weapon-mounted flashlights vs handheld flashlights w/ shotgun?

[zhyla]

Hi... I'm new here. I'm planning on switching my main home defense tool from a handgun to a shotgun. I like some advice on how best to integrate a flashlight with a shotgun.

I've read a couple things:

1. Mount it on the gun. Duh!

2. Don't mount it on the gun, the reason you're using the light is you don't know what's in front of you, so you shouldn't be pointing a gun at it (could be friendly).

Obviously mounting it to the gun is the easiest thing to do. If I don't do that, how does that work? I feel that I need to keep both hands on the gun. My previous HD plan consisted of my wife and I holing up in our bedroom and shooting anything that came thru the door - easy enough, illumination not really even necessary.

I'm not especially worried about pointing a loaded weapon at an unidentified person. My finger won't be on the trigger. I'm not jumpy. But I concede that without lighting issues I would have any gun pointed at the floor in front of me while looking for an intruder.

Something I read suggested you may want to illuminate the ceiling rather than just right in front of you, which could work if attached to the gun. I always point guns down though, it seems awkward to do it the other way (and there are upstairs neighbors).

 

[ScareyH22A]

A bright light, pointed in the general vicinity of the suspect will generally light up an entire room. Especially if the light is pointed at a flat, white, ceiling. I'm a firm believer in a weapon mounted light, especially on a shotgun, because you may need a free hand to open doors, pick up things, move things, etc. A wrist strap for a handheld flashlight may also be considered. But on a pump action shotgun, you need a free hand to manipulate the action. I say mount it. My light is mounted on the left side so I can press the momentary button with my support side thumb while holding my forend.

 

[smithmax]

Do most people just mount them with those magazine tube clamps?

 

[Polar Express]

I know your question is with regards to a light, but i'm recently considering attaching a simple (and cheap) laser. it's not really intended to be super accurate, and hold that accuracy, but more of a strong statement to any intruder. If they see a red dot anywhere on them, after hearing a slide rack, I suspect that could a very strong statment that they are not welcome.

I DO like the light idea as well, and I like the idea of the mounted light, where you can turn it on with your hand on the slide. My wife is new to firearms, (while she's open and interested in them) I don't want to complicate things if a panic situation were to arise. I want to keep it very simple.

 

[meytind]

Do most people just mount them with those magazine tube clamps?

I wanted mine on the forend so I removed my forend, milled a flat spot with a router, mounted a short piece of rail.
I don't know how well the magazine tube clamps hold up under recoil. I don't know if they'll start sliding around after a load of 00 buck.

 

[tkopp]

All depends on how many hands you have. You need two to work the shotgun. Any spares can be used to handle a flashlight, waffle iron, or other appliances.

 

[Leadhead]

Headlamp will do in a pinch.

 

[Darthbauer]

Surefire rail with scout light. I like it a lot better than the dedicated pump.

 

[zhyla]

I know your question is with regards to a light, but i'm recently considering attaching a simple (and cheap) laser. it's not really intended to be super accurate, and hold that accuracy, but more of a strong statement to any intruder. If they see a red dot anywhere on them, after hearing a slide rack, I suspect that could a very strong statment that they are not welcome.

I notice this concept of scaring off an intruder via intimidation a lot in shotgun discussions. It's a little odd to me, I'd rather the perp be unaware of my presence for as long as possible. Otherwise I'd just start shouting that I've called the police and I've got a gun.

At any rate, they're not likely to see a dot on their person. I was playing around with a green pen laser I have and it actually lights up a room fairly well. Of course there is a faint green line that gives away your position, but probably no worse than a weapon light.

Recommendations for mounting? I'm looking at a 9-shot Mossberg 590. I was expecting there'd be something that would clip to the front of the mag tube but haven't seen such a thing yet. I'm surprised there isn't a bit of weaver rail at the end of that.

 

[rcmodel]

A perp can look in the general direction of a laser and not shut his eyes unless it is shining in his eyeball. Thus, he can easily shoot you, and even use his sights to do it.

But he for sure can't look at a TAC light in a dark room without shielding or closing his eyes.
It actually hurts too much.

rc

 

[CBNY]

I have a Surefire mounted on my Mossberg 500. I used the Tacstar clamp and have gone through hundreds if not thousands of rounds without an issue of loosening up. And I made the mistake of looking into that Surefire at night once, couldn't see for a solid 2 minutes, can't remember the model # but it is the 85 lumen model.

 

[zhyla]

Leadhead brings up a good idea. Are there tactical headlamps? I have an LED headlamp for riding at night, I don't think it would really cut it (better than nothing).

