Pistol-mounted lights

[Davesnothereman]

Hello,

I just wanted to get everyone's opinions on the importance of a handgun mounted light (Surefire, etc.) on a home defense weapon. I'm considering a few guns (for my first pistol) and I'm not certain whether I should get guns with rails or not. I was curious as to what everyone considered the pros and cons of such a setup. It seems that there are some vehemently opposed to rails and lights on guns. I wasn't sure if this was just a matter of aesthetics or something more than that.

Thanks!

[mete]

The biggest downside is that it gives the BG an excellent aiming point.There are a number of methods for holding flashlights and pistol , you should study those .

[plateshooter]

I like a light on my HD handgun. I want to see what I am aiming at to determine if I need to pull the trigger. I use a Streamlight M3X that snaps on and off my rail in just a second. I just put it on the gun at night, and take it off during the day.

[HGKosteck]

I think that "aiming point" thing is silly. If the BG can hit my light, where I'm holding it, he's probably a better gunfighter than most.

I prefer using a light separate from my weapon, though. I usually marry my light hand to my temple.

The M3 is a good choice though.

[rapier144]

I love them leaves one hand free to do what ever you want with it. Love my usp at night.I'm looking to get the new para night tac. Once you have to walk outside to check the perimeter of your house at night you will see why. Some people don't like the idea of the light on the pistol thinking that the bad guy will shoot at the light. They like to hold the light in their free hand away from their body hoping the bad guy is a good enough shot to hit near the light.But the way alot of people who shoot at night the bad guy is just as likely to miss the light by enough to hit you in the body.:D I just like to have my one hand free in case i have to regain my balance or push off someone that got too close to me.

[pickpocket]

I'd rather use a seperate system, a small taclight like the Surefire G2. The problem (or advantage, depending on how you look at it) with mounted lights is that you can only shine the light in the direction the weapon is pointed. The disadvantage of the separate system is that both of your hands are occupied. It's personal preference, but I find that I like having a separate taclight, and that's how I train.

To reduce the risk of getting hit because someone uses the light source as an 'aiming point' - which, while not probable..is definitely possible - use a technique called some call 'strobing'...not sure if there is a different term, that's the way I learned it. Basically, like the laser sights, the taclight shouldn't be active all the time. You use it to light up one part of the room, quickly scan, release the tail switch, move, and shine the light in another direction from a different angle, repeat. Takes some getting used to, but the repeated 'strobing' light really screws up the BG's vision.

[ClarkEMyers]

I'm all for a light attached to the weapon IF it's a carbine. By the time I walk outside I've either decided I don't need anything special or I've picked up a long arm.

For my money the pistol is and aways will be a defensive tool and after the first or initial reaction period give me a carbine/shotgun every time. A light on the pistol seems to me too much like using a scope sight to glass for game; I will either point the gun at something I don't want to shoot or I will miss seeing something I should. I'll mostly leave the pistol in a holster until it's time to shoot.

Be fun on called coyotes though.

[AK103K]

I recently picked up a little Insight X2 light/laser combo. The price was right and my new 226 has a rail on it. Its taking a little getting used to, especially the laser part, but I am starting to like it. This light is very small, and does not go past the muzzle, has no real bulk, and weighs very little. It also quickly pops on and off the gun.

The light isnt near as bright as my Streamlight Scorpions, or some of the other weapons mounted lights, but it still lights up the room and target enough to identify things clearly. It also doesn't mess with your vision as bad as the brighter lights, especially in smaller rooms with light colored walls. Even with it not being as killer bright as the other lights, if its flashed in your direction or face, especially in the dark, its still bright enough that your not going to be seeing to well in the dark for awhile.

