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Post by Gingerbread Man on Dec 8, 2014 12:54:07 GMT
I'm pretty opposed to WMLs on handguns. Even with carbines I believe a flashlight should be used to scan with. Muzzle covering everything with WMLs is poor tactics, not necessary and not appropriate for clearing. I'm not a SWAT operator and I'm not going in with a know threat. 99.99% of the time you better ID the subject before you point a gun at it, WMLs do not allow this. Low threat environments should have low threat responses.
Guns don't make good flashlights. With a flashlight I can sneak and peek, illuminate and ID with out ever muzzle covering anything. I believe clearing for civilians in a home defense mode should be doing way more scanning than clearing. You're not in your home to get into gun fights like you're in Kabul. You're getting your loved ones to a safe zone then that's it. It's impossible to clear your home alone and doing so is stupid tombstone courage.
Flash light method allows me to scan, handle doors and NOT be the guy walking around pointing a gun at everything, which immediately makes me the threat. People argue lights attract gunfire. Ok, then why do you have one on your gun? Or better yet, if they attract gunfire, why have one at all? Seems holding a light on a pistol right in front of you makes a perfect high upper chest target. I don't believe 99% of people can shoot a moving 1.5" light so I think that's a false statement.
For me the best method is having both but doing all scanning with a hand held. If you find a threat that just has to be shot then transition to gun with WML. The hand held flashlight should be on a lanyard so that when you drop it during the transition it is retained and doesn't become a tripping hazard.
Discuss?
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Post by Gingerbread Man on Dec 8, 2014 12:54:13 GMT
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Post by omegaman on Dec 8, 2014 15:21:23 GMT
I'm a fan of weapon mounted lights, but then again, my background is military and muzzle covering a haji is,"eh".
That said, my nighstand pistol has a light and I keep a handheld with it, for all the purposes you mentioned. A WML is merely a tool. I agree that arguements about drawing fire or telegraphing your position are grossly over-rated. For an intruder hiding in the dark, a flashlight is their worst enemy--weapon-mounted or not (honestly, they are not going to know). I like WMLs because I know my target area will always be illuminated in correlation with my muzzle.
Also, if you live out in the boondocks (like me), it's nice to have a free hand if you need to out on a porch or walk around the house (for me, it's mostly oppossums and raccoons that get my dogs all riled up).
Like anything else, if you opt to run a WML, just train with it. But, a handheld should always be near, too.
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Post by Browning35 on Dec 8, 2014 17:53:47 GMT
For bumps in the night I'm grabbing my pistol, a mag and a handheld flashlight.
It almost always turns out the be the cat, the wind blowing something up against the house or something of that nature. Only ever had it actually be something a few times ever.
Dogs are also good for giving you a sense of if something is up or not.
The AR with the WML is for if someone is kicking in the door and I have time to grab it and chamber a rd. There are certain considerations when you have kids. I can't keep shit lying around like I did before.
Because of that I've more hardened the exterior to give me more time. If they make it through a door or a window in my house it's cause they're really trying for it. They'd have to kick and bash for awhile.
When I'm checking out a 'Honey, did you hear that?' I'm not exactly lackadaisical, I'm going cautiously, but there are other family members here and I can't go pointing a gun around my house. Gotta use the flashlight.
If someone starts trying to boot down my quadruple locked and barred door with the door frame securely bolted to the wall or smash their way through storm windows with bullet resistant film on them then that's when I'll bust out the carbine with the WML on it. That's pretty much the only situation it would come into play unless there's suddenly a riot out here in cow country turned into a suburb.
Otherwise it's generally staying where it's at.
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Post by red on Dec 9, 2014 0:24:03 GMT
Same as y'all. A decent ICON hand held with strap around my wrist. Glock 17 with a Streamlight on it.The dog and cat make a bump at night a lot so most times its flash light looking on low power with pistol in hand at my side. Not sure if it a paranoid thing but i will sit and read stuff on the internet while my arm is relaxed to my side .Glock in hand with the WML attached i will"draw an flick the light on as practice/training.All safety rules followed empty gun no ammo and a safe direction. I am so-so with the draw point while my finger turns on the light.
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Post by as556 on Dec 9, 2014 1:38:54 GMT
I'm still deciding on my preference. All my guns that allow it have WMLs ranging from 300-600 lumens, though. One thing I do know is I feel much more comfortable with a rifle in my hands than a pistol. Until that changes Ill take the carbine. The fact that I have 2x the (much more effective than 9) ammo on board plus an optic and sling seals the deal for me. That said, more often than not my AR is in my safe and I have a pistol accessible to me at all times so realistically the handgun is my go to, comfort level be damned.
I do keep a handheld light by the bed, hadn't really considered using the WML and handheld in conjunction. Ill give that a shot.
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Post by redeyes on Dec 9, 2014 3:00:57 GMT
This matters less if you live alone and have the only key. If you live with several people or have frequent visitors more caution is needed.
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Post by RTF Squared on Dec 9, 2014 6:11:44 GMT
I'm all for flashlights in general, including wmls on pistols. Any time in carrying I have 4 total flashlights, the TLR1 on my Glock, Terralux TT5 (bigger one) and PRO3 smaller one as well as a little Coast. Each has a purpose. The TLR1's is obvious, the TT5 is my "fighting handheld" at 650 lumens, the PRO3 is my General Purpose and the Coast is my "I need light, but a fucking microscopic amount." The PRO3 sees by far the most use, it's perfect lighting for just aspects of my job, which is often rolled on my back looking up into a dashboard. The TLR1 gets turned on every time I holster up, but not much else. I advocate for pistol lights for multiple reasons. If I do need to illuminate and need to shoot, I'd like two hands on my gun if possible. The TT5 will be dangling from its wrist lanyard at that point. This is more speculative, but I think it looks better from a legal standpoint to have it, same with night sights. It adds weight to he weapon, reducing recoil. Last it acts to keep the slide/barrel from getting pushed out of battery should the muzzle be pressed against a perp.    Jmho, but I think they are the schiesse. |
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Post by nxp on Dec 10, 2014 2:03:02 GMT
Yes hand held light, no weapon light.
There's flashlights all over the house, and I've got two little ones that like things that light up. While neither would handle a firearm (this point has been driven home multiple times, and verified with a "test" using an airsoft Glock on the bed - both kids did great and got an adult immediately but didn't touch it), I don't like to put temptation out for the curious.
I do appreciate them, and see their use, but in our household a handheld works just fine. Remember to practice with it.
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