Light Mounts and Their Use

[PJR]

I didn't want to hijack another thread so I'm starting a new one.

In that other thread I saw this comment.

My HD shotgun is a Mossy 500 with 20" barrel and 7 shot mag tube and attached white light. Face it, when things go bump in the night, it is nice to hit the target with some light to make sure it's not your kid trying to sneak back into the house.

I think this is a questionable use of a shotgun light. Using it to scope out unknown trouble means potentially pointing a loaded gun at an unidentified target. I have a gun light on my 870 and it's come in useful a couple of times but I absolutely won't use it in place of a flashlight just as I won't use a rifle scope instead of binoculars. I keep a Surefire near my HD gun and part of my practice routine is transitioning from the flashlight to the gun light.

Many years ago not far from where I live a farmer went out to investigate a disturbance on his property. Not unusually for around here he brought a shotgun with him. When he saw a person in the shadows he brought the gun up and in response was shot to death by a tactical officer who was pursuing an armed suspect. A court ruled that neither man did anything wrong but he's still dead. That story gives me the chills because it could have been me going out to the barn with a gun.

Illumination is good. Illumination mounted on a shotgun has its place but using a gun-mounted light to "check things out" is a bad practice. At best you may end up pointing a gun at a target you haven't identified. In the worst case scenario you might be shot do death.

Thoughts?

 

[Waywatcher]

Even if you have one it doesn't mean you have to use it.

Maybe if the farmer in the story you mentioned had a flashlight it would have turned out differently.

 

[browningguy]

I agree with the original post, lights are good. I'm not able to hold a flashlight and operate my Mossy 500 at the same time. I know, I just need to practice, right. But it doesn't work for me.

 

[PJR]

Maybe if the farmer in the story you mentioned had a flashlight it would have turned out differently.

If he'd had a flashlight in his hands then it might have. I think the result would have been the same with a weapon mounted light.

I'm not able to hold a flashlight and operate my Mossy 500 at the same time. I know, I just need to practice, right. But it doesn't work for me.

You don't operate the gun while holding the flashlight. My practice routine is to have the gun in my right hand, butt tucked under the arm, muzzle pointed down, flashlight in my left hand. Should life get more serious I drop the flashlight and raise the gun with my foreward hand. Admittedly it's a little slower but I prefer it to pointing a loaded gun when I can't see what I might be hitting. I also don't practice with the actual flashlight but an older one that no longer works.

 

[KBintheSLC]

My practice routine is to have the gun in my right hand, butt tucked under the arm, muzzle pointed down, flashlight in my left hand. Should life get more serious I drop the flashlight and raise the gun with my foreward hand. Admittedly it's a little slower but I prefer it to pointing a loaded gun when I can't see what I might be hitting. I also don't practice with the actual flashlight but an older one that no longer works.

No offense but that seems very slow and clumsy. You are giving the armed attacker plenty of time and warning. Not to mention that you DROPPED your light source..!!
I have no problem pointing my shotgun at an unidentified target in my home in the middle of the night. Have kids???... I keep my finger off the trigger at all times, until ready to fire. Many armed professionals point their guns at folks all of the time without killing them. I see no reason why you can't train yourself to do the same.
I would not use a hand held flashlight with a shotgun which requires 2 hands to properly operate. Hand held flashlights are best suited for use with pistols. IMO of course.

 

[PJR]

No offense but that seems very slow and clumsy. You are giving the armed attacker plenty of time and warning. Not to mention that you DROPPED your light source..!!

No offence taken. I haven't lost the light source. There is a light mounted on my gun. It is slower but prevents me pointing a loaded gun at a target I haven't identified. The hand held flashlight is also easier to to illuminate from cover/concealment

I have no problem pointing my shotgun at an unidentified target in my home in the middle of the night. Have kids???... I keep my finger off the trigger at all times, until ready to fire. Many armed professionals point their guns at folks all of the time without killing them. I see no reason why you can't train yourself to do the same.

I am armed but don't claim to be professional. The key here is your own word -- "professional." They get the training. I don't point loaded guns at anything I'm not willing to destroy and certainly not at a target I haven't identified.

