What's a good weapon light?

[Barbi Q]

Best weapon light I have found is night sights..

Night sights are useful but they don't help you see or identify the target, and what is beyond it.

[gigag04]

Best weapon light I have found is night sights..

Night sights are useful but they don't help you see or identify the target, and what is beyond it.

Or disorient the subject. Plus night sights cannot be unattached and used as a back up flashlight.

[jbirds1210]

OMB express has the TLR-1 on the front of their new catalog for $84.99. That is a smoking deal for angrwat light. I am going to pick one up for my shotgun.

[jbirds1210]

I am not amfan of pistol mounted lights because of what it does to my drawstroke. I have made other arrangements to never be in the dark. Much like a spare magazine, one is none.

[SecedeTX]

TLR 3 on the AR. Simple and easy. I have no lights on my handguns.

[yerasimos]

I am not amfan of pistol mounted lights because of what it does to my drawstroke.

Can you describe further how a pistol mounted light affects drawstroke?

Thanks!

[yerasimos]

I am not amfan of pistol mounted lights because of what it does to my drawstroke.

Can you describe further how a pistol mounted light affects drawstroke?

Thanks!

bump

[gigag04]

Because a holster with a non-light bearing weapon resembles the shape an inverted cone. This is forgiving in regards to draw angle since the mouth of the holster is wider than the part securing the muzzle.

A light bearing handgun requires a holster that is more evenly cylindrical - which requires the draw stroke follow the line of the holster closer. Kind of like playing operation. It's not an issue for me since I trained the muscle memory - but it's not for everyone.

As a carryover into concealed carry, I can't use a holster that is canted because of the memorized draw stroke - I prefer vertical carry.

[jbirds1210]

I am not amfan of pistol mounted lights because of what it does to my drawstroke.

Can you describe further how a pistol mounted light affects drawstroke?

Thanks!

Sorry for the delay.

First, I have dedicated MANY hours to a smooth draw out of my duty holster. I have a tough time buying into the muscle memory thing as dynamics of a fast and stressful situation screw up my memory.

Much like Gigag said, the angle allowing for a draw is not very forgiving with duty holsters designed for lights. The Safariland holsters mandate a near "straight up" draw which proves difficult to me with my off hand or while on my back. Any deviation from a straight up draw causes a bind in the entire drawstroke. I like to begin the forward turn of my gun muzzle immediately upon clearing the holster so a shot can be taken at contact distance...the light messes all that up for me.

The holster I carry is a Safariland 6360 dropped. In the lower position, I have smooth spots worn onto the holster and a nice hole in the center console of my Corolla from rubbing. If I added a light, I would destroy my personal car

I prefer vertical carry.

So do I.

Jason

[Ziran]

I have not handled Surefire's X300 or DG switch yet, but I have read mostly positive things about these, so I am considering trying them with the next carry gun I acquire.

The questions I would have to answer for myself is whether attaching the light and switch degrades the weapon's reliability and handling, and how well the handgun/light combination fits into the holster I would like to use.

I own both a few TLR-1s and one Surefire X300. Functionally they are both great. The ONLY reason I paid ~$250 for X300 vs ~$100 for the TLR is because the drop leg holster I wanted only fits X300 (TLR1 is slightly wider and does not fit).

So unless you have some VERY specific need save yourself the $150 and buy TLR-1.

[yerasimos]

Gigag04, Jbirds1210, Ziran, thanks for your input.

I own both a few TLR-1s and one Surefire X300. Functionally they are both great. The ONLY reason I paid ~$250 for X300 vs ~$100 for the TLR is because the drop leg holster I wanted only fits X300 (TLR1 is slightly wider and does not fit).

So unless you have some VERY specific need save yourself the $150 and buy TLR-1.

I admit I am biased in favor of Surefire products, as I am a longtime user of their handhelds and have played with some of their long-gun WMLs (weapon-mounted lights). I am not adamantly opposed to switching brands, but I believe change must always carry its own weight and possess a definite purpose.

I am not interested in using my support hand or my trigger finger to operate a WML’s switch; I believe the trigger finger should be tasked solely with pressing the trigger or staying in register away from the trigger, and a support hand may not always be available for turning the light on or off at the proper time. Surefire’s DG switches, designed for specific handguns, look like the best engineered solution for activating a handgun-attached WML that I have come across. If there is something equivalent for the TLR-series, I may be interested. (The remote switches I have seen do not compare favorably for my purpose.)

Again, if a WML with switch cannot fit into a strong-side belt concealment holster of my choosing, or if it presents too much difficulty with drawstroke or degrades the weapon’s reliability, then the whole idea becomes progressively less interesting to me---or completely rejected in the case of degraded reliability.

[gigag04]

I think that the pressure switch on the primary grip point is a bad idea. Under combat stress, you will be gripping the mess out of the grip which can lead to NDs of light. For a handgun, having a separate ambi switch is preferable.

On my patrol rifle, I configured the pressure switch on the vertical foregrip - but I don't grip the grip, I use it as a reference point for my support hand to rest against. This allows me to activate it intentionally w/o changing mechanics, but I avoid accidental activations.

I don't mind surefire products but I find that streamlighs offers products that service the same needs, but do so at a better price point and have a brighter lights.