My next pistol is going to be one with the rails on it most likely but I will probably not use it until the price of those "tactical lights" come down. I think 100-200 bucks is too darn expensive for a glorified flashlight, however most of the gun rags are recomending them especially for home defense, i am not sure if I'm ready to give up my trusty maglight that you can get for around 20 bucks yet. Anyone out there caught the light bug yet?
Light it Up!
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I have an M3 that was given to me but the battery ran out and I haven't gotten a new one. Of course, you can always get one of these for your rail! I do like having the option of the rail and I personally like the way they look; to me, they break up the gun's lines and give it character although I know some people don't care for them. http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/21621-46660-1292.html
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I caught the light bug years ago. In the form of my Streamlight held in my weak hand up and away from my body. I still can't figure out why someone would put a light on the rail of their pistol for home defense. I guess so the intruder knows where to fire his first shot. :???:
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The biggest plus of the light on the gun is allowing the user to have one hand free and especially for home defense you only have to grab one thing (the gun) since it already has a light on it your good to go. I have lights on some weapons and prefer to keep the light in a my non-gun holding hand, but will do wither or both depending on the situation.
One thing is that if you have a light regardless of it being on the gun or in the hand, there is no excuse for not having it fully operational. If it needs batteries change them immediately and if it isn't 100 and 10% reliable, get a new one that is. There is nothing like wishing you had done something after it's to late...
One thing is that if you have a light regardless of it being on the gun or in the hand, there is no excuse for not having it fully operational. If it needs batteries change them immediately and if it isn't 100 and 10% reliable, get a new one that is. There is nothing like wishing you had done something after it's to late...
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My house isn't all that dark. We have a couple of those little night-lights for those "darker" areas. Thus I choose to only put a Laserlyght on my H.D. gun. (PT 92)
I find that a flashlight throws too much ambient light around the room, and I think that would reduce my advantage. It's my turf, and I know where the obsticles are.
I think this gives a two-fold advantage. #1.) Reduced vision for the B.G. #2.) It allows me to always know where the muzzle is pointed. (P.O.I.)
BTW, The plan would be to have my cell phone in my off hand, and it has an L.E.D. light built in, if I should need one.
I find that a flashlight throws too much ambient light around the room, and I think that would reduce my advantage. It's my turf, and I know where the obsticles are.
I think this gives a two-fold advantage. #1.) Reduced vision for the B.G. #2.) It allows me to always know where the muzzle is pointed. (P.O.I.)
BTW, The plan would be to have my cell phone in my off hand, and it has an L.E.D. light built in, if I should need one.
Well some of these lights now a days can be bright enough to cause temporary blindness. The Surefires all have that xenon bulb with a full battery is sposed to be a zillion X's brighter than the sun. The technique (if you can call it that) is to turn it on in the intruders face to stun him and yell commands. I don't know, something like that would cause a fight or flight response, neither action I want from an intruder.
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Well said...i updated my mag lights to L.E.D.
They can definitly cause you to not see...
I am not sure what the Xenon is , but if it is brighter than L.E.D.s. Watch Out..he he
At night that would be a heck of a deterent..
The cell phone thing always makes me laugh..Cause i do the same thing, whem i am in the house..lol
the idea of a light on a gun could be good because you have one free hand(cell phone set to 911)
these Xenon lights, are they only made for guns or can you by them as hand flashlights..might like to have one..
I am a flashlight fanatic..i have 3 in my truck, and 4-5 around the house
I must use the handheld flashlight, because the PT111 Pro, and the Judge do not come with rails. I have tried a rifle mount laser on the Judge, and it would give me that advantage at night.
I keep a charged light beside my Judge in the bedroom, and the Cell phone there too. "BG's can easily cut phone lines before entering".
I am even considering, seeing if the alarms system could be linked to a cell phone instead of my landline. We live in a semi rural setting, and cell phones are the best case scenario to call in the cops just in case.
I keep a charged light beside my Judge in the bedroom, and the Cell phone there too. "BG's can easily cut phone lines before entering".
I am even considering, seeing if the alarms system could be linked to a cell phone instead of my landline. We live in a semi rural setting, and cell phones are the best case scenario to call in the cops just in case.
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dont know im still on the fence.. is a light good or bad on a gun..
you can see better.. but then again so can the BG.
it's your house you know it better then them.. i tend to think the flash light favors the BG in this case..
on the other hand you have to beable to see to take a shot, you dont wanna be shooting into shadows unless you live alone and absolutely no way it could be a friend or loved one who has a key.
maybe your brother just had a fight with his live in girl friend or wife and wants to crash the night.. came in without a key and did'nt want to wake you.. for example.
another thing is if you use the same gun for SD as a carry weapon which makes the most sense to be since you're familiar with the gun, how do you find a holster to carry it? it's hard to find one that will have a tight fit and still correctly fit the light.
then there is the cost.. seriously i have no doubt the cost of these flash lights which start out at the rock bottom price of about a 100 bucks from my limited research..
when i can get a good flash light for 20bucks and then it's just amatter of the mounting hardware..
the newer stubby led's are quite good flash lights.
you'll want 1 free hand for either hold the attacker off while you fire a round into their belly, or calling the cops.. i suppose you could always drop a flash light or put it away and then go for the phone though.
