Rails, Lights, and Lasers...

[ileus]

Who hangs a light/laser or both off their home SD firearm?

I'm not talking about laser grips or built in lasers, but rail mounted light or lasers? When I set out to buy a new HD compact or full sized pistol I wanted one with a rail. But is it wise to hang a light off your gun and use it to ID things that go bump in the night?

I bought the 229 and it doesn't have a rail, but I'd never utilized the rails on my other two HD pistols before. Maybe I should just go ahead and pick up a railed 220 and be happy.



For now I always do the same thing as always....Pistol on the headboard and 140 lumen light.


What is your home SD routine?

[DonP]

1. FWIW I prefer a separate light, not mounted

I have Crimson Trace grips on my 1911 and a nice individual Streamlight I won as a door prize at a manufacturers factory shoot at a local gun store.

That way I don't have to point the gun at anything to identify what or who is there.

[tortoise1956]

3. OH MY GAWD!

How dare you attach an alien laser to your evil child-killing, civilization-destroying tool of the devil? Don't you realize that society as we know it could vanish overnight, and it'd be your fault?

Edited to make it clear that this is facetiousness, not tin-foil hat stuff...

[Travis_0004]

2. I have a light on my glock.

With a good bright light, its very easy to light up the whole room while the gun is pointed in a safe direction. Its also much easier to accurately shoot a gun with both hands, and not trying to hold a flashlight in the other hand.

Glock 17, and a TRLs-1

[krispos42]

4. No reason you can't have a flashlight in the hand AND one on the gun.

Make the hand flashlight a nice big heavy MagLite that doubles as a club, or something small and disposable that you can throw as a distraction.

"Catch!" you yell to the burglar, and while he's tracking the spinning penlight you hit him with the weaponlight and yell "FREEZE MOTHERFUCKER!!!".


But even with a tightly focused beam, there's still a lot of reflection and dispersion throughout the room. I think you'll be okay. You're suppose to use the light sparingly anyway.

Nevertheless, the possibility exists that you could flick on the weaponlight as you come around a corner and have a family member right in the beam, and therefore uncomfortably close to the path of a bullet.



I don't know which way to go. On the other hand, having only one hand on a handgun makes it harder to shoot accurately and track moving targets.

[rl6214]

5. You and your death machines, made by those evil death merchants...

You should be ashamed of yourself, ashamed I say carrying around laser beams, ready to vaporize anyone running away you happen to see. I'll bet you practice your quick draw in front of the mirror. If you don't watch out you are going to accidently fire your laser while practicing that quick draw and the laser beam is going to bounce off the mirror and kill you or some innocent child looking in your window.

[burf]

6. I've got lasers on a couple different guns.

Both are rail mounted, one is green and one red. I like the green much better as it has a brighter beam and is much more visible in bright sunlight than the red is. Bought them out of curiousity.

The next type I plan of purchasing will be for the HD pistol, and I am leaning toward the Streamlight TLR2S. It is spendy, at around $240 but does have the strobe function, which seems pretty neat. One thing to consider though is I would bet the strobe function is a battery eater.

More about the TLR2S:

http://www.streamlight.com/product/product.aspx?pid=179

Just my 2 cents.

[AtheistCrusader]

7. Lasers are no substitute for marksmanship.

I keep the light in my off-hand, so I don't have to point my gun at something I may not be willing to destroy, to identify it.

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

8. I have a 1.5 watt laser I could probably use FOR self defense...

but that's a little off topic - lol.

I use a separate flashlight and laser.

[dizbukhapeter]

9. Too many people neglect practicing in low light

Shooting in low light is a whole nother ballgame.