Tactical Lights on an AR

[VN Vet]

Ok, for you guys out there that employ a Surefire or other tactical lights mounted on you firearms, please give this old dog some pointers on how to use the light properly.

Thanks.

 

[shooter521]

Ok, for you guys out there that employ a Surefire or other tactical lights mounted on you firearms, please give this old dog some pointers on how to use the light properly.

Tactical Tips - White Light

Contrary to what Mr. Vickers writes, the "flashbulb" technique is not a recent development, and did not originate with him and Mr. Hackathorn; I learned it from another instructor back in 1999. That instructor had been teaching the technique for several years at that point, and he didn't invent it, either!

 

[hippykiller]

Decent little article. I have always looked at a weapon light as best used for target acquisition and disorientation. With the super-bright white lights popular now a target could easily be temporarily blinded, possibly removing the need to use the weapon at all. I would think that many people coming into a dark house from a dark street and being greeted to the 120+ lumens may simply decide to turn and run. Of course if that didn't work there is always what the light is attached to. Honestly that is one of the main reasons I put a light on my hd firearms, I want to have every option not to shot someone that I can.

 

[r3126]

Mr. Vickers indicates that poorly used white light makes the individual a "bullet sponge". I have always referred to poorly used white light as being a "bullet magnet". Your white light beam covers, maybe, 15 degrees - you are terribly exposed to anyone in the other 345 degrees .

My .02.

 

[rhino]

I think the most important use of the light is to identify a threat (or nonthreat) with absolute certainty.

VN Vet ... are you curious about when to use it and how to use the light it produces, or how to actually make the light function for you?

 

[techres]

ON an equipment note, are there any good sub $100 options for AR HD lights? Can the lights that mount on my Glock 's light rail be swapped onto a standard rifle weaver rail?

I have done a Surefire 6 light in the past, but want something smaller for an AR pistol/SBR sized firearm.

 

[Marc]

i forget where i bought mine but i got my light for my ar for under 50 bucks and works awesome.

 

[ballzac86]

I've always wondered what was so special about the surefire light that made them worth several hundred dollars and up. I'm not in the military or police(just like a lot of us on here), so aside from the different number of led's in the bulb, and quality of them, why so expensive? I picked up a flashlight at the local hardware store that looks similar to one of those, and is selectable between white light, green light, a laser in the middle(not like it's going to be accurate, I know), and strobing white light.

 

[hippykiller]

I've always wondered what was so special about the surefire light that made them worth several hundred dollars and up. I'm not in the military or police(just like a lot of us on here), so aside from the different number of led's in the bulb, and quality of them, why so expensive? I picked up a flashlight at the local hardware store that looks similar to one of those, and is selectable between white light, green light, a laser in the middle(not like it's going to be accurate, I know), and strobing white light.

Ive always heard that with the cheaper lights that the recoil of the gun could and would cause them to stop functioning, and in a tactical situation that could prove to be fatal.

 

[shooter521]

ON an equipment note, are there any good sub $100 options for AR HD lights?

Yep. Surefire G2 + P61 lamp + 1" scope ring = poor man's weaponlight.

Can the lights that mount on my Glock 's light rail be swapped onto a standard rifle weaver rail?

It depends on the dimensions of the light's locking mechanism and the rail's cross-section. Some combinations will work, others will not. Plus, some lights designed for pistols may not withstand the recoil of a long gun (even a .223 carbine). That said, I personally know of a member here who uses a TLR-1 LED pistol light on his SBR to good effect.