I know this can be a polarizing issue, but who here uses a small tactical light on the rail of their home defense gun? I just purchased a M&P .40 FS (209300) and am researching laser and light options. I like having the option of a laser for night time HD and have just kept a small tactical light in the night stand. Downside is, if I have to use the light I end up sacrificing a solid grip on my firearm. I have been partial to Crimson Trace for lasers but am looking at the Streamlight TLR-4 with has both laser and light. Anyone have experience with this? Does it work well, hold zero, should I skip it all together? Pros and cons of lights?
Thx...Brian

How does one tell if a small flashlight is "tactical" as opposed to just a small flashlight? I mean other than the fact that the word "tactical" is used in the description and they add 40%+ to the price. I used a friend's in a night shoot, but can't be sure it was a genuine, certified, SOF, operator wannabe "tactical" light.

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Have Canon, Will Travel

I have them on my "Serious" long guns.





But so far I've not seen the need on any one of my HD handguns.

Drew

Good question. I'm thinking just means they charge more to buy them. From a firearms standpoint, most lights are found in the tactical category, therefore referred to as " tactical" lights. The small "tactical" light I keep in my nightstand is a small rubberized 3 watt LED flashlight I got at Menards for $20 and that little thing is bright! In fact, I would put it against any Surefire or Streamlight that cost 5x as much.

Now that we have the semantics cleared up...on to the original question please.

Nice long guns. I have thought about putting one on my M&P 15-22 but just don't see myself target shooting or plinking in the dark...although that might be fun.

I do...I carry with it as well

I have the TLR4 on my M&P9c and love it! I'm still all about iron sights but my thought is if I'm in the dark and need a light I'm good to go. Also I figure that if a person has a red dot on their chest they know they're done for and may keep you from having to pull the trigger. This is definitely a personal decision but that's what I have decided for myself.

This is something I have issues with...

Maybe it's my old school training or I am just not up on the new "Tactical" way of doing things.

I personally don't see an advantage, rather a large disadvantage to both lasers and weapon mounted lights for home defense/personal protection.

I would not give my position away by the use of a laser in any situation. Several people I know have them, and I have noticed a disturbing trend to focus on the laser instead of your entire surroundings when doing shoot and move drills....

A weapon mounted light cannot be brought to bear on "off sight picture" targets. A quick swing of a high powered tac flashlight toward a side threat to identify and disorient another assailant is a valuable tool.

Just my views on this subject...

Your results many vary....

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Take your time..quickly.

I live out in the sticks. My alarm system (Miss Katie Dog) keeps me posted whenever anything gets close to the house. When she alerts it's awfully handy to grab the Remington 870 with it's SureFire foreend and sweep the yard with it's beam. Usually it's some sort of critter that doesn't need to be shot.

If, however, someone were to get by my light sleeping or Miss Katie Dog's ears and actually get into the house, I'm not going to need a light. It will be a fast, ugly, close quarters fight and I don't want anything on my handgun that's going to slow me down, get in the way, of screw up as I deploy.

Just my thinking....

Drew

I have a S&W Micro 90 on my XD45 bedside gun.
Also have a light on my 'go to' AR.

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I have one and I think they are absolutely necessary. I get the "element of surprise" argument, but who wants to shoot a family member at 2am because they wanted to maintain that element? Just my $.02.

As far as the lights go, skip the trl 3 an 4. Their attachment guides are polymer and have been shown to break a lot when over tightened or from holding up to handgun recoil. Go with trl 1s for just a weapon light, or a trl 2 for both. If you just want a laser I don't know much about that area...

I don't use visible lasers. I have been using weapon mounted lights for most of my career. They are an advantage. The caveat is you need to know what you are doing and how to use them.

I think weapon mounted lights give you a great advantage.

There's too much made of having the "training"'to use them correctly.
There a stinking flashlight. Use it how how see best up to your level of training. Lots of folks can barely run their guns, yet they're better off with poor training and a gun than no gun.

