The WML – Weapon Mounted Light – has a lot to offer the rural dweller. From livestock predators in the night to home invader situations, it can be a reassuring and even live-saving tool – but it has to be used wisely.
I wrote this for Backwoods Home magazine fifteen years ago. I think it’s still relevant.
I expect that there is a broad range of opinions on this subject. Here is my opinion. I emphasize that this is just my opinion. YMMV.
As a general rule, I dislike placing a light on a handgun for several reasons. First, I think it works against the ergonomics of a handgun. As Jeff Cooper noted, a handgun is, conceptually, a pure defensive weapon. It needs to be quick and responsive. It does not need to be loaded up with extra gadgets that affect its balance and handling. Secondly, it becomes harder to find suitable holsters for handguns with lights although this area is improving. Finally, it is too easy to point a handgun in the wrong direction. The use of the light as a search tool just exacerbates this problem.
I tried a weapon mounted light on my S&W M&P 2.0. I found it awkward and temperamental to handle and control. I could not take the thing off fast enough!
So, for handguns, my opinion is better a handheld light than one that is weapon mounted. I don’t care that this exacerbates the problem of getting two hands on the handgun for recoil control purposes. I would rather put up with less control in order to gain better control of the light and have a better balanced weapon. I don’t expect everyone to agree with me on this. YMMV.
However, I am a fan of mounting a light on a home defense carbine or shotgun. With a long gun, the effect of mounting the light, on the balance and handling, is minimal. The light can be, IMHO, much better managed on a long gun versus a handgun. The ON/OFF switch can, also, generally be better positioned for easy operation. A “Low-Ready” stance can be used to provide light and search without pointing the firearm in an unsafe direction. It is. altogether, a better solution for a long gun versus a short gun.
So, my home defense 9mm carbine is equipped with a weapon light and the ON/OFF switch is positioned for quick and easy operation. My home defense 9mm handgun does not have a light and I have no desire to ever attach one again.
In reference to the above linked article, I think (for rural use against night critters) that the long gun mounted light, again, makes far more sense than a handgun mounted one. A short-barrelled shotgun with mounted light would seem, to me, to be the ticket here.
All of the above is just what seems to work for me. I am not telling others what to do. If you love handgun mounted lights, then “More Power to You”. I am just saying that I am not a fan of them.
Having studied and experimented for years, I have come to exactly the same conclusions. Not second guessing LE use as their mission is different than mine. There are cheap gizmos you can buy at Home Depot that let you remotely control you regular interior lights to your tactical advantage to either backlight or blind an intruder and confuse them as to where you really are.
My home defense pistol is a Kimber TLE/RL II with Crimson Trace Lasergrips and a Surefire X300. The X300 has the optional Grip Switch mounted on it. The Grip Switch’s activation button is just on top of the activation button for the Lasergrips (both right under my right middle finger when I am gripping the pistol). The neat thing is, because the Lasergrip button is softer (more sensitive) than the X300’s Grip Switch button, slight pressure from my middle finger activates just the laser and just a bit more pressure activates the light as well. With the light on, one can clearly see what is in front of the gun and also one can clearly see the laser dot in the approximate center of the light’s illumination area. And if the Laser grip fails, that light makes the normal sights EXTREMELY visible when referencing them onto a target in an otherwise dim or dark room (and of course makes the intended target very clear while blinding the intended target).
I could not imagine EVER removing these accessories from my pistol. Note that I would never use the weapon light to search the house. I also have tactical lights (several Surefires and a couple from LA Police Gear) for that purpose.
As far as how it affects the balance of the pistol, I don’t find this to be a problem at all. Perhaps this is because a full size all-steel 1911 is already a pretty heavy pistol. In fact, that extra weight on the front of the pistol mitigates recoil-rise significantly and makes accurate followup shots much quicker than with my main carry pistol (a Kimber 4″ Pro II aluminum-framed 1911 with crimson Trace Lasergrips and Novak wide-notch Tritium sights).
Nothing is guaranteed in life, but I feel pretty safe at night.