The laser dot is mostly centered in the bright spot of the light when lit. This part has been the hardest for me to get used to, as it tends to confuse you at first. I didnt know what to focus on at first, the sights, the dot, the target, all of them? What I have figured out so far is, if you look at your sights, the target will be lit and you will have a good sight picture and you wont (usually) see the dot, as its just below your iron sights aiming point. If you slightly lift your head, the dot will pretty much be right on your target. If you look over your gun, like when you point shoot, and concentrate on the target, the dot will be where you are looking. For me, its better to shoot quickly. If I dont, it starts to look like Katherine Hepburn is holding the gun, as the dot starts to bounce all over the target, especially at a distance. Its kind of like shooting a rifle offhand with a scope for the first time. You never noticed the gun moving around as much with the iron sights.


I think the way pickpocket described using it (strobing) is the only way to go, and is done quickly and easily, and if necessary, you can lock the light on with the flick of the switch. I can see where it would be a big advantage if you need to move around the house, or anywhere for that matter, in the dark.

This is what it looks like on my 226:
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid199/peed992d91903f2c89317e8560af39884/f0a7da7a.jpg

[The British Soldier]

I think many of the points made are valid; it is a 'double-edged sword'. On one side you have the hands free ability to illuminate anywhere and know that your weapon is covering that arc of fire, it disciplines you in the dark to track your weapon to cover what your eyes are looking at. In a stealth tactic, one can keep it off until you are in a position to challenge an intruder from a place of cover from fire [rather than cover from view - know the difference!] and let him have all of that light lumen power in the eyes, while you are challenging him in your best drill instructor voice! Something sensible could be said: "I'm armed, stand still" or alternately live a little with "Freeze Mother-F**ker of I'll blow your f**king head off!" - you chose.

The downside to going around with your light on, as pointed out, is that the opposition knows where you are!

If you have some real desire for the edge; sell your car and buy some night vision goggles, add an IR filter to your light and own the darkness!

Enjoy.

[pickpocket]

The British Soldier:
cover from fire [rather than cover from view - know the difference!]

cover from fire = Cover
cover from view = Concealment

:)

[The British Soldier]

Well done; the universal difference is that one stops bullets and the other doesn't! If you pick the wrong sort, you often don't get a second chance at the choice.

[alpineman]

The downside to going around with your light on, as pointed out, is that the opposition knows where you are!

With all due respect, I'm not entirely convinced that's a valid point if the BG is in your home in the middle of the night. My dogs, who freak out at the slightest sound when we're in the bed, would pretty much take care of any element of surprise I might have had. The "pack" is gonna announce my location before my feet hit the floor. Besides that, I have squeaky hardwood floors.

I have an Insight M6 on my pistol. (I have a Streamlight Scorpion mounted on my AR-15, too - the other HD weapon). They're there strictly so I don't kill anyone I shouldn't in the terror of the moment in the dark. Both lights put out around 60 lumens, which is more than enough to provide enough light to see what's in the hall or in a room.

Frankly, though, on the rare occasion I've thought I heard something in the house in the middle of the night ----- I turn on the lights. What do I care if the BG can see? My wife has a Glock 19. I'd probably have the AR. Let the BG see THAT. Game on.

In all seriousness, though ... one of the cardinal rules is to know your target and what's behind it. To me, a light mounted on your HD weapon ensures you can do that.

['75Scout]

Has anyone here had 65 lumens in their eyes? MY Surefire G2 is blindingly bright at close distances. It would certainly confuse a BG. Plus you have the added security of knowing who/what your target is, plus anything near them like potential cover, hostage, ect. Don't want to accidentally shoot the heighbor kid sneaking out at night.

Plus if someones breaks into my home at night giving away my location won't matter because I will promptly eliminate the threat. They have made the first holstile move by breaking into my house in the middle of the night. I doubt their are just dropping off some cupcakes.

['75Scout]

If you get an LED weapon light, they seem to be much brighter than xenon bulbs of the same lumen output. My 25 lumen Surefire E1L Outdoorsmen is brighter than my 65 lumen G2. It's wierd.

I want a Surefire X200 when I am finally able to get a GLOCK 19 or 17 3rd gen.

[Blackwater OPS]

repeated 'strobing' light really screws up the BG's vision.
Is your vision somehow immune?

