All posts in Streamlight Flashlights

Complicating a firearm with buttons and switches?

The era of the over done M4 Carbine seems to be coming to an end, and I have already seen a transition towards the lighter weight Carbines.   When the M4 initially came out, it was suppose to be a lighter weight and smaller weapon to be wielded on the battle field, but many of the ones that I have seen on civilian firing ranges were about the same weight as an M1 Garand.   I have not had very good experience with using pressure switches on flashlights, not only have I seen them fail, like all other wired accessories, but they do open you up to the possibility of snagging on more things.   Something like that would get messed up in a wooded area and in close hallways ect. you can get it caught on just about anything that hangs out.

There is no real advice I can give about what to put on your firearm, all I can tell you to do is to think about the environment you are using it in and think about what “could happen” in that environment.   Streamlight flashlights have worked very well for me, I recently got some negative feedback from a fellow operator about the switches they have on the flashlights now, but I have avoided using pressure switches.   The Streamlight Scorpion I have on my M4 Carbines is located in such a position that I can reach it with my thumb and turn it on and off with ease.

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Lights, Lasers and Strobes

I think people do get carried away with firearm accessories, but I have found that training with defensive tactics using flashlights is well worth it.   I don’t think a flashlight is going to stop a threat, but it surely can out a threat, identify innocent people, and possible distract an attacker for a few seconds.  Many of the situations that people have been in that were considered hostile and mostly women, could have been dealt with, with non-lethal force.   Pepper spray and mace are a good companion because firearms have far more legal ramifications.

When it comes to using lasers, that’s a personal preference, I personally find them to be more useful for less trained shooters to give them for confidence, and they work well for those in environments where using cover is more probable and having a laser may give you more accuracy while the majority of your body is out of the view of a threat.   Streamlight flashlights have a TLR-1, TLR-2 and the TLR-3 they  will give you the standard flashlight, laser, or the laser and strobe depending on the model you use.  I would give caution to putting too much on a firearm and put more into the training of the operator.   Manual safeties complicate firearms as much as putting too many switches on one.

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CCW options, gun, knife, mace, fists, flashlights and strobes

I think those about sum up your options for fighting and maybe if you are in good shape a good kicking foot will do.   I primarily count on firearms for self defense because there are levels of threats and levels of criminal intent and showing a gun is enough to deter most crimes when a knife or flashlight really might just make a bad guy laugh at you especially if he’s bigger.  I’ve seen first hand that a untrained person with a knife isn’t going to inflict much damage and unless you actually know how to move with a knife, don’t even try and wield it.   A tactical knife is a good accessory to concealed carry, but not something for the amateur to fight with.

Something to consider which is showing up more and more in CCW flashlight courses I have sat in on are the strobe flashlights.   Now, first of all, I’m not going to tell you that it’s something that is going to stop a threat, I’m just saying that it is something else to consider especially when Streamlight Flashlights only cost you about $50+ dollars and might give you something else to use on a dumb drunk that is really just an annoyance rather than a threat.  An unsuspecting drunk isn’t going to like having a 180 Lumen flashlight and a ” Hi, how are you” from a friendly CCW that flashes him in the eyes and then gets into a car and drives off.

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How much life are you going to get from your batteries?

That may not be the biggest question you are going to ask yourself when you are looking into carrying a flashlight, but as someone who  has seen what happens when an Eotech combat gun sight goes dead and the batteries need to be changed, there are times that you may be in a situation and the batteries are too low to be of use or your flashlight has just gone completely dead.   The great think about LED technology is that that the flashlights will fade in strength and not just burn out all of a  sudden at an unknown time.

The Surefire G2 is one of the most popular flashlights i usually see on M4 Carbines, but another company got smart and went with the Polytac cases for strength and durability.   Streamlight flashlights are my primary flashlight even though I know there are manufacturers in the same price range that are pretty good, there are concealed carry or defensive flashlights with a Strobe, and there are flashlights with the strobe that you can use on a handgun or rifle in need be.   It is another tactical worth considering.

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Deciding on putting a white light on a handgun

I have witnessed one too many times of people mounting things on firearms that fall off, get snagged or malfunction.  The more you put on a firearm that needs to be tightened or screwed on, the more you better pay attention to how it is mounted and verifying that it has been locked in every time you expect to use it.   I haven’t caught on to the handgun white light idea because considering the distance I would use a sidearm inside my home, holding a flashlight while shooting a Glock vs having it on a Glock doesn’t really mean much to me.   I’m not going to be taking 25yd shots where I need a better shooting grip to get good shots.

Mounting a white light on your gun may also mean  you can’t use your gun holsters anymore and you’ll have to run out and pick up a new one.   Keeping a gun in your bed side safe with a white light is very practical.  Streamlight flashlights make the TLR-1 and TLR-2 that gives you the option of a flashlight or flashlight and laser.  I’m a fan off certain types of firearms for me, but there are guns that I would issue to less trained loved ones with certain accessories because they are easier to manipulate or handle.   I’m a big fan of shotguns and battle rifles, but that is too much for a fragile person to handle inside the home.  I’d feel better issuing a Glock 19 with a white light than a 1911 with a manual safety for someone less trained to deal with recoil and stress.

