Off Season Lets Talk Guns, Part 2

[HonestChieffan]

Been a while since we had a guns n' ammo discussion.


Some of you are AR shooters Im sure. Im looking at a Colt 6920. Will be my first AR. Picked up a Glock this fall and really enjoy shooting it. Any feedback on that weapon?



Anyone else been in a buy/sell/trade mood with hardware?

[vailpass]

Originally Posted by Otter

You get to drop molly and disco with the home invaders while holding them at gun point.

Sounds gimmicky.

Well hell then...

[Frazod]

Originally Posted by vailpass

I've seen the strobe setting on some. What's that get you? A more disoriented intruder?

I would assume so. Getting hit with a strobe light in the dark should totally disorient somebody.

Of course, there's another school of thought that says lights are bad; that you, as the homeowner, are at an advantage in the dark because you know the layout of your home and the intruder doesn't, that a light gives away your position, and also that a skilled bad guy will just shoot at the light. IMO, a strobe would counter that. Plus, anybody with enough knowledge and training to overcome it is probably going to kill you anyway. This doesn't include the average scumbag who'll break into your house, though.

[Raiderhater]

Originally Posted by Otter

You get to drop molly and disco with the home invaders while holding them at gun point.

Sounds gimmicky.

[vailpass]

Originally Posted by Frazod

I would assume so. Getting hit with a strobe light in the dark should totally disorient somebody.

Of course, there's another school of thought that says lights are bad; that you, as the homeowner, are at an advantage in the dark because you know the layout of your home and the intruder doesn't, that a light gives away your position, and also that a skilled bad guy will just shoot at the light. IMO, a strobe would counter that. Plus, anybody with enough knowledge and training to overcome it is probably going to kill you anyway. This doesn't include the average scumbag who'll break into your house, though.

Makes sense.
I would want to see the person in most circumstances, I think. Not necessarily the whole time I was navigating through my house but right at the end.
CCW instructor gave a good scenario of a silhouette of a bad guy holding a knife in your living room that turned out to be the drunk neighbor kid holding a screwdriver he used to get into what he thought was his house.

[Raiderhater]

Originally Posted by Frazod

I would assume so. Getting hit with a strobe light in the dark should totally disorient somebody.

Of course, there's another school of thought that says lights are bad; that you, as the homeowner, are at an advantage in the dark because you know the layout of your home and the intruder doesn't, that a light gives away your position, and also that a skilled bad guy will just shoot at the light. IMO, a strobe would counter that. Plus, anybody with enough knowledge and training to overcome it is probably going to kill you anyway. This doesn't include the average scumbag who'll break into your house, though.

I lean towards to no light gives me an upper hand. However, if you share your home with other people, family or roommates, I’d definitely advise a light. Killing your kid who got up to get a drink of water would likely ruin one’s life.

[Frazod]

Originally Posted by vailpass

Makes sense.
I would want to see the person in most circumstances, I think. Not necessarily the whole time I was navigating through my house but right at the end.
CCW instructor gave a good scenario of a silhouette of a bad guy holding a knife in your living room that turned out to be the drunk neighbor kid holding a screwdriver he used to get into what he thought was his house.

I agree. That's why I have a light on both my night stand Glock and my go-to AR.

[vailpass]

Originally Posted by Frazod

I agree. That's why I have a light on both my night stand Glock and my go-to AR.

Thanks
After a reasonable period I'll come back and ask about red dots.

[Frazod]

Originally Posted by Raiderhader

I lean towards to no light gives me an upper hand. However, if you share your home with other people, family or roommates, I’d definitely advise a light. Killing your kid who got up to get a drink of water would likely ruin one’s life.

I see both sides of the argument. I think it all boils down to personal preference and your level of training.

[Raiderhater]

Originally Posted by Frazod

I see both sides of the argument. I think it all boils down to personal preference and your level of training.

Like I said, I lean that direction, I’m not totally committed to it. I’ve managed to find a bit of a balance with my Kimber’s Crimson Trace grips. It’s easy to turn the laser on/off by tightening or relaxing my grip and when I put it on a target in the dark there is a little bit of illumination. At least for now it seems to be a good compromise for me and my home.

[Megatron96]

Originally Posted by vailpass

I've seen the strobe setting on some. What's that get you? A more disoriented intruder?