 

[rcmodel]

If it's anything like my LED headlamp, it would take you a couple of minutes to put it on, turn it on, and adjust it to where the beam was pointed in the right place while your head was in a shooting position.

Then you would have a well lit shotgun barrel.
And a bright LED bullseye mounted on your forehead.

Fugedaboutit!!

rc

 

[Leadhead]

If it's anything like my LED headlamp, it would take you a couple of minutes to put it on, turn it on, and adjust it to where the beam was pointed in the right place while your head was in a shooting position.

Then you would have a well lit shotgun barrel.
And a bright LED bullseye mounted on your forehead.

Fugedaboutit!!

rc

Couple of minutes to find it or put it on?

If it really takes you a couple of minutes to put it on then I'd say it's time to shop for a new one....I would feel fine putting on my headlamp and climbing out of a tent to see what's trying to eat my picknic basket......engaging armed combatants not so much.

 

[NoAlibi]

Just might try this...

rc +1

If you don't have a blinding flashlight then all you are doing is providing a target for your assailant. We were taught that the person holding the light was going to be in the vicinty of the light source, so a little spray and pray at the light was generally a good course of action. Ammo is cheap (if you brought enough with you), life is expensive.

Leadhead may have hit on something here. I have a very bright hat mounted headlamp that I used to use for gigging frogs in the Everglades. I could easily install an intermittent pressure switch on it that just might work out.

It would have the advantage of the light being in the direction that you are looking and not where your gun is pointing. Of course you would only put it on momentarily and immediately move out of the position that you were in when the light was on.

We usually do our night shooting behind the shed so we can vary the lighting conditions - this might be a good project over the next couple of weeks -- NoALibi

 

[Lou McGopher]

What if you ask, "Who's there?" and they don't respond or you don't recognize them, for whatever reason? Will you still shoot without visual identification of your target?

 

[Fred Fuller]

Having a weaponlight mounted doesn't mean you MUST use it. Nor does it preclude you from using a handheld light as well/instead. Get some training on fighting at night, learn what works for you and then do that.

Personally I like having a weaponlight on any defensve long gun I'll be using at night. And that goes doubly so for one that is manually operated, like a pump shotgun.

lpl

 

[lions]

I don't like the headlamp idea.

If it is constant-on, then you are walking around with a bright target on your forehead like rcmodel said. I don't see that going very well.

If it is momentary-on, then you have one hand on your head so you can see then you lower your hand to run the gun but you are in the dark again so you have to move your hand back up to your head in between every shot. I don't see that working out very well either.

I would go for a setup like darthbauer has in post #8, except have the light on the other side, like what scareyH22A said. Operating the momentary on with your support side thumb. Ideally the light would be mounted on the forend so your thumb never looses contact with the light. If the light is mounted on the mag tube you would have to reposition your thumb to find the switch after every shot.

I have thought about mounting the light on the mag tube and using a pig tail pressure switch but that is just on more thing to possibly get hung up on something. Hung up on what, I don't know but I don't want to mess with it.

(I am not a professional/operator/swat/expert/special anything, this setup just seems to have the least drawbacks for me, YMMV)

 

[NoAlibi]

lions

If it is momentary-on, then you have one hand on your head so you can see then you lower your hand to run the gun but you are in the dark again so you have to move your hand back up to your head in between every shot. I don't see that working out very well either.

I should have been a little more descriptive when I mentioned that I could easily install an intermittent pressure switch on the light.

I wouldn't have been so foolish as to put the switch on the hat where I would have to remove my hand from the gun and that's why I didn't elaborate on it any further. There would have been no advantage in that.

What I am going to try is covering the switch with a piece of soft tubing so that I can turn the light on by it by biting down on the switch.

I hope that this makes a little more sense to you. I'll do the test and get back to this thread and let you know whether it worked out or not. -- NoALibi

PS - I also addressed not having the the light constantly on for obvious reasons:

Of course you would only put it on momentarily and immediately move out of the position that you were in when the light was on.

 

[leadcounsel]

Mount it VERY securely and practice with it mounted. You also need a durable light. My light flew off my shotty the way I originally mounted it.

 

[BikerRN]

Hi... I'm new here. I'm planning on switching my main home defense tool from a handgun to a shotgun. I like some advice on how best to integrate a flashlight with a shotgun.

In my humble opinion, you need to use both the handgun and the longarm.

The handgun, with a light in the support hand is for searching through the house for what made that "bump in the night".

The shotgun, with the light attatched, is for use once you have verified that there is an intruder in the house and you are in a barricaded position.

