Leave the light at home or carry it separately... Unless you do dynamic entries for a living...the more night courses I attend, the more I prefer a separate light. I do have a Surefire on one XD .45 that is close at hand, but I would never carry it. It really slows down and interferes with the draw and presentation of the gun. CTs excellent compact Lightguard is great for it's compactness, but understand that as soon as you acquire a proper firing grip on the gun, you are self illuminating...maybe not always the best thing, in a fight. A quality handheld light or three, is essential gear, but no gun mounted light for me.

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Of the Troops & For the Troops

But it strikes me as odd that anyone would want to call attention to themselves in a gunfight and put an aiming spot in front of their face. Perhaps it is just because I am not a highly trained operative, or even a poorly trained one, but have always been told concealment helps keep you alive in a defensive situation and it is tough to remain concealed while shining a light. A light certainly has an essential place and I always carry one, but do not want to use it in a way that draws fire directly at me.

Well it is all how you look at it. A light does show where you are but if they see it you see them. Same question as do I run for cover or engage immediately? I have always been a stand and fight guy. I have a light on my house gun and I think hitting someone with that blinding beam gives me enough time to shoot. J.Michael

Is a 40 Witness with a light on it. I would not consider carrying it that way but middle of the night I kind of like it. I have the light adjusted so that the sights are at the center of the beam. I definitely do not consider mounted lights practical at all on a carry gun.

I have a 600L Streamlight on my house gun. I figger the beam is going to really hamper someone long enough for me to identify, illuminate my sight pic and pull the trigger. Only thing is, turning it on for use is another step I might not have time for.

The headlights look. With a bright enough light, they aren't going to be seeing real good for a few seconds either. My reason for it on my bump in the night gun is to differentiate between foe and family.

My night guns (an 870 and a much-modified 1022 both have mounted lights. However, that is mainly because it is difficult to manage both a long gun and a separate light. Both are more commonly employed against critters rather than entities that are likely to shoot back. In that scenario I don't think I would use the light unless holding someone at gunpoint. Then I would WANT him to know that the gun was pointed right at his giblets.

On a handgun, nicht sehr gut. Rather have it separate.

ing like a deer in the headlights...Maybe his back is to you, maybe he has a light too, maybe maybe... Hand held lights are paramount.

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Of the Troops & For the Troops

that make sense. All based on training and 17 years experience kicking in doors. I won't attempt to quote him, but you can find him I am sure.

Would help if I knew who you were refering to....

and not having any light is pure recklessness.

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Of the Troops & For the Troops

Clip a light on an airsoft gun and go out into the backyard and shoot it out with a training partner.

You will get shot a lot, mostly around the hands. No bueno for Byron.

I have been rethinking a lot of this stuff over the past couple of years.

When things go bump in the night....

Think night vision and armor.

Stats are that one is 85% less likely to die in a gunfight if they are wearing body armor. That is an advantage that should not be ignored.

For $2000 one can acquire kit that will sway the equation to the point that the VAST majority of criminals will have utterly no chance whatsoever. Fish in a barrel.

While this advantage might be considered to be cold blooded murder by some there can be no question that it will work like a charm.

Byron

for 350.00 of so....

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Of the Troops & For the Troops

Body armor for Christmas... Wife: You want WHAT?!?!

,

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Of the Troops & For the Troops

…it's advisable you take it off before the cops get there.

Better to ask for forgiveness than permission...

Byron

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Of the Troops & For the Troops

In one of my early IWB kydex holsters. I've worn it several hours straight and also took it to MI as my wolf protection gun last two years. 8-9 hours in a truck and several more strolling through the woods with no major amount of discomfort. Puts out a decent amount of light for its size. I have a TLR-1 on my AR house gun. Slightly bigger but MUCH brighter.

I normally carry a small 120 lumen light as well. If I need to look at something in the dark I use the pocket light. If I need to shoot something in the dark, I'll use the light alredy on the gun.

I agree that lights are bullet magnets, but if you are going to be attracting incoming fire, why wouldn't you want to have a light that requires no extra holding hands and just happens to be pointing where your firearm is?

I don't get how a slight amount of weight would slow down a draw and for the most part, if I'm going to investigate a noise etc, the gun is going to be in my hands anyways.

Don't normally do 'selfies' but I was trying to get a laugh out of the wife woth this one. I wore my fully loaded plate carrier while
Doing one of her workout videos last week!

Figure if I ever need it, I'll be under duress, so why not? This one is kinda set up for a bad bad situation, but you can get a basic throw over PC with front and back plates for pretty cheap from AR500 Armor. Not a bad idea to have by the bed. Set up simply with a pistol holster, a spare mag or two and a light. Maybe a blow out kit as well just in case metal hits meat...

I generally carry my issued duty pistol (M&P40/TLR) off duty in a kydex IWB. I'd like to have a leather IWB but haven't been able to find one. I practice with the issue pistol more than any other so it makes some sense to use it off duty as well.
That being said, I'll be camping out this weekend and my M&P9 will be in a Cuda as I'm concerned (maybe I'm wrong) about kydex cracking from being knocked around in the woods.

What Rob said. I think you also have to consider that you may be up against a hardcore bad guy who does not give a damm about collateral damage. In such case, his instant reaction to being hit with your light will be to empty his magazine toward the light without regard to whether or not he can see you. He still knows you are back there behind that light somewhere, and won't care who or what else is.

The kydex will hold upmost fine, but keep bug spray away from it! Apparently some ingredient in most big sprays will attack the plastic and make it brittle. I need to experiment some time and see what it actually does.

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For the average guy (or average cop) I would tend to agree. I've seen too many guys turn their gun light on and leave it on during a building search.

Recon Marines, Cav Scouts etc and their LE counterparts are another matter entirely. 'Light discipline' can be taught and if you've going to use one, on or off the gun, it's extremely important.

D ONE." what????http://shop.simplyrugged.com/ecommerce/DEFCON-3.cfm?item_id=414&parent=669

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Of the Troops & For the Troops

You mount it to the weapon and usually stays there. It doesn't end up in the garage, or in the car, or in the basement because you were doing something, needed a light and that was the best one.

I've got a Cuda but I'd like to have one to accomodate the M&P40/TLR combo if you'd like to give that a try.