[Photocop]

I like the idea of the gun mounted tac-light for home defense for several reasons---one of which is the fact that as long as you know where your gun is, you know where a light is too. As a man cursed with an absent mind, I often use flashlights for purposes other than accompanying a weapon and forget to put them back where they should be. With the gun mounted light, you always have it right there and you have a hand free to fight, open doors, etc.

As for the whole "providing a target for the bad guy" thing: I think you're going to be somewhat of a target anyway if you need to be snooping around with a flashlight in the first place, whether the light is on your gun or in your hand. If you're searching for a hiding bad guy, you're going to have to use a light at some point anyway. I'd rather know that if he's looking at my light, he's also looking down the business end of my 10mm Glock 20. So my feeling is that providing a target is an assumed risk that you have to accept as a price for the flexibility of having your other hand free, etc. Plus, intermittent lighting can be used pretty effectively to minimize all this.

[RsqVet]

For my money if one is a police officer, military or other who is going into harms way where there are known BG's who may need ot be shot a wepon mounted light's benefits of one hand operation might outweigh the down side of having to point a gun at whatever you want to light up, for me, and I suspect for most civilian uses the downside out weighs the benefit as I offten look outside with my tactical light, around the house, yard or so forth depnding on the situation, I am armed of course but I am certainly not going to be pointing a gun at what I am investigating, I guess they might be usefull for the clasicc --- I woke up to glass breaking sort of thing, but then if we all think about it most of the time we are using a tactical light it's just a look around, not a confrontation situation.

[mpi]

just because you have a light doesn't mean that you Have to use it. i was trained to keep your dominant eye closed in the presence of visible light sources. also, being behind the light source is distinctly less damaging to your night vision than in front. i have a m3 led light on my g22, this has a low powered red navigation light so that you can move with minimal risk of observation.
mpi

[NDTerminator]

Tac Lights? Love em', and on shotguns & long guns, not just handguns. Here's a piece of advice on their use. Any piece of tac gear is only useful if it's there and ready to use if you need it. So if you're going to use a tac light on your belly gun, leave it on the weapon all the time, and get a holster that allows the weapon to be secured with the light in place.

I can tell you from the experience that it's awkward and a total pain to have to take the thing off your weapon to secure it when you need both hands...

[pickpocket]

Blackwater OPS:
Is your vision somehow immune?

Umm...yeah. The negative effect to my vision is somewhat mitigated by:

1. I'm not shooting myself in the face with the taclight
2. If I want to see something I just light it up

Come on, man...

[82ndSoldier]

First post, so I hope it's worthwhile...

In my recent training for urban operations one thing we did was a shurefire light mounted on an M4. Originally I was skeptical based upon the fact that it would provide a nice target for BG. Tat was until we worked a simulation where I was said BG and my squadmates stacked outside the room and proceeded to clear it in the proper procedure. I knew that they were coming in and was ready and prepared to open fire from behind my cover, but that wasn't enough. AS soon as the first guy turned the corner and his light found my eyes I was temporarily blinded (a matter of a second or so, but enough for recognition and firing time for him) and disoriented. Granted, in home self-defense you won't have a 4-man stack at every corner, but the truth is that the first man was enough. BG won't be as ready for a super bright light in his face as I was and it still rendered me ineffective.

[Optical Serenity]

Only real downside I can come up with is that there are very few holsters that will accommodate for off duty type carry of a light mounted on a pistol. Duty holsters are plentiful for the mainstream LEO used guns from Safariland.

[625]

Not a big fan.

You must point you gun wherever you point the light.
I like the idea of having a free hand, but for what? Opening doors? I can easily open any door with my little Surefire in hand.

[shooter_john]

I have a Streamlight M3 on my Glock 35 that I carry daily, and would strongly recommend the use of a weapon mounted light. Nothing helps more than not having to fumble around with a flashlight and a gun, as I can go from gun in hand to both hands free in less than two seconds if I need to go hand to hand or restrain someone physically. I have also equipped all of my HD guns with lights. Weapon mounted lights are worth every dime you pay for them!!!

[pax]

The Four Rules of gun safety:

1) All guns are always loaded. Treat every gun with the respect due a loaded weapon. This is the cardinal rule and all other rules follow from it.

