Newbie CCW question

[skeeter35]

Hey all I've been carrying for a little over two months and need a little advice. I carry a Glock 19 in a clinger holster iwb. Love the setup and the holster is really comfortable. My question is should i add lighting to the rail on the pistol. I know it's an important aspect especially for home defense and nighttime situations. But do you all use them for everyday carry as well. Any thoughts and input is much appreciated.

 

[niceshootintex]

If you intend to concealed carry train with it, then you should get a holster to accommodate it and train with it. I have a HD piece that has a TLR-1 for use inside my home and do train with it at the range. It didn't take me long to get used to the paddle use and it didn't change the geometry much on that full sized G22.

I don't see the need on my EDC as I don't travel much at night anymore and don't like the added space volume on a compact gun. It's a personal preference thing but the TLR-1 is excellent when you make a decision.

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[Deanimator]

Personally, I don't like lights on handguns and will never have one. I don't want a light that requires me to point a loaded firearm even in the general direction of another person to use. I have multiple off-gun lights.

Others disagree.

 

[skeeter35]

If you intend to concealed carry train with it, then you should get a holster to accommodate it and train with it. I have a HD piece that has a TLR-1 for use inside my home and do train with it at the range. It didn't take me long to get used to the paddle use and it didn't change the geometry much on that full sized G22.

I don't see the need on my EDC as I don't travel much at night anymore and don't like the added space volume on a compact gun. It's a personal preference thing but the TLR-1 is excellent when you make a decision.

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Thanks for the advice brother. Much appreciated.


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[skeeter35]

Personally, I don't like lights on handguns and will never have one. I don't want a light that requires me to point a loaded firearm even in the general direction of another person to use. I have multiple off-gun lights.

Others disagree.

I don't like them either. I think I'm def leaning towards training with an off gun light. Thanks for the advice bud.


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[Bikenut]

A light that shows you where to shoot also shows the bad guy where to shoot too........ right at your light. So while you are aiming at the bad guy he is aiming at your light. So I prefer an off gun light held high and off to the side.

 

[bofh]

Get some training!!! Did you attend any firearms training class that included low-light conditions? Did you attend any firearms training class?

You should carry a handheld flashlight anyway. You may never actually need to use your handgun to defend your life, but you will certainly need to use your flashlight at some point in your life. I know I have. Learn how to use a handheld flashlight with a handgun in a quality training class and not from Internet gun forums. There is a lot to learn. Once you have done that, you can still decide if you need a weapon-mounted light in addition.

Watch this series of low-light videos:

I do not have a weapon-mounted light on my Glock 19 at this point. I did for a while. For me, it just complicated things without much benefit. I did broke the battery door of my TLR-1 twice within two years. I am assuming this was due to impact and stress on material while the light was mounted.

PS: Don't go overboard with lumens. I have a Streamlight ProTac HL primarily becase it can also be used as a blunt instrument and to temporarily blind people. It has 35/750 lumens. I programmed it to go to 35 on one click and to 750 on two. It is easy to blind yourself with a high-lumens flashlight while inside. I see enough with 35 lumens to make decisions.

 

[bofh]

A light that shows you where to shoot also shows the bad guy where to shoot too........ right at your light. So while you are aiming at the bad guy he is aiming at your light. So I prefer an off gun light held high and off to the side.

Move if you don't want to get shot, preferably behind cover. Once you start shooting, the muzzle blast gives your position away anyway.

The old FBI technique you speak of is problematic in practice. Your arm gets tired quickly. Having your arm way from your body is impractical in tight spaces. Also, someone can push you off balance or even sling you around (such as a person running away past you with their hands up).

Neck index is the preferred technique for me. The light can easily go where my eyes go. The light also illuminates my sights nicely, giving me an excellent sight picture. There are other practical aspects that are difficult to convey via an Internet forum post.

4 Tactical light techniques for concealed carry

 

[skeeter35]

Get some training!!! Did you attend any firearms training class that included low-light conditions? Did you attend any firearms training class?

You should carry a handheld flashlight anyway. You may never actually need to use your handgun to defend your life, but you will certainly need to use your flashlight at some point in your life. I know I have. Learn how to use a handheld flashlight with a handgun in a quality training class and not from Internet gun forums. There is a lot to learn. Once you have done that, you can still decide if you need a weapon-mounted light in addition.

Watch this series of low-light videos:

I do not have a weapon-mounted light on my Glock 19 at this point. I did for a while. For me, it just complicated things without much benefit. I did broke the battery door of my TLR-1 twice within two years. I am assuming this was due to impact and stress on material while the light was mounted.

PS: Don't go overboard with lumens. I have a Streamlight ProTac HL primarily becase it can also be used as a blunt instrument and to temporarily blind people. It has 35/750 lumens. I programmed it to go to 35 on one click and to 750 on two. It is easy to blind yourself with a high-lumens flashlight while inside. I see enough with 35 lumens to make decisions.

I actually attend training once a week with an instructor. We've done low light and identifying what the threat is and making sure it is a threat before firing. I agree I think mounted lights can cause a lot more problems bc you are using your firearm to direct that light maybe causing a ND. I was just looking for opinions on what other people thought. As far as firearms training you shouldn't assume because someone is new to CCW that they have not had any training. I've seen plenty of yahoos go take one firearms class then buy a 45 and start carrying it. I seek out training and read whatever I can. I take firearms very seriously and I wish everybody else who has CCW would do the same. Maybe I took your comment the wrong way but when you say "get some training" it comes across a bit arrogant. I train my ass off with instructors so I can be the best and most responsible firearms owner and carrier that I can.


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[Kennydale]

At home I prefer a hand held flashlight. Its a 1200 Lumen and i keep it focused midway between ultra wide and narrow.

