This past winter, I found myself sprinting through the Idaho mountains late one night. There was enough moonlight to see the snow a few feet in front of me, but the woods were pitch black. I slid to a stop in front of an orange cone, faced downhill, and stabbed a Walther PDP into the darkness.
With the flick of a switch, a Surefire X300 pistol light lit up the mountainside like a pair of headlights. I identified a few steel targets among the trees, sent two rounds into each, and brushed the light’s tailcap again. Total darkness returned.
One experience with a pistol light is all it takes to make most people believers. But do these gadgets belong on your concealed carry gun?
Weapon Light Basics
If you’re new to pistol lights, let’s get caught up before diving into the debate.
Weapon lights attach to a pistol’s frame just beneath the barrel. Accessory rails can use a variety of mounting patterns (Glock-style and Picatinny, to name a few) but light manufacturers provide adapters and at-home installation is easy.
Just as there are full-size, compact, and subcompact pistols, there are different sizes of lights to go along with them — think Surefire X300 vs. XR1 or Streamlight TLR-1 vs. TLR-7. You can even choose between disposable or rechargeable batteries.
Brightness varies in terms of lumen output, and more power isn’t always better. If you spend a lot of time outdoors, a 1,000-lumen pistol light will help you engage targets as far away as your marksmanship allows. If your carry pistol is an indoor creature, excessive light bouncing off interior walls can blind you as well as an attacker.
The Case Against CCW Lights
The arguments I’ve heard against CCW lights predominantly focus on safety and practicality.
We know to never point a weapon at anything we don’t intend to shoot, and that poses a problem if your only flashlight is attached to the barrel of a gun. Those who discourage putting a flashlight on your carry pistol correctly point out that running around in the dark with a firearm to light your way is unsafe.
Size is another consideration. With the exception of the full-size-only crowd, we want our concealed carry pistols to be small and easy to conceal; adding accessories can seem counterproductive. Finding the right holster can be challenging as it is, and the task only gets trickier when you have a specific pistol/light combination to shop for.
I’ve also seen people make the case that weapon lights are dangerous because they give your position away. That’s true — but so does a muzzle flash. There are also ways to minimize exposure through proper training.
Finally, weapon lights aren’t cheap. Your IWB holster, red dot, and light might cost just as much as your EDC pistol itself. If money is tight, adding a weapon light may feel like a bridge too far.
The Case For CCW Lights
If the criticisms of weapon lights concern you, I have good news: the pros far outweigh the cons.
Let’s start with safety. Having a weapon light doesn’t preclude you from carrying a handheld light, too. Use your EDC flashlight for everyday tasks and save the weapon light for low-light shooting. Problem solved.
Speaking of safety, you have no business opening fire on something you can’t identify. Positive ID is much easier when you have hundreds of lumens at your disposal. This also contributes to situational awareness because weapon lights typically throw a wide beam.
A weapon light will admittedly make your concealed carry pistol heavier but the added mass is well-placed. You’re likely to notice softened recoil with that weight hanging off your pistol, helping you get back on target faster between shots.
Verdict
Weapon lights provide a significant tactical advantage. They’re increasingly available at reasonable prices, and light-compatible holsters are becoming the norm.
Yes, you’ll need to learn how to effectively employ your CCW light (as you would any tool), but there will never be a day when you think to yourself, “Wow, I’m glad I don’t have the option to flick on a light right now.”
There are better shooters than me who prefer to run a handheld light; that’s fine. Train that way if you want or carry both — just use a light of some kind.
I suspect CCW lights will soon be as common as red dots on pistols — something very few civilian shooters used just a few years ago. The advantages are too great to ignore and the barriers to using one are becoming less and less of an issue.
It’s nice when we have such a cut-and-dry answer. Yes, your concealed carry pistol will be better with a light on it.
