Who here concealed carries a semi-auto w light?

Interesting comments in here. All these IDPA stories make me want to try it.

I try to practice shooting one handed (both strong and weak hand) every time I go to the range. I ought to start practicing shooting while holding one of my flashlights as well. Shooting in the dark would be a wild scene. I'd like to try that (under controlled circumstances obviously) someday.



Harvard and Worcester put on good matches that have indoor stages with low/no light scenarios their schedules are posted in the pistol competition sub forum. It is an eye opener if you have never done it before. You should try it.
 
I haven't been able to shoot much in the past few months but I told myself I'd make SSP Master before I go to a wheel gun.
Making Master is not something I have to worry about for quite a while [laugh].

If you hear 6 slow bangs, a click and then a Chinaman swearing at the next match, it's a good chance it's me.
Hopefully I'll be at the next Harvard and/or Worcester matches. We can both watch Lugnut work his revolver and wonder how the heck he does it that fast...
 
It's difficult to find a place where you can practice live fire in no-light situations...but I think you'll find it completely different than dry firing.


Ever try and change mags holding a flashlight in one hand and a gun in the other? It's pretty funny to try.
I'm sure I have some videos of me and others cursing in pitch black doing so.

One of the clubs I'm a member, you can shoot outside 24 hours a day. There are NO lights within 150yds of the berm. It's pitch black, and that's where I do my night shooting.

I will admit, I DO need more practice doing mag changes with the flashlight. I can do it, but it ain't pretty.
 
They both have advantages and disadvantages. After you get all the opinions, research and hopefully some instruction do what works for you and what you are comfortable carrying and operating. If you like Kydex Raven concelament http://www.ravenconcealment.com/products/holsters.html has the Phantom LC for fair money. You can make one yourself out of kydex if you are adventurous. http://www.knifekits.com has the kits, parts and books. Plenty of videos on youtube.
 
I'm also with Underwhere on this one.

What I will add is that just because you have a gun-mounted light does not mean you need to point the gun at the subject in order to ID him/her. At least not indoors. Indoors... keep the gun at low ready and illuminate the floor... there will be plenty of light to flood the room and ID the person standing there.

I have Raven Phantoms (surprise) set up to carry a G19 w/TLR-1 and G17 w/TLR-1 both OWB. I don't carry these setups regularly (I'm mostly a gun + spare mag guy with a flashlight in the pocket) but I'd definitely prefer the gun-mounted light over hand-held.
 
What I will add is that just because you have a gun-mounted light does not mean you need to point the gun at the subject in order to ID him/her. At least not indoors. Indoors... keep the gun at low ready and illuminate the floor... there will be plenty of light to flood the room and ID the person standing there.
Exactly. Any decent light will let you identify the person using bounced light while indoors.
 
I'm with De on this one.

And like William_Munny, I leave my flashlight in my car. Along with my shark repellent, snorkel, spare batteries, bear whistle, flippers, starbucks reward card, and the rest of the crap you other guys carry around on your belts all day long.
Not everyone has the luxury of knowing how to kill with their pinky... [laugh]

I know someone who carries with an attached light and it blows... Not even gonna try. If it gets too dark, I can use the strobe effect of my muzzle flash to light up the room... [laugh]

Seriously though... I do have a light on the HD gun (pistol or otherwise), but since I am not kicking down doors clearing rooms, my need for extra light in SD situations outside the house falls under luxury not necessity 99.9999% of the time.

I say this having experienced a night-time assault...
 
Last edited:
The biggest problem with carrying a gun that has a light on it is it is going to make your holster fat as hell.

It'll probably make it look like you are carrying around a VHS cassette tape in your pants. [rofl]

90s-fashions1.jpg


You win the "Blast from the Past" award for using VHS cassette in a sentence...CONGRATS!!!!
 
Interesting thread.

I have lights on my HD weapons, but I don't carry with a light on either of my two railed pistols (G19, Springer MC operator) because it's just to bulky. However, if I was open carrying (if I were a LEO or if it was the end of the world) I would certainly have a light on my pistol.
 
Well I wear my flashlight on my belt in an open-top holster all the time, whether I'm CCW'g or not.

Regrettably, neither club I belong to would let you shoot in the dark, so practice is out.

We did some dark/flashlight shooting in some of the defensive handgun courses I took with Jim Crews, Gabe Suarez and Randy Cain (thru NEShooters.com) but not since then (see above).

I do remember the "old days" of police qualifications with the large 5 cell MagLite, cruiser headlights and total darkness . . . before the moonbats complained about noise at 8-9PM and the PD stopped all night quals to keep the idiots happy. [thinking] [rolleyes]
 
I have a M3X light for my Glocks, the holster I need to have it on my 17 or 22's for OWB carry is the size of a small carry on bag.

I'd rather keep it in a jacket pocket and slide it onto the gun if I had to. It is more useful as a flashlight than a weapons light. That also gives me a wide range of holsters, which are a dime a dozen for a Glock, a good holster for a Glock with a light on the rail isn't cheap, pretty much LEO or custom piece.

this is the reason I have a Crimson Trace on my SHTF gun instead of a rail mounted laser/light combo.
 
Just out of curiosity, how many of you guys actually practice shooting in no-light with a flashlight in their other hand?

I took a low-light class at Sig and it's a royal pain in the ass to be juggling a flashlight and a gun. Reloads were exciting. That class convinced me that a light mounted on a gun is a terrific idea.

I'm also with Underwhere on this one.

What I will add is that just because you have a gun-mounted light does not mean you need to point the gun at the subject in order to ID him/her. At least not indoors. Indoors... keep the gun at low ready and illuminate the floor... there will be plenty of light to flood the room and ID the person standing there.

Bingo. Anyone who has any training with a hand held light knows that you don't just turn it on and point it at things. You move it around and use indirect light to see.
 
Nice, I'm not the only one who leaves his light in the car.

ETA: It's funny, because this came up at work today.

Coworker: Do you have a flashlight?
Me: Yeah, it's in my car, one sec...
Coworker: I have one in my car! What kind of IT guy doesn't have a flashlight?
Me: I do, it's downstairs...
Coworker: What if you were working on servers, and you needed a light to see something?
Me: I suppose I would go outside and get it out of my car...

I use my phone, just turn the camera LED on and prop it up.

At night when I walk my [STRIKE]bear[/STRIKE] Newfoundland I use a headlamp. That's right, a headlamp.
Light points at what I'm looking at, and I have both hands free.
 
I want to give you some things to think about.

- We learn NOT to point a gun at anything we aren't willing to destroy, right?

- If the light is attached to the gun, by definition we must point it at someone/something to IDENTIFY who/what is there. If it is a "friendly" we just put them at risk and I guarantee that no DA or PD is going to appreciate our reasons for doing so. [NOTE: Police can get away with this due to the nature of their job, but if a civilian points a gun at someone, it damn well better be a response to life/limb or you are toast in the legal system (civil, criminal or both).]

- Therefore, my answer is to always carry a flashlight on my belt to use to light up the situation. The gun would only come out in dire circumstances if there really was a threat. I like the Harries technique personally.

YMMV

As for holsters:

- Brommeland for OWB
- Milt Sparks VMII for IWB
- Milt Sparks Summer Special 2 for easily removed IWB

+1 and lights make nice targets
 
I don't have an issue with weapon lights. Another 5-10 years they'll be so small and bright I reckon many, many folks will have them on their CC guns.
 
Back
Top Bottom