I have night sights on every pistol I own. Meps and trijicons both. Like The Law said, I also carry extra mags, atleast 2. And sometimes a back-up gun. I prefer a hand held flashlight myself.

Better to have and not need, than to need and not have....

Originally Posted by EdF702

Better to have and not need, than to need and not have....

Good point!

My night table has a Glock 17 with a TLR-1s WML... a Surefire LX2 LumaMax flashlight... and a cell phone plugged in and charging... every night...

LAW, be careful or your wife may kick your butt. She is a FORMER Marrine.....not an ex. ;-)

Semper Fi

Originally Posted by geezerkid

Thankfully, I have no experience with this issue, but the thought of a weapon mounted light, terrifies me! I can only think that the 'bad guy' would think, "shoot at that light!" Considering that your pistol is in front of you, wouldn't that light make you an excellent target?

I have read that a hand held light - held far out to your side, would be a safer option. I dunno. Too complicated in nanoseconds...

For the same reason, I wouldn't use a laser, as that is wiggling all over the place you want to aim at, but it's source (in front of your body), is much more steady, and visible to your foe!

Tritium sights may be useless after muzzle flash, but the fact that you can see them without revealing your position, made them my choice for defense use. Of course, if this battle comes up within a few yards of each other, as it's documented to be, then all of this is moot. Just point and shoot! Hopefully, you win!

I don't buy into the idea that a BG is going to use a light as a target. The point of a WML is to acquire a target, discern friend from foe, and light the target area in front of and beyond the BG. I am not going to use it unless I plan on using my weapon as well. With the proper training and proficiency, a WML will make the difference in effective shot placement, or a miss. I would rather have the ability to get off the first well placed shot rather than to be shooting blind. Besides that in a dark environment, a good light source will temporarily blind an attacker. At that point with a bright white light shining in their eyes, it will be near impossible for him/her to place an accurate shot. It is true that the BG could get lucky, but I am willing to take my chances.

My original post on this topic comes from my own training experience of learning just how difficult it is to hold a light out to the side or even under the weapon and place consistent well placed shots. I made the decision to install NS and will put on a WML later once I can afford a holster and light.

As usual, we all have our own opinions and we all need to use and train with the system we feel most comfortable with. JMHO, and YMMV.

Yeah, if anyone ever has a chance to take some low light pistol training, I would recommend it. I hope to take a class soon as it warms up a bit this year.