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ELB wrote:I am very leery of assigning two functions to my trigger/gun hand, e.g. using a handgun-mounted light to illuminate a room by reflected light. It feels like I am setting myself up for a crossed-wires boo-boo, like where the cop inadvertently shoots a guy with a gun when he meant to use his taser. Except I don't have have to draw, just press the wrong button.

If I did keep a light on my handgun, it would be solely for last milli-second target ID, where I've already decided what the target it and the muzzle is on oriented on it.

Much prefer sticking to light in one hand to illuminate, gun in the other to shoot. I didn't find this too difficult to do. Even I put a light on my gun, I will still use a hand-held light to search with.

While I understand what you are saying... that would be like saying you cannot handle a manual safety or a retention holster because it is something that has to be done with your gun hand. On an AR, your gun hand has three functions... Same on an 870 shotgun. Do you shoot any of those? Training is required to make it work, just like anything else, including using a handheld light.

Practice, practice, practice. Well worth the time invested, like any weapon handling skill.

Pawpaw wrote:

AJSully421 wrote:For a HD weapon that you intend to use for things that go "yo homie" in the night, a light is not an optional accessory.

It is your choice as to whether or not they will be mounted or hand held. I have both. Just because you have a light on your pistol / rifle / shotgun does not mean that you HAVE to use it. You can use a handheld for all of the reasons that the "handheld only" folks say a mounted light is a bad idea... and then you have the ability use the clearly superior mounted light as well. No matter what, there is absolutely zero reason not to have a mounted light on every projectile weapon that you own. How and when you use that light will be situational.

I have a pistol with a light in the nightstand... but my go to is a 16" AR with an Aimpoint and TLR-1 pistol light mounted on the quad rail.

I disagree with your statement in red above. A mounted light (or even a rail) spoils the beautiful lines of a 1911.

Form versus function... the age old quandary.

For a HD weapon that you intend to use for things that go "yo homie" in the night, a light is not an optional accessory.

It is your choice as to whether or not they will be mounted or hand held. I have both. Just because you have a light on your pistol / rifle / shotgun does not mean that you HAVE to use it. You can use a handheld for all of the reasons that the "handheld only" folks say a mounted light is a bad idea... and then you have the ability use the clearly superior mounted light as well. No matter what, there is absolutely zero reason not to have a mounted light on every projectile weapon that you own. How and when you use that light will be situational.

I have a pistol with a light in the nightstand... but my go to is a 16" AR with an Aimpoint and TLR-1 pistol light mounted on the quad rail.