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  1. #1
    Moderator ikor's Avatar
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    Default Use and application of tactical lights

    Part I

    There is a metric ton of information out there on lights (torches) and uses / techniques for them all, for users from home owners to citizen gun carriers to Police Officers to Military troops and, of course, beyond that to special units such as SWAT or STF etc. I don’t pretend to know everything about the subject and there is plenty of info on the net, but I think we must narrow our focus here in order to keep things reasonably brief, Thus I will stick with those tactics and techniques that work best for individual or perhaps two person teams. Very few of us will ever search a building as a member of a team of, say. 5-7 members, and are, consequently, very unlikely to be able to call for quick back up or depend upon a ‘cover officer’ to take over certain duties, etc.

    Sight is the primary ‘sense’ of the human species, and we depend greatly upon it in our daily lives, but in many ways our eyesight is not as well developed as that of other creatures. That especially applies to our ‘night vision’ capabilities. Without getting into the science of it all, our eyes have ‘rods’ that act as receptors for light, but these rods have a saturation point at which they ‘white out’ and vision is taken over by the ‘cones’…the structures responsible for our daylight vision and perception of colour. All of us have moved from an area of bright light to one of darkness at some time or another and discovered that it will take a couple of minutes for the eyes to adjust enough that we can have some idea of what is around us. This ‘disorientation’ is aggravating at the best of times, but it can be deadly when things are at their worst.

    Unfortunately, bad guys long ago realized that darkness could be used as an ally by them in their attempts to perpetrate theft, mayhem and murder upon decent people worldwide. While ‘night vision devices’ do exist and are now common in military and some Police circles, their expense and specialized nature does not lend them to widespread use among street level LEOs nor everyday citizens. Enter the ‘flashlight’ or ‘torch’ as it is often called in SA. Those of us who have used portable hand held lights for work have seen things change immensely in the past three decades or so. I remember all too well the thrill of searching a dark building after finding a door forced open with only a three ‘D’ cell Sportsman’ brand flashlight. Better than nothing, yes, but not much! The common Mag Lite, still found in many homes and Police gear bags, is a decent enough light for reading a drivers license, or changing a tire on some back road, etc. but its’ day is long past as a serious ‘Tactical Torch’.

    So called ‘white light’ is a huge advantage in many circumstances. Many cities and neighborhoods have found that simply installing lots of lights in an area has cut crime by a large percentage after dark…my dad’s saying that ‘cockroaches run when the light is turned on’ comes to mind here.. Hand held lights can also be a huge advantage in darkness or ‘low light’ applications, but as with many things in life, white light is a compromise and can, in fact, be a double edged sword if misused. Before we get to uses and applications, however, I think we must clarify some terms often thrown around in the light literature…not all white light is created equal.

    Incandescent: The ‘yellowish’ white light most of us associate with older flashlights, light bulbs, etc. Incandescent lights use a ‘bulb’ or ‘lamp’ filled with a gas and have a filament that is powered by the charge from a battery (or wall socket, etc) and glows…this ‘glow’ is then focused by a ‘reflector’ behind the lamp. I like incandescent light but it requires more battery power (electricity) to generate and there is also the matter of the filament breaking and putting the light out of commission. Incandescent lights are also very inefficient and much of their energy is converted to heat.

    LED: Light Emitting Diode. These give off a ‘blueish-white’ light (although the very latest are getting closer to incandescent colors) are not prone to breakage, usually deliver more light for a given size and last much longer on a set of batteries than do incandescents. They do not, however have an ‘infrared’ spectrum and are thus useless with infrared filters, and they do not penetrate smoke or fog as well as incandescents.

    Cell: Another name for a battery. There are many different sizes, such as AA, C, D and the one most often used with modern ‘tactical’ flashlights, the CR123 size cell / battery which gives off 3 volts.

    Throw: The range / distance of the beam. This will depend upon the power of the lamp / bulb as well as how the reflector is designed. A light for outdoor use would usually have more ‘throw’ than one designed for indoor uses.

    Spill: The ‘flood area’ of the beam, Again, good for indoors or closer range uses and perhaps not so good for a light you might use to hunt varmints at night with, etc.

    Switch: The control by which you turn the light on or off. For tactical uses it is generally agreed by most field users and trainers that a tail mounted switch with the ability to be turned on and off via application of finger / thumb pressure is best and it should have the ability to be switched on and off instantaneously with little danger of inadvertently switching to ‘full on’. The light should, however have a ‘fully on’ setting available when needed.

    Candlepower: A measure of the intensity of a light source at a single point at a given distance from the source. While it is a term manufacturers love to throw around it means little to the end user as it does not measure what part of the candlepower is useable to him / her.

    Lumens: A measure of the total output of a light source…the human-eye-useful part of the energy. Lumens, however, may be measured in different ways so while there is no way to compare candlepower and lumens, you must also be careful when comparing two different lights and the claimed lumens put out by each.

    For those who wish to delve deeper into specifics of light, batteries and torches in general, I would include this link to Candlepower Forums. They are all about guys who are seriously into lights but few know how to use them tactically.
    http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/

    Since this is not about light selection, let me just say that the SureFire 6 volt (2 cell) torches are generally acknowledged to be the worldwide standard for tactical lights. That does NOT mean better and / or equal but less expensive may not be available, but SF was the first and grabbed the big market share so,.like the Glock 17 / 19, they are a ‘known quantity’ for those who have much experience with tactical lights. Their extremely popular incandescent 6P and G2 models are well known and both generate around 60-65 lumens of light. To my mind, and that of many others, this is the minimum you should trust with your safety. As you go past 100 / 120 however you may reach a point of diminishing returns in some cases which we will discuss later.

    ‘Tactical’ use / application refers to use of handheld. torches as tools under circumstances where our personal safety or that of our loved ones…or perhaps ‘innocent bystanders’ is concerned. This may take place at work, while out in public, or at home, etc. but the first obvious consideration is that in order to make use of your super duper tactical torch, it must be WITH you all the time. Accordingly, you should choose a torch that is of a size you can and will carry on the person. This tends to limit most of us who wear civilian garb to no more than a two cell (123 size) 6 volt light. I am very partial to the SureFire ‘E’ series lights that use a clip and are smaller in diameter than the familiar 6P / G2 lights. I always travel with my E2e on my person and have never had a problem being allowed to fly with it, even from our notorious TSA (Thousands Standing Around ?) or the guys in the UK who tend to be very thorough and suspicious. There are also several very nice torches similar in size available from eastern markets, almost all made in China, that are less expensive, offer plenty of light and are reasonably tough, but few of us will actually carry anything larger than the 6P on a daily basis.

    Too small can also be an issue, however. I have an E1B 3v ‘Backup’ as well. An excellent little light that gives more useable light than my standard G2 incandescent, but it pushes the downward size limit for me because it is not as easily used with some techniques as a 6v light would be. In fairness, SureFire does not advertise it as a ‘tactical light, but as a backup and for that it is marvelous.

    So let us say we have selected a 6 volt tactical torch of a size we can carry daily and keep by the bedside at night that puts out at least 60-65 lumens of light and has a good compromise beam…not all ‘throw’ nor all ‘spill’. (I think a good compromise is a light that can be shined directly into a person’s eyes at 6-10 meters and give a blinding effect yet still have enough spill to allow you to see his hands) Now how do we take advantage of this addition to our tool kit?
    Run Fast, Bite Hard!

  2. #2
    Moderator ikor's Avatar
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    Default Re: Use and application of tactical lights

    Part II

    Most literature on ‘tactical use’ of these useful little torches seems to focus upon searching and shooting with them, and those are indeed valid uses, but the ‘EDC’ (Every Day Carry) torch can also be used in other ways. First is as a distraction device in low light conditions. A 60-120 lumen light shined directly into a person’s eyes at close range (assuming he is not ready and expecting it) will often elicit a response of closing the eyes and turning the head, buying you a second or two to either follow it up or scoot. (More on follow up in a minute) If confronting someone, say, at your front gate, or perhaps walking directly toward you on a dark street, parking lot, etc it can also be shined directly into their eyes to temporarily disorient them while you move to a different location, or perhaps issue an order or two…’Move away…I can’t help you…do it NOW!’ etc.

    If it is a valid visitor or just another soul searching for his car, you can simply apologize…’Oh…sorry mate’ if not, you have gained a bit of an advantage. If you are behind cover and he has no weapon showing but something does not seem just right, you can play the beam across his eyes in a rapid side to side motion while giving orders, or saying ‘Sorry sir, I can’t help you’, etc. This is very disorienting if he opens his eyes…if he keeps them closed he is not going to be an efficient fighter. Obviously, watch out for any ‘friends’ of his executing a ‘flanking maneuver’ while he distracts you. Remember that double edged sword thing? Your light will allow them to know exactly where you are if you have it on!

