lasers/other lights on your weapons..

[ContinentalOp]

@ContinentalOp I think you may be referring to Dr. Sherman A. House (a gentleman I am happy to consider a friend I've never met face to face).

I believe he made a video of that sort and I know he has a close relationship to Tom Givens.

The name sounds familiar, so that may very well be who it was. Thanks.

 

[Old cop]

Tough to put a light on my Model 10 snub, or any of my other revolvers, but I was not trained that way. We were trained to put a light in our off hand, away from our body, with the revolver in our strong hand. The idea is not to put a light in front of your vitals for the bad guy to shoot at.

 

[BAM-BAM]

There must have been at least 100 of these threads in the past few years.......

Question/thought; as a homeowner in a quite 'burb of the Burgh"..... how likely is it that I'll be confronting a gun welding burglar or intruder .... willing/wanting to engage in a shootout with a armed homeowner...... or one who will start blasting away if caught in a flashlight beam....

Sometimes I think we focus/fixate on the worse scenario we can imagine .... like the drug crazed mugger that will continue an attack like a "Viking Berserker" unless put down with the same gun we talk about in the Bear threads.

Everyone's mileage will vary..... from me to our troops in the Sandbox to the Cop answering a alarm....... from me in my t-short and shorts to soft body armor to ceramic plates and Kevler helmets......... need and available equipment will vary.

In the end we will respond with what we have...... not necessarily with what we would like.

 

[Rastoff]

Sometimes I think we focus/fixate on the worse scenario we can imagine ....

Isn't that a good thing? Focus on the worst possible and then when something less happens we're still prepared.

 

[digiroc]

Let there be light ...

First off, the figure I have read is 70% of assaults occur in hours of darkness. That would imply the a defensive weapon should be at it's optimum utility in low light situations.

Identification of a threat and even realization of a threat is 100% related to our ability to see it. Threats can and often do lurk in the darkest recesses available.

The ability to light-up your World is an essential part of situational awareness. Knowing what's around you is integral. Having a good flashlight should be an essential part of your kit.

While weapon mounted lights on a handgun are TackyCool and might be useful as a weight to reduce muzzle climb, I wouldn't want to give an opponent that good of an aiming point. And sweeping the room with the light is sweeping the room with the muzzle as Rastoff so rightly points out.

Flashlights have come a long way since the 5 cell MagLight, which can still be a big stick in your offhand if you want to tote one. I have a 1000 lumen LED that fits comfortably in my pocket.

At the brightest setting it will burn your retina's out, and it will strobe at that intensity, disorienting any potential assailants and blinding them by destroying their night vision.

Night sights are also a useful edge you can give yourself. Besides the ability to see them for aiming, seeing them when the gun is not in your hand can help you find it and orient it so it can be picked up without fumbling around to find the handle.

Lasers are also a great edge to have. There is no quicker target acquisition or aiming. They do have their limitations, useful only in less than bright conditions and relatively close ranges. Very nice from behind cover without the need to fully expose yourself, lasers are great at what they are good at.

None of these devices will take the place of practice, repetition, and drill. Since shot placement still trumps all, it will usually be the person who can first deliver accurate fire who will be the one to go home at the end of the day.

digiroc

Shoot Well My Friends

 

[BAM-BAM]

Isn't that a good thing? Focus on the worst possible and then when something less happens we're still prepared.

Generally yes.......the worst "possible"......IMHO first focus on the probable


but folks on the internet like to come up with fantasy scenarios of what ifs....... when reality is most of us,mere homeowners, should be more worried about...... shooting an innocent ....than... repelling jihadie boarders......

There's a balance in there,somewhere, that varies with who we are and what we're doing....... back to; no single right answer for everyone reading or responding to this thread.

For me the humble home owner; IMO it's more important to get the best ID on a possible target than it is to be a fraction of a second faster or risk someone shooting at my flashlight or weapons light.

 

[BAM-BAM]

digiroc makes a good point................... trying shining your "light" (what ever it is) into a mirror about 10-15 feet away while looking into the reflection.......... the "effect" might give you all the time you need to get a good ID and respond......and as always movement is your friend.

 

[ChattanoogaPhil]

If at night and in bed.. I can whisper to Alexa to turn on the lights in all or part of the house. I could even turn on the lights just on the opposite side of the house in my office as a distraction. The idea of wandering around in the home playing hide and seek with a handheld or WML is something I'll leave for others, but for inside the home I see little benefit to require yourself to use both hands for a gun and handheld light. Door knobs, star rails, assisting child... or or or... tough to do with your toes. Whatcha gonna do, holster the gun or light in your undies?

 

[digiroc]

DIY SSV 5906 w/ CT laser 17+1 primarily bedside companion.

Model 69 w/ laser grips and FastFire III for deer hunting and Bear repellent

My three J's the 640 Pro Series has Trigicon's and CT laser

Now even my 547 has laser grips

Getting night sights on the 547 isn't an option, so I painted the sights with glow in the dark paint.

This works surprisingly well, much brighter than Trigicon's for about 10 minutes after a two second activation with my tactical light.

digiroc

Shoot Well My Friends

 

[Lee in Quartzsite]

Nice looking collection! My only revolver is a 642 that has been carried for years, and shows it.

This Thread has shown there are two strong opinions on how best to carry; iron sights or electronic sights. One thought that comes to mind when discussing the use of either is that lasers enable the user to sight with both eyes open which vastly increase their field of view. A vast majority of iron sight users close one eye and squint through the other to sight the gun, thereby limiting their their field of view. Point shooting would eliminate this issue, but most shooters fail to use this method for self defense.

Just a thought that came to me while watching football, and letting the cat chase my green dot at the same time.....

