Shotline said:
I am not trying to insult anyone here, but I am curious as to why people put flashlights on guns.
To me, if you are in the dark looking for a burgler, etc., although the light lets you see, it also provides an aim point for the other guy. And he may see you first due to you having the light.
If you were that concerened about being able to see in the dark in order to shoot, wouldn't you want to invest in some good night vision goggles?
Next time you're back in the Bay Area, come out to a meet and let me know. I'll make sure you meet Mr. Surefire 6P. I'll dare you to look at me and keep your eyes open for more than a second. I guarantee you won't, you can't. It's like looking into the sun, it fucking hurts and it will cause you to avert your eyes and head. If you no can see me, you no can shootee me. There's a reason why cops all over the country use Surefire handheld and weapon-mounted lights. We're not talking about silly Mag-lites here.
You ever use NODs on a regular basis? In a force-on-force exercise? Me, I've worn night-vision goggles so much I used to dream in green.
Let's say I chose to buy a AN-PVS-7B NOD, with my connections, I can probably pick up a used one, with a refurbished tube, for $700-$800. I'd love to have the new PVS-14, since it's monocular and frees up the other eye, but at the average retail price of $3500+, it's a little bit out of reach. So I'm stuck with the PVS-7. If I'm lucky, it came with a soft mount for my head so I'm not stuck holding the damn thing up to my face with one hand. Hard mounts for the Kevlar helmet, which I do have, are a bitch to find and aren't very durable. So now I've got PVS-7 in a soft mount, two AAs loaded, so all I gotta do is rotate the switch to ON and I'm GTG.
I'm laying in bed, trying to put myself to sleep reading Counter-Insurgency 101, when the front door crashes open. I reach for the PVS-7, slip on the soft mount, adjust the straps so it doesn't sag, which probably takes a good 5-10 seconds. Reach for my Mossberg 500 and prepare to defend the bedroom door. Bedroom door crashes open and I see the biggest freaking dude in my life. What's that on his chest? A police badge or a school logo? I can't tell, I need to adjust the focus on the PVS-7 to see properly. No time. Range? 5 feet? 20 feet? I don't fucking know, damn NODs don't give depth perception worth a damn, I can't tell if my hands are right in front of my face or 10 feet in front of me. I bring the shotgun up to bear, shit, I can't get a damn sight picture with this thing in my face. Fuck it, hip shot, pull the trigger, boom. Center mass, ooops, he's got a vest, still coming. I don't get a second shot cuz his buddy behind him already did a Mozambique drill on me.
See, it's not enough to be able to see in the dark, you've also got to be able to engage. Our boys in theatre use a LAD (Laser Aiming Device), maybe a PAQ-4 or a PEQ-2. Last time I heard, them devices were on the "nuh-uh" list for civilians. There's a few Russian knock-offs in the market but they're hard to find and unreliable. If you're rich, you could afford a PVS-14 monocular which you can either mount on your home-defense rifle (with an Aimpoint or EOTech) or stick on a soft-mount on your head that will allow you to shoulder a weapon and get a sight picture.
On the other hand. Forget the NODs. I just grab my Surefire-equipped Mossberg 500 when the front door comes crashing down. I can blind the assailant, impede his ability to assault, identify him, and engage him all at the same instant. And a Surefire weapons-light only costs about $300.