weapons lights

i believe ken said the weapons systems will be first. email him.

i would get the sl M3, nothing is more compact and lightweight. it clicks on and off your pistol in no time.

the sf's are bulky, heavy, and until the m3 came out and started kicking it's butt, they weren't detachable. funny thing is, sf *said* it would cause jams without being bolted to the trigger guard.

there was a thread here a while back with good info.

It would probably be worth while to wait for Ken's line of lights.

The SF models are a tad bit bigger but much more rugged and brighter. I own SF weaponlights and have tried SL ones. The M3 is at best as bright as the P60 with no option of a higher output lamp. (SF offers 65-225 lumen options) The SL does not have a good beam, it's not round and has rings. The light is focusable also so when you need it most it may be on flood, DOH. And I don't think the SL is available with a slimline grip switch which I think is essential. Instant On/Off capability is crutial. A click on light is good if you have identified all the "Bad Guys" and you are lighting one up. You don't want to duck real quick and while your moving to another location to hide, you realize your light is still on!

SF ones cost a bit more though but they have tons of accessories (lots of switching options, beamfilters, covers, HOLAs, LOLAs, etc) and interchangeable parts with handheld lights. My Weaponlight on my home defense gun has interchangeable parts with my bedside flashlight so if I need any parts during a crisis I know it's available.

IMHO: wait to see what Ken has to offer, if you can't wait, get the SL M3 for affordability, SF Lights for the best. Most any light is better than none.

More important than having a Weaponlight is training however. The entire hostile encounter changes when you have and use a lighting device during a gunfight. You may be a bigger target without proper knowlege and usage of the light.

This catalog has good literature on Weaponlights, you need Acrobat

And great reading here on Ken's site

(tkl, I feel like Mulder and Scully here. )

Without training, use of light is very dangerous.
You should treat the use of light in conjunction with a firearm as seriously as you treat the use of your firearm.

Even a M*glight can be used to win a "tactical" encounter if the user has the right skills.

Bright light from SureFires and the like give people more advantage but the requirement to use the "power" correct increases.

Invest in a lowlight training course if you invest in a WeaponLight.

Al

I have to agree that training is a must.

IMHO, a light source on a handgun is an invitation to illuminate objects other than hostile adversaries. This can be very dangerous in a home defense situation as the potential for an accidental discharge puts anything that goes "bump in the night" at the risk of being shot. Proper training in the Rogers/Surefire or Harries technique is best used here. An added lanyard provides the ability to deal with weapon malfunctions, reloads, etc while maintaining control of your light.

In a dynamic entry situation, all subjects in a room are considered potentially dangerous and a handgun mounted light is appropriate. Team members train, train, and then train some more. This also frees the support hand for other tasks such as opening doors, handcuffing, etc.

As stated in numerous places in this forum, flashlights are tools that must be chosen to best fulfill a given mission or task.

OTOH, after identifying a potential target with a flashlight, a laser (a very poor illumination tool) can be only be used as a target designator. It may actually *decrease* the need to use deadly force due to the high intimidation factor. This more easily persuades the subject to comply with verbal commands.

That's my $.02 worth.

Well... in order to use an M3 on my USP, I have to buy a GG&G adapter for the rail at $65, then the M3 for $95, then the remote pressure pad switch for $40. The Surefire nitrolon 6V costs $170 at strategos, with the slimline switch, LOLA and HOLA, and proprietary rail. So it's actually cheaper to use the Surefire on my particular gun. The only ITI/Streamlight option that fits directly on the USP 40 rails is the ITI UTL, which is $250, always on backorder, plus $50 for the remote switch.

HK is the only major gun that Streamlight doesn't have an M series light for, due to contractual agreements with HK and ITI.

I would not use the weapons light to search my house when things go bump in the night. I would use a handheld 9P for that like I do now. The weapons light would be used if and when an intruder was detected in the house first with the 9P. I am already somewhat trained and practiced in low light tactics with handguns in a home defense scenario. Of course, a refresher course is always a good idea.

I wonder what Ken will come up with for the USP. It's a shame that Surefire can't make lights or adapters that simply use the existing rails on the common guns today. The big bulky proprietary rail is not the best solution IMHO, but on a strictly home defense gun small rail size is not really that critical. I never carry the full size USP, it's too big for everyday comfortable carry, it's solely a home defense gun for now.

I've decided not to wait for Surefire's new more compact weapons lights to come out (if they ever do), and to buy one now for my USP 40.

Does anyone have any experience using Surefire's nitrolon weapons lights, or using the Streamlight series (M3 etc)?

Is Strategos coming out with handgun mounted lights anytime soon? (Ken?)

There isn't really too much info on the 186000 website.

Anyone know of any websites with lots of up to date info on handgun mounted lights?

Does anyone know af any good websites where I can read about the pro's and con's, reviews, recommendations, etc. of the various weapons lights available.

AR15.com Lights&Lasers is a good place to ask I suppose.
http://www.ar15.com/forums/forum.html?b=3&f=20

Perhaps forums for the handgun you have?
www.HKPro.com
www.Glocktalk.com

etc etc

Thanks Al