Best wishes,
John Mohan. RN
RE: mounting a light on a home-defense carbine or shotgun:
In addition to the changes in balance and handling you mentioned (with which I 100% agree):
A handgun is fundamentally designed to be operated one-handed. Sure, adding the second, support hand greatly improves stability and performance, but it’s optional. Operating the gun with one hand and a light in the other is perfectly in-line with a handgun’s design.
A long gun, OTOH, is fundamentally designed to be operated two-handed, and from the shoulder. While a light in the support hand works well with a handgun, it gets real awkward real quick with a long gun. That’s not to say it can’t be done, but it requires more practice to overcome a steeper learning curve, than using a WML.
Also, getting back to the changes in balance/handling: There’s pretty much one place you can mount a light on a handgun — directly under the muzzle, far forward of the grip. On a long gun, you have much more real estate to choose from, and it’s possible to mount a light further back — nearer the gun’s center of gravity — instead of way out by the muzzle. Doing so, it should affect the balance significantly less and just add a minor amount of weight.
But as with any other comment, this is just my opinion. YMMV.
The concept of the gun mounted light pretty much started with anti terrorist teams over 40 years ago. Lasers as sights were originally a military item, but were solutions to the problems of getting a sight picture with bulky night vision gear. They also migrated to the AT teams as a night vision became a better way-in some conditions- to get positive identification of potential targets. Let me repeat: you must positively ID potential targets. I’m not sure even the teams get the slack on this that they used to. We certainly won’t.
The first gun mounted light I ever saw was on an MP5. The light was larger than the subgun receiver. The size of the available lights came down. My first light was an early Sure Fire I attached to my 11-87 with an absurdly heavy Sure Fire mount. I probably ought to replace it with something more modern, but I really don’t use the gun anymore….except for some post ice storm trimming of greenstick broken high limbs a year or so ago.
While the size of lights came down, the power has grown exponentially. Mega lumens may not be the best answer to your problem. The relector design has a great deal to do with the utility of the light. I recently tried a light that I hoped would be an answer to ID of whatever might be annoying the livestock in the pasture. However, it was apparently designed as a floodlight. It litterally lit up everything forward of my toes. While this might be OK for dealing with 4 footed vermin, it’s not if you may encounter other types of predators. Check the websites to see what the light pattern is supposed to be. You want a very bright central beam and some side illumination. You shouldn’t see light on the ground near you. I did find another model Steam Light that did what I wanted and projected the beam much further too.
I spent a great deal of my working life lurking in the dark. Inside buildings you need to be aware of reflected light that can light you up. You can also use light reflection to light up an area by bouncing the light off walls or the ceiling to void pointing a gun mounted light at some non threat. If you’ve got a problem on your property turn on the cotton picking lights!
BTW, the handgun ready position I came to prefer was with the fore arms collapsed to the chest with the handgun pointed out and up at about 45 degrees. This allows reflected light illumination, is a better retention position, and can allow very speedy target engagment, especially at close quarters.
When we were issued flashlights, they came with lanyards. Most of us threw them away. I stuck mine in a drawer. During some later rigorous night training, I realized I needed 3 hands. The immediate solution was to stick the light in my mouth. Let’s just say that wasn’t an optimal solution for many reasons. The next day I attached the lanyard so I could just drop the light-but still have it-when I needed my hand free. Yeah, it’s dorky, but if you fall or do other stupid things, you’ve still got the light.
Forgot to mention: for those with little experience with the CR123 batteries, they give little warning of total loss of power. First, you have a bright light. At some later time, you start wondering if the light is weaker or it’s just your imagination. Then, there’s no light.
When you start wondering about the brightness, this is your cue to have spare batteries with your. Or, depending upon circumstance, be proactive and change the batteries. The dimmer light periods can vary. If suddenly not having a light isn’t an issue, don’t worry about it. Whatever lost item you’re looking for will still be there. What the bump in the night is or could be doing is another issue.
