Tactical lights on pistols

target

target

Regular
Rating - 100%
16   0   0
Location
St. Andrews, Mb.
Maybe this should be in the optics thread, but I was just wondering who has tact lights on their pistols and what kind/cost?

I added a NcStar 120 lumem light/laser combo to my M&P 9 and I really like how bright it is.

I'm not a tactical gadget kind of guy but I wanted the ability to use this gun for defense if the unfortunate circumstance that it was ever needed occurred. A light in the dark is extremely useful.

The laser to me is just a gadget which will expose how unsteady my hand has become as I age. It is however fully adjustable for elevation and windage and I can place it pinpoint on top of my laser boresighter at 20 or 25 yards, etc.
100_2366.jpg
 
With taxes and shipping (included 2 CR123A Lithium batteries) it was $178 and change. It allows you to select light only, laser only or both and has a momentary or constant "ON" thumb switch.

I looked at lower priced units but some are really junky and have non adjustable lasers. That would make the laser absolutely useless for anything and might as well be left off. Some claim to be bright but don't have a true 3W LED. I'm pretty sure all lasers are usually 5mW or less.
 
Re your enquiry, I have a Stream light TLR2 on my HK and that was $250 sh from the States. That is a very good unit. I also have a Glock light on my G17 and an internal laser on that but the Glock light isn't as good.

Like you described - the laser will show how stable / unstable you are. The light will come in handy when the lights go out in the indoor range.
 
Having a taclight/laser on a home defence gun makes nothing but sense; and yet it would almost certainly work strongly against you in court.

Is that the model that Marstar carries?
 
The NcSTAR is from Frontier Firearms, a CGN regular dealer. I was a little skeptical about the brand name (I had no previous experience with NcSTAR products) but I am more than impressed by the quality, and yes it is made in China.

I considered the Stream Lites but they were way more than I wanted to spend.

This unit is pretty much what I wanted and was expecting, and seemed to be a reasonable price. I'm not about to spend mega dollars on an accessory.
I have found that Frontier is a top notch supplier which has really good service and it's where I bought my M&P from.

But as HedonismBot said, a tact lite would probably work against you in court since it would indicate that you were intending to injure or kill the intruder. Go figure! I decide to better prepare myself for the regrettable possibility of violent intrusion thAT could and most likely would harm my family and I will inevitably pay the price.
 
HedonismBot said:
Having a taclight/laser on a home defence gun makes nothing but sense; and yet it would almost certainly work strongly against you in court.
Click to expand...

It isn't illegal to use a firearm to defend oneself against death or grievous bodily harm. The challenge is getting access to your firearm in time when the violent home invasion occurs. Having a light attached to your gun only demonstrates your strong sense of responsibility in illuminating and identifying the deadly threat against you or your family. Without a flashlight, the gun owner increases the chances of missing the deadly threat. So with this in mind, how would this work against the law abiding gun owner? ;)
 
Wendell said:
Show me the case law.
Click to expand...

Agreed. It's circumstancial. Many people have lights on their pistols. In any event, even if the courts were that stupid and charged you with everything under the sun (what crown attorney would do that considering the circumstances), it wouldn't matter... you and your family would be safe.

Jail ain't that bad. But that's worst case. Realistically, last year a guy with a lengthy criminal record in Edmonton got off on self-defense for stabbing a gang banger 39 times with a 4 inch knife in his appartment. He even displayed the dead body over the side of the balcony for the other gang bangers to see. Might be hope for the canadian justice system after all.
 
My $0.02 -
  • Flashlights are good, firearms mounted lights are bad.
    • Firearms mounted lights give the bad guy a target to shoot at.
    • Using firearms mounted light means you sweep everything to illuminate... (family dog, kids, spouse...) Don't forget that while you are pointing your light, you are also pointing a loaded pistol at same time.
  • On using lasers: I LOVE lasers, best thing next to sliced bread.
    • Sight in laser for 5 yards (15 feet; 5m) unless you live in a God awful big house. Can you take a 25 yard shot in your home?
    • If you sight in a laser for 25 yards, your POI will be WAY off at 5 yards. In a gunfight, especially in your HOUSE, it will rarely be over 15 feet. Under the barrel lasers will have the elevation way off and side mount lasers (Crimson Trace) will have their windage way off. For self defence, 5m is the distance to prepare for.
    • If you get involved in a shooting, it will be from your bed to your bedroom door, or your bedroom door to the staircase or end of the hallway.
    • If you shoot the bad guy at +25m, you may face murder charges as it may be difficult to prove "self defence" at further distances.
 
target said:
but I was just wondering who has tact lights on their pistols and what kind/cost?
[...]
The laser to me is just a gadget [/IMG]
Click to expand...
Surefire X200 / X300. Streamlight TLR-1 is also great. Agree re: laser. It's a toy. After the first shot, you'll spend too much time finding the dot again. Maybe the strobing lasers are better, don't know.

Handheld works fine too, and has some advantages - but a light directly on the gun is a lot faster in the end.

2007_0208_glock19cShot_0005.JPG
 
Griffoneur said:
  • Firearms mounted lights give the bad guy a target to shoot at.
  • Using firearms mounted light means you sweep everything to illuminate... (family dog, kids, spouse...) Don't forget that while you are pointing your light, you are also pointing a loaded pistol at same time.
Click to expand...

On your first point, lots of professionals use mounted lights. Strobing and movement resolve the issue. Having said that, some prefer handheld - but one simply can't make a blanket statement about weapon-mounted lights being bad.