 

[MCorps0311]

S&W 1911 .45 Auto & BG .38 SPL+P both Crimson Trace Laser.

 

[kthom]

I am a person who uses and likes Crimson Trace Laser Grips and Laser guard sights. Every gun I own that is used for personal protection, whether for EDC, home protection, or vehicle carry, has one of these sights installed. These devices do NOT replace my gun sights. They do not come into play when I have enough light to see my sights. But they are a very useful accessory any time there is low light or no light present. Each of these sights is activated with the middle finger of my shooting hand, the one that fits immediately underneath the rear of the trigger guard and against the grip of the gun. I have learned to control whether or not the laser is activated by the use of more or less pressure on the grip with that finger. Basically all I use these lasers for is to absolutely confirm where I am aiming in poor light conditions. I can also aim the guns well if I should happen to be in a position where I cannot take my customary stance or firing position. And the laser is also useful when dry firing since it can be seen and one can tell how well he or she is handling their trigger press while maintaining the sights in the correct position throughout the the act of firing the gun.

These devices do not interfere with my grip or my ability to fire my guns in the normal way I do that. The LaserGuard sights do require some accomodation for the holsters in which those guns fitted with them are carried since these sights add some bulk underneath and in front of the trigger guard and barrel. I have found very satisfactory holsters to accomodate these Laserguard mounted guns. No changes were required for my holsters for revolvers.

I have had very excellent experience with Crimson Trace Products and have received very good service from the Company. I have had no need for any repairs to any of my several CT Laser sights, and the Company has provided free batteries for my sights since they began to offer that service. I see no negative consequences for having them mounted and I do see several very positive benefits.

These are my personal thoughts and choices. You must make your own. Remember that these devices do NOT replace my gun sights and they are little or never used when I can see my gun sights well. But they are a great comfort and benefit when I cannot see those same gunsights well. You will have to decide for yourself if having these laser sights are of any benefit to you. I have simply related my own experience and reasons for having and using them in addition to the fact that they have stood the test of EDC and use for a very long period of time.

Edit: These sights do not take the place of a good hand held flashlight. I do not use them to identify targets if that is necessary.
I use them specifically to be able to properly and carefully aim my weapon when I cannot see my gunsights well.

 

[rock n roll kid]

yes ... tom givens had feed back on this subject in sept./oct of this year in american handgunner .
the info from jim cirillo was taken from confessions of modern day gunfighter.

 

[REM 3200]

Okay, while I have a few minutes I'll address a few of the things I take issue with.

1. I have personally experienced instances where in dim light I could see the target but could not see my gun nor its sights. I relied on instinctive shooting but it was daunting at the distance. When I switched to night sights for the same scenario at the following qualification, I was able to see my sights while acquiring the target.

Also, they help one put their muzzle on the location they believe the threat to be even if the lighting is less than adequate to fully illuminate the threat.

2. A WML does not preclude the carriage of a handheld light for searches or other tasks. That said, a WML can be flicked on and off rapidly (as required) which not only may serve to disorient a threat, it allows one to step to one side or another to change position.

Also, with the bright lights on WMLs these days, one does not need to muzzle a target. There is ordinarily sufficient spill or reflected light to illuminate a subject without aiming directly at them.

Also, having a WML on a handgun doesn't require that it be employed.

There is more but hopefully you get the gist. I have no desire to engage in argument or a war of words. Those who have made up their minds one way or another won't care either way. I am only hoping to reach those who are still trying to learn while they have an open mind.

(I come by my experience from 20+ years in law enforcement, during which time I also served on SRT and trained with other SRT, local, state, federal and military teams such as SEALs, SAS, GSG-9 etc...plus personal training outside of the job.)

I went many, many years without night sights or a WML personally and they may or may not play a part in ones plans.

What I am arguing against is misinformation so that folks can make a proper decision for themselves.

Okay, I'm out.

ETA: I do not have a WML on any of my carry firearms. Only on my designated nightstand gun. I do, however, have night sights on each of my semi-autos. None on my revolvers.

The fact that you have trained with GSG-9 says a lot about your expertise in this area.

 

[blues7]

The fact that you have trained with GSG-9 says a lot about your expertise in this area.

I don't claim to be an expert...but I didn't just fall off the turnip truck.

(Thank you for the kind words, brother.)

 

[dwever]

Have WML on M&P R8 and G-17 with Galco Halo holster.

 

[Thomasino]

Lasers seems to be fun to mess with at the range, but seem to be impractical in a sd situation. They're just another thing to think about while in a somewhat panic condition. I have night sights on my pm9, that's enough. Nothing like having a beacon on your gun saying 'here I am, shoot me'!

Sent from my Moto G (4) using Tapatalk

 

[Lee in Quartzsite]

Lasers seems to be fun to mess with at the range, but seem to be impractical in a sd situation. They're just another thing to think about while in a somewhat panic condition.

Have you even shot a laser equipped weapon? There is no required thinking involved. Do you use your night sights with both eyes open?

 

[TAROMAN]

Recently, I attended night shooting training.
A real eye opener, to say the least.
In really dark places, a laser alone is of little use.
We trained using handheld flashlights in different ways.
Takeaways included that night sights are a big help in low light.
Up close, really close, forget sights.
Have a lanyard on your light.
My HD gun also wears a lanyard so I can control it if I need both hands for something.

I don't carry this house gun.

 

[WR Moore]

Some of y'all need to spend some time doing force on force exercises as the bad guys. This doesn't have to be too strenuous, pointing fingers can substitute as firearms, but do all the rest of the stuff as realistic as possible.

I think you'll find that a lot of the assumptions cited above will prove to be not exactly as expected.