Medic7158 0 Posted January 28, 2009 Report Share Posted January 28, 2009 Did you put a light on your rifle? What kind? How did you mount it? How do you activate it? Have you considered the tactical disadvantage of a light making an excellent target? Trying to decide if i should put one on or not. I can see how it would be very handy in darkness as you wouldn't have a free hand to hold a flashlight, but..... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jrance@iacwds.com 716 Posted January 28, 2009 Report Share Posted January 28, 2009 As you say the advantage is that you can see them. The disadvantage is that they can see your light. I have lights on a few of my rifles, namely the go to ones. I use the picatinney rail and a Surefire on all of them. They also have a velco mounted remote momentary switch so they do not stay on. Yes I considered the tactical disadvantage and that is why I chose one that gave me the option to use if I felt it to be advantageous or not. 1911 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dftc 0 Posted February 12, 2009 Report Share Posted February 12, 2009 If you are at a close enough range for the light to be very useful (under 100 yards) and you have a decent light, then there is more of an advantage to having one than not. For one, you can see what you are shooting at. It also has the effect of being disorienting to to a potential attacker. Just don't leave it on when you aren't shooting. Have a buddy shine a good bright light in your eyes and see how hard it is to keep you eyes open and focused on the guy with the light. Using bright light for an advantage in a fire-fight is a tried and true military and police tactic around the world. Now if you are far enough away that your light isn't shining brightly on your target, or you just have a weak light, then yes, it does become a nice point of aim for an attacker. If you are really worried about it then invest in some night vision. Just make sure you have some way of knowing what you are shooting at. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TheGlobule 1 Posted February 12, 2009 Report Share Posted February 12, 2009 Light on shotgun only and for close range only with small light burst to "identify" and "blind" target. Remote switch is a must have. It takes but a second to shoot twice at "the light" and hit what's behind it (that would be your face behind a long gun) Since you should have no business shooting with a rifle in the dark (for self defense), there is no reason to put a light on one (especially if you have a Saiga 12). Light on handgun as back-up only in case you loose ability to use your other hand for your flashlight. There is a very good booklet on night gun fights written by Ken Good... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mstranglr 9 Posted February 12, 2009 Report Share Posted February 12, 2009 As you say the advantage is that you can see them. The disadvantage is that they can see your light. I have lights on a few of my rifles, namely the go to ones. I use the picatinney rail and a Surefire on all of them. They also have a velco mounted remote momentary switch so they do not stay on. Yes I considered the tactical disadvantage and that is why I chose one that gave me the option to use if I felt it to be advantageous or not. 1911 I agree. I used to have M3 lights on my pistols and Surefires on all of my rifles. The on/off/momentary switch is essential for sure. I took the lights off of most of my guns, and all of my pistols after taking some night / low light fighting classes. I found out how tactictaly disadvantagous a light can be. During force on force, the bad guy would see the flash of light from down a hall or inside a room and position themselves for an ambush. Even a quick burst of light from outside of view would give you away every time. Manuevering with a light puts you on unequal footing every time. Outdoors - lights make you very vunerable, abient light should always be used. The lights on military guns have a constant off switch to prevent accidental illuminations while monuevering outdoors. I have found lights most usefull on rifles that require 2-hand operation, especially home defence shotties. Gabe Suarez teaches a cool pistol technique for using a handheld Surefire indoors to identify a target and not give away your position to a hostile: 1) hold the light out and up as far as you can with the support hand while keeping the pistol in ready with the dominant hand. 2) While facing the potencial threat, direct a quick burst of light at them (with thumb button) while concentrating your focus on them. 3) Immediately move to your dominant side as the light goes out. If an identified hostile shoots toward the light, there will be nothing there to hit, and you will have his muzzle flash to guide your return fire. With practice, you can learn to assess a great deal of info in the split second that you illuminate the target, and move quickly out of the zone. This technique would probably work with a pistol-gripped rifle also, but I have not seen it tried. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Paladin 37 Posted February 12, 2009 Report Share Posted February 12, 2009 I have Surefires on my goto rifle and shotgun. I feel that they are a "must have". They are definitely a double edged sword. IMO the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. Pros; 1.) Can't shoot what you can't see. I'm not a fan of squeezing off rounds into the dark because I think I saw something. 2.) Helps make positive target ID. I rather not shoot something or someone because I couldn't tell if they were a legitimate target. 