    Back to the ‘follow up’ comment. The tactical torch may also be used as an impact tool (another reason for choosing quality) If necessary, you can follow up that close range head turn with a face smash or two using the bezel of your torch. Once again, you may wish to either engage and escalate or vamoose, depending on your situation. As a civilian now my preference is to NOT be where the fight is if possible, so if given the chance of safe disengagement I will take it. Obviously, if you strike someone you will wish to call the Police and report it as soon as possible. If you ignore that, you just may find that HE has reported it and claimed that you were the aggressor. The LEOs on the board will, I think, agree that usually the reporting person is seen as the ‘victim’ by most cops, and that if such is not the case it may take a long time and maybe a court visit after an investigation to sort out. Get to a safe place first, then call it in ASAP.

    The torch may also be used in conjunction with a blade if, like me when I visit SA now, you cannot carry a handgun legally and the situation calls for application of deadly force. The AMOK! guys teach use of the knife as an impact tool too, and they can verify it can work pretty well where you are not justified (yet at least) in stabbing or cutting with your blade. Pepper spray could also be brought into play if such was available and the situation appropriate for its use. Point being that the tactical torch is useful for more than just seeing in the dark.

    Searching

    I want to make something clear here right now. If you are CERTAIN there are bad guys inside your home or at least inside the gates, unless there is no other option, do NOT attempt to clear the area by yourself! Some dark night, try turning out all the lights inside your home and then ‘clear’ every nook and cranny all by your lonesome. It won’t take long before you realize just how many places there are to hide for a bad guy and how difficult it is for you to verify that no one is there…not to mention how exposed you will be during clearing. In such a circumstance, barricade yourself and family in a ‘safe room’ (solid door, heavy locks, good cover and fields of fire, etc) and call 10111. Still, we all know that if not certain, we are not going to hit the alarm or call out the cavalry for every little bump in the night.

    For most of us, such a search will entail use of the torch and a handgun. The tendency for an untrained person when using a torch to search is to switch it on and leave it on…very bad move! It telegraphs your whereabouts and throws shadows that can also give away your location, If the bad guy is armed and decides to shoot, I can pretty much guarantee he will shoot directly at the light. Accordingly, the preferred method for searching is to ‘blip’ the light on for a very quick sweep, then turn it off and MOVE. Try and move at least a meter, maybe more between light exposures and do your best to be unpredictable in your movements. If your light sweep shows an armed bad guy, don’t keep the light on if you need to shoot. Remember too, the muzzle flash from your pistol will give away your location (just as his will) so move after shooting. Tritium powered ‘night sights’ have become popular now and they do help with making sure the gun is aimed correctly, but they alone cannot ID a target, and when viewed from behind or at certain angles they can give your position away. On balance I think they are a good thing, but if you do not have them you can survive just fine. I can say that if my only choice was a decent tactical torch OR a set of night sights, I would take the torch every time!

    Remember the above comment on more than 100-120 lumen lights? Here in the US, many homes and office buildings are constructed using gypsum wallboard that is often painted an 'off white' color. In searches inside such places I have observed that my SF M962C weapon light with the 125 lumen lamp is about the maximum power level I can use. If I use the optional 200 lumen lamp the glare gets pretty bad and it will 'wash out' the red dot on my Aimpoint optic against a light background somewhat. Outside the 200 luman lamp is great however. I have been in homes in SA where bare brick was exposed as a wall finish, and I suspect a more powerful lamp would work fine there, but plaster the same wall and paint it a light color and it might not. Just something else to think about.

    If you are behind cover (’cover’ is anything that both hides you AND will stop bullets from whatever weapon your opponent is using) and decide to shoot at an opponent, vary your position each time you expose yourself. I like to search ‘high’ and then go ‘low’ to shoot, but several exposures may require you mix it up some. I don’t want to get off on a tangent here but I must add that ‘concealment’ is anything that hides you from view but will NOT stop bullets. Your couch or the average interior door or the common US construction of walls using only light wood frames and gypsum wallboard, etc. is not ‘cover’ and is easily penetrated by the average defensive handgun. That knowledge can, of course, be turned against an assailant who thinks he is behind cover too.