On the second, there's some truth to that if you're not sure what's happening and are searching. But you would generally not do this in your home - you would barricade with a telephone and wait to see who gets to you first, the bad guy or the police. Let them winkle the bad guy out of your closet, or more likely just scare him away with their sirens.

What does all that mean? One light on the gun for fighting, one in the hand for searching and for reading the menu in a darkened fine-dining establishment. You'd hate to use your weapon-mounted light for that, and have a negligent discharge when see the prices!
 
You said that you trained at the Sig Academy, didn't you?

Griffoneur said:
My $0.02 -
  • Flashlights are good, firearms mounted lights are bad.
    • Firearms mounted lights give the bad guy a target to shoot at.
    • Using firearms mounted light means you sweep everything to illuminate... (family dog, kids, spouse...) Don't forget that while you are pointing your light, you are also pointing a loaded pistol at same time.
  • On using lasers: I LOVE lasers, best thing next to sliced bread.
    • Sight in laser for 5 yards (15 feet; 5m) unless you live in a God awful big house. Can you take a 25 yard shot in your home?
    • If you sight in a laser for 25 yards, your POI will be WAY off at 5 yards. In a gunfight, especially in your HOUSE, it will rarely be over 15 feet. Under the barrel lasers will have the elevation way off and side mount lasers (Crimson Trace) will have their windage way off. For self defence, 5m is the distance to prepare for.
    • If you get involved in a shooting, it will be from your bed to your bedroom door, or your bedroom door to the staircase or end of the hallway.
    • If you shoot the bad guy at +25m, you may face murder charges as it may be difficult to prove "self defence" at further distances.
Click to expand...

What did they teach you? (Not that.)
 
Griffoneur said:
My $0.02 -
Firearms mounted lights give the bad guy a target to shoot at.

Sight in laser for 5 yards (15 feet; 5m) unless you live in a God awful big house. Can you take a 25 yard shot in your home?
Click to expand...

Wouldn't a standard flashlight in your hand also give the bad guy a target to shoot at?

The 20 yard sight-in was for the range. The self defense sight-in would be around 15 ft-20 ft.

Other than a light, the only other way would be with night vision glasses, but IMO that would make me a paranoidal nut case. My family may think so too.;)
 
Wendell said:
What did they teach you? (Not that.)
Click to expand...

Is there something constructive you wanted to contribute?
I did say it way "my" $0.02 cents!
I do not preach the "gospel". Take whatever nuggets you find in the info I post and whatever doesn't suit your fancy... well, toss it in the trash!

You seem to be implying that you have a different philosophy regarding self defence, please do share it with the rest of us. We can either pick our some valuable "nuggets" or toss it. No harm, no foul. In all the training I have taken over the last 30 years, there is not one course where I subscribe to 100%. I take the parts I feel are advantageous to myself and incorporate them into my personal bag of tricks. I am constantly learning and will hopefully continue to learn till the day I die.

I live, eat and crap "self-defence". I am however by no means whatsoever an expert, but I like to think that I am however well versed in the subject.

If you have trained at SigSauer please share your experiance, it may help me in writing the article for the CSSA magazine.

There is a multitude of reasons why I personally don't like weapons mounted lighting. You may want to illuminate something you don't necessarily want to point your muzzle at.

So, if I post something you don't agree with, by all means challenge it, but you should at least have some supporting argument other than, "What did they teach you?"

Nothing you learn should ever be set in cement. Tactics should undergo a continual change or update as new methods are incorporated into it.

On the subject of lasers, some folks love them, some hate them. Myself, at 3:00AM I can sucessfully execute a head shot each and every time. I do not miss with a laser sight, even without my glasses. And if the batteries happen to be dead, then I can point shoot into centre mass every time and give the bad guy indigestion.
 
target said:
Wouldn't a standard flashlight in your hand also give the bad guy a target to shoot at?

The 20 yard sight-in was for the range. The self defense sight-in would be around 15 ft-20 ft.

Other than a light, the only other way would be with night vision glasses, but IMO that would make me a paranoidal nut case. My family may think so too.;)
Click to expand...

This is true, but I usually hold the flashlight away from my body, so that if it does attract the bad guy's bullet, it "may" hit my hand or forearm. Weapons mounting may attract a bullet and it will be much closer to your centre mass. Try holding your pistol with light attached at 10 or 2 o'clock position and see how limited your dexterity is. Firing from such a high handed position will also diminish your accuracy.

Night vision goggles will definately get you committed by family members.
 
.......on the lights on guns are bad notion.

is that why police have them on theirs so they can kill people ?

I was under the impression so they could better ID a bad guy when they defend themselves
 
acrashb said:
On your first point, lots of professionals use mounted lights. Strobing and movement resolve the issue. Having said that, some prefer handheld - but one simply can't make a blanket statement about weapon-mounted lights being bad.
Click to expand...

Weapon mount lights have their uses by LEO. Initially, we were talking about self defence in the home scenario.

Unless you wear body armour to bed under your jammies, I would go with handheld. Cops carry a heck of a lot of gear on their person, there are situations where a weapons mount light may be preferable... most of us are not cops and I don't want to light up my centre mass area.

Strobing and movemnet are fine principals, however 99% of people do NOT practice with any sort of regularity any self defence techniques.

Chances are you will fire from the confines of your bedroom, or your bedroom door/hallway. It will most likely all be over in a matter of just minutes. There will be no commercial breaks or time to go make a sandwich in the kitchen! :p
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom