Rails and Lights

[Coach]

The dot was easy to notice in the example above.

A laser in the dark is easier to spot than the gun to which it is attached. The laser also correctly or not implies that the shot placement will ve certain.

A laser can also give a visual reference on a long gun that does away with the holdover problem at close range.

They can be very handy things. I would never want to rely on one in order to be able to hit the target.

 

[daddyusmaximus]

Some people may not be able to use a WML to illuminate without pointing the muzzle where they don't want to point it, but other people who know how to do it can. Modern LED WML that produce a lot of light illuminate indirectly with the spill or with reflections & spill from the floor, the wall, or the ceiling.

Given that, the either/or choice is a false dichotomy. Best practice is to have both. A handheld light is a critically important piece of gear independent of whether not a WML is also available. You can do everything with a handheld light in conjunction with a WML that you can with only a handheld, but if you need to shoot, you have the option of ditching the handheld as needed and shooting far more efficiently with the WML.

Anyone who carries a gun without a weapon-mounted light needs to carry a handheld light.
Anyone who carries a gun with a weapon-mounted light needs to carry a handheld light.
Anyone who doesn't carry a gun needs to carry a handheld light.
Everyone needs to carry a handheld light regardless of what else they do or do not carry.

^^^^ This right here.

My carry gun is a Vickers edition Glock 17 with a TLR1, and I also carry a Surefire E2D LED Defender. I have two sources of light. I can also use the weapon light aimed at the floor if need be as the splash is almost always sufficient to search with, but I wouldn't unless I had to because I have the Surefire. Having the hand held AND the weapon mounted IS the way to go.

I will add that when you are using the weapon mounted light. the "smoke" or "fog" won't be so much of a factor if you are moving as / after you fire, and are using your light in the momentary mode. This is something you'll want to do anyhow to avoid incoming rounds...

 

[dudley0]

A laser can also give a visual reference on a long gun that does away with the holdover problem at close range

My HD carbine has an RDS and a green laser. The red dot is set at 100 yards but the laser is set to house distances. Hope to never use it, but the laser set to close seemed to fit. The thought is that at inside the house type distances I would be more likely to be point shooting instead of getting a perfect cheek weld and all that.

 

[Coach]

My HD carbine has an RDS and a green laser. The red dot is set at 100 yards but the laser is set to house distances. Hope to never use it, but the laser set to close seemed to fit. The thought is that at inside the house type distances I would be more likely to be point shooting instead of getting a perfect cheek weld and all that.

I don't use or own a laser but I have watched several lasers used in competition to compensate for the holdover on close targets. I see the value in that rather easily. I like your philosophy nobody wants to use it in that manner but it's better to be prepared.

 

[INgunowner]

Cars have lights,
Guns have lights.
Figure it out.

 

[Trapper Jim]

Cars have lights,
Guns have lights.
Figure it out.

yes.. so peeps can see you coming.

 

[penton175jp]

Spent about 2 years back in the day when rails and mounted lights came about. Turned out they were not up to my standards then for CC. I have revisited it this year and have found that in the market place there are now some really good options on the market that come closer to being worth the carry. However, in my tests this year with darkhouse shooting I find that over all I am more efficient with independently controlling my own light source when shooting. I have rediscovered that the rail slows down my presentation, increases maintenance on mounting brackets and electrical circuits,exposes my location,ruins the natural balanced engineered into the pistol, and after the first shot, diffuses the smoke where I can not see anything, like bright headlights in a heavy fog. What am I missing that this option seems so popular that many pistols today throw the rail in for free.?

Laying the light down on the floor to shoot the COF does NOT constitute "controlling my own light source" Vinny.

 

[Trapper Jim]

Laying the light down on the floor to shoot the COF does NOT constitute "controlling my own light source" Vinny.

mmmm. Yes. It is called lantern mode or can a WML do that?

 

[Coach]

mmmm. Yes. It is called lantern mode or can a WML do that?

Yes it can

 

[Trapper Jim]

Yes it can

might have to look into That feature

 

[bwframe]

I have a couple of x300's. One comes and goes off of my EDC every day at bedtime or before. The light slides on/off and locks very smoothly.

If there seemed to be a need to remove the light from the gun to run independently, it would be no big deal.