2) Never point your gun at anything you do not want to destroy.

3) Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on target and you have made the decision to shoot.

4) Be sure of your target, and of the backstop behind your target.

The biggest downside to weapons-mounted lights, especially for a newbie with his first gun, is that the weapon light practically demands that he violates rules 2 and 4.

What's the purpose of the light? To see stuff you can't otherwise see. You don't know what something is, so you point a light at it, and then you find out what it is -- and whether it's a legitimate target or not.

By hanging a light on your weapon, you are encouraging yourself to point your weapon at the unidentified might-be-a-target in your house. Fine, if it's a bad guy. Not so fine, if it's your little girl who had a nightmare and wants Daddy to come tuck her back into bed.

It also encourages you to point the gun in all directions, with utter disregard for where the bullets would go if a shot were fired, as you search for the source of the bump in the night that woke you up.

Fine for soldiers in a free fire zone. Maybe okay for police officers if they know all innocents are out of the house.

Not so good for an inexperienced shooter, with possibly shaky trigger finger discipline, in a house where loved ones live.

pax

[stratus]

+1 pax. Plus weapon lights are ugly.

[Sun Tzu]

Brother,

I say buy a semi auto, Glock, Sig, HK, etc and put a light on the rail!!! It just makes things easier in a pressure situation. One hand holds your firearm and an intense lumen producing lamp at the same time. That is function. That is efficient. And it is a lethal combo.

An M6 surefire is powerful, rugged and reliable. It also has a light only, lazer only, light/lazer combo and an off position option that now come standard. Its light wieght so it wont interfere w/your HD weapons balance point. And at www.thewilderness.com their "safepacker" carry system will accomodate a light rail handgun w/no problems.

I have owned numerous Glocks since 1996. As soon as the rail became available after 2000. I sold my non rail Glocks for newer models that were so equipped. It just makes sense for me tactically. I dont miss holding a seperate sure fire flashlight in a 2 handed tactical stance at all!!!

Hope this helped. Go to the gun range & the gun store and see for yourself newbie. Hands on experience is crucial when making tactical decisions for your HD weapondry...

Laterz, S Tzu

[ATTICUS]

One thing I never hear anyone mention, is using a mounted light along with a hand-held light. The mounted light could be used for additional illumination (or for blinding effect) only AFTER the target is identified. It would also be a handy back-up if the primary light is dropped or lost at some point.

[CarlosDJackal]

My duty gun (Glock 35) has an M-3 light attached to it. If it wasn't so uncomfortable, I would keep an X-200A attaached to my off-duty gun (Glock 23) as well.

I found the utility of such a setup during the Patrol Response to an Active Shooter Instructor Course. It beats having to reach down to retrieve your handhel light when dynamically clearing a room. Having the ability to just reach up and turn on your weaponslight when you need to is a definite plus.

People must understand what the utility of such a setup is and when they should be used. Thinking that you can use an attached light to blind your opponent is outright folly. The weaponslight's primary purpose is to help you identify your target. Yes, it can be a great target indicator for your opponent. But finding yourself in a low-light situation without the ability to do so puts you on a bigger disadvantage. JM2CW

[pax]

The weaponslight's primary purpose is to help you identify your target.
At which point you have already pointed a gun at it, before you knew whether it was a target or an innocent family member.

Folly. Pure folly.

pax

[AK103K]

The lights, even the lower powered ones, are bright enough to light up a dark room. You dont necessarily have to point the pistol directly at what you think may be a target to identify it, there is enough light to see whats up and whether or not you want to target it.

[Rem700SD]

If you are going to buy a semi-auto pistol, I'd go with one with the rail mount, and sort it out from there. Bear in mind that your HD strategy is multiple layered, and one strategy/device may not cover it.
I have a glock 19 w/ and x2 on it with which I am pleased. If you can find people who have actually confronted ppl with a weaponlight, I'd take their advice first.
It's just a suggestion, but when I go through my house at night, I always keep my left eye closed and my right eye open. That way when I turn off the lights to make my way to bed(I don't live alone) my night vision isn't totally shot. Just a thought when flashing/strobing your weaponlight.