Fwiw I'm a retired Leo, and have six Thunder Ranch trips also. I'm no expert however. Generally speaking get a weapon mounted light for everything you intend to fight with.

I have weapon mounted white lights on my AR's, Glocks, and 870. I don't have any experience with lasers. However with either night sights or Aimpoint Dot on all of my fighting guns, don't see the need for a laser.

Emory

I use a Streamlight TLR-3 on my HD gun a SIG P220. Now the reason is a while back my buddy and I responded to his wife calling locked in a room scared cause someone had gotten int he house when we both got there in 5 minutes it was pitch black in the house and outside the only thing i could see is the sights and thats it so i bought the tac light the next day.

As for the trl-3s strength I have fired hundreds of 230gr rounds though that pistol with it on and have yet to have an issue. I test the light once a week adn change out the battery no matter what every two months

DITTO! on not wanting shooting family members!

I keep my MP .40 by my bed and have the TLR 3 Streamlight. I like the combo and if you install it per instructions it never comes loose and wont break. I left mine on last time at the range and fired 250 rounds with no problem except the lens had a bit of powder on it.

I get them for less than 40$ each so no big deal if one fails.

I have several MP's and the 40 is the only one I use for a nightstand gun. Of course I have no children in the house so no problem there.

Ive got a few lasers laying around but I don't use em...I put one on a gun for my wife when I'm not at home....usually the MP.45 with no thumb safety.

Ernie

I have an NcStar light/laser combo on my HD gun, an M&P9.

I have a TLR1 on my 1911. No laser.
I want to see who I am pointing the gun at before I shoot, hence the flashlight-like TLR.
The laser is an aiming device only. It will not help you identify your target in the dark. But it will potentially give him your location.
That's my theory, anyhow.

I just scored an S&W Micro 90 for $37 (cheap!) courtesy of the eagle eye of a forum member who saw it on a closeout web site (Woot).
I like it. I have previously trained holding a tac light "cigar style" and this is much mo' better.

I have an older Streamlight M3 "Tactical" light that quite a few years and it is still working for me.

I have a Streamlight TLR-4 on my M&P 9fs. It works just fine. Momentary & constant switch. Settings for laser only, light only, and laser & light.

If I ever need to buy another, I want one that has the same features with the addition of pulse on the laser & light.

I have the same light mounted to my M&P 15-Sport & Franken-AR. The S&W Micro 90 is one heck of a value.

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-John

Here's a TLR-3 on a M&P 45c
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I think it's useful to have white lights on all home defense weapons, both handguns and long guns. I also have and use handheld lights. The handhelds are for searching for and IDing a potential threat when using a handgun, and as a backup to the weapon-mounted light during engagements; the light on the handgun is for engaging the threat, and if applicable, controlling the threat until police arrive (one hand for handgun and mounted light, other hand for phone). Lights on long guns fill all these roles.

My handhelds and weapon-mounted lights are Surefires. If your lights are for serious purposes, then don't buy cheap junk.

Re lasers: they can be useful in certain instances such as in low light engagements, engaging very fleeting targets, making engagements in circumstances where you can't bring the weapon's sights to eyeline, for shooters with compromised vision, as a training aid to identify poor trigger technique, etc. I don't use them as much as I once did, because I find they actually slow down my target engagement. I seem to take more time searching for the dot than finding the sights. I think that lasers increase rather than reduce the training load.

Yeah, the Wife and I both put Crimson Trace lasers on our guns a couple of years ago when we got serious about self defense. They are of great help to the novice and to those with vision issues but as we train more and more, I agree they're not necessary.
But who knew we would take to shooting as much as we have, right? I don't think it was wasted money.
For someone who is never going to practice past the first outing after they get a gun, they offer an advantage. And someone who doesn't practice is going to need all the help they can get!

If your going to spend the money, get the TLR2 that is metal and not the TLR4 which has lots of breaking issues reported on the forums.

