There's more to picking a gun light than simply strapping a torch to your heater.
Quick fact: assailants prefer the shadows. Yes, quite the breaking news, but something to keep well in mind when preparing to defend yourself against these felonious meatheads. To this end, it’s generally wise to have some sort of method of identifying a threat when light is scarce or outright absent. This, dear reader, leads us to gun lights.
Quite handy devices, freeing up both hands for more important jobs, say like, getting your pistol on target. But similar to all gear and gadgets meant to guard your life, picking the right one takes some consideration and understanding of what you opting into. Jamie Caldwell, a former special operator and instructor with 1-Minute Out, breaks down the bare essentials of gun lights in the above video.
Of course, a mounting system on the gun itself is paramount, though largely moot at this point. Most guns tailored for personal defense and concealed carry already boast a rail of some sort, making things easy. From there, what goes under the microscope is does a gun light’s operating system mesh with you as a shooter. Some might find a toggle switch at the back of the light simple to flick on and off when indexing, others might feel more comfortable with a pressure pad that activates when a handgun is gripped. Either is viable, but it’s worth the time and effort to parse out what is most intuitive to you before investing in one.
Features are another factor. Strobe setting and laser-sight additions are some of the more obvious, but more nuanced features, such as body material and run-time, are perhaps more important. You want to make certain you have assets built into your gun light that ensures it’s ready to go the moment you are. Also, for those new to on-weapon lighting solutions, there more to it than the torch you strap to your gun. You’ll also have to research and invest in a holster compatible with your light and gun. And in all likelihood, another hanger when you aren’t running a light.
Any way you cut it, picking the proper gun light takes study. But finding the right one vastly enhances the capabilities of your personal defense gun.
Get more training from Panteao Productions.
Get More Instruction From Jamie Caldwell:
- The Basics Of A Strong-Hand-Only Draw
- How To Load And Chamber A Pistol
- Clearing Clothing On The Draw
- Perfecting Your Pistol Presentation From Holster
- Developing A Proper Shooting Stance
