Carrying handgun with weapon light

[mntman0902]

Ive started carrying an olight mini valkyrie on my m&p 2.0 compact. I have trained with it before starting carrying. I think its a good addition to my edc. What is everyones opinion/experiences with weapon light edc.

 

[EricG]

WML's are a great addition as long as one has received professional instruction on its use. It doesn't replace a handheld. Everyone that carries a gun should at minimum carry a good handheld AND have been trained on how to employ it.

 

[Nepherael]

Love it. I believe all home defense guns should have a WML. Keeping that mind, I like the idea of having it on your EDC as well. The thought process (for me anyway) is that with defensive weapons the more consistent the better.

I don't know how much difference it would really make but if I'm used to carrying a firearm with a WML, always know it's there, and train with it I think I'm more likely to remember that it is available to me in a stressful situation, whether outside or waking up in the night.

Besides all that, the more tools at your disposal, the better!

 

[Tombs]

I believe any gun you're carrying should have a weapon light.

It's your right to have and carry a firearm, but it's your responsibility to be able to identify the target. Not carrying with a weapon light is a hard violation of the 4th rule of gun safety, in my opinion. (Unless you're never outside at night, or ever in a dark environment)

 

[rarobertson33]

I have heard both ways, light on the handgun, makes you a bullseye, a flashlight can be used in many different ways, angles and positions to keep you from being a target. That being said, I do have a light on my night stand pistol for my home. But all of them have night sights.

 

[SmileDocHill]

These threads always make me think of a couple points.
- You don't have to point the gun at something to get the benefit of having a light. In a somewhat dark house pointing the gun at the floor, wall, or ceiling then turning on the light will light up the room and let you ID your target without violating safety rules.
- Someone on INGO said years ago that they keep a flashlight in their night stand for bumps in the night. In the off chance the bump in the night turns out to be a serious safety concern, he had the foresight to have a Glock attached to it. I thought it was a funny use of misdirect humor and I think of it every time I see a WML.
-If your nightstand gun has a WML, and that gun spends its life in the bedside, check the battery a couple times a year. I've had one time where the gun sit in a GunVault save and appatently the on/off lever on the Streamlight TLR1s caught the foam liner and it sat in the safe with the light on, for a couple months, running the battery down to dead.

 

[Leadeye]

Best use I've found for a light on a pistol is getting rid of raccoon problems.

 

[BillD]

My truck gun, carry gun, nightstand gun and 3 of my ARs have WML.
There is also a handheld flashlight handy everywhere I go

I don't see a downside to that.

 

[rhino]

If you don't have a weapon mounted light, you need a handheld light.
If you do have a weapon mounted light, you also need a handheld light.
If you don't have a weapon, you need a handheld light.

 

[indiucky]

 

[BillD]

It's got a kickstand!!

 

[Vigilant]

Churchmouse build that one for you?

 

[Ricnzak]

Churchmouse build that one for you?

Bravo! Well done!

 

[Spike Jones 5 2002]

Where can I find a source for a weapon mounted light?

I answered my own question.
I found my Brownell bookmark.

OMG the price of a flashlight mounted to a gun.

 

[Tombs]

I have heard both ways, light on the handgun, makes you a bullseye, a flashlight can be used in many different ways, angles and positions to keep you from being a target. That being said, I do have a light on my night stand pistol for my home. But all of them have night sights.

Nightsights don't end up being of much value except for finding your gun in the dark. What good is it to be able to see your sights when you can't see the threat? And if you turn on a light, you effectively have a black outline of your sights anyway.

It's a marketing gimmick that just will not go away. That said, I like it in scopes when you're dealing with very dark conditions.

Where can I find a source for a weapon mounted light?

I answered my own question.
I found my Brownell bookmark.

OMG the price of a flashlight mounted to a gun.

Yeah, for a proper american made flashlight that will handle the violent recoil of a firearm, and day to day abuse, it's a lot of money.

$200 on the lowend to around $500 on the highend.

 

[CPT Nervous]

I prefer full size WML's on my handguns, I use Streamlight TLR-1's. I like having the bonus ability to shoot at contact without risking the slide going out of battery. There's still something to be said about the compact lights, though. Carry whatever you can carry.

I have lights on all my defensive guns, Mossberg 590A1 has a Surefire forend, all the AR-15's have Streamlight Pro-Tac HL's, and the handguns have TLR-1's or similar lights.

Get a good holster, and carrying a concealed full size handgun with a full size light is absolutely feasible.

As stated several other times, also carry a handheld light.

 

[daddyusmaximus]

I believe any gun you're carrying should have a weapon light.

It's your right to have and carry a firearm, but it's your responsibility to be able to identify the target. Not carrying with a weapon light is a hard violation of the 4th rule of gun safety, in my opinion. (Unless you're never outside at night, or ever in a dark environment)

^^^This right here.

I daily a Glock 17 with a TLR1. Easy with the right holster and cover garments. The Bravo Concealment with the optional pancake style belt loops really tuck the weapon in close to the body for an OWB holster.

Keep in mind a few couple things.

1. You should also have a hand held light as there are many more times you will need the light than you will need the weapon.

2. You should train with both. You can use a hand held light with the weapon should that one fail. You can search with a weapon light without directly aiming it at the target by using the splash of light. You need to know how, and when to activate the light, for how long, and when to move. This kind of thing you learn,and perfect in training.

 

[STEEL CORE]

I attach my TRL-1, to my G-22 or G-45, as needed, holster change out is all that's required.

 

[rhino]

Nightsights don't end up being of much value except for finding your gun in the dark. What good is it to be able to see your sights when you can't see the threat? And if you turn on a light, you effectively have a black outline of your sights anyway.

It's a marketing gimmick that just will not go away. That said, I like it in scopes when you're dealing with very dark conditions.

I've seen a variety of lighting situations where I could easily recognize people and see what they had in their hands, but the illumination was too diffuse to see plain iron sights. For those situations, night sights work really well. Parking lots of mercury discharge lamps, dusk after the sun has set, and bright moonlight are some common examples.

In addition, there are other situations where a handheld light can be used to identify a threat with certainty, but is not needed to see the threat after that decision is made (complete darkness is unusual unless you're inside). After confirming threat, light off and move, use night sights to verify alignment of the gun, service the threat as needed.

This does not diminish the value of a weapon mounted light, but asserting that night sights are just a "marketing gimmick" is wrong.

 

[rhino]

TLR-1 lights are a great value, especially the newer HL models that produce 800 lumens. I haven't any issues with any from the original version to the 600 lumen and the current version. I was concerned when I read verifiable accounts of various mechanical and electronics failures, but so far so good for me. I even spent some time smashing one of my older lights against the metal edge of a sturdy folding table (while mounted on an inert Glock replica). It got scuffed and dented a little, but it still works. I think the design is good, but perhaps QA/QC isn't as rigorous as what Surefire does.