How to Use a Flashlight in a Tactical Situation

[Fred Fuller]

An interesting source for this kind of material, perhaps, but... . Please take a look at this article and see what you think of it, and discuss how it compares and contrasts with your own training and experience.
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http://artofmanliness.com/2012/11/07/how-to-use-a-tactical-flashlight/
How to Use a Flashlight in a Tactical Situation
by BRETT & KATE MCKAY on NOVEMBER 7, 2012

It’s late Friday night and you’re walking to your car after a fun evening with your friends downtown. As you turn the corner down an unlit side street, you see a shadow dart across the wall and hear footsteps. The hairs on your neck stand straight up. You quicken your pace, but the other footsteps speed up as well. You look around trying to make out shapes in the dark, when out of nowhere a fist connects with your cheekbone. The sucker punch takes you to the ground and you can feel your wallet being taken from your back pocket.

Before you have time to react, your assailant has disappeared back into the cover of darkness.

You really could have used a flashlight.

If you’re like me, you typically think of flashlights as something you keep in your kitchen drawer in case the power goes out, or as what you bring along on an infrequent camping trip so you can find your way back to the tent after you take a middle-of-the-night leak. But according to Mike Seeklander, firearms and tactical trainer with Shooting Performance, a flashlight is something every man should have with him at all times. I met Mike over at the US Shooting Academy here in Tulsa to go over the ins and outs of using a flashlight in a tactical situation. Here’s what he told me.

What Is a Tactical Flashlight?

In today’s post we’re not talking about just any old flashlight. We’re talking about tactical flashlights. What makes a flashlight tactical? A tactical flashlight is simply a flashlight that’s been designed for tactical (i.e. military or police) use. Many tactical flashlights are designed to be mounted to a weapon for low-light shooting. They’re typically smaller than traditional flashlights, emit much more light, and are made of weapon-grade aluminum for maximum durability. While tactical flashlights are designed primarily for military and police units, as we’ll see below, they’re also a really handy everyday and personal defense tool for the average civilian.

Why Every Man Should Carry a Flashlight

Before we even get into the tactical and self-defense uses of a flashlight, let’s talk about why you should start carrying one even if you don’t plan on using it to thwart would-be attackers. Next to a pocket knife, a small, tactical flashlight is one of the most useful and versatile tools a man can have in his Every Day Carry kit.

I can’t count the number of times I’ve been in a situation where a flashlight would have been handy, but I was left stumbling in the dark. Take the other day for example. I was trying to fix a connection on our TV’s audio output, but I couldn’t see a thing behind the stand. So I had to go rummage around my house looking for a flashlight. I could have saved myself about 15 minutes if I simply had a small flashlight tucked in my pocket along with my knife.

And as the residents of the Eastern seaboard learned firsthand last week, electrical power can go out at any time and for long periods. Having a flashlight on you can save time and toe stubs as you navigate about your darkened apartment.

And, besides helping you fix wire connections or navigating your home after a power outage, a flashlight can also be used as an effective self-defense tool.
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See the full article and illustrations at http://artofmanliness.com/2012/11/07/how-to-use-a-tactical-flashlight/

 

[MedWheeler]

Definitely good food for thought. I'm guilty of not carrying one in my pocket, or on my belt, but I do keep 'em around, and not just the $1.99 cent drugstore ones. There is one or two in each of my three vehicles, and three more in my home. Most of them are MagLights. There are some good suggestions for "personal carry" models in the attached article; think I'll do some browsing.
I deliver pizzas one night each week, and carry a 4-cell MagLight with an LED bulb on every after-dark stop. It's carried in my hand, not in my pocket or waistband, regardless of how well lit the customer's doorway is (most are not.)
Of course, my employer prohibits the carrying of "weapons", per se, but this is merely an "illumination device", carried for the purpose of preventing me from tripping over hazards in their yards and dropping there sodas.
Yeah, that's it.
I, um, don't carry any other weapons, right? Right?

 

[Apachedriver]

I'll say this while being aware that every mode of use cannot be addressed in an article.

Early on I was taught to hold my light away from my body while clearing. I think it was called an FBI hold. Over time this has worked well as I think others would be more prone to fire in the very near vicinity of a light as opposed to a couple of feet right or left. I'm comfortable with it but I'll do some reconsidering as the eye index fits much better with a defensive posture for a physical attack.