2 weapons are better than 1. When in a fight for your life in a closet, having 2 weapons might be the difference between living and not. Not having to illuminate your primary and most powerful weapon while simultaneously keeping it back out of reach is paramount for weapon retention. Having a flashlight in one hand that you can hold over your head while peeking around the corner and not poking your primary weapon around that same corner has many advantages. Along with what has been pointed out by others, if it becomes a fight in a closet, two-handed accuracy is not needed. The reason you are peeking around the corner is because you don’t know what’s around the corner. Being able to bring your secondary weapon, your flashlight, down on your attacker’s head might give you the advantage to bring your primary weapon to bear. With a laser sight on your primary weapon, your handgun, a two-handed grip for maximum accuracy is not near as important as the speed of being able to get on target from your hip and still shoot accurately enough for a center mass hit. A flashlight on a handgun not only has safety and legal liability issues, it is literally giving up a weapon while putting your primary weapon at risk/disadvantage.
When I was learning about protection inside the home, one of the instructors, an FBI trainer, brought up a significant concern about using any kind of light.
That is, it identifies exactly where you are.
If there is an intruder in your home, and they hear a noise, they’re going to hunker down and be very quiet and still.
When you go walking around your home with that light, sweeping all over the place, they know exactly where you are. They have the advantage.
They can wait in place and ambush you.
The intruder knows when they’ve been spotted, and they have the element of surprise as you are still trying to determine friend vs. foe and whether or not to shoot.
The instructor also mentioned that you know your home better than any intruder. You know where everything is located and should be better equipped to find something in the dark, especially if you have night lights scattered around the house.
So, when you do go on a search of your house, and you hear the noise, point the light in that area and flick it on and off and move to one side.
This gets you out of the line of fire, and the sudden brightness makes it more difficult for the intruder to navigate the unfamiliar area.
What about a broad flood light beam without the hot spot at the center? Is there any advisable practical way of using the flood to search while still keeping the firearm at a low ready position?
My solution is the El Cheapo solution, and it is not perfect. First, I would simply turn on the lights. My second option is a head-mounted flashlight. That way I buy ONE LIGHT, which can be used with any of my guns. It even shows me the sights on my old-fashioned, non-illuminated sights. No need for a special holster. The light goes where my eyes go, not the muzzle of my gun. I can turn it on and off, by bringing my hand to my head. Of course, the light will give away my position.
The best solution is probably night vision goggles. That is until we have robots. We can control the robot, and see via its cameras what the threat is. That way, a human makes the shoot/don’t shoot decision.
Do any of you use night vision goggles for searching the house or property?
@ Roger Willco – “Do any of you use night vision goggles for searching the house or property?”
The downside with night vision goggles is, of course, cost. Even basic units can cost up toward $3,000. A high-quality unit can double or triple that cost. To use the old saw: “Too rich for my blood”.
Uncle Sam can afford to spend our taxpayer dollars on such equipment. Most private parties, unless independently wealthy, do not have those recourses.
Most people would not spend that kind of money on equipment that might never be used. After all, for most people, the odds of a home invasion are typically low. Therefore, the more cost-effective solution, to deal with criminals in your home, would involve (a) being well armed, (b) having good communication to the police, (c) having a pre-existing defense plan to deal with such an event, and (d) learning proper tactics including the use of defensive lighting.
Really advanced equipment like ballistic helmets and vests, night vision goggles, chemical or explosive agents (flash bangs), and advanced weapons equipped with suppressors are more likely to be found in SWAT teams rather than in the hands of an ordinary citizen.
Capitalism is supposed to lower prices, especially when it comes to new technology. Fifty years ago, calculators and digital watches were $200. The first IBM personal computers in 1981 were $3,000, then they quickly went to $2,000. Why can’t the price of NVGs go down?
@ Roger Willco – “Why can’t the price of NVGs go down?”
Perhaps because the major market is still for military and government needs. As noted, Uncle Sam has an unlimited budget of OUR taxpayer dollars. There may be other reasons as well. Here is one perspective:
https://expertnightvision.com/why-are-night-vision-goggles-so-expensive/
I consider weapon mounted lights a must have for long guns and handguns kept for use in my home or on my rural property. It is much easier to positively identify a threat AND score effective hits versus using a hand held light, particularly with a shotgun or rifle. I currently do not have lights on my carry handguns, though they may prove useful in certain lighting conditions such as inside a darkened theatre.
Hi Mas,
Excellent article! I remember what you warned us about searching with a weapon mounted light, and your Wilson Combat video on the subject. I still keep take that to heart and keep that in mind. Weapon lights are not for searching.