 

[bofh]

I actually attend training once a week with an instructor. We've done low light and identifying what the threat is and making sure it is a threat before firing. I agree I think mounted lights can cause a lot more problems bc you are using your firearm to direct that light maybe causing a ND. I was just looking for opinions on what other people thought. As far as firearms training you shouldn't assume because someone is new to CCW that they have not had any training. I've seen plenty of yahoos go take one firearms class then buy a 45 and start carrying it. I seek out training and read whatever I can. I take firearms very seriously and I wish everybody else who has CCW would do the same. Maybe I took your comment the wrong way but when you say "get some training" it comes across a bit arrogant. I train my ass off with instructors so I can be the best and most responsible firearms owner and carrier that I can.

It is really good that you have taken the initiative to seek training! Most don't, hence my snarky comment.

As far as the weapon-mounted light and NDs go, that's a proper training, practice and equipment issue. The rules of firearm safety still apply. You still will not be pointing the gun at anything that you are not willing to destroy and you still will keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot. Once you train with home defense rifles or shotguns, you will understand. A weapon-mounted light is pretty much mandatory on those.

The complications I was talking about are more about having to train and practice both, the use of the flashlight with a handgun and the use of the weapon-mounted light on the handgun. The weapon-mounted light does not replace the flashlight.

For example, I was recently in a building that had a total power outage and the stairwell did not had emergency lighting (a code violation, by the way). I used my flashlight to guide a group of people out of the building. The root cause for the power outage was a short in a transformer caused by a squirrel. What if it was intentional and the beginning of an active shooter event? What if I encounter the active shooter in the stairwell? Should I drop my flashlight, because I have a weapon-mounted light and never trained and practiced using the flashlight with a handgun? On the other side, if I can use my flashlight and trained and practiced with it, why do I need the weapon-mounted light?

During the evacuation through the dark stairwell, I did put the flashlight on 750 lumens and pointed it at the white stairwell wall. The entire stairwell was illuminated well enough for all to make it easily out of the building without injuries. I could easily see everyones faces, just using indirect light. They obviously could see me too.

 

[Ricky Two Guns]

I'm in the separate flashlight group as well.

 

[sidewinder373]

I also carry a Glock (23), I don't use a rail mounted light, but I do have a laser max internal laser. You like that clinger huh? I never felt it secured the weapon well enough.

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[bofh]

I also carry a Glock (23), I don't use a rail mounted light, but I do have a laser max internal laser. You like that clinger huh? I never felt it secured the weapon well enough.

How many rounds do you have through that gun with the LaserMax guide rod laser? I had it in my Glock 19 for a while. My LaserMax guide rod (1) simply stopped working while shooting due to battery contact issues, (2) turned itself on in the holster which emptied its battery, and (3) broke an internal firearm part (slide lock spring provided by LaserMax) which made the gun unusable until repair. Another problem was that my left hand thumb rests right on the slide lock when shooting, unintentionally activating the laser. I don't consider it for serious use for me. I kept it as a range tool, but haven't used it for over a year.

 

[sidewinder373]

How many rounds do you have through that gun with the LaserMax guide rod laser? I had it in my Glock 19 for a while. My LaserMax guide rod (1) simply stopped working while shooting due to battery contact issues, (2) turned itself on in the holster which emptied its battery, and (3) broke an internal firearm part (slide lock spring provided by LaserMax) which made the gun unusable until repair. Another problem was that my left hand thumb rests right on the slide lock when shooting, unintentionally activating the laser. I don't consider it for serious use for me. I kept it as a range tool, but haven't used it for over a year.

Hundreds, zero issues. But then again my gun was customized by ten ring

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[bofh]

Hundreds, zero issues. But then again my gun was customized by ten ring

Things break over time. I had my LaserMax guide rod laser in for about 6 months in 2014 (see post). I don't remember what my round count was, but it certainly was a few thousand.

It doesn't matter who customized your gun. The laser turning itself on in the holster and me unintentionally activating it while shooting is caused by the design of the activation mechanism of the laser (pushing the slide lock). The LaserMax battery cap is a flimsy design and fails over time with usage. The LaserMax Slide Lock Spring that replaces the Glock factory slide lock spring seems to be made out of different steel and is more brittle.

Lastly, after getting properly trained, I realized that, despite my astigmatism and worsening vision, the laser is getting in my way. I am better off without one. One thing less to worry about that it may break or that I may use it unintentionally under stress. I am a fan of KISS = Keep it simple, stupid!

PS: See the The Ultimate Guide To Glock Preventative Maintenance and Scheduled Parts Replacements about the replacement schedule for Glock OEM parts. The Recoil Spring Assembly is the most vulnerable component.

 

[sidewinder373]

Sorry you had such bad luck, this isn't a range gun. I have a Glock 22 that has had thousands through it.

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[niceshootintex]

Sorry you had such bad luck, this isn't a range gun. I have a Glock 22 that has had thousands through it.

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I stated this earlier in the thread. I have a Glock 22 like Sidewinder and have thousands of rounds through it with a TLR and with zero failures. It is a great HD combo and fun to shoot at the range.

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[bofh]

Sorry you had such bad luck, this isn't a range gun. I have a Glock 22 that has had thousands through it.

Just see how it goes over time for you with the LaserMax guide rod laser. Train and practice with it and see how it holds up. Make sure you actually get something out of it. I simply don't trust it and I don't recommend it.

I have more than 16,000 rounds through my Glock 19 Gen 4 now. The LaserMax guide rod laser made it only a few thousand of those until I took it out and put the Glock OEM parts back in.

 

[sidewinder373]

As I said, I don't think it was ever intended to be heavy cycle range use

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