[pax]

The lights, even the lower powered ones, are bright enough to light up a dark room. You dont necessarily have to point the pistol directly at what you think may be a target to identify it, there is enough light to see whats up and whether or not you want to target it.
So instead of lighting up an intruder, you instead illuminate the wall next to him, behind which your little girl is sleeping.

Lovely.

pax

[5whiskey]

It depends. If a pistol is your secondary, skip the light. I always have a light on my rifle, and the thing about it being a target indicator to the bad guy. If you shine a surefire in someone's face, they're blinded. They can't see the source or anything else, for that matter. I don't have a light on my pistol because it is my secondary, meaning it needs to be uncumbersome and quick to draw. If it's you're primary, it'll already be drawn and won't matter. I still probably wouldn't mount one, though, but that's me. Hold the light in your weak hand with the lens and bulb sticking out of the pinky finger end. Hold you're arm straight out and turn your hand to shine the light forward. Then place your firing arm (pistol in hand) wrist to wrist on top of your weak hand for support of the weapon. With practice you can fire fairly accurate like this.


When you're in the sandbox, don't despair;
just make dead terrorists plentiful there.

[5whiskey]

quote
The lights, even the lower powered ones, are bright enough to light up a dark room. You dont necessarily have to point the pistol directly at what you think may be a target to identify it, there is enough light to see whats up and whether or not you want to target it.

Eyes, muzzle, target. Always. I don't want to identify a target as hostile and then track my weapon to it. Your muzzle goes where you look, always. When a target is identified as hostile, your muzzle is already there to eliminate the threat. Everyone please remember this, it could save your life

[AK103K]

So instead of lighting up an intruder, you instead illuminate the wall next to him, behind which your little girl is sleeping.
I dont have a little girl. :)

So your saying that no matter where I point the gun/light, I'm going to do something harm, is that your point? What makes it different than any other flashlight/weapons technique, other than being more user friendly when using it. You can illuminate the floor the ceiling the wall, whatever and still see what is there.

I suppose your weapon is empty when your moving around so as not to endanger anyone where its muzzle may sweep, light or not.

[pax]

No, I'm saying it is bloody stupid to use your handgun as a flashlight, when you haven't yet identified a specific target which needs to be shot.

"Never point your firearm at anything you do not intend to destroy."

When I move around in my house, I point at the floor when I am on the first story. When I am on the second story, I point at the floor if I know that none of my family members are downstairs. Otherwise I point at the attic.

In no case do I point randomly at walls behind which someone I love might be. Nor do I point at the downstairs ceiling when my loved ones are upstairs. I don't "paint" the entire room looking for something that might need to be shot. I pay attention to where I am aiming at all times, and I think about who or what might be behind the flimsy interior walls.

If I spotted a bad guy in my living room, I'd pay attention to the angles of where my family members are when I brought my gun to bear.

I sure as shooting would not treat my handgun as if it were a flashlight, merely because I had a cool toy hung on the end of it.

Is that clear enough?

pax

[Skyguy]

Re: Pistol-mounted lights
Fine for soldiers in a free fire zone. Maybe okay for police officers if they know all innocents are out of the house.

Not so good for an inexperienced shooter, with possibly shaky trigger finger discipline, in a house where loved ones live.

Well said, very well said!

.

[Erick Gelhaus]

Well, I'm coming into this one late but ...

I've been using a pistol with an attached light as an HD tool and for LE since '99. I've been using shoulder weapons with lights on them since '95 in the HD, LE and (for the last year in Jihadistan) in the light Infantry role. So, yes, I'm going to land on the side of using a weapons mounted light.

When are we justified in shooting a human, in any capacity? Once we've identified them as a threat requiring the use of deadly force.

If we are in a low / no light environment, how are we going to identify the Threat? Absent night vision, one will need to use a light.

In the HD role, solo house clearing sucks. Tactically, it is a great way to get badly hurt. Absent collecting family members & getting them into one location, there is no reason to be moving around by ones self.