I definitely find it worth sharing and thank you for doing so here.

As a side note, I agree that there are many ways to be armed without ever breaking rules, regulations, or laws.

 

[Sergei Mosin]

It’s late Friday night and you’re walking to your car after a fun evening with your friends downtown. As you turn the corner down an unlit side street, you see a shadow dart across the wall and hear footsteps. The hairs on your neck stand straight up. You quicken your pace, but the other footsteps speed up as well. You look around trying to make out shapes in the dark, when out of nowhere a fist connects with your cheekbone. The sucker punch takes you to the ground and you can feel your wallet being taken from your back pocket.

Before you have time to react, your assailant has disappeared back into the cover of darkness.

You really could have used a flashlight.

Maybe a flashlight would have helped - maybe it wouldn't have - but if our hero had parked in a well-lit location, he wouldn't have needed it. Situational awareness first, last, and always.

 

[ApplePie]

I'm a flashlight fanatic, constantly on the lookout for the best ones at cheap prices. My newest find is the Streamlight Nano, for about 8 bucks. Picture attached.

Of course it's not a tactical light, but it is well made and puts out a surprising amount of light. It puts out the same amount of light as the old 2-D-cell Maglite, and weighs one-third of an ounce, about 1/100th the weight of the Maglite . Everyone I show it to is amazed at the light output from such a tiny light. It certainly does not replace a larger more powerful light, but it's so tiny there is no excuse to ever be without it. Put it on your key ring and you won't even notice it.

 

[Fred Fuller]

Streamlight Nano

GREAT little lights!

We got something like two dozen of them last year, and gave them away as Christmas presents. I use them as zipper pulls on my most often worn coats/jackets...

 

[Owen Sparks]

I have become a big fan of head lights (The type you wear on your head). No matter how "tactical" your flashlight is it still ties up one of your two hands. The head light points where ever you look and leaves both your hands free for other tasks.

 

[Risky]

Headlamps are great for tasks, but for scanning around or looking for something in the dark, a headlamp will wear your neck out fast.

I've found that my flashlight I carry to be more useful than my pocket knife... something I never would've guessed before I started carrying one.

 

[Sergei Mosin]

Back when I first started working in railroad yards at night, I wore a light strapped to my hat. Didn't do that long; it was too heavy (it doesn't take much up there) and in order to be secure it had be so tight around my head that it was very uncomfortable. Moved it to my RCL vest and was much happier. Transferred to an indoor craft and was happier still.

 

[Knockdownpower]

Flash lights are great for EDC specificly the "tactical" ones. Some even are built to be used as an impact weapon if necessary and are very bright. The pocket clips are a great idea.

 

[Spartacus]

Many tactical flashlights have a strobe feature, which would have come in handy during that mugging situation.

 

[Shawn Dodson]

I'm not hung up on the need for a "tactical" flashlight. My EDC flashlight is a Streamlight MicroStream, which is powered by a single AAA battery. I clip it to the corner of my left pants pocket and I don't even notice it's there. Yet when I need a flashlight it's right there. It's suprisingly bright for its small size and power source. It has a KISS simple on/off tailcap pushbutton switch. (IMO, flashlights with multi-mode switches (i.e., strobe, SOS, "dazzle", etc., modes) are not a good choice for defense use.) The best part is it costs less than $20 and it uses an inexpensive AAA alkaline battery.

I use a chin index technique, similar to the "neck index" described in the article.

I carry my pistol in a one-handed position SUL.

 

[ApplePie]

Thanks for the tip Shawn. I really like your idea of clipping the light to a pants pocket.

I just ordered one from Amazon. Told you I'm a flashlight fanatic!

 

[Deltaboy1984]

Good read ! I was taught the FBI method in HS by a HS classmate of my Dads who worked 30 years for the FBI!

 

[Rexster]

I, too, am a big believer in carrying good lights. I do not worship any brand, but have access to good Surefire dealers, and seem jinxed with Streamlight products, so I have largely defaulted to Surefire, with a couple of Innovas. I have, and regularly use, a Surefire M3 Millenium, two M2 Centurions, and a pair of the really nice LX2 LED Digital Lumamax lights. I hope to find my first M2 Centurion that misplaced, which will mean three of them.

