Agenda

• Tactical Lights
• Weapon (Pistol) Mounted Lights
• Size 
• Lumens and Candela (measurement of light)
• Activation
• Power Source

Tactical Lights (Categories)

Flashlights that are used in conjunction with a firearm to aid in low light target identification. 

• Handheld light
• Weapon mounted lights

Handheld lights

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uC146mwLfq8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDkenNICxcs 

Weapon mounted light:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lELAPsqHa_E 

Weapon Mounted Lights (referred to as a PML)

Pistol Mounted Lights (PML) attach under the barrels of semiautomatic pistols.

 Advantages

• Threat/target illumination and identification  
• Maintain a two- handed grip on the pistol.
• Available support hand for handgun manipulation. 
• Provides a temporary diversion 

Disadvantages

• Cost: purchase, support equipment, etc.
• Safety: illumination vs. searching
• Power: output (lumens and Candela): comparison chart 

Pistol Mounted Light Sizes

Lumens and Candela

Lumens refers to the total amount of light a lighting apparatus emits. We represent lumens as L. The higher the lumens value of a lighting device, the greater the area it illuminates. On the other hand, candela refers to the amount of light emitted by a lighting device in a particular direction.

 Consideration When Buying A Handheld Or Weapon Light:

• Physical Size
• Lumens And Candela Rating
• Power Source (Rechargable Barreries Are King)
• Controls

With current events turning everyday life more unpredictable, making good decisions with your personal protection has never been more important. But how do we ensure that we make good decisions when our safety is on the line? Being an effective defender isn’t as simple as strapping a big iron on your hip and maintaining awareness.

Firearm proficiency and maintaining a high degree of vigilance is only a piece of the puzzle: You should have several options available—beyond harsh words but before switching to guns. Some of the popular less-lethal options include pepper spray, hand-to-hand training or Tasers. I’m an advocate for carrying at least a spicy treat (OC spray, such as Sabre Red), as well as getting some hand-to-hand training.

But there’s one non-lethal option that’s often overlooked: bright—really bright—flashlights.

Light Is Essential

With roughly half of every day being dark, it makes sense to practice shooting in low-light conditions as often as possible, since it presents unique challenges that are often made worse by low-output lights. Sadly, most gun owners don’t get an opportunity to hone this vital skill, leaving the importance of a good handheld or weapon light paired to a defensive firearm a mystery.

The majority of the blame for this giant gap in training lies with gun ranges that are forced to write range rules around the strict insurance policies available to them. That isn’t an excuse to not be proficient shooting your defensive firearms in the dark. There’s undoubtedly a training class in your area that should teach you some of the basics and give you some valuable time on a dark range.

Photonic Barriers

Positively identifying what someone is holding when they’re standing in front of or next to another light source at distances beyond 15 yards can be an eye- opening moment. Your 600-lumen light might be bright, but it might not mean “usable” depending on how those lumens are projected.

Even though most of my low-light students bring a light with 300 lumens or more, more than half quickly find that the light they brought to class won’t overcome the unique challenges faced when shooting in the dark. Photonic barriers like car headlights, bright windows, back lighting, side lighting and gun smoke affect a light’s effectiveness and can prevent you from getting enough information to make a good decision.

Try putting accurate shots on a target at 7 yards away in quick succession in low light and you’ll quickly realize that a 600-lumen Olight PL-MINI 2 lacks the candela needed to cut through that gun smoke.

Not All Lumens Are Equal

Comparing handheld and weapon light output is a lot easier than it used to be thanks to the ANSI FL1 standard introduced in 2009. Prior to the FL1 rating system, flashlights were marketed with claimed candlepower and LED power consumption ratings. ANSI’s FL1 rating means that when you’re shopping for a new light, you can compare apples to apples instead of trying to figure out how many watts an LED has to be rated for it to equal the candlepower rating of another flashlight.

Lumens

The number of lumens a light produces is a cumulative measure of all light being produced by your light. In the case of the ANSI FL1 standard, this is measured with an expensive testing apparatus called an integrating sphere.

A Quick Guide on How to Select a Weapon Light

 Anytime you are looking at adding some component to the weapon we need to look at how we actually are going to use this in a realistic scenario. The things that look sexy in a movie doesn't mean that's going to be practical in your plans. Today we are going to talk about lights on weapons and reveal the benefits of adding a weapon-mounted light to your loadout.

Benefits of Weapon Lights

When thinking about what's the best weapon light you should consider that the answer depends on what you are trying to accomplish.

Helps to see clearly.

The first benefit is very obvious but the light can help you see in the dark. It happens very often when you may be forced to shoot into an area of complete darkness or low light. 

Identifies the target.

In the context of home defense shooting the ability to identify your target and make sure it's not a pet or your loved one is also a benefit. 

Helps to shoot accurately.

The contrast is provided by projecting light into that target area and giving you the relief for your iron sights or red dot is invaluable when you have to fire multiple shots on target quickly and maintain defendable accuracy.

Helps to make a quick decision.

The best technique is to recognize the area you'd like to illuminate, briefly turn the light on and then turn it off again taking a snapshot of what you'd like to see. When the light is off you can move or make a decision to take follow-on action (using voice commands or turn the light back and firing shots).

Mounting Options

When choosing a gun, you need to know first which one will satisfy your needs. For rifles, you should plan where you want to mount the light and how much space the light and potential switches will take up on the handguard. For pistols, you also want to consider what holster options are available for different models of lights.