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Handgun lights and lasers

We highly recommend Streamlight Flashlights for home or street defense.   LED technology has advanced so much in recent years that it truely is time to clear out your old flashlights and replace your home and travelling white lights.  The TLR-1 is one of biggest selling handgun tactical lights and is easy to mount and easy to use.  If you are looking for a light and laser combo, the TLR-2 tac-light is what you’re looking for.   The Streamlight Scorpion PolyTac is a good companion for travelling or for mounting on your M4 Carbine.   I highly recommend doing some training with weapon mounted flashlights and using a flashlight in your hand and firing a handgun.

When you are looking to mount a flashlight, I think it is worth considering if you are going to be CCW this weapon or just leaving it at home in a safe.   I suggest that CCW should be low key, and putting a light on a gun is going to mean using a specific holster for the gun which will add bulk and limit the ways you will be able to carry.   Carrying a Streamlight flashlight in your pocket or jacket is easy, especially if you are wearing a good CCW vest or jacket like Eotac wear securing spare magazine or knives and flashlights is easily done.

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Practical and tactical should go hand in hand

Although I am a big fan of battle rifles and prefer to carry a gun bigger than an M4, if I gotta carry ammo on my person and it’s not being carried in the trunk of my car, I’ll gladly take the smaller caliber.    The M1 Garand is a great and powerful weapon, but combat is at a much faster pace and being able to suppress a target with small arms is as important as neutralizing it.  If you are a weekend warrior and are considering taking a Carbine Class, even though your training will take place in the Course, you should do research on gear and accessories before you walk in the door.

 

I always try to sit in on training courses whenever I can although I wish I had the time to actually take more classes.   I’ve written on several occassions that one of my greatest joys of watching classes is watching all of the gear fall off or fail a student and watching their slow evolution of losing gear along the way.   Theirs nothing wrong with being a tactical accessory junky, but if you have to carry an M4 all day like i’ve had to, you’ll quickly learn that lightweight, means a happy person.  There seems to be a big craze getting tactical gear with the quad rails even though most people don’t need them, and then having to go out and get rail covers, when a simple stock would have lightend the gun by a few pounds.

 

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Radio Shack and EverReady

We all remember when we saw the sales at Radio Shack and Dad or Grandpa went out and picked up some new doo dad to tinker with.    I remember the flashlights that I always though were the most powerful were the big long D flashlights that could basically be used as a baseball bat if you were dealing with a home invasion.   Now everyone knows that those flashlights worked well for that time period, but you can get the same brightness from CR123 batteries and have 1/10 of the weight and bulk.   I think my biggest problem with modern flashlight technology is that the flashlights are getting easier and easier to misplace and lose.

Flashlights these days are virtually bullet proof and most are water proof.   The Streamlight flashlights are something I keep in the tool box, in the car and carry from time to time, especially when going to a mall or park late at night.  The PolyTac is my primary lightweight go to white light.  I would not recommend going with the smallest thing you can get your hands on because losing a $200 flashlight is going to be pretty painful.  Although I do keep some weapons mounted lights,  it’s always good to tote around something that isn’t attached to a gun.

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Weapon mounted flashlights

I’ve sat in on several IDPA events with flashlight stages and watched people drop their flashlights left and right, while trying to engage targets.   There are better ways to retain a firearm in your hand without having to mount it to your gun.   The Section 8 Tactical device called the URD, Ultimate Retention Device is IDPA legal and a good option for those that still do not like having to mount a flashlight on a handgun.   I realize that putting a flashlight on your defensive pistol will most likely mean having to get a bigger and bulkier holster if you are carrying it, but for a gun safe gun, especially something that is being  used in your home, train to use a flashlight in whichever way you feel most comfortable.

I’m not a big fan of pressure switches being used on flashlights because I’ve seen them become another accessory that will snag on something or fail on  you.   Flashlights can have batteries fail and the bulbs can burn out, and having to worry about another connection isn’t my cup of tea.   Streamlight flashlights have a very popular handgun option called the TLR-1 and TLR-2.   One has a flashlight and the other has the light and a laser mounted in it.   Each has their place in defensive applications, but anytime you add an accessory to a firearm, it’s another thing that can fail on you.

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Combat rifle scopes and a backup plan

When you mount your rifle scope, please do some research on how to properly level and mount it.  A properly mounted combat optic should not be over torqued and should have loctite on the screws.  I have yet to see a mount come loose on a gun that used loctite.   When you go out an spend $1000 on a combat rifle scope, ask yourself, what will you do and how will you remove the scope and aim it if the optic goes down.   If one your Trijicon rifle scopes takes a bullet, are you going to be able to see through it and still be able to lay down effective fire if you can’t see through it?  Even if you have a rifle scope that does not allow for co-witness, would it be a good idea to still attach flip up sights to the gun if there is room for them?  Always have a backup plan for your defensive carbine.

The vast majority of M4 Carbines I see at the range have optics that are top of the line.    Aimpoint and Eotech along with the Trijicon ACOG are probable the top 3.   All of these are good for a certain purpose which is mostly for close up fighting.   The Trijicon ACOG is more of a medium range combat optic depending on the type of reticle you choose.   They do have a line of red dot or even green dot optic options, also.   If you are are a weekend warrior and new to defensive shooting and tactical gear, I would suggest you think about this next statement, whenever you attach an accessory to your Carbine, think about what you would do if that accessory mount broke or the actual item failed.

 

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