Back in the 70s when I was a border rat on the iron curtain the regimental commander had his foyer full of stuffed animals.
When at night your orders were to say halt 3 times, it no answer
open up. Now you know where all those critters came from.
In jungle school they put guys out at 300 yards. They used zippo lighters, lit cigs, C Ration warmers, and just about any other light making devise.
Our job was to read the helmet numbers and report how many we could see. A lot of us got all of them. If you can read a number on a helmet thru a 4x scope. You can take that threat out.
Seem the army has gone backwards since then, but then that is their way. They give you 100 dollars, and take back 99.
I think there is a huge difference between combat and engagement in side your home or on the street.
I would not use any light source in combat. Especially an IR laser.
In side my house? I will flash 1000 lumens then let the muzzle flash do the rest.
Yeah, that’s generally the uses I’m referring to with this video, there are a few stories of people breaking in to a residence and being hit with the strobe function on a flash light and they run like heck. all that said I feel its more important that the target is identified. Drawing down on a son or daughter that came home from collage late at night unannounced can be the recipe for a potential disaster that could have been avoided with a simple light, especially when considering the interesting times we are all living in today.
And I’m sure that works for you, but it doesn’t for a great many other people.
Due diligence does not stop at the firearm, it encompasses light, noise, and odor discipline too.
It is also at the reader’s discretion to determine the best accessory and load out to use or to ignore biased on his/her M.O., geographic location, threat level, or population density.
If you hate lights on firearms, then okay, but the information that humans using light to identify a target as a useful tool is a fact. Night vision, thermal, and yes even light has its place in this very dynamic mortal coil we operate with in.
I completely and totally understand that you do not agree with this idea at all, and I accept your opinion.
For rifle work I have a SureFire 6PX I bought on a whim several years ago. It’s a great light, but eats CR123’s like nobody’s business -I buy 'em by the dozen. It’s the single mode, 320 lumen version. It’s bright AF when the batteries are fresh -almost too bright. As the batteries get weak there’s definitely a Goldilocks zone. So one problem I have (and it’s with me) is I’ll run it down a little to get to that level of brightness, then worry about the batteries. The good thing is I’ve found it’ll light no matter what it’s just never as bright as it was the last time you pressed the button.
Based on the above experience I would highly recommend a weapon light with two modes (no more, no less) to control level of brightness. And stay away from strobes altogether.
Not gone backwards, just evolved and adapted to the environment. I can appreciate what you’re saying about lights relative to jungle warfare, but the rules of combat in the jungle are not universal. They sure don’t apply to the sandbox or aggressively clearing a house (day or night) -you’re gonna know I’m coming for you and there’s nothing you can do to stop me.
I’m currently looking for a light for a shotgun that I’m setting up (Keltec KS7). I have some requirements that the light must meet one of which will never be met. That would be a tight beam without a huge head. I can have one or the other but not both. It must also use 18650 cells. I looked at the ProTac and that’s on hold. The NiteCore is interesting. Thanks for the reviews.
A Sofirn SP31 was suggested to me and since it didn’t break the bank ($25 with a cell and USB charger) I decided to give it a try. I’m still testing it so it’s too soon to state anything other than that. It does have 5 brightness levels selected by a side switch, but the momentary/on/off is on the tail. It’s not really made to be a weapon light and I had to shim the 'scope ring that I used to mount it.
Edit: Well I fired 50 rounds of 1 oz birdshot today and the light survived. I did have it turned on and the brightness didn’t “self adjust”. So there was no interruption in the juice going to the LED (that’s how they adjust brightness). The tube is flat black now from smoke residue and I wiped the lens, but the lens wasn’t terribly dirty.
I thought the light might shift in the 'scope ring but that didn’t happen either. As the KS7 recoils to the rear the light would have a tendency to shift forward but it’s up against a bigger OD of the tube so it really can’t go anywhere.
It would be nice if it had a smaller hot spot or a laser. But for $25 it’s not terrible.
I like lights on my weapons, though it does make sense that if youre out in the wilderness probably dont walk around with a light on if there’s people out there wanting to kill you.
I keep a light on my home defense gun, my deal is if someone is breaking in my home i’m not going looking for them. i’m letting them come to me. when they get close i will flash them to make sure i’m not shooting a family member. I know my house and where to ambush an intruder better than they do.
While I agree , im also a proponent of a good defense means having a good offense, not to mention I have kids in my place. I need to get to them and hold the position, that requires me moving.
Living out in the country we keep a dog that lets us know if anything or anyone is around . I don’t run a light on my weapon I can turn on lights outside to see and the dog will not let anyone get in without me knowing as he sleeps by me and is by my side when I am home.
I have a light on my HD shotgun for a quick final ID, though if someone is in our home the odds are infinitesimally small that they belong there. But still… Plus I’ll be able to see the shock on their face as they see a 3/4" bore looking at them.
Another reason I have one on there is as an aiming point. Sure I can hip shoot and probably not miss but the light pretty much guarantees a hit. That’s at really close range, too far and the hot spot just gets too large. But for now what I have will do.
If things go as planned it’ll never happen. But if it’s FUBAR and someone Is in my home and we still have police support I will wait in the bedroom, our safe room, behind more lumens than you can believe, and unseen, and just wait for the LEOs. At that point the light on the HD gun is meaningless, it’s basically for home clearing and that means the feces has really hit the fan if it’s up to me.
Same here. Dogs are truly a mans best friend. In addition to being great family companions, they also have senses and instincts that humans lack. Their natural skills and senses are invaluable.
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I bought on a whim several years ago. It’s a great light, but eats CR123’s like nobody’s business -I buy 'em by the dozen. It’s the single mode, 320 lumen version. It’s bright AF when the batteries are fresh -almost too bright. As the batteries get weak there’s definitely a Goldilocks zone. So one problem I have (and it’s with me) is I’ll run it down a little to get to that level of brightness, then worry about the batteries. 
The good thing is I’ve found it’ll light no matter what it’s just never as bright as it was the last time you pressed the button.