I have a TLR-2 light/laser combo on my nightstand gun (4006TSW). In my case, if I don't get my glasses on or lose them in a scuffle the laser shows me what I'm going to hit if I have to pull the trigger. The light can be pointed at a ceiling or wall and the reflection lights up an area pretty well without having to point the gun at someone (if a family member wandering around the house at oh-dark-thirty is a concern). It also leaves my off-hand available for a number of tasks such as opening/closing/locking/unlocking doors, using a phone, using a light switch, carrying a spare mag, or any number of other things. To avoid giving my position away I would simply hold off on turning the light/laser on until I thought that I had a target, after all, I can navigate my own home in complete darkness with no problem, an advantage that a burglar would not have. JMO
Edit to Add: I've never had a problem with the TLR-2 laser holding zero, but because the laser is below the bore axis of the gun you will hit slightly high or low depending upon how far off you are from the range at which you have sighted the laser. It's not enough to make a difference at any distance within my home.

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Ban lunatics and criminals

Well, I found a TLR-4 on Amazon with free shipping for $107 so I ordered it. However, now I am concerned with the breakage issues as described above. It may find its way on to the tactical rail of my M&P 15-22, since it has far less recoil and I am not using it for HD. Once I am able to hit the range again (post back surgery right now) I want to get several hundred rounds through the new pistol using the factory sights before adding any lasers. A TLR-1 or new CT light might be okay for light for now. I guess I will re-evaluate in a few months. Thanks for all of the helpful insight!

My night stand is home to my M&P FS 40 Pro Series with an Insight rail light

I have a S&W Micro 90 on my 9C along with a Crimson Trace hand grip Laser. I can turn the light on or off with my finger or the thumb of my left hand. It saves me from having a second light in my hand.

I have the TRL1s on an M&P40 in the nightstand. Several times I have heard a bump in the night or the dog is on alert and I really like having that light on as I sweep the house. I have a big house with a lot of places a BG could hole up so I need to be able to see in dark corners, storage racks, etc.

I don't give a thought to revealing my position by having a light. If a bad guy is hiding quietly he will know where I am light or not. I also think when a bad guy sees a light coming he's going to bolt.

I currently have a TLR1 on my .45, it is convenient. The momentary on/off feature is what I like.
I also have a small powerful fist sized flashlight.
I can see both sides of the weapon mounted v. separate debate.

I went through several changes on this subject.

First, I felt uneasy about mounting a light to my HD handgun, because I didn't like the idea of pointing a weapon in the direction of the unknown just to I.D. what was there. I realized, though, that I could keep the handgun at the low ready and there was enough "bounce" from the light on the floor to identify what's there.

In the second stage, though, no matter how much I practiced shooting with the mounted light on, it seemed as though I was visually keying in on the light more than on my sights. I suppose at in-home distances, they might be more or less the same thing, but I didn't like it. (Side note: Possibly a narrowly-focused flashlight beam might cover the spread/pattern of a shotgun at these distances...? Who knows, I'm probably not going to test it)

Ultimately -- and I know that this might seem like overkill -- I've decided to keep the light mounted on my handgun, but use a hand-held flashlight instead. Why? I prefer having a light in my off hand, and practice that way, but in the event that I need that free hand to help lead my kids to a safer room, out of the house, etc., I can then switch to the weapon-mounted light.

I use the TLR-4 on my 40c. Works very well and the light will blind you!

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CT makes both a laser grip and light for the FS M&P and for the compact. These integrate very well with the weapon and add very little to the form factor, weight and balance of the gun. There are no switches to turn on or off (although a manual off is provided for both, if desired). Operation is very intuitive by separate pressure switches. Regarding the concern that you might give away your location, this ignores the fact that in a dark environment, you need to identify the potential target. Absent getting on some night vision equipment at 3 AM, you will need some illumination to avoid firing on a friendly. The laser and light can be operated independently and momentarily. If you ID a bad guy, what could be more intimidating than putting the red laser dot on the middle of his chest, leaving no doubt as to where that round would go. You can fire without having to check sights. I see this as the way to go.

