All posts tagged Streamlight TLR-1

Everyday carry flashlight options

This is something that seems to go with the 380 pocket guns these days, a pocket flashlight.   I’ve mentioned before that I’m not big on small flashlights because the smaller they are the easier it is to loose them.   I am seeing insight flashlights showing up at classes I teach but I don’t  have very much experience with them, flashlights really are new to me because the technology has changed so much that we’re really in a new age. Having a bright and powerful flashlight use to mean that you needed 3 or 4 D batteries and  you most likely were  using a mag-lite flashlight.   Those days are long gone.   You can get 130-180 lumens from a pocket light, but you better be careful how you carry them because I’ve seen guys on more than one occasion jump up quickly when they realized the light was on and they moved over and felt the heat on an inner thigh.

The pelican PM6 is a nice pocket flashlight and it comes with a clip on which will be very practical for a flashlight like this size.  I am not big on carrying lights on my belt line because after carrying a gun, spare pistol magazine and a cell  phone, it’ll get  harder and harder to conceal your weapon and gear if you have that much on you.   The Streamlight flashlights that I like the most for CCW are the Streamlight professional tactical flashlights.  They are small, reliable and most going to break the bank.   The PT-1 is probable the smallest flashlight I would consider carrying, but I really prefer the PT-2 because 180 lumens is so much that it actually might give you a few extra seconds in blinding a threat that didn’t see it coming.

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Sometimes CCW can be as simple as simple can be

Trying to find the right kind of flashlight to carry while that won’t take up much pocket space and still allows me to wear the least amount of layers of clothing is what Summer CCW should be all about.   As the weather warms up around here, it becomes harder and harder to carry a firearms in any way other than IWB or pocket carry.     One issue that I run into when pocket carrying is that since I’m left handed, my keys go in the left pocket normally, but when I pocket carry, my gun goes in that same pocket, well not at the same time, but it can get confusing if I’m not consistent about which gun I am going to carry.   Jumping back and forth between modes of carry isn’t a good idea unless you do it enough to know that you constantly have to adapt.

I have been moving away from trying to mount all of my gear on the belt line because I’ve found that people do brush up against you and having knives and flashlights on you usually is a heads up that you are a cop.   I recently got that question from a friend I had not seen in a long time and I had to say no, I wasn’t and then was in the awkward position of trying to explain when I carry a flashlight like I do.    There are some really cool Streamlight flashlights that will fit into a pocket, but be warned, you better be careful that you aren’t turning them on unknowingly killing battery life and switch life.   Sometimes the best thing to do is do the simplest things, like put a small flashlight on a key chain and keep your gun in the other pocket.

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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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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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