While hopefully one does not end up in this type of situation, if they do a barricade position is going to offer the best option. From that barricade (cover), be it a door jam or furniture, they will still need to identify anything coming to them in order to articulate that it was actually a threat. So, the light is needed.

Light & pistol ... together as one package they are easier to use. Seperately, the number of manipluations required with one hand on the pistol and another on a flashlight can add issues & problems to a situation that really does not need any more complication.

When it comes to actively searching out or for someone(s), I do use both handheld and weapons mounted lights. Both have their place.

Bottom line, like in so many other areas ... the requirement is training. Get competent training and then practice.

Erick

[pax]

Erick ~

Good post.

If we are in a low / no light environment, how are we going to identify the Threat? Absent night vision, one will need to use a light.
Absolutely agreed. You need a light. I don't think anyone here has argued against the presence of a light.

But does the light need to be on the end of your weapon? I say not, because if you use the light is on the end of your weapon to identify possible threats, then by definition you will deliberately point your weapon at people whom you haven't yet identified. That's why you're lighting them up, in order to identify them.

Whether you point the weapon at someone carelessly or deliberately or simply in order to see them better with your weapon-mounted light, the fact remains that it's really a bad idea to point guns at people you haven't yet identified.

There is, as you point out, a distinct difference between search techniques and shooting techniques. A weapon-mounted light is a great help as a pure shooting tool. But the average homeowner isn't going to be content to use the dang thing as a shooting aid in an esconced position. Even for those who do, the problem will still boil down to pointing the light -- and the weapon it is attached to -- at as-yet unidentified human beings.

The problem is magnified because if you look at gun magazines and the advertisements therein, weapon-mounted lights are advertised as search tools -- not simply as shooting aids.

The very presence of the weapon-mounted light encourages people to do stupid stuff, such as pointing deadly weapons at random walls and other stuff they probably don't want to shoot. Relatively few people are able to maintain awareness of the weapon as a weapon once they've turned it into a glorified flashlight.

Bottom line? I agree with you when you said, Bottom line, like in so many other areas ... the requirement is training. Get competent training and then practice.
That's the crucial issue.

pax

[pickpocket]

That's the crucial issue.

Ain't it always? ;)
That's right where we so often end up at the end of these threads! :cool:

[Shawn Dodson]

But does the light need to be on the end of your weapon? I say not, because if you use the light is on the end of your weapon to identify possible threats, then by definition you will deliberately point your weapon at people whom you haven't yet identified. That's why you're lighting them up, in order to identify them. I eliminate the "pointing" problem by using verbal commands in conjunction with my weapon mounted light. I don't leave any room for confusion. I don't allow anyone to get the idea that I'm joking around.

[Erick Gelhaus]

Shawn,
Well said & my bad for not going down that road.

Erick

[Erick Gelhaus]

I realize that no one has articulated against a light, but they've articulated for complicating the problem.

Granted, my frame of reference may have skewed my view point but this was presented as an HD scenario. Here at Casa Shotgunner, I know who should be in the house and where they are. Anyone else constitutes a Threat. Neither USPS nor UPS comes past the door; hell, even the pizza guy doesn't do that.

In any of the three "worlds" I live/exist in, if I'm searching it is for a Threat and that does not equate to a violation of The Four Rules. Should I encounter a 10 yr old non-Threat, that is when the hand held light can come into play exclusively... it has here in the US and it did in Jihadistan.

> That's why you're lighting them up, in order to identify > them.

Yup, because I had to enter their house as an LEO or Soldier or they entered my house.

> Even for those who do, the problem will still boil down to > pointing the light -- and the weapon it is attached to -- at > as-yet unidentified human beings.
For the Home Owner, remember that whatever these folks are doing, they have entered the home owners house.

> The problem is magnified because if you look at gun > magazines and the advertisements therein, weapon > -mounted lights are advertised as search tools -- not simply > as shooting aids.
Then I opine that it is an issue of believing Advertisers.