This last April, I was able to take week of courses with Karl Erickson (Tactical Rifleman), one of which involved a night shoot with pistols. In the classroom before the shoot, he discussed the various techniques of using handheld flashlights, including one called the Ayoob technique. He has a YouTube video that mirrors the classroom training describing the various flashlight techniques. We then took those techniques to the range and put them into practice. After two days of perfecting high A-zone hits from 5 and 7 yards, it was humbling to see the number misses on a VTac silhouette target at the same range. “Grannies” was how one of our instructors described each one of our misses. You get the idea. Those misses were unacceptable, he said. He was right.
After a break, we returned to the range this time with our weapon mounted light attached to our guns, a Streamlight on Glock G45 in my case. Not to be cliche, but the difference was literally night and day. All hits were back in the high A zone. It made me a believer of weapon mounted light once the decision had been made to use deadly force.
I have flashlight handy for searching. But I will use the weapon mounted light if I need to shoot! This article, your MAG 40 training, and my recent night shoot training re-enforce this belief.
Thanks again for posting this article and your Wilson videos!
Jeff Cooper wrote an article entitled “The Role of the Five” (Published in his book “To Ride, Shoot Straight, and Speak the Truth”). In this article, he broke common small-arms into five (5) categories. These were rifles, carbines, handguns, shotguns, and sub-machine guns. He then discussed the typical role that each category filled.
In reference to handguns, he wrote: “The pistol … is completely and conceptually a defensive weapon. It is a reactive device with which to stop a fight that someone else starts. It is unlike any other small-arm in that it is worn rather than borne. If you know there is going to be a fight you will acquire something bigger and more powerful than a pistol. But if you do not know there is going to be a fight, a pistol, in proper hands and guided by an alert brain, can accomplish miracles in short-range, sudden actions which occur without warning.”
Jeff Cooper was making the point that a pistol is a defensive weapon whereas rifles, carbines, shotguns, and sub-machine guns are offensive weapons. This is a conceptual difference that, it seems to me, makes a critical difference in using weapon-mounted lights.
On a pistol carried for defensive purposes, a light has (or should have) no purpose. In a defensive situation, one would draw and fire as quickly as possible and such considerations as searching and using light to investigate and find the target simply don’t enter the picture. Searching and investigating are offensive actions that call for the use of an offensive weapon platform. Therefore, IMHO, weapon-mounted lights should be reserved for offensive platforms such as carbines, shotguns, or sub-machine guns. A weapon-mounted light is, conceptually, the wrong tool for a defensive platform like a handgun.
Now, of course, one can point out that various law enforcement agencies do use lights on their handguns. However, this is a case of faulty thinking on their part, IMHO. Very often, police only have the equipment on their belt to deal with a situation. If they have a long gun, it is back in their car; not in their hands. So, there is a tendency for American Law Enforcement to try to make the handgun their “Universal Lethal Force Tool”. A tendency to try to use a handgun for both defensive and offensive purposes.
Conceptually, this is likely to push the handgun into a role for which it is not optimal. It would seem to go against the point that Jeff Cooper was trying to make in his quote above.
I am in the Jeff Cooper camp. I say keep the handgun a “lean and mean” reactive tool with which to stop a fight that comes to you “out of the blue”. Don’t load a defensive weapon down with an offensive tool like a weapon-mounted light. Rather, reserve weapon-mounted lights for long guns. Their role is, conceptually, an offensive one and, therefore, they are proper platforms for aids, like weapon lights or optical sights, that enhance performance in offensive engagements.
Anyway, this is the (ideological) thinking behind my preference to limit weapon-mounted lights to long guns. Like any question of ideology, not everyone will agree with me but I hope that you see the basis for my thinking. I am not just “going on a feeling” here or stating a personal preference, but, rather have put some thought behind it. 🙂
You can think of your forehead as a weapon mount for a headlamp, with your brain as Actual Intelligence. Not exactly smart when turned on in a gunfight, but gets both hands free otherwise if necessary. Nothing wrong with also having a flashlight in your non-gun hand. Arizona laws, for example, specifically allow you to protect your animals from attack. I would use extra discretion when deciding to shoot within any city limits, though. High-energy light beams alone can surely be pretty good stoppers in many situations, too.
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