you can see better.. but then again so can the BG.
it's your house you know it better then them.. i tend to think the flash light favors the BG in this case..
on the other hand you have to beable to see to take a shot, you dont wanna be shooting into shadows unless you live alone and absolutely no way it could be a friend or loved one who has a key.
maybe your brother just had a fight with his live in girl friend or wife and wants to crash the night.. came in without a key and did'nt want to wake you.. for example.
another thing is if you use the same gun for SD as a carry weapon which makes the most sense to be since you're familiar with the gun, how do you find a holster to carry it? it's hard to find one that will have a tight fit and still correctly fit the light.
then there is the cost.. seriously i have no doubt the cost of these flash lights which start out at the rock bottom price of about a 100 bucks from my limited research..
when i can get a good flash light for 20bucks and then it's just amatter of the mounting hardware..
the newer stubby led's are quite good flash lights.
you'll want 1 free hand for either hold the attacker off while you fire a round into their belly, or calling the cops.. i suppose you could always drop a flash light or put it away and then go for the phone though.
It's the xenon and other types of bulbs that make a surefire flashlight that bright. That and the stronger batteries. The drawback to these is the shorter battery life and bulb light the saying about the brightest star burns the shortest is true. The led type lights actually drain less juice than the xenon bulbs but you need a couple of them to do you justice. It's actually a toss up but the leds seem to be more expensive but you'll swap out and recharge less.
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Xenon bulbs are nothing new. They are brighter than a halogen, but the LED is where it's going. LED in number and sometimes quality will outshine the Xenon. The biggest problem with LED is it doesn't reflect like XENON. If you notice a regular flashlight will light up a whole room, from bouncing light off of the matte walls, the LED doesn't do as good a job at this. A lot of automotive mechanics realize this and do not like LED for this very reason.
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http://www.inovalight.com/military.html
The best LED light you will find. Charge is good for 2 hours constant on and recharge is extremely fast. It also comes in non-rechargeable using lithium batteries. It's what I use when on duty. For $100, it'll last a lifetime. Highly recommended.
The best LED light you will find. Charge is good for 2 hours constant on and recharge is extremely fast. It also comes in non-rechargeable using lithium batteries. It's what I use when on duty. For $100, it'll last a lifetime. Highly recommended.
Surefire also makes several LED lights. The biggest difference between LED's is the quality and the output. A high quality light will also focus the light better. Newer LED's offer higher output than older one's. The color of the light also makes a big difference. Yellow light tends to bounce around more, blue light stays more focused. Just think of the headlights you see when driving down the road. The older cars with yellow headlights seem to get brighter as you get closer. The fancy new cars with the blue headlights seem very bright at a distance but not so when you get closer. This is because the light is more focused dirrectly in front of the vehicle where it is needed. Something to look for in a flaslight also. Do you want to light up the room or pinpoint the source of your problem?
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I have a Streamlight M3 for GLOCK rails. I feel that it can be used as a close range sighting device - not precise like a laser of course.
I have had a couple of lighting issues recently, and have been doing some searcing in an effort to resolve them, so I found a forum dedicated to lights; http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/index.php?
One of my issues involved losing my Streamlight Scorpion while walking my dogs along the James River. I dropped the unlit light from a gloved hand while fumbling with leashes etc. and did not miss it until I arrived back at the truck. I got my Maglight out of the truck and backtracked about a mile and found it on the beach. A couple days ago the same thing happened but it hit my leg and I realized what happened. So now I have a piece of lightweight bungee cord taped onto it for a wrist strap. The Scorpion doesn't have a hole for a lanyard.
My Scorpion will actually cast light further than my 3 Dcell Maglights, but it cannot match the total light output of the Mag with fresh batteries. Maglight performance is awesome for maybe an hour then drops off rapidly. Be careful about storing Maglights in your vehicle with the batteries inside, if you forget about it for a few months you may have a corroded good for nothing mess due to battery leaking caused by extreme temperatures.
I have had a couple of lighting issues recently, and have been doing some searcing in an effort to resolve them, so I found a forum dedicated to lights; http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/index.php?
One of my issues involved losing my Streamlight Scorpion while walking my dogs along the James River. I dropped the unlit light from a gloved hand while fumbling with leashes etc. and did not miss it until I arrived back at the truck. I got my Maglight out of the truck and backtracked about a mile and found it on the beach. A couple days ago the same thing happened but it hit my leg and I realized what happened. So now I have a piece of lightweight bungee cord taped onto it for a wrist strap. The Scorpion doesn't have a hole for a lanyard.
My Scorpion will actually cast light further than my 3 Dcell Maglights, but it cannot match the total light output of the Mag with fresh batteries. Maglight performance is awesome for maybe an hour then drops off rapidly. Be careful about storing Maglights in your vehicle with the batteries inside, if you forget about it for a few months you may have a corroded good for nothing mess due to battery leaking caused by extreme temperatures.
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What type/brand of batteries have you used in your Maglites? I have had good luck with Duracells in mine. Replace them once a year and I haven't had any issues. As far as the light output with fresh batteries, I couldn't say as I haven't tried them much right after a replacement. Usually I notice that they are getting dim and just get a new set.
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