[blue02hd]

I went round and round with an "old timer" on this subject not too long ago. He felt that pistol lights were fadish and gimmicks no true pistol shooter needed. I see things differently having experienced the tactical and psychological effect those Surefire lights provide when in a stressful situation. I can attest to the fact that when an unknown is "lit" with a weapon light, it lowers his/her ability to counter manuever or react. Language barriers are everywhere, but no one can mistake that they are center of attention if they are spotlighted. If your main goes down, having that ability on your secondary will allow you to keep flowing as opposed to going defensive. Secondary effect: it also keys your teammates in on a possible threat or item of interest faster than any verbal command will. I personally swear by pistol light systems while offensive.

Defensive, or driving, not so much, but if your on the aggressive side of the house, that light is nice to have.

"I was looking for guidance on its employment and whether lights are commonly left mounted to the weapon both day and night or not at all and handheld lights utilized for lowlight target engagement when necessary."

IMHO, the less you have to mess with your equipment the better. There will be times when you can tailor your gear for a specific mission, but in most cases, once your system is zeroed, cleaned, and holstered/ slung, the last thing you need to worry about is busting out Allen wrenches. Most teammates I knew left their lights on 24/7.


"Better to have and not need, then need and not have,,,,"

GL in the Course, it's worth it.