Weapon mounted or hand held?

[BLACK LION]

That is a hard and fast rule that has nothing to do with being on a range.

Amen.

[oldtexan]

Honestly, for me its both/and, not either/or

My weaponlights (pistol and long gun) are for illuminating a target or a place where I can legitimately point my handgun. This allows me to get a stable 2 handed firing grip, while still holding a light. Or, I can use the light and gun 1 handed, if either I have a hand disabled, occupied, or if I am hugging a corner or a piece of cover. Its a niche item; but its an important niche for me.

My handhelds always come with me, whether or not I'm using a weapon mounted light. They're for searching, or illuminating areas that I can't, shouldn't, or won't point my gun. I also use them to supplement my handgun and mounted light in some scenarios.

Hope that helped

+1.

Additionally, a handheld light can serve as a decent impact weapon.

I always carry a handheld light. If out at night, my primary carry handgun has a Surefire weaponlight on it as well.

[RamZar]

Q: Weapon mounted or hand held?

A: Weapon mounted AND hand held.

You can never have too many flashlights. Remember two is one and one is zero. Always carry extra 123A batteries (like the SureFire ones with 10-year shelf life) on your person / kit.

[RancidSumo]

Ok so if I was going to attend a low light shooting course (handgun), I should still take both? I have a SureFire G2 which I know isn't the fanciest light but it puts out a lot of light and has held up great over the last several years and I'm thinking about buying a TLR-1 to mount on my M&P9 but if the consensus is I don't need it and should just take the hand held for the first low light course I take, thats what I'll do and I'll use the $100 to buy more mags.

[mrbieler]

I would take both to a course and I would use both given the option.

The majority of my handguns do not have rails for a light so I use a handheld. I have one pistol with a rail and have a TLR-1 on it. I still have a handheld with me when I use that pistol. The flexibility having both available is more then worth it.

I like the comment above. Shinning a light on someone at night is an annoyance. Pointing a light at someone with a gun attached to the back of it can become assault. Sometimes you don't want to go there.

[Beachboy]

Honestly, for me its both/and, not either/or

My weaponlights (pistol and long gun) are for illuminating a target or a place where I can legitimately point my handgun. This allows me to get a stable 2 handed firing grip, while still holding a light. Or, I can use the light and gun 1 handed, if either I have a hand disabled, occupied, or if I am hugging a corner or a piece of cover. Its a niche item; but its an important niche for me.

My handhelds always come with me, whether or not I'm using a weapon mounted light. They're for searching, or illuminating areas that I can't, shouldn't, or won't point my gun. I also use them to supplement my handgun and mounted light in some scenarios.

Hope that helped

Totally agree.

[Alaskapopo]

I think that people need to get past this, just because you point your muzzle at something doesn't mean that you have to pull the trigger. We're all big boys let's leave the range rules on the range.

That said. I use a handheld (Surefire G2Z) to use in conjunction with my carry gun.

Most of those range rules have a reason(train how you fight concept) but I do support weapon mounted lights. My reasoning is if I am searching with my weapon there is a good reason and everything is a threat until I know otherwise. Trigger finger disipline is a must. But I don't believe you should continue to point your weapon at a target you are not about to shoot. You ID the target as a no shoot the light comes down to a 45 degree you can still see them and their hands but you are not muzzling them.

[Alaskapopo]

Q: Weapon mounted or hand held?

A: Weapon mounted AND hand held.

You can never have too many flashlights. Remember two is one and one is zero. Always carry extra 123A batteries (like the SureFire ones with 10-year shelf life) on your person / kit.

That is so true. One of the most hairy calls I was ever on was on FTO. It was -20 below and I had burned out both of my hand held lights I carried at the time working on a DUI arrest with multiple subjects. The arrest took place on the frozen river while my patrol vehicle was some 200 yards away. While I was leading the first suspect back to my car, on my way back I hear a voice from out of the woods say "don't come any closer or I will shoot". I could not see my lights were dead. I drew and pointed towards where I heard the sound and I could barely make out a figure with a pistol to his own head. My lights were dead. (batteries pre LED days and the cold eats them up) I called for back up and my Sgt arrived. My FTO was dealing with two other suspects and was tied up. It all ended with the subject shooting himself in the leg of all places. But to make a long story short I could have gotten killed that night and I had no working lights. I now carry a weapon mounted light on all my duty guns, I have a handheld on my person and a mini led light on my vests zipper. I also have another light in the vehicle.
Pat

[Sry0fcr]

Most of those range rules have a reason(train how you fight concept) but I do support weapon mounted lights. My reasoning is if I am searching with my weapon there is a good reason and everything is a threat until I know otherwise. Trigger finger disipline is a must. But I don't believe you should continue to point your weapon at a target you are not about to shoot. You ID the target as a no shoot the light comes down to a 45 degree you can still see them and their hands but you are not muzzling them.

Agreed. You did a better job of explaining this position than I did.

[luckyguy1]

I fully understand the muzzle/light dilemma and no two situations are alike, but to me, (at night) if I am in enough danger to need to draw my weapon, then I need all of my skills to accurately fire that weapon if the need arises with due deference to the low light being an additional challenge to accuracy.

Life is a compromise in almost every arena, and if my muzzle sweeps a friendly, (I don't take this as glib or light heatedly either) then so be it.

I think there is equal and similar risk to having a flashlight out and a gun in your hand, and if a shot is required that a miss is just as bad (responsibly, liability, and life threatening) as sweeping a muzzle over a friendly.

Training is always the key, and while one can train just as much with one method, so too can one train for the other.

one is accuracy with one hand on the gun and the other holding a foreign object that is not supporting the gun, (difficult to learn but not impossible, but takes time)

the other is finger off the trigger until you want to fire (easier in my book to train for)

everyone has their preferences, none better or worse, as long as you are confident in them.