I work night shift big-city police patrol, and consider a good light more important to my survival than my duty pistol, and I am not kidding. On and off the clock, I really appreciate the advances in technology that allow today's small lights to illuminate better than the larger lights of the past. As my eyes age, and cannot adjust to varying levels of light and darkness as well or as quickly, good flashlights increase in importance.

I do not limit myself to any one technique. It depends upon the ambient light levels, the size of the firearm I may be using, the size of the flashlight body, whether the light has a
lanyard, how fast I may be moving, and the total tactical environment: in no particular order, Harries, FBI, Chapman, Ayoob, neck index, Rogers-Surefire, or my own hybrid adaptation that works well only with the LX2-sized lights.

 

[tyeo098]

Just added that to my Christmas list Shawn, thanks!

 

[MachIVshooter]

Streamlight Nano

GREAT little lights!

Yup. They live on all my keychains, Along with Sebertech M4 (and some of the newer, cheaper copies by IDL tool, the T-10, since the US-made quality Sebertech is no longer available)

My EDC flashlight is a Streamlight MicroStream

Same here. Always have on on me. No, they're not like the 300+ lumen torch lights, but they're also very compact, have good battery life on the single AAA, and are lightweight and small enough to hold in your mouth comfortably for extended periods, freeing up your hands when you need both.

 

[bikerdoc]

Stream light scorpion with belt clip using the FBI technique.

 

[JShirley]

ElZetta. Best. Yes, best.

 

[Manco]

ElZetta. Best. Yes, best.

It may be even better, for some, when fitted with a three-cell body and Malkoff M91.

 

[JShirley]

Well, that does have advantages. But three cells means it won't easily fit in a jeans pocket, and is starting to get a little long for low-observability belt carry. Also, not sure if that combo will let you use RCs- I know the standard 3-cell ElZetta can't.

John

 

[henschman]

Does anyone have any accounts of flashlights being used by concealed carriers in self defense shootings?

 

[conw]

Surefire's website has some submitted accounts but I would take them with a large grain of salt.

Out of curiosity, why do you ask though?

 

[Trunk Monkey]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...oogleMKP&cm_mmc=KNC-GoogleMKP-_-pla-_-NA-_-NA

My work schedule is such that I’m up a 4 A.M. and generally asleep by 8 P.M. Since I’m generally not out after dark I don’t carry a high tech tactical flashlight on a daily basis.

The Gerber task light (11 bucks on Ebay) fits my need for an everyday light to carry in my pocket it’s light enough that I don’t know it’s there most of the time and quite bright for it’s size

If I know I’m going to be out after dark I carry a Streamlight Skorpion (40 bucks) and when I worked nights I always carried a Streamlight Stinger

 

[OregonJohnny]

a flashlight is something every man should have with him at all times

I agree completely. But don't forget women. My wife carries a Fenix E21 in her purse, as well as a Fenix E01 on her key chain. I'd say it's actually more important for a woman to always have a flashlight handy when out at night, than it is for a man.

A true "tactical" handlheld flashlight, as defined by most experts and trainers, will have the following 2 features:

• 1 single mode - HIGH (no strobe, S.O.S., moonlight, high-medium-low, etc.)
• A "push-for momentary/twist for constant" tail switch

All other elements of the light can and will differ from brand to brand, and model to model - tints, brightness, beam shape, battery type, materials, etc.

I consider a small handheld flashlight part of my minimum EDC. I will walk out of the house without a CCW before I'll leave the house without a light. Technology has gotten to the point where you can have a light the size of your pinky that puts out 70 or 80 lumens and runs on a single AAA battery for hours, and costs less than $20. Why wouldn't a person have something like this in their pocket, or at least on their keychain? I guarantee you will start finding uses for flashlights, once you start carrying one every day and night.

I give Fenix E01s, Maratac AAAs and Streamlight Microstreams to friends and family as gifts whenever I can. Meanwhile, I collect Surefires (I have 10 of them!). It's the gift that keeps on giving, as soon as the lights go out or someone needs to find something they dropped in a dark movie theater or restaurant. I have been the hero many, many more times in my life with a flashlight, than I've ever been with a fist, blade or firearm.