What is your opinion on pistol mounted lights on a home defense gun?  I know that it allows you to have a ready light but what you illuminate is also what you are pointing a loaded weapon at.  Any additions pros & cons?

Would it be better to go with a hand held Surefire light?

Thank you in advance.

CSP

No doubt I'll be in the minority, but I see more cons than pros.

1) You have to point your muzzle where ever the light needs to go. What if you're holding someone at gunpoint & need light to your far left or right to signal a cop or something?

2) You can hold a handheld light away from your body should you need/want to. Difficult to do on the gun, IMO.

3) Holsters can be a bugger to find for light mounted guns & they have a blocky, unbalanced feel, IMO.

My .o2  

A weaponlight for a handgun is a very useful tool to be used in addition to a handheld light.

Quoted: A weaponlight for a handgun is a very useful tool to be used in addition to a handheld light.

+1
The way I look at it; I'm in my home, and having a hand free is a very nice thing (opening doors, turning on lights ect.).  
I figure just stay in your home with that flashlight mounted, and practice good finger control, and maybe have a good handheld light and maybe a weapon light that can be removed quickly and easily.
My M3X has been good to me, I have taken it off to check out a strange noise several times where I did not want to point my gun at anything. (I'ts best light I own, and I know where the heck it is. )

i have a m6 on my hd gun, i have trainned with it alot, and if you get one and do so you will be able to use it efectivly and overcome many of the so called "con's".
my technique is using the momentary on switch. see outline of target switch on engage, off, onn engage , off repeat until target is destroyed! i ahev done this out to 30yds with my xd and  and m6 if you want just a light i suggest the insight m3 or the streamlight tlr 1 they can be had for about $100

I'm pro-handgun light. For me it's a TLR-1

The idea of holding the light away from your body while under stress and potentially being shot at / attacked / stabbed isn't a realistic expectation IMHO. Having both hands on the gun is ideal from a retention perspective and an accuracy perspective.

Mike

Quoted: I'm pro-handgun light. For me it's a TLR-1 The idea of holding the light away from your body while under stress and potentially being shot at / attacked / stabbed isn't a realistic expectation IMHO. Having both hands on the gun is ideal from a retention perspective and an accuracy perspective. Mike

Pretty much how I feel as well.

best bang for the buck these days is the TLR-1

Quoted: best bang for the buck these days is the TLR-1

+1

i like a mounted light vs a handheld b.c it frees a hand up

Quoted: I'm pro-handgun light. For me it's a TLR-1 The idea of holding the light away from your body while under stress and potentially being shot at / attacked / stabbed isn't a realistic expectation IMHO. Having both hands on the gun is ideal from a retention perspective and an accuracy perspective. Mike

Yes.  I'm in my house, and if something sets off the security system at night and all my family is accounted for upstairs, I could give a rats ass who or what I point my gun/light at when I come down to investigate.  If they're in my house after hours and I don't know about it there is damn near 100% chance they are foe rather than friend (no one else has keys, etc.).  A handgun mounted light is far faster and more effective in many ways than a seperate light, IMO.

Mine is the X200A.

Quoted: best bang for the buck these days is the TLR-1

I agree.

My HD weapon has night sights, a weapon light and a Lasermax. I also have a handheld Surefire next to it. My HD plan calls for the handheld to be used first if possible. The weaponlight and laser get activated only when I've verified that there truly is a threat - assuming I have the luxury of that much time. If I don't, both the weaponlight and the Lasermax can be activated with a flick of the trigger finger.

To me, there are two downsides to a weapon-mounted light: one has already been stated - by definition, you're pointing your weapon exactly where your light is pointed. The other is that the weaponlight precisely pinpoints your location.

Honestly, I don't know the right answer. We, and the experts in this sort of thing, can argue all day over the "best" strategy, with upsides and downsides to everything. I say just have a plan that's safe for your circumstances, and then train with it.

Quoted: A weaponlight for a handgun is a very useful tool to be used in addition to a handheld light.

Werd!

Quoted: What is your opinion on pistol mounted lights on a home defense gun?  I know that it allows you to have a ready light but what you illuminate is also what you are pointing a loaded weapon at.  Any additions pros & cons? Would it be better to go with a hand held Surefire light? Thank you in advance. CSP

Im a "get both" kind of guy and have several handhelds at least 2 pistols with lights mounted on them, one in bedroom safe and one in the kitchen at the opposite end of the house.  As for the "pointing" issue, still have a manual safety between your ears right? If it isnt a "shootable" target, move the gun off them immediately and keep your finger off the trigger. If it isnt A. someone you know B. your dog etc etc, the issue is moot and there's no problem pointing a weapon at a stranger in the confines of your own home.

I've got a surefire X200B mounted on my hme defense gun.  It frees up a hand for things like opening doors and allows two hands on the gun for beter recoil control.

Go with a weapon-mounted light. Having attempted the "practical use" of a pistol in one hand and a light in the other, all I can say is that it isn't worth a shit.

Trying to aim 2 things at once (the light to identify, the pistol to engage if neccessary) is for one thing too damned slow, and for another thing it's extremely difficult.

On this occasion (a break-in), 2 things immediately became apparent:

The best night sights in the world aren't worth a shit if you can't quickly & easily identify your target, so a light is an absolute neccessity.

The light (and therefore, YOU) needs to be looking the same direction as the gun, which puts a weapon-mounted light way ahead of a hand-held.