Weapons Mounted Lights

By Jeff Hogan

Since 9/11, the firearms industry and gear industry has grown in leaps and bounds. I can't even keep up any more with all the new "must haves" that come out what seems like every other day.

The best products invented,besides the accessory rail handguards for the AR15,has to be the weapon mounted light. I come from a time when night sights were too expensive for the regular cop to afford and using a PVC, mag light and hose clamp was the weapon mounted light for a rifle. In reality, weapons mounted lights have been around forever but when they were designed to be a designated system, it was a breath of fresh air.

Alot of departments will not allow weapon mounted lights for their officers. This is something I have yet to understand. Why would you want to keep your officers at risk?

The argument against weapon lights that I hear all the time is, " You will cover what you are not willing to destroy because your light goes where the muzzle goes" or vice versa. I call BS on that.

If your house is blacked out, turn on your weapon mounted light and point your weapon at about a 45 degree angle. Does the light reflect off the walls, pictures and floor? Does it give you enough ambient light to identify a threat? Yes it does. The other argument I hear is that it will give away your position. Well gee, what do you think that hand held light is doing? Even if held out with the arm fully extended, it is causing enough ambient light to show your body.

I have proven in several classes that you will not cover your children, wife or dog if you search with a weapon mounted light. The reaction from people is generally the same. It is a look of disappointment. Because so and so said it in a magazine, it must be true and they just took it as gospel and never tried to challenge it.

Open ground searches are a different animal that we will get into at a later time but I challenge you to clear your house with your handgun or rifle with a weapon mounted light. I'll bet you can do it with out covering something you are not willing to destroy.

In the picture below, you can see how much light bounces off of furniture and walls. There is plenty of light to identify a threat while not covering anyone with your muzzle. The light is an X300 mounted on a short barrel rifle. I am standing at the low ready at about a 45 degree angle to the ground.