Concealed Carry & Tactical Lights

[Burbs]

I am thinking of picking up a light for my P99 and possibly my M&P compact now that I've decided to keep it . Do any of you carry your everyday carry with a light attached? My thinking is that it would to be bulky to carry and I'm trying to justify the idea of buying one. It would be great to have on my gun god forbid someone broke into my house, but not sure about EDC.

Thoughts?

-Chris

 

[AllaSnackbah]

dont do it, do you have tritium sights on your pistols? i think they are a much better investment imho. lights give the intruder an advantage in your house that you dont want him to have. your biggest plus when somebody has broken into your house and you are choosing to engage them is that you know the house, whereas hopefully the perp has never been inside and is not as aware of his surroundings as you. i would much rather wait for an intruder at the top of my stairs with an 870 loaded with 00 buck than to try to clear the house with a pistol that is beaming a light that shows the bad guy(s) exactly where you are, what your looking at, and god forbid, where to aim.

 

[Coyote33]

Heck, I think the idea of the light rails is kind of dumb. If I won a gun with them, I'd probably grind them off. I also consider those to be bulky.

To your question, they do go on and come off easy enough, I guess, so you could probably have it both ways if you wanted. They are just not for me.

 

[Twigg]

I prefer a seperate flashlight because I don't have to pull my pistol out if the lights go out.

 

[C-pher]

Actually a flashlight can be an advantage. But I wouldn't carry one on the gun. I keep a VERY bright light on my belt. I pretty much use it to ready data jacks under desks at work. But, if you're in my house, where you don't know the surroundings, and I flash you with 250 lumans in the dark, you're not going see anything for awhile.

 

[jkeeley1]

I think night sights draw too much attention to the sights and not enough to your target in low light situations, I Would prefer a stand alone light and the fiber optic sights. Just my .02 ymmv

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[Busa]

dont do it, do you have tritium sights on your pistols? i think they are a much better investment imho. lights give the intruder an advantage in your house that you dont want him to have. your biggest plus when somebody has broken into your house and you are choosing to engage them is that you know the house, whereas hopefully the perp has never been inside and is not as aware of his surroundings as you. i would much rather wait for an intruder at the top of my stairs with an 870 loaded with 00 buck than to try to clear the house with a pistol that is beaming a light that shows the bad guy(s) exactly where you are, what your looking at, and god forbid, where to aim.

^ This.

 

[jkeeley1]

dont do it, do you have tritium sights on your pistols? i think they are a much better investment imho. lights give the intruder an advantage in your house that you dont want him to have. your biggest plus when somebody has broken into your house and you are choosing to engage them is that you know the house, whereas hopefully the perp has never been inside and is not as aware of his surroundings as you. i would much rather wait for an intruder at the top of my stairs with an 870 loaded with 00 buck than to try to clear the house with a pistol that is beaming a light that shows the bad guy(s) exactly where you are, what your looking at, and god forbid, where to aim.

I think the idea is to wait to turn the light on once you've engaged the intruder, not to search for them. It should be employed as part of your offense.

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[andyc4728]

For in waist band carry I find weapon mounted lights too bulky. I carry a separate small flashlight and have night sights on the gun.

For in-house use, I personally like a weapon mounted light and I have a Streamlight TLR-1 on my M&P full size. The way I've learned to use it isn't to turn it on and walk around the house with it lighting everything up, but rather use it for intermittent illumination to help with target identification. Plus you only have one thing to hold onto (the gun) rather than two (gun and light).

With a weapon mounted light you have to be disciplined with your trigger finger, as you are sweeping everything you light up with the muzzle. Depending on your house/family situation that may be a non-starter.

 

[StevieP]

With a weapon mounted light you have to be disciplined with your trigger finger, as you are sweeping everything you light up with the muzzle. Depending on your house/family situation that may be a non-starter.

^ this is why I wouldn't mount a light to a gun.

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[fencer]

I like them but not for carry. I have the Itac light laser combo. I keep it on a loaded Sig in a bedside safe. It is the same one that Sig Sauer sell on their website but costs a lot less when you buy it without the Sig logo on it.

It has a 250 lumen light with steady or strobe and a red laser. I figure that in the middle of the night, just rousted out of bed, the laser allows me to focus more on the target area. I probably would not douse the target in light but you never know.

If faced with an intruder at 02:00 that throws his hands up in the air saying "Don't Shoot!" I'd like to think I'd spot light him while keeping the laser on him, but who knows. The way I look at it is whether I turn it on is up to me, but in the middle of the night if I have to confront somebody, I'll take every advantage I can get.

Do they make kevlar pajamas in xxxlarge?

 

[Terminator03]

Besides the bulk, I would not want a weapons mounted light on a handgun because it also gives your opponent a clear target to shoot at. That is the big advantage of having a separate hand held light, so that the light is offset to the right, or left, depending on which hand is dominant. If you just wanted it for HD purposes, then you are better off just having a dedicated, full sized handgun with a light mounted, or rifle with light, than to have to carry around the added bulk all day long.

