RE: Pistol Mounted Lights

highdesertlivin said…

As I have kids, I’m not a fan of weapon mounted lights. If I’m clearing my house in the middle of the night, my light hand is supporting my gun hand. However I maintain my muzzle down and left of my center illumination point. I know that’s not text book, but with kids in the house it is how I roll. With the weapon mounted light, if you light something up you are also muzzling it as well. Unless I’m missing something here? Glad to see you are in better spirits Ryan.

Ryan here:  I can not say if you are missing something as I do not know what ideas you are aware of and have for some reason discarded. There are so many variables with the use of lights and room/ structure clearing that we could run hypothetical scenarios forever. I will give you a couple of things from my perspective to consider.

In my mind there is a continuum of aggression when it comes to the use of lights and weapons based on the situation. On the more peaceable side would be investigating a generic noise with a flashlight and a holstered pistol. Somewhere in the middle the pistol might be out but pointed in a progressively less safe direction. At the more aggressive end I would have both ends on the pistol using a weapon mounted light or just night sights. (Yes this is a really complicated conversation and I am really simplifying.)

The specific case for a weapon mounted light on a pistol (and for using the pistol over a long gun) is that you can operate it with one hand. While not optimal I can use the light and shoot one handed. This is significant if (as is the case now) the kids are with me. Hard to use a light in my off hand if that off hand is full of eighty pounds of little kid.

 The thing about a weapon mounted light is that you can always choose NOT to use it. The added bulk/ weight is negligible in a home defense set up. Once a holster is purchased (lack of said holster is the reason I do not have one on my G19 today) a pistola with a mounted light can be treated like any other holster.

A weapon mounted light is always in addition to a stand alone hand held light. If forced to have just one it would be the hand held. Yes it is belt and suspenders but it gives option and the word every survivalist loves redundancy.

The people who clear buildings to save lives and kill bad people have lights mounted on their weapons. The similarly experienced people I personally know are using lights mounted on their weapons. Just saying……

Right now due to the cobbled together nature of my set up there is not a light on my Glock. I would like the change that. The need to adjust things anyway has me re looking the light situation and considering a move to something with IR to kill two birds with one stone. Before long I will probably have the gear to use the same set up with or without a light.

 Well those are my .02 cents on the subject of weapon mounted lights for home defense. As always the comments section is open.