> The very presence of the weapon-mounted light encourages > people to do stupid stuff,
Without weapons mounted lights & their appropriate use, th numbers of KIA coming out of Jihadistan on two of the three sides would be significantly higher.

Bottom line, were it in my power, there would be no weapons out there in use by LE, Mil or Decent Normal Human Beings that did not have lights on them. I am a huge believer in lights on weapons.

[Norman Bates]

I'd like you guys to take a look at this place.

http://www.strategosinternational.com/reading.html

There's also a board at the same site, it's a temple of low light fighting wisdom.:cool:

Learn and enjoy.

0-0

[pax]

Erick ~

In Jihadistan or as a LEO, your rules of engagement are rightfully somewhat different than they are when you are "only" Joe Homeowner. In Jihadistan, you can reasonably expect that everyone you encounter is indeed a threat.

But Joe Homeowner lives with his wife, two teenage children, and a deaf poodle-dog. Or with his girlfriend and four cats. Or with his roommate, his roommate's six-year-old, and a goldfish.

In other words, Joe Homeowner typically lives in a house where other people might reasonably be expected to be.

The reason the Four Rules exist is so that the wrong people don't get dead. If you can live with the idea of accidentally shooting someone you love, I guess you can plan to point your gun at people in your house whom you haven't yet identified.

Me, I plan to always identify people before I risk shooting them. But that's just me.

pax

[pickpocket]

I'm a fan of separate taclight for the weak hand. pax is right, you are really creating an unsafe situation by using the pistol-mounted light as a primary.
I'm a big fan of mounted lights as primary on carbines or long guns...but I've also personally seen trained professionals take unsafe shots because they were using their weapon-mounted light as a primary (both handgun and carbine)...and not just during training.
Now, with a carbine, you're not going to avoid this...the only way to mitigate it is to train, train, train. But with the pistol, you can definitely avoid it by not using the pistol mounted light as your primary, if at all.

Think about the different situations you might employ a light - not all of them lend themselves to the "eyes - muzzle - target" philosophy. Holding your pistol at a high angle in order to illuminate that covered spot behind the couch.. you risk putting yourself at a tactical disadvantage because you're more concerned about the light than the weapon. However, a taclight in the weak hand can basically be held at any angle, in any direction....not to mention smoother and faster than a mounted light.
For example....assume left-handed weakside taclight in reverse grip, thumb on the tail switch. Now, pretent to shine the light to 12 and immediately react to something on your strong side...maybe 3 to 5. How quickly can you get your light to your 5 o'clock vs. the mounted light?
One example, but it highlights some important factors when choosing to go with a mounted light as your primary.

Nobody is saying taclights are bad, but the risks outweigh the benefits when talking deciding to use the mounted handgun light as your primary.

Another thing to remember is that at a certain point, we're all going to disagree on the finer points...and that's exactly what this is.

[kix]

Be aware where family members are. Use your brain it is your best weapon. Each persons situation is different. But when it is time to shoot I want that last confirmation with the light of my target.

[FirearmFan]

I'm a fan of having both a weapon mounted light and handheld light. I keep a UTL on my usp in my nightstand and a surefire on the nightstand itself. I can use the surefire to light up a room and identify anything. If there's a threat I can use the pistol and light to blind plus identify even better. The surefire I simply drop on the floor or stick in my shorts.

[DataMax]

I have to agree with alpineman, my HD weapon of choice is a Beretta Vertec 96 converted to .357 Sig with an M6 tactical light/laser on it. In the middle of the night I am not going to pause to find my glasses, the M6 light shows me the way and the little red dot tells me where the bullet is going to strike.

Besides ... if the BG can look into that light and return fire I would be shocked. Have you ever had one of those lights hit you in the face when your eyes were dialated? It is not any fun. The key for me is to manuver in the dark (I know where all of the furniture is) and hit the M6 when I am ready to blind and fire.

[bermo61]

Remote switch is a must!


Allows you to flash an intruder a split second before you shoot...but will not allow him to shoot you while you are walking around the house with a flashlight....dont want to shoot your dog by mistake!