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Every night before I go to bed my M5 gets clicked onto my 3913TSW.

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Matt H.

Nope. Had one once and realized how stupid the gun and I looked with it. Not to mention you have to point the weapon in the direction of the intruder, so you're now pointing a gun at your son or daughter who are sneaking back in after curfew. I prefer a small Surefire in my off hand, held away from the body. Someone sees the light, they shoot at that. That's the way we were taught when I went through the police academy. Either hold it far left or high above your head in our off hand. Sure, they have an application if you're clearing houses, but in the event of an intruder, I'm hunkered down, calling 911, LOUDLY announcing to the intruder I have a gun (with 911 still on the line so they're recording it), and if he's dumb enough to keep coming, I'll deal with him.

I believe that weapons lights have their uses and are a great tool to have in the tool box. That said, I've seen some people who have them take on the notion that is the only light they need to have available. If you're going to mount one on your weapon, carry a hand held to back it up. I don't like them for pistols I'm going to carry conceal, regardless of size, but mainly because they still manage to come packages that make them that much harder to conceal. I've used the TRL-1, the Surefire X200, and recently bought a TRL-3. I sort of like the idea of my TRL-3 being mounted on my .223 more than on my handgun. Nice, light, and slim package for a long gun. Still bulky for a handgun. Anyway, that's just my opinion...

My HD handgun and long gun always have a TLR-1 attached. For those that might say you have to point the weapon at what you want to see, you can illuminate an entire room with the light pointed at the floor. Having your gun and light in one hand is very good when you may just have to grab someone and shuffle them back to another room, turn on light switches and open doors. Having both my hands full in a home defense situation is not ideal IMHO.

That being said, I also have a secondary stand alone light that I will grab as well.

I use the TLR-1S at home but not when i carry.
Awesome light and leaves the other hand free.

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Common sense is not common

I have an HKUSP USP9 with an HK light on it.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2

As stated above I have a S&W Micro 90 on my 9C along with a Crimson Trace hand grip Laser. Last night I got the standard, "Honey there is someone in the garage". Grabbing the 9C I went to check it out and the wife was correct, well almost. On the dark side of the car was 2 racoons. That must have snuck in before we closed the garage for the evening. Having a feast on the dog food. I tried really hard to justify shooting one of them for the fur but just couldn't come up with a valid reason, "Honest officer he looked like he was attacking me". The point being was the light mounted on the gun allowed me to have one hand free to grab a broom and shoo them out the newly opened garage door. Without the light on the gun I would have to put the gun away to grab the broom. We do have a problem with rabies in racoons in the area so had it come at me I would have fired. All in all I was glad to have the light on the 9C.

FYI the wife had a great laugh at me with the gun going to fight the "vicious gang of Racoons". As she pointed out, "They must be bad guys, they were wearing masks".

This. Lights on guns for defense are tactiCOOL, but they don't make a lot of sense. There are FAR better choices available to us in any defensive situation than roaming the house in the dark with a weapon light.

Now Lasers on the other hand I think are a great investment. I have Crimson Trace grips and I never take them off. Not only is it a great supplement to the weapon's sights, but it also acts as one more level of deterrence to the BGs. From what I've heard from local officers Lasers have helped diffuse several tense situations that could have resulted in shooting. There's something that just seems to make the threat of the gun more REAL to BGs when they can look down and see the red dot on their chest. Usually snaps them right out of their crazy.

I use the Lightguard on my bedside m&p

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It's harder if you're stupid

Once you go to a mounted light, you'll never go back. SO much more functional and reassuring to have a good two hand hold on the gun at all times. My M&P 45 house gun wears an inexpensive NcStar light (only)and it works reliably and is Very bright.

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Dave