    Search positions when using both the torch and a handgun really boil down to two basic types…’hands apart’ and ‘hands together’. ‘Hands apart’ positions would include the old ‘FBI’ technique where the light is held far out and away from and forward of the body it is not very useful with a torch using a rear mounted switch. There is also a tendency for the shooter to let the light ‘creep’ back when shooting toward a position where it is even with the torso, thus allowing the spill of the torch to illuminate the shooter. Today some teach what they call a ‘neck index’ with the modern tactical lights whereby the light is ‘locked’ into a position at the juncture of the neck and shoulder and operated by the thumb…all of course, using the non-dominant hand. Be careful when using this one as it is all too easy for the light to end up shining on the rear of the gun, making it very hard to see the sights and cutting your search power by at least half, It also will cause fire to be directed at your head / chest area if someone shoots at the light. One can also use the torch in one hand while keeping the gun down and out of view in a more ‘casual’ search or perhaps when answering the door, etc.

    Hands Together

    These techniques allow the light and pistol to be pointed at the same object, etc. together and allow a quick response if you need to shoot. Be certain to keep the finger off of the trigger when searching however, as a ‘startle response’ to, say, your 19 year old son who got up to raid the frige (yeah, I HAVE raised a son, hah!) and thought it would be great fun to jump out and scare you...with finger on trigger could lead to tragedy in an eye blink…once gone a bullet can’t be called back!

    Again, modern tactical torches with rear mounted buttons / switches do not allow a bunch of different positions when used hands together with the pistol. I will present here the two I think work best, but if you have a different method that works for you, please share it…no one knows everything, and many innovations have come from average working cops or citizens who have figured out better ways to accomplish something.

    The Rogers method

    My friend Bill Rogers…designer of the Safariland line of tactical holsters and one HELL of a trainer in his own right, came up with the idea of using first some rubber bands wrapped around the barrel of the SureFire 6P torch, holding it between the first two fingers of the ‘off’ hand and activating it via a simple pull to the rear so the switch hits the meaty part at the base of the thumb. This also allows the other two fingers of the support hand to aid in grasping the pistol. SureFire has built a special torch specifically for using in this manner…the Z2 Combat. They also make a polymer version called the G2Z. The Z2 is the standard issue torch for the FBI. My only complaints with these torches are that a) SureFire has not seen fit to upgrade them to LED versions yet and b) that use of this size light with this technique may be difficult for those with small hands. Still, some rubber bands around an E series torch will get the job done too. The Rogers technique may be used with either a Weaver or isosceles stance equally well.

    The Harries method

    Mike Harries was a well known shooter in the old US Southwest Pistol League along with many other legends such as Jeff Cooper.. He shot…as did many back then…exclusively from the ‘Weaver’ position developed by Jack Weaver…another great shooter. Mike devised a method by which a light could be used to both search and shoot with from Weaver and it has carried his name ever since. The light is held in the off hand and brought up and under the pistol so that the backs of the hands are pressed tightly together. It works very well, but shooters who do not regularly shoot Weaver will try to use the position while squaring their bodies to the target…that ain’t gonna work well at all. The body must be ‘bladed’ as with Weaver and the off hand elbow rolled down and under. Here is a link to a picture of Mike Harries himself demonstrating his technique.

    http://www.thegunzone.com/people/michael.html

    And here is a link to several different positions, including the three mentioned above. Note, however, that only a few are suitable to small lights with rear mounted switches...

    http://www.nrapublications.org/si/HB_handgun.html
    Run Fast, Bite Hard!

  3. #3
    Moderator ikor's Avatar
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    Default Re: Use and application of tactical lights

    Part III

    Training

    It is critical that you train with any of these techniques. Just because you have read this or any other article about light use does not mean you will magically do it all right when the need for it is serious. Many beginners will want to move the light until the ‘hotspot’ of the beam is centered on the target…they will also fail to look at the sights and instead assume that the beam is exactly where the bullet will go. When they do this, they will move the gun and shoot when the beam is centered…this can lead to some pretty wild shots at first. All you need is to ID the target and verify your sights, and this is easily done without the beam being centered, but to do it takes practice.

    Practice grabbing both light and gun from concealment and getting into your preferred position quickly. This is a far cry from getting all set up like you want to first but it is almost certainly what you will have to do in a street situation. What do you do with that torch when you need to reload, or if you have a malfunction? With something like the Mag Light, we teach placing it under the shooting arm high into the armpit. This can also work with tactical torches but there are other methods too. Some SureFire lights come with a lanyard and if you carry the light in a holster, a lanyard can be very useful. It will allow you to simply drop the torch and do your reload or clearance drill and get it back into action quickly. Not everyone likes a lanyard however (I never use one with non-uniform carry) and not all torches are set up to take one. You should also practice tucking the torch in a pocket or into the belt, and back into the holster if you use one.

