Would you carry a weapon mounted light?

Ok, for starters I wasn't really sure where to post this as it deals with related gear & equipment, concealed carry holsters, and almost concealed carry guns all at the same time. So, how about a little background first? I am wanting to buy a Glock 19 next and I am set on that. I am also wanting to mount an Insight M3 tactical light on it for night stand duty.

Then I got thinking.

Why couldn't I carry that set up as my EDC as well? Comp-Tac makes a CTAC for a Glock 19 with M3 mounted which is the same price as the CTAC for the Glock 19 without a light. So my question is this: Would you carry a weapon mounted light for your EDC?

Here are some of my pro's / con's:
Pro's:
- I can keep a two handed grip on the gun much easier and still have a light.
- It would make reloading much easier when using a light vs. my surefire 6P.(Not that I wouldn't still carry that one just in case.)
- It would leave me a free hand in case I needed it for something else.
- I am going to have it anyways, so why not use it.

Con's:
- Weight. Probably not enough to notice.
- Bulk. It would add a bit of size to my carry gun.
- Comfort. Having more bulk and weight may make things a little less comfortable.

I am open to any comments, opinions or thoughts on this, even if you don't vote in the poll. Thanks.

Wht :hand10:

I agree with each one of your pro's...for a nightstand gun, or if I routinely cleared other people's homes.

I agree with each of your con's for a carry gun.
For my carry gun, I do not want bulky, I don't want something that can hang up on anything, and I want to keep weight down. Also, a light generally makes holsters difficult to find, or more expensive.

For a nightstand gun, I'm all for having a light mounted. I have a tactical light on my carbine.

For me, I don't think the advantages of a light outweigh the disadvantages for an EDC.

For my Daily Carry handgun. No - add never.
I'm "old school" anyway and I prefer using an off weapon light.
That's what I'm used to.

I'm with kerbouchard, basically. I carry a flashlight and a gun, and I can see instances where it would be benificial to have them together as one unit. However, I can see issues with the 99.9% of the time that I am just carrying the gun, not using it.

If I wore my gun overtly, in a 'normal' cop rig, I would probably go for a light. But I don't, so I won't.

I voted yes. Thing is--if I found the right holster to do this. I'm also not one to be out on the streets late at night and such. I would however carry my mid/full size pistols with my M6 tactical mounted in certain situations which would not be frequently.

l voted 'no'...
I prefer to keep my SureFire separate for a number of reasons.
Most importantly, I may want to light up something I DON'T want to point my gun at...:gah:
Holsters WILL be a problem...
My training in a SD course stressed the separate use of a light in 'dim light' situations...so, I prefer to keep it that way.
I don't want to carry two lights, one on my weapon, and another for other reasons...
I can pull the light out in a WalMart parking lot without the cops being called...

Stay armed...stay bright...stay safe!

I voted no, also. I just mounted one to my 12 gauge for HD but I wouldn't want one on my EDC. A small LED flashlight is all I'd ever need I think. I don't stalk dark alleys at night so I think in my case it would be overkill.

There are some pretty compact, light WMLs out there now. As for weight, a Glock with a WML would weigh less by far than a 1911 without a WML.

A number of holster manufacturers make holsters for handguns with WMLs - Fist, Inc. is one that comes to mind but I've seen several others.

Perhaps a better question is why not? You don't have to use it, but it's instantly there if you need too. It's not for searching, it's for shooting, esp. from a two-hand grip under low light conditions.

It's fast. If you need to shoot, you just draw and turn the light on. Compare that to drawing two things at once and then coordinating them onto the threat.

It would erase any argument in court that you could not have seen the threat's weapon because it was dark.

It can be removed and used as a backup to the handheld to implement the concept, one is none, two is one.

Stats show that most encounters occur in low light levels - a WML just might be a good thing.

I didn't vote BTW.

No! You will have a hard time finding a holster and it will be even more expensive, you will have that much more "bulk" hanging on your hip making printing and comfort an even bigger issue, the chances of you needing this if you are not LE are about zero.

Too bulky for me.

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Originally Posted by Tangle

It would erase any argument in court that you could not have seen the threat's weapon because it was dark.

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Unfortunately, that could go both ways.

DA: You had a flashlight mounted to your gun! Why did you not notice that the BG's gun was fake?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by rocky

Too bulky for me.

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+1 Nightstand duty!!

Thanks for all the reply's guys! Some of your reply's have really got the wheels turning.

Wht :hand10:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by wht06rado

Thanks for all the reply's guys! Some of your reply's have really got the wheels turning.

Wht :hand10:

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From your original post, it sounds like you have thought it through pretty well. Your pros and cons were definitely right on.

Out of curiosity, do you have any idea which way you are going to go? Are you going to pick up the Glock with the M3?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Kerbouchard

Unfortunately, that could go both ways.

DA: You had a flashlight mounted to your gun! Why did you not notice that the BG's gun was fake?

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Even in broad daylight, if a man pulled a gun, how could we know for sure the gun was a fake? One couldn't take the chance.