Do you know what that rail is for on the
front of your handgun? Contrary to popular belief, it’s not there to impress
the ladies! It’s for mounting accessories, which usually means some kind of
“tactical” light. Anyone who carries a handgun or keeps one around the house
should also have a good flashlight, and a rail-mounted light is a convenient
solution. Handheld flashlights are a popular alternative, and many respected
firearms instructors seem to prefer this option.
Here are the basic pros and cons of the handheld
light.
No matter which way you lean on this issue,
it’s essential that the light selected is of high quality. Even if you skip the
practice and training necessary to become proficient with a light, just having
ready access to a reliable illumination source is better than waving around
your gun in the dark. Below are a few general gear-specific tips and some
recommendations to get you started.
Handheld
Lights
LED technology has come a long way in the
last decade and we now have plenty of remarkable flashlights that put out a
great deal of illumination but can still fit in your pocket. However, not every
well-constructed bright flashlight is suitable for use with a handgun. Beyond
basic quality and light output, the most important feature to look for is a
switch that can be activated easily with one hand. This usually means a tailcap
switch that is operated with the thumb.
A simple interface is also ideal. Some
lights have a strobe function or various brightness modes depending on how many
times or how long you press the switch. For self-defence, the light should be
stupid-easy to operate so that next to no brain power is required to activate
it under stress.
Some lights feature a “momentary-only”
style switch, which is useful for techniques that require the user to activate
the light only for short bursts in order to avoid becoming a target for a
potential attacker. Others boast extraordinary light output, which may be ideal
when searching for missing children in the woods at night, but possibly
counter-productive when illuminating your bathroom with a glossy white tile floor.
Most tactical flashlights run on one to two
batteries, usually AA or CR123. Both battery types are common and affordable,
and many of the brighter flashlights will burn through those batteries fairly
quickly when used on the highest setting, so keep a good supply handy. No
matter the bells and whistles, just make sure your light comes from a reputable
manufacturer, like Klarus Light, who have a history of making lights that work
every time and won’t die out on you when you need it.
Below are a few excellent tactical
flashlights that are both reasonably priced and reliable. This list should help get you thinking in the
right direction.
This list should help get you thinking in
the right direction. Stay tuned because next week we’ll be discussing the basic
pros and cons of the weapon -mounted light.
