Curious what the majority have here on the pistol that they grab when they hear a noise in the night.

Do you have a tac light, laser, both, neither?

What do you have or don't have and Why?

A Glock 17 (my EDC), which runs with Trijicon HD night sights and, at night, wears an X300 tac light by SureFire and a 33 round magazine (plus one in the pipe). During the day, it carries only the standard 17 round mag plus one in the pipe.

Glock 17, Big Dot tritium sights, Streamlight TLR-1, loaded hot with 17 rounds of Speer Gold Dot 124gr ammo.

Streamlight tlr1 and a set of crimson trace grips cause I got them cheap. Also has tritium sites. The tlr1 is all the lumens (300) I want inside my home due to light colored walls.


I have a surefire x300 just like TRH above but use it only for camping and hiking duty. 600 lumens IMHO is detrimental inside a home as the scatter and reflection off the wall will backlight you as the shooter and also blind you thus defeating the whole purpose of a weapon mounted light.

Mine has six 255 grain semi-wadcutters and enough weight to do dual service as a war club. I think there is an old Ray-O-Vac in the top drawer, too.

LOL.

There it is, TRH! I must have loaned it and forgotten.

Yep, I'll get it back to you soon. Wouldn't want you to be without a light next time something goes bump in the night.

Springfield XD9, 16 124 gr. Gold Dot +P, with a TLR-3

G41 with Trijicon night signts and loaded with 200 gr Gold Dots.

This is also my all around, backpacking/fishing/hunting gun and I put the light on it more with a view to those activities than for home defense. Makes for a nice option, though.,

Agree 100%, too bright is not helpful, especially when you've just woken up in a dark room.

My carry gun (G19) gets an Insight M3X light and a 33rd happy stick attached at night. The gun already wears an RMR sight milled into the slide, don't need or want a laser.

I like the Insight light because it clips on and off a lot easier than the Streamlights (have a couple of those too but they stay on some ARs full time)

None. I am a firm believer in the KISS Principle and I like to rely on training rather than technology. My current bedside guns are revolvers, I keep a 2 D cell Maglite handy.

I have a glock 19 with a surefire xc1 mounted.
Right along with that is a zebra light for primary
illumination. 147 gr XTP's for my load.

A weapon mounted light might be ok if you live alone. If you hear a bump in the night and go to investigate with a light on your gun, you might end up pointing your gun at your kids or spouse.

There are people I'll shoot, people I'll shine a flashlight on and they aren't necessarily the same people.

A weapon mounted light is in disposable no matter who you live with.

If you have to manipulate door handles, how do you do that and cover the interior of the room you are entering with only a gun and hand held light?

Why not a lantern and flintlock?

Why point a pistol at somebody you're not interested in shooting?

So the people using lights, are you say you're going to go looking for the intruder?

I've wondered what I'd do... Part of me says stay put, call 911 and point the muzzle at the door and wait

Sako75: My Glock Model 22 is equipped with night sights and high capacity magazines.
Those high capacity magazines are filled with top of the line hollow-point self defense type cartridges.
Knock on wood, I live (and sleep) in a very safe neighborhood, county and state!
Not much chance at all that my Glock will be used in a self defense situation but never the less I sleep better knowing its available.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

So my kids bedrooms are on the other side of the house from mine. If I had to get up and search the house, I would be going towards the kids room always. Therefore I prefer to not have a light on my handgun because I don't want to cover everything I illuminate with my muzzle...because one of those things just might be one of my kids.

Tritium front sight and laser-max laser on my series 80 Colt Gov't .380. C-T grips on my J frame .32 H&R Mag.

Best thing to do if that's an option. Let the police do the searching, preferably with a dog. Doing an armed search should be your last ditch. In my case I have kids on the other side of the house, so my first instinct is to get to them to ensure they're safe.

The X300U is both a "shock" tool as well as an actual impact device securely mounted to the frame.

If someone gets the "flash" in the face, they have already failed to respond to voice commands. Lighting them up can give tactical advantage, taking their night vision away and momentarily blinding them.

General search or illumination is the light hitting the floor and spilling around the area. Muzzle down in the ready position. I have found NO negative to my vision and it has been tested thoroughly.

Nice to have when checking the barn and critters at night on the farm.

G19 loaded with Hornady Critical Defense (prob going to change that tho - really want to give the HSTs a run but won't until I'm sure they run in the gun)


Topped with TFO's

ZevWorks in the trigger/fire control area.

I t


So learn how to use the halo thrown by the light as your "search light" this allows the weapon to be kept pointed down at the floor while still casting enough light to see

I have recently, via training w/ a wml, converted my methodology to what Gitem 12 describes and find it works well. Tactics and techniques evolve constantly and sometimes you don't know what you don't know unless you tune in and try something new.


mike r

Will that illuminate where you are though to a potential intruder lying in wait

If I get woken I usually get up and check the house without a gun or flashlight.