Most likely if the threat is identified I'm going to be behind cover and waiting for the cavalry to arrive. Shooting is my last option.

 

[Robert Hairless]

With all due respect to PJR, who says some very good things, may I suggest that anyone truly interested in home defense needs to own and study Louis Awerbuck's video Safe at Home: A Thinking Man's Guide to Home Defense.

 

[Rob96]

Man PJ if you are going to quote me, at least put my name up there. I never said you have to agree with my method, but quite simply that is the method of a weapon mounted light. My trigger finger don't go near the trigger until the threat is id'd.

My practice routine is to have the gun in my right hand, butt tucked under the arm, muzzle pointed down, flashlight in my left hand. Should life get more serious I drop the flashlight and raise the gun with my foreward hand. Admittedly it's a little slower but I prefer it to pointing a loaded gun when I can't see what I might be hitting. I also don't practice with the actual flashlight but an older one that no longer works.

Too many movements to accomplish. Mot only that, you ditch the light now you risk your own night blindness becaue your eyes have to readjust to the dark conditions of the room most probably leading you to miss the threat.

 

[PJR]

Too many movements to accomplish. Mot only that, you ditch the light now you risk your own night blindness becaue your eyes have to readjust to the dark conditions of the room most probably leading you to miss the threat.

Not really particularly if you practice. Light down, gun up, gun light turned on as the gun comes up or already on if required.

I've tried it in the dark and night blindness wasn't an issue because of the gun light.

If anyone has a better method to illuminate an unknown situation without pointing a loaded gun at an unidentified target I'd be interested in learning about. I'm always on the look out for better methods. But just because LEOs do it doesn't apply. They are trained and they do it frequently.

The willingness to violate one of the four basic rules in an adrenalin changed situation where most of the facts aren't known isn't one I share.

 

[Extreme Edd]

In a HD situation the ranges are so short that a bright (surefire style) light will give enough illumination when shone a a wall, floor, celing or best: a mirror to ID a terget without having to point at the target.

 

[Black Majik]

In my opinion, I've found use for weapon mounted lights. Granted, I don't have a surefire foreend on any of my shotguns, but I do see it's purpose. I do agree with using a light source to identify your target. Most LED lights nowadays have enough sidespill that you don't have to have to directly point your gun at the subject to identify who it is. You can keep it pointed towards the ground, and it should give enough spill on your light to identify who the person is.

That said, I use a pistol as my HD gun. Yes, I also have a loaded 870 shotgun, but the first one I'll grab will be a pistol. Why? Because it has a weapon mounted X200 on it. And, just because it has a light mounted to the gun doesn't mean that I need to use my weaponlight. I have a E2L right beside my pistol also.

The way I see it, a weaponlight gives me a free hand to do whatever task is needed, be it open doors etc... I use a pistol also because a shotgun automatically uses up any free hand I could use.

So I vote in favor of a weapon mounted light. But, I also use a separate small light too.

Disclaimer: I'm no pro, just your usual, everyday, armchair commando. Just my $0.02.

 

[Robert Hairless]

It's a good idea to do a thorough walkthrough of your own home at night with all the lights off. At least see whether there's sufficient ambient light to illuminate your own movement and identify any black holes.

Then it's worth considering what to do about the black holes and any other problem areas. There's a variety of good night lights equipped with photoelectric cells to switch on automatically. They also serve as visible alarms. Say you've plugged one of those lights next to a black hole in order to illuminate it so that an alligator can't hide there unseen. One night you hear the proverbial bump but don't see the light when you enter that room. It's reasonable to suspect that the alligator shut it off so he can hide in the black hole.

It's your home. Some thought and advance planning can help you make it as safe as possible.

But my own preference is always to avoid, prevent, and deter confrontations.

 

[waterhouse]

My gun lights are bright enough and cast a wide enough spot of light that I don't have to point the barrel at someone to light them up (although I do have to point the gun near them).

Perhaps it isn't the best way, but I'm comfortable with it.

 

[Owen Sparks]

You would think that a tactical officer would know that a fleeing suspect would not be shining a light on the someone he was trying to hide from. That could have saved the farmers life. A light lets you "know your target and what is beyond it" You would not have a car without headlights, right?

OS