Light Output

Once you know what lights are appropriate to your firearm, the next step is to compare the output (lumens).The best variant for you would be to choose a high-output light. But you should know that the higher it is the shorter run time it has and a physically larger size light. Rifle lights can be activated with a tail cap switch but also if you want to activate the light on the distance you can use a pressure switch.

Switches

A good switch design should be comfortable and allow you to change your grip on the firearm. The pressure switch method enables you to place the activation pad where your hands grip the gun regardless of the light placement. Twist activation tail caps don't let you have the light on only immediately. That's why they are not so ideal for rifle lights. Tailcap switches with push buttons are usually more handy and easy to use.

Other Factors

So, if you still haven't decided the output and switch you need, try to consider other factors such as waterproof rating, the power source (rechargeable, CR123, 18650, AA, or other battery types), reliability and compactness. If you want to effectively illuminate a target in unconventional, highly extremal situations, we also recommend you to take a look at the light spectrum and laser capabilities.

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 Being convenient to carry, a handheld light relies on a good pocket clip.

While the quality of reflector and lens in your light has a small effect on the lumen rating, it’s almost entirely dependent on the amount of light generated by the LED emitter or bulb. Remember that lumen output is only part of the equation, it does not measure how effective the flashlight is at focusing those lumens.

Candela

In order to figure out how well those lumens are projected, you need to know what the candela rating of the light is. Candela is the measure of the amount of light at a particular point in the handheld or weapon light beam, which can be measured out to a distance rating.

Candela is most impacted by reflector shape, finish and the placement of the light source in relation to the reflector. At the risk of oversimplifying the complexities of reflector design, the larger in diameter and deeper that reflector is, the more potential it has to produce big candela numbers.

Light In The Hand

Having a weapon light on your gun is dandy, but don’t think that means a great handheld light is no longer something you should have. Not only does this mean that the temptation to use your weapon-mounted light as a task light is removed, but a high-output handheld light gives you a lot of flexibility when integrating it into your use of force continuum.

What Features Should It Have?

The single, most important aspect in selecting a handheld light is the physical size of the light. If it isn’t something you’re going to reliably put in your pocket or purse, that high-octane light saber isn’t much help.

When looking at output ratings, select a light rated to at least 500 lumens and 2,000 candela. While more candela is better, ideally the handheld will be paired with a weapon-mounted light, making its ability to cut through difficult photonic barriers less important for most cases.

Also, look for something that takes a rechargeable battery, because you’ll be using this light a lot. Some form of replaceable rechargeable like an 18350, 18650, or even some of the smaller replaceable cells are recommended. Avoid lights with an integrated battery, since rechargeable cells have a finite lifespan.

Compact Handhelds To Consider

If you prefer a more lightweight EDC, the Streamlight Macrostream USB is a fantastic light for reasonable money with few downsides. Make sure to keep the Macrostream charged; when the battery is discharged, the light shuts off entirely rather than giving you warning by stepping down brightness.

Still want a small light but need more output? I’ve been most impressed with Modlite’s 18350 PLHv2 handheld. With 1,350 lumens and 54,000 candela, the Modlite handheld is a powerhouse. Make sure to have spare batteries on hand; this light has a 35-minute run time.

Full-Size Handhelds to Consider

Anything that takes a 18650 rechargeable is a good place to start when looking at a full-size tac light, since they generally have a solid runtime and output.

On the budget side, Streamlight’s PolytacX is a great light that’ll do almost anything you could ask it to do. For a bit more money, the Streamlight ProTacHL-X is a well-rounded light that accepts Thyrm’s excellent SwitchBackpocket clip.

In the over $200 category, you can get a SureFire Duel Fuel handheld or a Modlite PLHv2 handheld. Both are a good choice, but Modlite has significantly more output from the same size light.

Pistol-Mounted Lights

Shooting with a light is a lot easier with both hands on the gun. You can use a handheld effectively with a pistol, but you need to practice the skill. Like the handheld light, we want at least 500 lumens and 5,000 candela for a weapon light. Ideally, you’ll buy one that’s 600 lumens or more and over 15,000 candela to help defeat those photonic barriers with greater ease.

Also, take into consideration the switches on the weapon light. Rotating switches, like the ones found on the SureFire X300 Ultra or StreamlightTLR-1 HL, are a good bet. Compact lights mean that we have to use a slightly different switch—the Streamlight TLR-7A is the current king in that realm.

And remember this: You’re going to need a holster capable of accommodating the gun and the light.

Full-Size Pistol-Mounted Lights

When looking for a full-sized pistol light, there are two options you should be seriously considering at the time this is being written, SureFire’s X300 Ultra and the Streamlight TLR-1 HL. No other lights on the market have been proven to the level that these have.

Streamlight’s TLR-7 and TLR-7A are the only compact weapon lights with enough candela to defeat a rapid string of fire.

Both weapon lights have 1,000 lumens, and both have great candela ratings as well, but they run on the CR123 batteries still. Modlite will be introducing a pistol light that’s powered by an 18350 battery, uses their modular head design and will have a good switching arrangement.

Compact Lights

Not down with the idea of shoving a giant light into your pants? There’s one compact weapon light on the market worth looking at that still meets the requirements for a usable pistol light: the Streamlight TLR-7 series. There are other lights on the market that hit the mark in lumen rating but fall flat when you look at the candela rating. Only one comes close—the Olight Baldr Mini—but since it has an integrated battery with a finite lifespan it might be ideal to stick to lights that allow you to maintain the power source.