3.) Can serve as an offensive aid, a burst of 125+ lumen's will blind an opponent. They will see your light alright, but they will be shooting blind if you can sweep them with it. I have been trained to use lights in bursts and keep moving, even while firing. Cons; 1.) Can give away your presence or position. Umm, that's all the cons I've got..... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Azrial 1,091 Posted February 13, 2009 Report Share Posted February 13, 2009 I see this debate about lasers and flashlights all the time and it always amazes me! The damn things have a switch, do not cut them off if doing so will give away your position. It is a decision that you will have to make, much like the one to pull the trigger or not. BTW, the loud noise and the flash has been known to give away a position or two... Not having one only means that you are limited to fighing where these is enought light for you to see. These is no hard and fast right or wrong answer to this question, and endlessly trying to find one is rediclious. HTH! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
usmc0707 0 Posted February 21, 2009 Report Share Posted February 21, 2009 Im looking for a flashlight that flashes on/off fast, like it strobes....anybody know what company makes this?? And what about the origanal questions about, what kind? How did you mount it? what brand..etc....? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dftc 0 Posted February 21, 2009 Report Share Posted February 21, 2009 (edited) Im looking for a flashlight that flashes on/off fast, like it strobes....anybody know what company makes this?? And what about the origanal questions about, what kind? How did you mount it? what brand..etc....? There are several handheld flashlights on the market that strobe. I've never seen one that is dedicated solely as a weapon mounted light however, and the handheld ones I have seen are probably a little big for that purpose. Usually they are intended for a law enforcement usage, so look at places that sell cop stuff. I think Steamlight makes a decent LED light with a strobe feature. As for the questions about what kind and brand... Those things are completly up to personal preference and price-range. There are far too many options in those areas to meaningfully give any advice without knowing what kind of preferences you might be starting out with. Mounting is also going to based on preference. If you don't have some kind of remote switch then it should be mounted in a location thats comfortable for you to control while operating the weapon. If you do have a remote switch then stick it wherever you want it. Ideally it should be mounted towards the front of the weapon so all of the light is getting projected forward and not hitting your sights or handguards or something. EDIT: A quick google search revealed that Insight and Blackhawk both make strobing weapon lights (the XTI and Xiphos). If those two companies are making them then I'm sure others are also, or will follow suit shortly. Edited February 21, 2009 by dftc Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TheGlobule 1 Posted February 21, 2009 Report Share Posted February 21, 2009 (edited) Im looking for a flashlight that flashes on/off fast, like it strobes....anybody know what company makes this?? And what about the origanal questions about, what kind? How did you mount it? what brand..etc....? The Gladius was the first one to have a strobe mode. It was developed by Mr. Ken Good who I mentioned before for his very good handbook on night gun fights. Ken Good was a Navy Seal and Navy firearm instructor and now train L.E. and Swat teams on the subject. In the dark, the one with a good light and the skill to use it will always prevail and the one with the light mounted on his hand gun will get shot. Edited February 21, 2009 by The Globule Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ManOnFire 0 Posted March 6, 2009 Report Share Posted March 6, 2009 Dude, seriously. Unless you're taking VC prisoners with a welrod, deep in the Cambodian jungle, how tactical do you need to be? I mean, if it's home defense, that mf'er should have heard you shout "STOP PULLLLLEASE" or "DROP THAT STEREO BEFORE I BLOW YOUR GODDAMN BALLS OFF MOTHERF***ER" or at least heard the ominous sound of racking the bolt on your Saiga. If he doesn't leave, then it's game on and you are completely overt. Take him with speed, overwhelming firepower, and violence of action. Do not worry about your flashlight or laser giving you away if it helps you get lead on target faster. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TheGlobule 1 Posted March 6, 2009 Report Share Posted March 6, 2009 Dude, seriously. Unless you're taking VC prisoners with a welrod, deep in the Cambodian jungle, how tactical do you need to be? I mean, if it's home defense, that mf'er should have heard you shout "STOP PULLLLLEASE" or "DROP THAT STEREO BEFORE I BLOW YOUR GODDAMN BALLS OFF MOTHERF***ER" or at least heard the ominous sound of racking the bolt on your Saiga. If he doesn't leave, then it's game on and you are completely overt. Take him with speed, overwhelming firepower, and violence of action. Do not worry about your flashlight or laser giving you away if it helps you get lead on target faster. You would be amazed what a flashlight can do for you... or against you... It is my primary defense weapon where I can't conceal carry and it's in my hand when I walk the streets at night. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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