    All this is mostly eliminated, of course, if we use a weapon mounted torch, but even then you should also have a hand held along too. Not all situations will call immediately for pointing your pistol at someone, especially in public. Here in my home state that just might qualify as a criminal assault and it most assuredly will NOT be looked upon favorably by any licensing authority, etc if a complaint is filed.. I also firmly believe if you want a torch for daily carry capable of being mounted on your pistol, you should carry the pistol with it mounted ALL the time. Trying to only mount the light when you ‘need it’ and then having to remove it before the pistol may be safely holstered again is just begging for trouble! Keeping a light mounted at night on the ‘nightstand blaster’ is different but you might think about how you will secure it if you suddenly need your hands and cannot shoot…skivvy shorts won’t get it done…or so I have read, Hah! Holsters are now available that will accommodate pistols with weapon lights mounted, even for CCW use.

    Choose your gear and then train, train, train. Gear never won a fight all by itself and it is still the man that matters most.

    Hopefully this has been helpful to at least a few of you and perhaps made some others think. Thirty years ago if anyone had told me that I would one day pay over $100 for a flashlight I would have laughed in their face. Today, the laugh is on me!
    Run Fast, Bite Hard!

  4. #4
    Member abhm's Avatar
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    Default Re: Use and application of tactical lights

    IKOR
    thank you so much for a great contribution this is highly informative and similiar to what SWAT G and Big T have done of great use for the members of this site

    thanks again this is great

    ABHM
    I am studying an awesome brand of leg fighting which was inspired by dung beetles and I think my brand of Kraft Manure is superior to all other styles ever invented. Furthermore I challenge all other manurists to a rolling contest where we shall establish whose manure ball is the biggest! I shall call it Honest Kraft Manure and declare it superior to all other brands of manure and will tell you that I have claimed the lineage directly to Imshi the great Dragon Kru Master Beetler who invented manuring, by gathering all manure from different animals together and making it work as the worlds most effective fertilizer. I proved myself by being members of not one but three super elite special gardening departments who were responsible for spreading manure to combat weed infestations!

  5. #5

    Default Re: Use and application of tactical lights

    Quote Originally Posted by abhm
    IKOR
    thank you so much for a great contribution this is highly informative and similiar to what SWAT G and Big T have done of great use for the members of this site

    thanks again this is great

    ABHM
    Now that is what I call 'sucking up'..... ;D

    Ikor, just joking....I have been marking this contribution as unread as I just have not had the time to read it as yet, but will make a plan today to digest your contribution. hpy180

  6. #6

    Default Re: Use and application of tactical lights

    Sweet...I discovered the printing function and it works....I printed it and can now sit and read it in leisure and file it with all my other bits and pieces of info.... lv29

  7. #7
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    Default Re: Use and application of tactical lights

    ikor, thanks again for the contribution, it throws a whole new light on my opinion of torches and their application, much appreciated.

    hpy180

    "You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life."
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  8. #8
    Moderator ikor's Avatar
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    Default Re: Use and application of tactical lights

    Thank YOU for allowing me to make some small contribution.

    I actually enjoy doing stuff like this when and if I have the time. It makes me rethink isssues and focus, which are good things. For a long time I believed that one would have 'arrived' when they knew enough to write a book, but somewhere on that journey, I discovered what many others have...namely that if you wrote the book, very few would take the time to read it, and that true genius lies in being able (so far as possible) to take everything in that unwritten book and condense it down to a few pages, or even paragraphs. I don't know that I will ever arrive at that point, but I do enjoy the journey.

    There is much left unsaid here, of course, and some things are predicated upon an understanding of others...such as use of cover / concealment, etc. That is another reason why it is a good idea to get some hands-on training time with an instructor or coach who can help us learn by taking advantage of all the mistakes, time and effort they have gone through. As others here know, such instruction is not 'expensive'...rather it is priceless.

    Run Fast, Bite Hard!

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    Default Re: Use and application of tactical lights

    Awesome stuff ikor thank you. Craig would it be possible to put this us as an article on the main page. That way it would be easier to acess in future.

  10. #10
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    Default Re: Use and application of tactical lights

    Ikor, you mentioned your SF M962C weapons light, and was wondering if you used the pressure pad switch with it or if you use the rear push button switch and mount it so that you can push the switch with you thumb when using your vertical handgrip, assuming you use a vertical handgrip. I've read that the pressure switch can be activated unintentionally when in high stress situations and the more positive push button is prefered.

    Whats your opinion on this?
    "You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life."
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