Not counting all the shotgun rounds (usually 50 or more four times a year) , our department does four 250 round pistol qualifiers two at night with lights and two daytime, which is way more than the AG/state requires. I have 18 years under my belt and I’ve been trained and know how to use pistol lights, and some of our guys do use them, I choose not. I feel very good about my ability to use my flashlight with my pistol. The thing about it is, working outside in the elements, I usually (probably) have the light in my hand to start with, most of the time, before I draw.
I do like a weapon light mount on the shotgun. That’s a different world.
I have a “few” firearms, use Streamlight lights and never had one fail. With the exception of the TLR-8 which I only recently acquired, all have 10’s of thousands of rounds (not uncommon in the past for me to shoot 4,000 rounds a month) on them in calibers from 9mm to 12 gauge.
I’ve had to limit my shooting considerably though as my blood lead levels were through the roof last year. Now my levels are back in the normal range so I will resume training again next month.
That is a scary thought knowing how little gun training is required!
Yes 4k/mo. Really makes the cost of a light trivial compared to what I spend on ammo.
I’m not a competition shooter. I had the opportunity to “train” with an ex “special ops guy” at a range that let us use their facility before and after regular hours several times a week to learn how shoot (or not shoot) in tactical situations. Without going into detail it was extremely intense for a civilian.
I only reload some of the exotic rounds that are hard to find and only infrequently. No casting.
It’s my understanding that lead from shooting is mostly inhaled as vapor from the primers when shooting.
I’m sure crawling around behind the firing line didn’t help either. During the last year I’ve been shooting outdoors (and less often) and my levels have come down into the normal range so I think I’ll be OK as long as I keep my activities reasonable.
Yes I spend a good chunk of change shooting, to clarify, I have been shooting 500-1000 rds/mo for 15+ years. The 4k rds/mo was only for a single year.
We did a fair amount of rifle and shotgun work so I was spending $1000+ on ammo…UPS guy hated me that year lol
Yeah I have a habit of going a bit over the top with my hobbies. Fortunately I don’t have a mortgage or car payment.
The reason I chimed in on the topic was to give a first hand account to the durability and relatively small overall cost of a quality WML when considering the importance of its function (potentially in life or death situations) and when viewed as part of an entire weapon system why the cost is justified, at least IMO.
I understand, that’s why with all the talk about the price of the light, the real issue for me is “are they safe” or do they create an even bigger hazard in those “potentially in life or death situations” and what the price could be if you make a mistake.
Training for extreme stress is difficult because it is so hard to duplicate. You can get a false sense of security about your skill when you train on the range under controlled conditions.
Most if not all people will have a very difficult time under extreme stress operating a pistol and a light at the same time, no matter if it’s mounted on the gun or not. For me it reminds me of a time where I caught a guy using his rifle scope like a pair of binoculars to see who was walking across his field. The man walking wasn’t a “threat” at all, in fact, it turned out to be his brother. But… like a pistol light he was using it to identify who’s who.
Glad this conversation came up. I recently ordered the Utorch pistol light as a gift for someone. I’m not in an area where I get to shoot and test this stuff and also didn’t want to spend $100+ so I really hope it’s reliable for them. It’s meant to go on a medium sized Glock. Also they have a Sig p238 does anyone know if it would fit on that? Should I order a second one?
I use the Olight mini as it is the only pistol light I have found that is reasonable bright and fits an XD-S without getting out into the blast zone. I have the PL-2 VALKYRIE mounted on an AR and I really love the compact size and it is bright!
There are other lights that will fit it I am sure, but I never used a light on mine. If I needed to use my back-up gun (which was a P238) I would be at point blank distance most likely and a point and shoot situation. I would also not use the Kydex Holster it comes with as mine popped out of it one day.
I appreciate the heads up on that Utorch pistol light. It does look like a TLR-1. I have issues ordering stuff from GB for some reason, just won’t take any payment method. However, I found a vendor on Ebay for $19.26 so I ordered one to test out. Either on a Glock 22, G26 or 19X depending on how is shakes out.
