pistol weapon light only or light laser combo
- Thread starter rugbydave
- Start date
The newest Olight Baldr Pro is pretty nice, I picked up a couple on a flash sale when they were first released this summer for around $125Cdn(each) sweet deal for a well made light and green laser.
It's a bit overkill for lumens on a pistol and sticks out past the muzzle a bit but I figured it would work really well on a predator defense carbine.
What ever you decide, go for Green for the laser over Red.
Blue seems to be the next thing but Green works well even in typical daylight conditions for sighting in and is easier to see further out then red.
It's a bit overkill for lumens on a pistol and sticks out past the muzzle a bit but I figured it would work really well on a predator defense carbine.
What ever you decide, go for Green for the laser over Red.
Blue seems to be the next thing but Green works well even in typical daylight conditions for sighting in and is easier to see further out then red.
There's a huge price range, anywhere from say $170 for an Olight (decent reviews) to about $350(depending on laser colour) for a Streamlight TLR-2 (great reviews) and up to almost $1000 for a Surefire X400U with grey laser ($750ish with a red laser).
I’m not going to enter I’m a big long debate, but every single professional school or training on the matter of low light shooting has debunked the notion of using low powered lights to ones “benefit”.
If a low light-no light course isn’t available to you, there are numerous online options to learn about why all professionals I’ve come across would all strongly disagree with the idea of “200 lumens or less is best”.
Also, I have no comment on lasers because I don’t use them, nor have any experience with them.
I think the Baldr Pro is over $200 on the Cdn Olight web page but they have pretty impressive one day flash sales from time to time.
I ordered mine from a US company during the launch flash sale and I couldn't resist getting two at the price it ended up being after exchange and shipping.
5 year warranty 30 day no question free shipping in Canada. Surfire has been around for ever but they were slow to get into LED and Green lasers.... they have always been pricey pro level stuff but I had no idea they were now up around a grand!
As far as light and laser and lumens, I figure in rural Canada we are most likely to engage predators outside at night and most likely with a shotgun or rifle of some sort..... bright is nice outside.
The biggest advantage of a laser is having to make an accurate shot from an unorthodox position such as from the hip or behind a barricade or around a corner..... definitely not an everyday scenario for most civilians
I ordered mine from a US company during the launch flash sale and I couldn't resist getting two at the price it ended up being after exchange and shipping.
5 year warranty 30 day no question free shipping in Canada. Surfire has been around for ever but they were slow to get into LED and Green lasers.... they have always been pricey pro level stuff but I had no idea they were now up around a grand!
As far as light and laser and lumens, I figure in rural Canada we are most likely to engage predators outside at night and most likely with a shotgun or rifle of some sort..... bright is nice outside.
The biggest advantage of a laser is having to make an accurate shot from an unorthodox position such as from the hip or behind a barricade or around a corner..... definitely not an everyday scenario for most civilians
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This is not my experience. I have done professional instruction. And not always from a place with a pro-shop that overprices the kit you "would benefit from" during their training.
It is not important, but having been there and done that. It seems our experiences are different.
Sorry OP for the hijack.
Still alive's observations are great.
I prefer to train with lights and lasers using a minimal use emphasis.
Light on, shoot, light off move.
Even with IR lights/lasers I prefer minimal use ie. Laser on, shoot, laser off, move.
Lights are like vehicles, to the bad guys they are bullet magnets.
If I have to use my fire arm mounted light for wildlife then yes I leave my light on.
But I prefer to train with light and laser discipline.
I don't want to be like those actors in the movies who run around in the dark with their visible white lights on...............
As I mentioned above, I use a Crimson Trace Laser and a Streamlight light. I also use a Delta Point Pro.
If using the laser, do not look through the optic. You will see two bright dots. They only coincide at the zero distance. If using the laser, keep your head up and forget about the optic. Place the laser dot where you want the bullet to impact and exercise trigger control.
A laser is also excellent for dry fire practice. If the trigger control is other than perfect, it is readily apparent.
If using the laser, do not look through the optic. You will see two bright dots. They only coincide at the zero distance. If using the laser, keep your head up and forget about the optic. Place the laser dot where you want the bullet to impact and exercise trigger control.
A laser is also excellent for dry fire practice. If the trigger control is other than perfect, it is readily apparent.
I have used a laser/light on night engagements of raccoons. One time my dog was in the fight, so I had to be careful of shot placement.
A laser is so much better than any other sight. I can keep my head up with both eyes fully engaged.
In our lights off indoor IDPA match, one of the targets triggered a light on that aimed back at the shooter.
This was very discobobalting. It spoiled vision so much that it was very difficult to see targets.
With a laser, you only need enough gun light to see the target. More might be better, but in my experience, not critical.
My guns have a Chinese ebay laser that costs about $15.00. They work perfectly on a 22, a 45ACP and a 12ga.
One of my shotguns has a laser/light combo. Costs about $20. It has shot quite a few matches and works well.
A laser is so much better than any other sight. I can keep my head up with both eyes fully engaged.
In our lights off indoor IDPA match, one of the targets triggered a light on that aimed back at the shooter.
This was very discobobalting. It spoiled vision so much that it was very difficult to see targets.
With a laser, you only need enough gun light to see the target. More might be better, but in my experience, not critical.
