifying my target FAR outweigh the risks of being targeted myself. I will gladly give up the element of surprise in order to make sure that I do not hurt my kids.

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Originally Posted by rocky

Better ID any potential threat than end someone's life who didn't deserve it. Say you have a break in and PD respond or are chasing someone. I would rather not shoot at PD on accident. Not all situations may require shooting. Confronting many may make them turn back or give up.

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Im not advocating anyone take my stance on when I fire. Or even if they use a light or not. I just pointed out that a light on your weapon is a target in front of your center mass.
PD chasing someone to my home would be unlikely. I live in the middle of nowhere so it would be a car chase I would hear for several miles before it reached here. I think I can reasonably assume if im faced with a intruder in my home at night Ive had a break in. I will be the first to know since no neighbors are in sight of my home so nobody will have called 911 but me.

Im not going into the details but since a mod seems inclined to correct me probably thinking im a blood thirsty savage I will go this far. Im not. I dont want to hurt anyone and never did want too. However 2005 saw my son murdered here in my house by someone that knew my family at least well enough to get him to open the door to talk too in broad daylight for no other reason than to kill him. He was 13. I have no enemies no rough background no motive no nothing and nothing was taken.
There was more I wont go into for about a year and that person or persons was never identified or caught.
Trust me if you are in my house after dark through locked doors and windows I dont care who you are. I dont need a light so you can take another of my family because I gave you a target and I dont care at that point if you realize you just met the old dog instead of a kid and get cold feet. If that makes me some animal then I guess i am. But you only run a dog home then it will bite you. Break in my house at night consider yourself bitten.

...I come from the last century...when you'd hold the revolver in one hand and the light out as far as you could from you...we were taught that when you hit the switch, the BG's instinct would cause him to shoot at the light, expecting you to be behind it...I'd rather disappoint him, so I still do it that way...none of my SA have rails...my light's still in my hand...with an intermittant switch so I can move and re-light as I want to...if you have a gun...you'd better have a light with you...the little LED packages are blind-ya bright and last awhile on 3 AAA...everyone can have a good light now...

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Originally Posted by nmbr5ml

I have an idea. Have someone shine one of these powerful weapon lights on your face and see if you still think "seeing" the light gives you a tactical advantage. Weapon lights are invaluable, for a number of reasons.

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Can you shoot out a car headlight at 20 feet?? I can. If you plan to barricade yourself in a room then blinding is a good tactic. You know where the BG must enter the room so you have him pinpointed. Moving thru the house using a light unless you simply have to to identify other family etc that is squarely in front of you is not such a good idea. SWAT uses them but there are six of them covering each other as they move. One person moving thru a home flicking a light on and off that is located in front of that persons center mass might not be such a good idea.
Im not saying they are useless they have their place. But they do nothing that cant be done with a maglite in low light that wont show the BG where your heart and lungs are. But to each his own. If you like em by all means use em.

I like weapon mounted lights, especially on a long-gun. I don’t own a dedicated HD gun that doesn’t have a mounted light, or light/laser combo.

I believe that in a HD scenario, target ID is paramount. There are countless stories of homeowner X shooting family member Y by mistake. Mounted lights allow for a free hand for opening doors, using a phone etc. Also there’s no chance of leaving the light behind when you need it. It’s also much easier to engage a target with a mounted light than with a handheld.

Some people don’t like mounted lights, one thing to remember, just because it’s there doesn’t mean you have to use it. Most decent tactical lights have a large enough spill to illuminate a target, with the weapon pointed at low ready. I've taken several low light classes and we usually shoot a low-light stage at our IDPA matches. This really is training issue and a low-light class will go a long way to make someone a believer in tactical lights either handheld or mounted.

Both the military and law enforcement have moved towards mounted weapon lights for target ID. I suspect IF identifying a target is worth the risk in a combat zone, it‘s probably worth the risk in my house. IMHO anybody that believes they can get off an accurate shot after being zapped by 125+ lumen tactical light really ought to try it. If your eyes are adjusted to the dark, the light is painful and results in a reflexive wince.

I wonder how many of the "no-light" guys have taken a low/no-light class recently (past couple years) and still advocate not having a light?

Chuck

to be fair, I think most of the "no light" people still use lights. just not attached to their guns in an attempt to separate their body from the light source (perceived target).

my upstairs gun (with a weapon light attached) has a Fenix PD32 and a few other things next to it. good to have options.