 

[Zepp]

My ccw m&p 40c has a viridian c5 on it now, the major issue I had was finding a decent holster for it. The ridiculous bright green laser IMO would be a nice deterrent all by itself... I just keep a nice bright led flash light by the bed. The light laser combos don't seem too have very good battery life, and you don't want to accidentally shoot your dog cause yer jumpy. Having a seperate flashlight allows you to identify your target without pointing a loaded firearm at a possible friendly... and it gave me an excuse toooo buy a stupid bright flashlight

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[cekim]

With a weapon mounted light you have to be disciplined with your trigger finger, as you are sweeping everything you light up with the muzzle. Depending on your house/family situation that may be a non-starter.

...NTSA

No, you don't have to... Indirect light works just fine. Shine the light down towards the ground, you will find, if it s a decent light, that it provides ample light to see what's going on.

Too cumbersome for carry, but provided you think a little about how you plan on using it, they are a good idea for HD. Shooting with a light in your weak hand is harder under stress and requires practice (and will always mean you have less support from your weak hand).

If you actually adapt to the situation instead of having one plan no matter what happens, having a weapon light can be exceedingly useful. Target identification is important and used correctly, the light itself can be another tool to give you an advantage a. to know what the !@#$ is going on b. to identify your target in the moments before you shoot c. to blind your target.

 

[andyc4728]

...NTSA

No, you don't have to... Indirect light works just fine. Shine the light down towards the ground, you will find, if it s a decent light, that it provides ample light to see what's going on.

Too cumbersome for carry, but provided you think a little about how you plan on using it, they are a good idea for HD. Shooting with a light in your weak hand is harder under stress and requires practice (and will always mean you have less support from your weak hand).

If you actually adapt to the situation instead of having one plan no matter what happens, having a weapon light can be exceedingly useful. Target identification is important and used correctly, the light itself can be another tool to give you an advantage a. to know what the !@#$ is going on b. to identify your target in the moments before you shoot c. to blind your target.

The only viable expansion for your acronym I can come up with is "Not This Shit Again".... Thanks

Please read my whole post. I think weapon mounted lights are a good idea, and I named a few of the same reasons you did.

Yet before tossing one onto your gun of choice, folks need to think hard about their use and that's why I made a comment about muzzle sweeps and trigger discipline. People point lights all over the place freely. That behavior needs to change when you have your light source mounted on your gun. I feel that muzzle discipline and trigger discipline should be reinforced when you're learning to use one.

Perhaps my reply could have been more nuanced to make that point in detail

 

[economist]

Do some no light / low light training. The first thing you find out is that gun handling gets a lot slower when you are juggling a light. Reloads, malfunction clearance, and recoil control all suffer from having one hand in part or entirely consumed by holding a light. You can do it, but practice it. It is not a skill that just comes out of nowhere. In the home, there is a lot to be said for a weapon light with an easy to access switch. On a pistol, the Surefire X300 (and probably competitors too) is easy to strobe and it mounts just fine to rifle rails too. As noted above, indirect light is fine, so (as usual) training goes a long way to taking care of any issues. Nobody says you have to turn the thing on and leave it on, and I'm not finding the "it makes you a target" thing very compelling -- that only happens if you don't have the training and knowledge to use the light properly.

 

[Burbs]

WOW! Great feedback everyone. I figured I'd have trouble carrying that as an EDC. I'd love to take a home defense seminar, that's good advice. I imagine someone offers those around here.

 

[M1911]

For in-house use, I personally like a weapon mounted light and I have a Streamlight TLR-1 on my M&P full size. The way I've learned to use it isn't to turn it on and walk around the house with it lighting everything up, but rather use it for intermittent illumination to help with target identification. Plus you only have one thing to hold onto (the gun) rather than two (gun and light).

With a weapon mounted light you have to be disciplined with your trigger finger, as you are sweeping everything you light up with the muzzle.

A good light is bright enough that bouncing it off the floor or ceiling will illuminate the room, without requiring you to point the gun directly at a person to identify them. Furthermore, just the fact that you have a weapon-mounted light doesn't preclude you from having a hand-held light to use as well.

As for just having night sights, you can't shoot at something that you can't identify. And to identify them, you'll need to light them up.

 

[Brian5582]

I carry a Surfire Back-Up clipped to my left pocket, that way if I need the light I can hold it in my support hand. It is very small, light and reasonably bright (120 lumen high beam). I practice holding it while shooting at the range.

 

[Fitz]

I have an Insight Technology WX80L laser light combo mounted on my Springfield XD9. Prior to that I had an X2L (also Insight). The gun is my primary home defense and sits inside of a relatively quick access safe along side a flashlight. There are young kids and a dog in the house so things routinely go bump in the night. The laser/light combo with a flashlight nearby gives me options when I'm up and about.

From a concealed carry standpoint, I don't have a holster which fits the laser/light combination although it really is fairly compact. I'd carry it if I had the option to.