BikerRN

 

[lions]

I hope that this makes a little more sense to you.

PS - I also addressed not having the the light constantly on for obvious reasons

That is an interesting idea, and it does make more sense than what I was envisioning.

The bit about constant on wasn't directed to you, just trying to cover all the possibilities for the head lamp idea, but I didn't even imagine your idea. I pictured you switching out a constant switch for an intermittent switch(not too helpful), but having the intermittent switch on a pig tail is what might give your idea legs and the part I neglected to think about. My hats off to you for innovating and making something yourself to work best for you.

 

[zhyla]

In my humble opinion, you need to use both the handgun and the longarm.

The handgun, with a light in the support hand is for searching through the house for what made that "bump in the night".

The shotgun, with the light attatched, is for use once you have verified that there is an intruder in the house and you are in a barricaded position.

I'm looking at it the opposite way. When I've barricaded everyone in one room the weapon matters to me a lot less. I can light up someone busting thru a bedroom door with a handgun just as effectively as with a shotgun or rifle. My possibly mistaken idea is that that's the easy part.

Interesting discussion on headlamps. Seems complicated. I think I'm going to have to get a light, mount it, and practice moving around the house at night with it. While everyone is asleep of course .

Same situation but slightly different topic... bead? Rifle sight? Ghost ring?

 

[Fred Fuller]

I can light up someone busting thru a bedroom door with a handgun just as effectively as with a shotgun or rifle.

zhyla,

You have a repeating handgun or carbine that is 73 caliber and launches an ounce or more of lead with every press of the trigger?

Part of it's my redneck upbringing, and part of it is being around for a few decades (including six years working the back of an ambulance as an EMT), but I'd disagree with you on the statement I quoted above. I prefer a shotgun, hands down, for a purely defensive weapon, simply because it tends to work better. It's a more reliable stopper with good hits, and it's easier to hit with for any shooter willing to do the work to master it.

Still and all, defense of your home and family is much less a hardware issue, and much more a software issue IMHO. Use whatever firearm you are best with for HD, and if you decide you want to use something different, take the time and do the work to get good with it. "Work" means training and practice. It means burning powder and launching lead downrange. It means learning discipline and skills.

Skills don't come in a box or a plastic blister pack. They can't be bought across the counter anywhere...

I'd strongly suggest you take a look at http://www.nrahq.org/education/training/basictraining.asp and see if the PPITH (Personal Protection In The Home) class is taught anywhere near you. If so, please consider taking it. If not, the NRA sells a DVD of the classroom part of the class, as well as the textbook. Those would be worth studying, if you can't manage the class itself (see http://materials.nrahq.org/go/product.aspx?productid=ES 26840 for the DVD, http://www.nrastore.com/nra/Product.aspx?productid=PB+01781 for the book). Moving around the house in the dark looking for what you think really might be a BG is a Bad Idea. But don't take my word for it. Get a couple of sets of Airsoft gear (at least a spring gun and face/groin protecton, doesn't have to cost a mint), and have someone play cat and mouse in the house with you. They hide, you hunt, see who gets 'shot' first. It might be a cheap lesson.

As to the issue of sights, if your shotgun is really a 'house gun' and won't be going outside, a bead will do- if you will do. If apt to be used at longer range (outside), or if you fear having to make tight quarters shots with as much accuracy as possible, sights (and slugs) might be called for. But TRAINING AND PRACTICE is the first consideration- until you have faced a handful of demanding situations on the flat range, you won't really have an understanding of the sort of demands that might be placed upon you if things go bad.

hth,

lpl

 

[zhyla]

Thanks Lee, I don't disagree with much you said. The last thing I ever want is to have to clear my house and up till now my plan has always been sit tight. That changed recently and I'll soon have a defenseless baby in another room.

I understand some practice will be in order. I used to do tactical competition years ago but was mainly with handguns. I've actually done a little airsoft in the house before - messy, and people just don't stand still like silhouette targets do .

I like the simplicity of the bead and that it won't snag on anything in tight spaces. I really can't envision a situation where I would go outside for some kind of distance shooting but I've got a rifle suitable for the somewhat cramped suburb I live in.

I played around a little tonight with a green laser. I was never a fan of lasers on guns before but green lasers are so bright that when pointed at a floor/wall/ceiling the whole room lights up. Illuminates a target too, but that is kind of iffy depending on the material. And it doesn't really give away your position (you can see the beam, but only when it's really steady). If you've ever seen someone playing with a laser pointer around you, you know it's very distracting if you're not the one holding the laser.

Need to experiment with a bright flashlight next.