[Frank Ettin]

Originally Posted by kln4

...I think that was exactly what he was showing us not to do. With the flashlight in one hand and the gun in the other he had us light up the target for a couple of seconds at the same time acquire the target and fire two rounds at 10 ft. After he turned on the range lights everyone had hits in the target. Trying to manipulate a flashlight, a loaded gun, and acquire the target is not a simple task and requires skill and practice, it's not something a civilian does routinely...

But it's a skill that's useful to have. Here's how I briefly discussed our night simulator exercises in the article I wrote on my last class at Gunsite:

...It was then time for my group’s turn for our first simulator exercises. There are two types at Gunsite -- indoor and outdoor.

The indoor simulator is what is commonly called a shoot house. It’s a ... well a house, or a facsimile thereof. There are rooms and doors and windows and furniture -- and there are bad guy targets and good guy targets. The student needs to move through the house in a manner that exposes himself to any threats as little as possible, identify any threats, shoot them, and not shoot any good guys. Doing a proper job requires paying attention to the way doors open and using angles to see as much as possible without showing more of yourself than necessary and paying attention to where threats may be hidden.

The outdoor simulator is, in effect, a gully. There are various branches off the central portion, and there are targets (metal reactive targets) in some of those branches. The student moves down the gully, using angles to expose himself to any hostiles as little as possible, identify threats and shoot them. A target must fall to score as a hit.

In each case, the student must manage his ammunition, doing tactical reloads as appropriate. The instructor stayed with the student and would critique the student’s performance at the end. And of course, we were absolutely required to be safe...

...We then had a discussion about flashlights and various ways to effectively use a flashlight with a gun. A properly set up lanyard on the flashlight is a big help.

The Gunsite perspective on a gun mounted light: they are good for shooting, but one still needs a flashlight for looking and seeing. Remember Rule Two of gun safety -- “never let the muzzle cover something you are not willing to destroy.” One needs to be able to illuminate something without pointing a gun at it....

...Doing the simulators in the dark is a very different experience. There’s the matter of managing one’s gun and flashlight together, especially during a reload; and that lanyard on the flashlight really helped. There’s also the matter of balancing seeing where you are going, avoiding obstacles, being able to see to identify, and hit, targets, and not overusing the light (which gives away your position)....