*Edit* Went to look at this light, says it right in the description- "Use the 140 Lumen strobe mode to disorient attackers.".

This light is 100 lumens. I've read varying opinions on how many lumens is enough and how too bright a light can bounce off your walls and end up impairing your vision along with the intruder. thoughts?

The best weapon-lights come from Streamlight, Inforce, and Surefire, not necessarily in that order.

I have two Streamights, the TLR-1 HL, and a TLR-7.

The TLR-1 has better ergos, and is easier to use overall. Mainly because the switches are bigger. The TLR-7 is great for concealed carry of a commander-sized/Glock 19-sized weapon.

i have seen the Inforce APLc, and from the little time i spent with it, it seemed like a good light. I also know a few people that have and like them. Including a few LEOs.

My first light was a Surefire X300. Great light, but a little long. That means you're cleaning the lens a lot more often. About every two range-trips. Other than that, one of the best lights out there.

For indoors I probably wouldn't go over 600 lumens max. Over that and there's going to be significant backwash, which could be blinding to the shooter.

Another thing to understand is that at under 30 feet (10 yards), these lights are blinding. What I mean by that is that you can't see the origin of the light at all when this hits you in the face. There's no "I'll just shoot at the center of the light" scenario, because your entire field of vision is uniformly blindingly white. There is no center of the light, from the BG POV.

Flash/strobe disorientation is the result of an "after image" or temporary visual imprint caused by a brief exposure to high-intensity light levels. This image varies with light level and time duration or frequency of the exposure. The disorientation occurs as specific light frequencies affect the brain and the light cycles through those frequencies too fast for the brain to adjust.

Strobing tactical lights do not allow the photoreceptors to reset, which shocks an individual's vision. Strobing bright light forces the brain's perception input to arrive in segments, thus creating after images as the brain labors to fill in or complete the partial image created by the momentary exposure of the strobe. These after images compound with each strobe exposure, which increases perceptual disparity.

I like weapon-lights because they give me a chance to positively ID my target. Bad guys don't have to ID their targets, but as a law-abiding citizen you are required to positively ID your target before firing. Obviously a 400+ lumen light makes it possible to easily ID your target at more than 50 feet away.

Another thing I like about weapon-lights is that it frees up your weak hand to do a variety of things other than hold a flashlight. Like open/close/lock/unlock doors and windows. Ever try to open a door with a flashlight in your hand?

It also allows me to shoot with both hands on the gun. Try shooting 5 rounds in under 2 seconds at a 5-inch target 7 yards away. This is easy for most people with a two-handed grip, and almost impossible for most to get even 4 out of 5 hits one-handed.

Finally, a weapon-mounted light allows you to use your off-hand defensively if necessary, to punch, grab, block, redirect the BG, close a door, throw something, etc. If you're holding a flashlight many of these are impossible without dropping the flashlight first.

[Megatron96]

An article reviewing some of the best lights for 2020:

https://www.pewpewtactical.com/best-pistol-lights/

[Randallflagg]

I'm not normally a big fan of weapons lights - but I do have a Streamlight TLR2 on my Sig that stays on the nightstand. I figure that in an emergency setting - I don't have to hunt for the flashlight. Big strong beam - 300 or so lumens with a wide pattern.

My other pistols - nope.

[Megatron96]

Another article discussing the pros and cons of weapon-lights, strobing in particular.

https://www.policemag.com/340344/how...ing-flashlight

[Raiderhater]

Originally Posted by Megatron96

Another article discussing the pros and cons of weapon-lights, strobing in particular.

https://www.policemag.com/340344/how...ing-flashlight

A lot of information there but, my concern with using a strobe wasn’t addressed. In most instances the disorientation caused by the strobe will likely leave the perp fairly incapacitated but, what if they are armed with a gun and in their panic they just start wildly shooting? The strobe would make it impossible to acquire a safe shot. And you likely are going to be panicked enough your own self at that point that quickly and accurately switching to a regular light doesn’t seem likely.

I don’t think they are a gimmick but, I also don’t think I’m sold on them.

[Perineum Ripper]

If you are not putting Modlight or Olight on your home defense or self defense weapons you are using the wrong lights. They skull **** Streamlight and all others. There is a big reason why elite units go for those lights instead of Streamlights.