When concealing do you use a light?

[Navyvbss]

So I have a SD40VE with a TLR-4 GREEN DOT Laser/light that is set up to the distance from wall to wall in my bedroom. Found this works well for me, i have a general distance to base the rest of my house off of so if someones in my kitchen i know its roughly the same distance but i really like the light. How does this relate to concealed you're wondering!? Well i really want to conceal the same setup i have in house but it seemed impossible to conceal it. I finally found a company that will make and does make ccw holsters for my gun and light combo. Im really excited to get this holster because one of the most desired time s to have my gun on me is when walking to my car late at night but this requires light to identify the attacker or robber but finding a system to allow me to do that was a ton of work. But im excited and wated to ask you all what you have found works well for you when concealing in low light situations. Ill post a pic of my setup and then the holster when i get it. Thanks everyone

 

[cmort666]

I don't believe in having a light which requires me to point a loaded firearm at or even in the general direction of another person.

In cold weather, I carry the LED flashlight I got from the NRA. It's bright and has a crenelated bezel which makes it a handy weapon. It's small enough to fit comfortably in a coat pocket.

 

[okiegtrider]

Not a set up that I would call ideal for me to carry. But, if it works for you, carry on!

 

[Rpg]

I'm pretty underwhelmed by this set up.

The laser is a problem since it causes you to look at the wrong thing and screws up good sd shooting.

Remember: front sight, front sight.

If you've developed skill presenting your pistol (drawing from the leather, acquiring the sights and shooting quickly)you'll find that the sights line up pretty automatically.

So much so that you can hit very well in the dark: even if you can't actually see your sights, you know where they are. You still focus on the front sight.

If you rely on a laser, you'll never develop that skill.

Mounting a flashlight on a pistol is surplusage.

Worse, it encourages sweeping the neighborhood with your muzzle as you sweep with the light.

If you need a light, the off hand is the place for it.

Finally, anyone that imagines they can draw and fire quickly while switching on all the electronics hasn't timed themselves trying and don't have a good idea what quickly means in a sd situation.

 

[walkin' trails]

I carry a G22/Surefire X300 or an M&P 9c/TRL-3, both in BlackPoint Tactical hybrid wing OWB scabbards. The BPT rig conceals better than others I've had for carrying with weapons lights, but not perfect. You need a good belt to maximize concealment.

 

[JCFindley]

Streamlight 670 lumen flash/strobe in my left light pocket pocket and an 1100 lumen version in my truck.

For the reasons stated above I prefer them separate. I do like the tritium sites though.

I don't use lasers but they have their purposes but I would prefer them in the grip like Crimson Trace if I did.

 

[Old TexMex]

No way. I have a flashlight. Three cell Mag-Lite or a NovaTac.

 

[Neumann]

For starters, a laser should be set to coincide with the iron sights at a distance great enough that parallax is not visible. 50 feet would be a minimum. You can fine-tune at the range, but that usually won't be necessary if your sights are okay.

If you set to eliminate parallax at 15 feet or so, you will be off wildly at longer range. If you set at 50+ feet, you will be off only an inch or so at any range.

Flashlights mounted on a pistol take too much room and too much time to activate. Lasers mounted on grips or the trigger guard are often actuated by a button on the grip and your middle finger. They are highly effective for close quarter defense, practice on the range or even correcting your DA technique. Just don't forget to practice with sights only.

You can see and identify a target in light far too dim to see your sights. Green or red, a laser is visible when you need it most. If you need a flashlight to navigate, carry it separately. I have a small Streamlight (200 lumens) which I carry in an open-top, leatherette Safariland holster. It's the best holster I've found - secure, lightweight and silent.

I use the flashlight in my work, every day, several times a day. I would never consider brandishing a firearm just to light my way. Likewise if I get in a jam, the only light the bad guy will see is the laser, at least until the threat is stopped.

 

[Arik]

I'm fine with lights on guns but I can't conceal one and to be honest I've never even had a need for a flashlight outside of power outages

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

 

[APS]

I carry a separate light. It comes in handy for non-SD things too. Streamlight protac 1L-1AAA.

 

[bigwheelzip]

.... one of the most desired time s to have my gun on me is when walking to my car late at night but this requires light to identify the attacker or robber ....

You should carry what your comfortable with, but it seems better to sweep with a flashlight and keep your carry concealed unless needed.

 

[armorer951]

I usually carry a Fexix PD35, or the smaller UltraTac K18.

 

[JavierLaurido]

In my opinion, I dont think any light or electronic is needed. If I hear a sound, or see a shadow, no matter if its tall or short, I shoot. Reaction its by far the most important issue. Fire first, think later! Also, shoot until you empty your magazine, its better to be sure. Win the encounter, thats the important thing. Later you will have enough time to think what you did.

