will that holster work with the light unattached?
i always have 2-3 flashlights on me and more within easy reach. i keep a tlr-1s on my g19 in a rcs phantom. 4 sevens preon always in my pocket. jetbeamjet 3m is in my bag. along with a assortment of streamlights ive collected over the years. im kind of a flashaholic
Not rob, but no, it won’t work. The retention is almost 0 without the light attached.
I don’t currently but I’m not really out at night much when i’d be carrying. If I do go out at night I stick a small tactical light in my coat or pants pocket.
Otherwise my pistol near my nightstand does have a weaponlight on it, as well as an additional hand held light within reach.
my wife also has a nice huge purple (her favorite color) Maglite on her side that doubles as a club haha
I see the validity of that - but you actually said hand-held or weapon mounted, which is what had me confused.
I did. Typing speed exceeded mental speed. 
I am never, ever without a light on me. It is as indispensable as my wallet and car keys.
Yep, full size M&P + TLR1 or Compact M&P + TLR3 carried IWB every day. Raven gear for both. Been carrying like this for about two years now.
G22 with a light. On duty and off.
This is primarily because the Raven is by far the most comfortable IWB holster that I’ve worn, and I want the light mounted option for plain clothes work as well as uniform work. I also feel that its just as easy to keep everything I need for my work gun on my work gun, so I don’t have to mix and match for off duty, plainclothes, uniformed duty, and tactical setups. At 5’10 220# I don’t notice the bulk of the setup, and it isn’t very noticeable on my frame.
I’ll probably stop EDC’ing the thing once my G27 holster comes in, but I’ll still have a handheld on me.
Ditto to this.
I would like to but:
I carry a full size 1911 in an IWB except for when on duty. Therefore the light has to come off.
When on duty I put the light back on because my duty holster will accommodate the light.
Yes everytime. M&P Compact .40 with an attached TLR-3 in a homemade Raven Phantom Style holster.
I use a Raven Phantom to be able to carry my issued duty gun (M&P/TLR) off duty as well. That way I don’t have to keep taking the light off and keep track of it.
As an armed civilian, I carry a light separate from my gun. I have never had to use it to light up a bad guy but it has been useful for illuminating other items of interest.
I could see how it would be useful to have a weapon mounted gun if I were in a police or military role.
No, it will not.
yeah i should expand on my answer, i generally dont’ carry a tactical light, but i do carry a AAA arc flashlight all the time. it’s tiny, bright, and super reliable.
i might pick up some kind of LED tac light at some point with a button on the base… i figure most likely if i have to draw my concealed handgun though there wont’ be much time for lighting stuff up.
Never. The friggin muzzle smoke ends up obscuring my view of the target. Smoke reflects light exceptionally well.
In addition to all the other downsides of a pistol mounted light, I can’t see what’s going on with the target after the first shot. And you don’t have time to wait for the smoke to clear to see what’s going on. To a certain extent you get this with any night pistol shooting, but with the light further back of the gun, the effect isn’t nearly as bad.
Activate light to see if you have a threat, engage threat, turn light off, MOVE… this should alleviate any smoke glare. Also, moving after shooting gives you a tactical advantage. If someone starts shooting at where the light was coming from, you won’t be there anymore. Most better quality defense ammunition usually has very good smoke and flash reduction. Gold Dots, Hornady, Federal TAP…
Sounds like you have tested this and come to a conclusion for your needs, can’t fault you for that.
But for all the lowlight training and practice I’ve done, I haven’t had an issue with this phenomena you mention.
My light seems to cut through any smoke just fine, and a simple side step makes the target clear as day again. You are moving, aren’t you?
And to some other posts I saw- A pistol mounted light certainly doesn’t replace a good handheld. But to say that only LE/MIL can benefit from a light I think is a little short sighted. They might need a light for shooting badguys in the dark. Are you saying you wont ever have to shoot a bad guy in the dark? Statistically if you have to shoot anybody it will be after nightfall.
Lights serve their purpose in specific cases. That said, just because the light is mounted doesn’t mean you have to use it. Employ it when needed, leave it alone when not needed. I like having the option.
You guys that are saying to “simply” move after you shoot… I am wondering how “simple” this is if you are barricaded at the end of your upstairs hallway? Or if you are in your living room and moving laterally means stepping into your couch or endtable?
Generally speaking, solid advice to “move” after illuminating or shooting, but context is everything. Moving may not always be that simple - or even desirable. One size does not fit all.
Nope, none of my 1911’s that I CCW are railed, and if they were, I’m not sure I would…
I carry OWB in a Raven holster occasionally with a mounted light. Most of the time I carry IWB without a light. When I go home and take off my pants, the M&P formerly carried IWB goes into nightstand mode with a mounted X200B. Having the light mounted to the weapon is invaluable for a “WTF was that?”-at-3-am gun.
On the street it’s highly likely that I’ll already be using a handheld light as the handheld light gives some freedom that you can’t get with a weapon light. I can, for instance, light that suspicious looking dude who is approaching me up with a handheld Surefire and challenge him with “CAN I HELP YOU?” These actions communicate to the bad guy that he’s screwing with the wrong hombre while being absolutely 100% legal and beyond reproach, avoiding any potential charges during a later interaction with law enforcement. It will be hard for the scumbag to press an assault charge for simply shining a flashlight on him and asking “CAN I HELP YOU?”
In such a situation if I need to shoot I’ll be shooting using the light already in my hand. It’s not inconceivable that the mounted light could come in handy in other circumstances, but in those circumstances I can use my handheld light techniques pretty well.