Or pants.

I do keep restraints handy. Mostly disposable types.




Dave

That is what SHOULD happen!!! I just don't know many guys who can do it. As Ron White said, "I had the RIGHT, to be silent, just not the ABILITY."

Trijicons and 3 extra mags for all.

Thanks, but I'm happy with what I have.

You know the layout of your house btter than I do

Correct, much to an intruders demise, we have small little lights throughout the house, those little lights start going out, I'll turn on a hotter one!

I would not go searching for an intruder. My house is totally dark at night and my bedroom door looks directly at the stairs. My kids room is down the hallway immediately to the right of my door.

Also i have a keypad deadbolt on my home that unarms the alarm, anyone with a right to be in my home has their own code and can shut off the alarm prior to entering. All of my lights are ran to a WiFi app so I can activate or kill lights at my digression from my phone if I have time. I plan to light up my downstairs like an damn stadium and leave the upstairs pitch black

My plan is to call 911, make sure they are not between me and my son and wait for the police to arrive.

If the dogs, the alarm and my yelling that "I am armed, the police are on the way and I will defend my family" doesn't deter them from coming up my stairs I hope 300 lumens at sub 20' will do so.

If not I will act appropriately.

Just because you've got a light on your gun doesn't mean you have to point it at everybody in the house.

I use a handheld for searching and a WML for after I've found what I'm looking for.

Glock 34 , bone stock.

I have a SureFire light next to but not attached to the pistol.

I wouldn't have a light on a handgun.


Mike

Illuminate us on your reasoning.

Precisely.

Left hand = "here kitty, kitty..."

Right hand = "Freeze muthagfugkah!"



Dave

Just because you have a rail on your handgun doesn't mean you have to put a light on it.

Truthfully, I'm thinking about what's in my gun safe right now and I don't think I have anything with a rail on it at the moment.

Insightful.

No accessories on the pistol. I keep some flashlights on and near the nightstand. I have a motion activated night light at the top of the stairs just outside the bedroom to illuminate anything coming upstairs. The rifle under the bed has a WML.

A loaded pistol and three full magazines. I'll wait for them, I won't go looking for it, but if trouble comes, it better be in an armored vehicle.

I'd rather not illuminate you trh , I'd rather keep you in the dark.


Mike

I felt the same until recently. Let's just say, someone "showed me the light!"

Then illuminate the rest of the participants here. I promise not to read it.

Surefire 300X light, trijicon tritium night sights. Federal HydraShock 230 grain SP.


you don't always have the luxury of 'calling 911 and waiting to let to cops search". Often you are forced to take action yourself. Yeah, I want a bright light to facilitate my shot.

XD45 with both.

BUT...I'd grab the 870 (with a light) first.

My dogs....then a G27

And I will add:

If I don't NEED a light, I don't turn it on. BUT if it is very dark and I can't see my hand in front of my face, I'd rather be able to see whomever is making the noise. A light doesn't have to be attached to a gun and holding a light away from you body is advisable. This is why I like a laser. You can keep the gun away from your body, but use the light and laser to reach around a door to light up a hall (the most dangerous place to be). The laser works without lining up sights. But you NEED to see if what/who is making the noise, right? If it's my child or wife, I want to know that. Hard to if you don't have a light.

Never put your booger hook on the bang switch when clearing any structure. Your trigger finger lies along the side of the firearm/trigger guard. Focus on your own actions and don't be in any hurry. Sometimes the noise can be identified within reason by listenening rsather than taking immediate action.

Training and trigger control sir. Recognize the threat, aim, and squeeze. Plenty of good guys alive in Iraq where I served because of training while in and after.

I have a glock 22 with CT laser on it within arms reach. and always have a smaller pocket pistol in my pants pocket at the end of the bed.

For home, it was a revolver, now a pistol, along with a good handheld light, and a phone. Someone above question the ability to search, clear rooms, etc w/ a handheld light vs weapon mounted light, and my personal response, to that, is the use of training and tactics. I've done this professionally for so many decades, having quite a number of real life work experiences, to include armed subjects, that my techniques are sound, including use of the four Ps. At home, I run into so many needs for the bedside handheld light, absent use of a firearm, that I use one vs a weapon light. At work, however, certain tactical low light situations are better executed with the addition of a weapon mounted light. I know others having both a handheld plus weapon light at their bedside. I place more more value with having the handheld.

This may have been answered, but:

You live in a large farm house with four, five, or so, additional loved ones within the structure, in different rooms. And say you wake to an intruder and gunfire in the house? Say you are armed with your wife and your children are not?? In my mind, I'm thinking active shooter, and I'm going toward the gunfire. Many scenarios I can think of where the need to push will outweigh the need to hunker down.