Today at the range I decided it would be smart to bust out the Surefire for a little. You know, because holding lights at weird angles isn’t natural and practicing definitely couldn’t hurt. As it turns out, I’m getting better with shooting one-handed, but still suck pointing a flashlight. As it stands, I use the back-of-hand to back-of-hand method.
So I wanted to pick you folks’ minds about the merits and drawbacks of both versions of employing a light with a handgun: the one where the light is attached to the weapon, and the one where it isn’t. Here are a few things that come to mind.
Hand-held light PRO: Hand-held lights mean I don’t necessarily have to point the gun at something just to illuminate it. CON: Much less steady shooting one-handed than two-handed, and harder to ‘hit the target’ with the light.
Weapon-mounted light: PRO: Easy to retain a solid grip on the handgun. CON: I have to point my firearm at something to light it up (haha, I crack myself up).
It’s not really an either/or proposition. Both are a good idea. Hand helds are mandatory…weapon mounted lights on handguns are optional, but an extremely useful option. Training on both isn’t optional either, as both take dedicated training time to master.
For years I trained with (and carried) a hand-held light with my CCW pistol. If I was carrying a gun, I was also carrying a light. My lights were Surefires…a G2 or an E2D. This works well for me because my primary carry piece is a wheelgun (due to my small body frame) which obviously does not have rails. I also use my light as needed for other illumination purposes, so I don’t want it attached to my gun if I have to change a tire at night, ya know?
However, I recently acquired a Streamlight TLR-1 in LED for my G17 and I have to say, I’m thoroughly impressed. The G17 is primarily a HD blaster, so it resides in the home: where having an attached light is ok in my opinion.
I continue to carry the wheelgun with a detached light for CCW, but maintain the TLR-1 on my G17 at home. I guess what I’m saying is that it’s all about the environment you’re operating in, how the light meshes with your training and your equipment, and how you choose to use the light.
Too bright for indoor use imo(the G2L is just right i think).The X300 blinded me in close quarters when my eyes were adjusted to the dark(which i assume would be the norm when a flashlight is needed).I suppose a less powerfull mounted light would solve this issue though.
Gotta carry a handheld anyway.Ive been working on using my G2L with the SF ring,which works pretty well and allows for a decent two handed grip.
Comfort and concealability was probably the biggest issue.Going away from the mounted light allowed me to switch to a leather/kydex hybrid holster,as well as reducing weight and size somewhat.
I hated to do it…
For a gun that was going to stay at the house/car or OWB,i wouldnt have.But for concealed carry with a full size M&P9…the pros outweighed the cons(or vice versa).
Ive tried various methods in the past and always had problems trying to use a handheld light while shooting.The Graham method(?) with the SF ring,is about the easiest and most natural way that ive come across so far.
My HD 1911 and the wife’s G19 have X300’s on them, right now my carry 1911 does not have a light - but as soon as I can get the rail added to it, it will get its X300 back on.
I am a big believer that you need both a weapon mounted and a handheld light, as your use of each light has their own abilities, and detractions. Having both allows you to accomplish the tasks with minimun problems.
Each method, hand-held and weapon mounted, have their own unique pros and cons. Both methods also need to be practiced.
Hand held
Pro
large variety of techniques
Can have the light away from your center line
Easier to search with
Allows user to put light behind obsticales
Cons
Many techinques require one hand shooting
Some techniques are equipment dependent (Ayoob required body mounted switching, Rogers mandates a tailcap switch, etc)
Need a method of carrying the light that allows consistent placement
Weapon mounted
Pro
Faster into action
Easy to apply “third eye principle”
No need for extra light holder
Good for gunfighting
Con
Increased chance of sweeping non threats
Limited angles of illumination
Need holster that holds pistol and light
Not the best for searching
I’ve been using the rings for a few months and still don’t care for them. The ring itself needs to be smaller.also I find that I have to pull the light against the fingers of my dominant hand in order to activate the switch.
+1. I personally do not carry a light on my CCW, but simply because I can’t comfortably conceal one attached to the gun and I always have a handheld light with me.
OP-
JW_777 did a nice little primer on white-light use. There are good examples of each handheld technique, with an excellent couple of posts and pics from the Chief Instructor of the Rogers Shooting Ninjary Association- you can see it all >HERE<.
I initially tried it as detailed on the Surefire page and found that the switch would often hit between fingers leading to failures to activate the light. I then tried to run it in a manner similar to the Rogers/syringe method and found it didn’t work well that way either.
I’m at the point now that I typically only use Harries, neck index, and modified FBI for handheld light positions.
I initially tried it as detailed on the Surefire page and found that the switch would often hit between fingers leading to failures to activate the light.
Ive had some occasional issues with that myself.
The more ive used it though,ive started to get the grip just right every time(with less and less conscious effort).I think a tailcap button that protruded a little more and/or could be more easily activated with pressure on the outer edges/rim could be a big help.
Another vote for “both is best.” A handheld is a necessity and I don’t go anywhere without my Novatac 120P. The handheld is the light I use right up until the point when having both hands on the gun is a greater priority.
I’ve never been crazy about any of the hand-and-a-half techniques people try to use when shooting with handheld lights. They’re all slow enough or awkward enough that they aren’t worth the extra training investment, at least to me. I just use some variation of the neck/temple index and shoot one-handed. I practice one-handed shooting a lot anyway. Now that training serves multiple purposes instead of needing to spread my training time and ammo between different techniques.
I don’t currently carry a light on my CCW gun because AIWB and a big flashlight mounted to the dustcover don’t work well together. As smaller lights intended for subcompact guns become more common, though, hopefully they will be robust enough to work well on full size CCW guns.
There are a variety of positions out there due to equipment issues (placement of switching), need, and some just to stroke the ego. I happen to buy into Ken Hackathorn’s philosophy that you need to have at least two handheld light techniques. An “inside” technique and an “outside” technique. When speaking of inside and outside, I’m refering to the left and right side of the gun. Having at least one technique for each side of the gun allows the shooter to reduce illuminating himself when clearing corners and searching a house.
If you dont think you will ever be clearing a structure then maybe you can get away with just having one technique. For me and my line of work; having several methods is practically a requirement.
I do agree with everyone. I am one who bought an X300 and damn it is bright! I also noticed when using it around my home to test it out that it border line blinded myself when clearing a room. I actually find it brighter then a 6P with the brighter lamp. I think it has to do with the spot of the light since it has a more concentrated center then even my LED Surefire dedicated weapon light for my shotgun.
I will say that when using the tail cap momentary switch on the x300 it is very handy. I have always been told to learn to shoot with a hand held light because your weapon light may fail. With the proper training you can deploy your handgun with any type of hand held light in a pinch. If you do not practice with a hand held light you are going to have problems.
Dave
PS has anyone tried any kind of filter on the X300 to try to defuse the light more?
i currently the sure fire 200b, mainly because it throws a wider beam. the light works very well indoors. if working outdoors then i’ll switch to the X200a which throws a tighter beam.