I started using a light on my pistol in 1998. Back then, the M6 was the top choice and on a rookie NY cop’s salary, it was very expensive. It was also big, fragile, had a short runtime and didn’t put out much light, though back then, not much did. For most of my time as a cop, I used a surefire 6P and did the whole handheld light thing. I found that better than dealing with the downsides of the M6.
Fast forward to my time on the State Department’s MSD team. When I got there in 2004, we had Sig 228’s which of course did not support mounting a light. With some help, I managed to convert the team to 229R’s and get surefire weapons lights issued. Shortly after that, I went away from using the pistol mounted light as I found it mostly unnecessary. When 5 dudes enter a room, if one of them needs to transition to a pistol, the threat should be long taken care of by a teammate and if it isn’t you probably have their carbine weapons lights illuminating the room.
Obviously there are other uses for the pistol mounted light, and I gradually warmed back up to them. As a SWAT guy in the U.S., I found tons of use for my mounted light, especially in conjunction with a laser. I was always crawling through tunnels or other crawl spaces, climbing ladders, walking on rafters, etc. The TLR-2 HL was the best of the bunch and I carried it on and off duty for years. When I switched to an optics pistol in 2020, I went away from the laser as it conflicted a bit with the RMR’s dot. Which was unfortunate, as the laser is of tremendous benefit in a SWAT role.
At the same time, I switched from the TLR-2 to the TLR-7 and then the 7A. The 7 series are not as good as the TLR-2, but they are smaller and they get the job done pretty well, at least indoors. When I retired earlier this year, I continued to carry a 7A daily. Not so much because I think it matters for self defense, but because my daily carry gun is also my bedside gun and I definitely prefer the mounted light for home defense. I often need to open doors or move things while searching the house and a pistol mounted light makes that much easier.
So, if you don’t mind carrying a light on your gun all day, go for it. If you prefer a trimmer carry gun, maybe keep a similar gun with a light for home defense, or clip one on to your carry gun when you retire for the night. I like simple, so I just wear the gun with the light all day and then put it next to my bed at night.
Do you use the light’s switches or the pressure pad on the pistol? And I’ve been exposed to flashing on then off during shooting and leaving it on continuous during shooting but I don’t really know much about the actual merits of each. Preference? (understanding there are context variables)
Good questions. The post is not really a how to, but the short answer is I use the switches on the lights, not a pressure pad. Many reasons but mostly durability and ergonomics. The problem with on/off is that you are usually blind when it is off. The problem with continuous on is that you may not yet see the bad guy and he may see you. Pick your poison, but as you noted, it is dependant on many factors like how big the area you are searching is, what kind of cover or concealment you may have, how many bad guys, how many danger areas, etc. Once I’ve located the BG, of course it stays on from then on out. Hope that helps, but it is a very complex issue that many schools really dumb down.
Remarkably full answer is so few words! Thank you.