Seriously (the last paragraph was a joke) I think this instructor (its a serious profesional) can give you a very usefull aproach on how to prepare an fire a gun on light or without light conditions. His name is Paul Harrel, and he is really a great instructor. Here is the link to his instructional video on the subject;

Low Light Shooting, Part One/Techniques. - YouTube

 

[Navyvbss]

I agree with you guys, its not ideal for 99% of the situations you may need a light for, i do carry an extra light in my coat pocket, but if someone is in my home i wanna be able to identify a weapon, idk about your houses but mine is dark as dark can get, or if im in a parking garage, i wanna see if they really are a threat before pulling a trigger, if someones breaking into my car or they come up and try to jump me or im in a situation where its low light, i dont wanna shoot using the low light and my front sights which is doable, if i pull my gun and i have that laser on and my light on, that is usually enough to deter them from becoming even more of a threat and if they do at least i can see clearly if they have a weapon so i know what im getting into

Also, i dont use the laser, its an added feature and yeah in theory it sounds like a good idea but i use front sight for target aquisition, but if its too dark to see if they have a weapon i am gonna need that light and. I wanna be as accurate as i can be, so giving me back my spare hand is noce to have, or if i need to use it to defend, push back or support etc my spare hand i like being able to use it and not lose my light source. And drawing with the light attached is no dofferent then without it. The T5 custom kydex holster is made for the setup so its not bad at all. Switching on the light took a bit getting the hang of, but like having a safety, it becomes 2nd nature, and not having an exterior safety on mine i only have to worry about getting it on an not the safety and the light. Its a thumb press with either hand its good to go, i have it on before im finished my draw so yeah i enjoy it.

 

[mtgianni]

At home a tech light is next to a bedstand and with in easy reach. I use a flashlight every working day and could not imagine not having one in reach. In my training many years ago I was taught the advantages of not holding a light close to your body, to me a weapon light would be a place to draw fire to in an incident.

 

[Navyvbss]

Thats a great point, we trained to extend your arm as far away from you as you could so if they fired it would be away from your body at the light, but if im hitting you with my light or laser and light all i need is a split second to know you have a weapon in hand but before that i should be able to figure out your intentions prior to identifying you so if as soon as i silohette you i can make a decision and youll be disoriented by the light and laser to the eyes. I just personally like it more but still use a secondary in situations that dont call for me needing to decide to shoot or not

 

[jdesro1911]

For concealed carry, no, I don't use a Weapon Mounted Light. I do like to have one on my "home defense" pistol, though.

I find a WML just too bulky for my preferred method of carry. On the house pistol it is no big deal and I think it is nice to have.

I have played around with lasers some, but I have not really been able to warm up to them. Maybe they work well for some people, but I don't think they are the best solution.

As far as lighting up your target goes, this was discussed ad nauseum in another thread, and I still can't understand peoples loathing for a WML.

It doesn't have to be either a WML or a handheld light - you can carry both, you know. Much the same way I don't use a WML to find my way back to my car in a dark parking lot (that is what the handheld is for), if there is a known threat in front of me (notice "known" is stressed here), the WML is the better tool to use to see what I am shooting at. Notice I din't say to search for or identify a threat, but to illuminate a known threat so I can actually see what I am shooting at - no more, no less.

With a WML you can have both hands on the pistol, or one hand on the pistol and the other free to do other things (open doors, hold a phone, defend yourself), and the light will point where your pistol points.

As for turning the WML on quickly, many manufacturers make remote switches for their lights, so obtaining your normal grip on the pistol will activate the light.

Long story short, both the handheld and the WML have their places, and I prefer the option of having both for defense of my home.

 

[Old cop]

When revolvers ruled in law enforcement we were trained to hold the light in our off hand out and away from the body. The idea was this would not allow the bad guy to shoot at the light and hit you b/c you were right behind the light. I retired in '97 before the advent of small attachable lights on the front of a service auto so I still do things the old way, even though my Glock 17 is set up for a light.

 

[ISCS Yoda]

I expected to be in the minority but I guess I'm not.

I would never attach a light to my EDC gun. I usually carry these weird, old fashioned guns that lights don't attach to anyway (some folks call them wheelguns; technically they're revolvers, but I know that's frightening for most millenials so I'll just say "old fashioned"). But even when I carry a modern pistol with rails (it can happen) I don't attach lights.

Maybe some of you remember the old superstition about not letting three guys use the same match to light a cigarette. That comes from the fact that if you're in combat and strike a match there is plenty of time for the enemy to focus on that match and shoot at it - you know where that bullet will go! Anyway, that's what they told us in Basic Training.

So, to my way of thinking, a light on your weapon basically gives you the same result. First, it makes the weapon an easy target. Second, obviously, there is going to be someone right behind that light!

In the last close quarter combat class I took the instructor held his light in his offhand, high and far away from his gun, body, and head. If I need a light I'd carry a tactical flashlight just like that - and there is always a tactical flashlight nearby, in my house or car. I'm a fanatic about flashlights. But not attached to guns.

 

[Muss Muggins]

I don't have a holster any more for a WML, and I rarely carry a light on my person when I'm carrying a pistol, which is to say I rarely carry a light. I do have a very nice light/laser on my Glock 19, which stays in the nightstand safe most nights. I also have a second Surefire handheld in the same safe, and I grab it along with the pistol/WML to check out bumps in the night. That way I can drop the Surefire to use a hand if I need to and still have a light available.