Monday, February 2, 2009

Shotgun Accessories for Home Defense - Tactical Lights

A tactical light can help you be sure of your target. It is NOT an acceptable practice to fire your shotgun until you have identified the target, regardless of the circumstances. You need to positively identify your target in order to avoid a tragic error. This is even more critical in a home defense scenario. That strange sound at night you heard could be several things other than a criminal invading your home. Blindly shooting at “things that go bump in the night” is a sure recipe for a personal disaster.

Tactical lights generally attach to your shotgun with a barrel, rail or scope mount and are usually made durable enough to withstand the effects of recoil from a shotgun. Most produce a very bright light. This can help you properly identify and quite possibly disorient a criminal intruder in your home. Since most days have a fairly equal amount of hours of both daylight and dark, it only makes sense to be prepared for those times when additional light may be needed.
Most shotguns will require a special mount to hold your tactical light in addition to the tactical light itself. The type of mount will vary depending upon your particular type and brand of shotgun. Here are a couple of links to tactical light mounts and tactical lights for a Mossberg 500 shotgun for your reference.

Shotgun Mounts for Tactical Lights:

http://www.tacticalshotgunaccessories.com/ati/lightmount.htm

Tactical Lights for Shotguns:

http://www.reddiamondonline.com/detail.aspx?ID=4776

A tactical light will give you two major advantages in a home defense scenario. You will be able to positively identify your target and the effects of a bright light will usually disorient an intruder. Although you should also be aware that there is a definite down side to the use of a tactical light, a bright light will also give away your location. This can be a definite disadvantage to you. Of course it is also important to remember, you are the one standing behind the shotgun and not the one in front of it!

You can read about an improvised shotgun light here:

Shotguns at Dark Thirty-Improvised Shotgun Light

The use of a tactical light is mostly a matter of personal choice. The final decision should be yours as to whether or not a tactical light for your shotgun is a viable option.

Staying above the water line!

Riverwalker
at

8 comments:

  1. AnonymousFebruary 2, 2009 at 7:03 PM

    One note about weapon-mounted lights: they can obscure the fact that you are armed! Yes, the person may be blinded, and the light isn't casting any light on what you're holding.

    I heard a story about a man who was about to be shot by a drug addict who didn't realize the guy was armed before the tactical flashlight guy had the presence of mind to see that this was happening yell, "Don't make me shoot you!"

    Granted, if someone comes toward you to attack you, you're justified in shooting. But I think it is prudent to let the person at least know you are armed. A laser might be an excellent addition to a light.

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  2. HermitJimFebruary 2, 2009 at 7:31 PM

    Sounds like good info to me...thanks for the links, my man!

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  3. riverwalkerFebruary 3, 2009 at 12:39 AM

    To: Brass

    Excellent point! Glad you brought that to my attention. Thanks.

    RW

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  4. riverwalkerFebruary 3, 2009 at 12:41 AM

    To: HermitJim

    You're welcome. There are a lot of options out there and I.m just hoping to make people a little more aware of what is available, but like all things it usually boils down to a matter of personal choice. Thanks.

    RW

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  5. AnonymousFebruary 9, 2009 at 11:05 AM

    I do agree that of course using your tactical flashlight can give away your position. In my honest opinion, I would still use the tactical light. Without proper visual the likelihood of being able to properly assess the threat will be hindered. They can hear you say, "Stop or I'll shoot" just as easily. And if you're in the dark and not using the tactical light anyways, it is still likely in that scenario that they won't see your shotgun either. But you bring up some great points that need to be thought about and decided upon PRIOR to a confrontation.

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  6. riverwalkerFebruary 9, 2009 at 11:44 PM

    To: Police Flashlights

    Making sure of your target is a priority in ANY situation. You do have a point though about the sound of your voice giving you away. Thanks.

    RW

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  7. riverwalkerJuly 31, 2010 at 6:24 AM

    Note from RW - edited post for link update.

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  8. qonetimeJanuary 22, 2013 at 9:24 AM

    Law enforcement are also trained in various tactical light usage one approach to reducing the prospect of your light making you a target and giving your position away us the on-off method. Quickly flashing your light in and of as you assess target. As long as along with this method you are also constantly moving changing positions where your light was last on, is not where you are now.

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