Fitz

 

[whatluck]

I keep a surefire e2d. It makes a great kubaton, which you're more likely to need in a fight than a firearm.

Plus it's great when I drop a tiny laptop screw. Put a good light down with then bezel perpendicular to the floor, and you'll find it!

I have a friend with a Raven for the G19 and TLR-1. What a great nighttime weapon.

 

[Mass-diver]

I think a white light is a must for a home defense gun - I can't imagine trying to use non-mounted light with a rifle for example. For CC though, it's just too bulky

 

[cekim]

The only viable expansion for your acronym I can come up with is "Not This Shit Again".... Thanks

You're welcome. Sorry, it was a bit harsh, but people get really self righteous about weapon lights and how "dangerous" they are without seeming to have attempted to use them to realize you don't have to muzzle your friends and family to make use of them.

There are plenty of situations where you may not want to go in lights blazing, but by no means does this mean you need to treat your weapon mounted flashlight as if it is a loaded gun - that part you do with the gun itself.

 

[Andy in NH]

I have been carrying a S&W Micro90 on my Glock 21 in a Blade-Tech IWB holster for the last few weeks.

The added bulk has not been noticeable walking, driving, or working around the yard.

My draw stroke has remained unchanged, other than the times when I choose to activate the light during the draw.

Using my index finger to activate the light while wrapping my support hand around the grip is a simple task.

One neat thing about the holster is if I forget to turn the light off before re-holstering, reinserting the gun into the the holster moves the switch back to the neutral position.

Re-holstering took a little bit of getting use to. Realigning both the muzzle and the light into the holster at the same time was a skill I needed to train through in order to make re-holstering an unconsciously competent skill again.

I shot about 150 rounds through it and the lens got pretty gummed up. I have not shot it at night yet.

The light is not a quick release - you need a small pointed object (knife tip or a pen will do) in order to remove the light from the pistol.

I was going to do a more in-depth review after gathering some more data, but since this thread popped up, I figured I would chime in.

I still carry a Streamlight TL-2 LED on my belt.

 

[cekim]

I shot about 150 rounds through it and the lens got pretty gummed up. I have not shot it at night yet.

Was that picture only 150 rounds?

 

[ChevyGuy91]

I have a TLR-1 on my G21 next to the bed, and a Surefire G2 next to it. I don't CCW a mounted light yet, but I will once I decide what light I want to hang on my G19, I have been waiting for Andy's write up.

I have been carrying a S&W Micro90 on my Glock 21 in a Blade-Tech IWB holster for the last few weeks.

I was going to do a more in-depth review after gathering some more data, but since this thread popped up, I figured I would chime in.

Awesome!

I do carry a small but powerful light everyday anyways, and would not stop if I were to carry with a mounted light. Different tools, different purposes.

 

[Twigg]

I have been carrying a S&W Micro90 on my Glock 21 in a Blade-Tech IWB holster for the last few weeks.

<snipped for brevity>

You do some nice write-ups !
I'm curious as to the ammo you used.
I'm wondering how much residue something like the Gold Dot Short Barrel would leave.
Pricy stuff though.

 

[Blix666]

i also use the S&W Micro 90 on my M&P9c, but do not need tools to remove it despite every review i read about it being difficult to remove.

i do not CCW with the light mounted due to the lack of CCW holsters available that will accept the light mounted, but would if i could find one that i thought looked right. i'm very surprised at the amount of gunk buildup on your muzzle/light after only 150rds.

 

[MAShooter]

For home, consider a gun-mounted light and a hand-held light. Search w/ hand-held light (if you're inclined to search) - no swiping anyone (say a loved one who comes home late, or went the bathroom at 3am but you thought that noise was something else). Plus having a second light is good for when the battery on the other dies when you least expect it.

I always have a small hand-held light in a pocket. You never know when you'll need it. As far as EDC, depends on your equipment and if you can concealed carry with it. If you can, why wouldn't you keep every advantage you can possibly have?

Try an IDPA indoor match that has no-light stages and requires you to use a light. It's a lot harder than you might think. Those matches will not allow you to use a gun-mounted light, so you'll get a taste of using a hand-held light. While it's not true-to-life pressure situation, there is induced stress from the clock and you'll get to see what just a little bit of stress can do to you in the dark. A truly eye-opening experience. Then you can form your own opinion instead of listing to internet jockeys.

 

[jar]

Try an IDPA indoor match that has no-light stages and requires you to use a light. It's a lot harder than you might think. Those matches will not allow you to use a gun-mounted light, so you'll get a taste of using a hand-held light. While it's not true-to-life pressure situation, there is induced stress from the clock and you'll get to see what just a little bit of stress can do to you in the dark. A truly eye-opening experience. Then you can form your own opinion instead of listing to internet jockeys.

There was a stage with a pick up gun with a gun mounted light at the IDPA indoor nats a few years ago. It was the first time I'd shot with one. It was like easy mode compared to shooting with a handheld light