My guns have a Chinese ebay laser that costs about $15.00. They work perfectly on a 22, a 45ACP and a 12ga.
One of my shotguns has a laser/light combo. Costs about $20. It has shot quite a few matches and works well.
No sweat man and I much appreciate your's and everyone's input.
Thanks for the recommendations! I have Crimson Trace on my Glock, but my Canuck Regulator could use the mini rifle laser for fun, non-Wickensian stuff.
Green laser provide a little bit of room illumination too.
Edit: I just blew $11.15 on the mini laser, now I can lase my eye out!
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Still alive
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Ganderite got lucky on his $20 light/laser combo. I bought a Sun Optic L/L for around $100. Worked fine on an AR but the entire thing blew apart when mounted on a shotgun, after about 3 shots with buckshot. Good thing Sun Optic has a lifetime warranty. My replacement unit sits in my drawer now.
Yup, that's the thing about shotguns, they aren't kind to cheap fittings.
Neat thread with lots to think about.
Up until very recently, I thought lasers were just mall ninja trash. But we had a lights out stage at a 3gun match this summer that really taught me a lesson.
There were barrels in front of the targets and the light really lit up the barrels while keeping the targets in the shadows.
The guy who had a laser absolutely cleaned up on that stage.
The Olight combo seems to be good value.
Up until very recently, I thought lasers were just mall ninja trash. But we had a lights out stage at a 3gun match this summer that really taught me a lesson.
There were barrels in front of the targets and the light really lit up the barrels while keeping the targets in the shadows.
The guy who had a laser absolutely cleaned up on that stage.
The Olight combo seems to be good value.
This is one area the cheap lasers can "shine", excuse the pun....
Shows the trigger/gun movement and also can be used to help with instinctive aiming towards the target as you acquire the sights or transitioning between different targets.
I have been fortunate enough to take a two-day low light shooting course with Pat MacNamara. I learned a TON about what works for me in dim light, and very low light conditions. It was shot outdoors, with the course running from early afternoon to +/-11 PM each day. In daylight we shot some paper, transitioned to steel, and once it was dark we were running a variety of challenging drills on steel. The drills included barricades, a LOT of movement, and lots of reloads.
I shot various parts of the course using the following:
H&K P30L with Trijicon HD sights and a Streamlight TLR-1
H&K P2000 with Trijicon HD sights and a Streamlight XC-1
Glock 19 with with Trijicon HD sights and a Surefire XC-1
Surefire 6PX handheld light
In order to effectively evaluate my kit, I shot from a variety of holsters - kydex OWB for the P30L, kydex IWB for the P2000, and hybrid IWB for the G19.
I learned the following:
#1. Quality tritium sights are a must-have on any handgun that you might use for serious social applications when the light are out. Based on this course, other pistol courses I've taken, and shooting IDPA, I find that the Trijicon HD sights work very well for me.
#2. More light is definitely better when you're outdoors. The smaller XC-1 is absolutely serviceable....but it's no substitute for a larger higher output light when you get further away from the target. If the course had been run indoors, with more flat light colored surfaces to bounce light back at me, I might be singing a different tune.
#3. A pistol mounted light makes it easier to put rounds on target smoothly than a handheld light....but having your pistol mounted light as your ONLY light is a really bad idea. In any dark situation, there are probably a LOT of things around that I really don't want to point a pistol at.
#4. Shooting effectively in low light isn't all that hard...but there is a learning curve that you have to overcome initially. It's worth getting some training so that you're overcoming that curve in a controlled and safe environment.
I shot various parts of the course using the following:
H&K P30L with Trijicon HD sights and a Streamlight TLR-1
H&K P2000 with Trijicon HD sights and a Streamlight XC-1
Glock 19 with with Trijicon HD sights and a Surefire XC-1
Surefire 6PX handheld light
In order to effectively evaluate my kit, I shot from a variety of holsters - kydex OWB for the P30L, kydex IWB for the P2000, and hybrid IWB for the G19.
I learned the following:
#1. Quality tritium sights are a must-have on any handgun that you might use for serious social applications when the light are out. Based on this course, other pistol courses I've taken, and shooting IDPA, I find that the Trijicon HD sights work very well for me.
#2. More light is definitely better when you're outdoors. The smaller XC-1 is absolutely serviceable....but it's no substitute for a larger higher output light when you get further away from the target. If the course had been run indoors, with more flat light colored surfaces to bounce light back at me, I might be singing a different tune.
#3. A pistol mounted light makes it easier to put rounds on target smoothly than a handheld light....but having your pistol mounted light as your ONLY light is a really bad idea. In any dark situation, there are probably a LOT of things around that I really don't want to point a pistol at.
#4. Shooting effectively in low light isn't all that hard...but there is a learning curve that you have to overcome initially. It's worth getting some training so that you're overcoming that curve in a controlled and safe environment.
I will always have a laser. There are light conditions that are just plain confusing and iron sight turns blurry, and you go for the dot or sight whatever that is on target first. The thing with MRDS is that if you have it at the intensity to show up under bright light, it is way too bright if you want to go passive.
You also want the most light - you want to over power all the background light, if you don't, see what happens above.
The biggest thing about the light - it is for identifying target. You want to see what it is holding, etc. The more the better.
