When it comes to pistols, most people take into account only the gun’s model, power, stability, recoil, and so on. In short, few people actually consider whether they should use a light on their pistol.

This is because most gun users and owners don’t understand that, when it comes to self-defense situations, one has to expect danger at all times and be prepared for it as well!

In unpredictable circumstances, visibility makes a difference and can help you overcome an attacker with ease. As such, in today’s article, we’ll talk about the importance of pistol light – and why you should choose mounted instead of hand-held.

Carry Convenience

As mentioned above, we’ll also point out some of the reasons why you should always pick a mounted light instead of a hand-held one.

When talking about light in general, we have to admit that having a flashlight, for example, would mean having to carry an extra thing on you, at all times. After all, by doing so, you can deter attackers at any given time of the day.

On the other hand, when using a light specially designed for a pistol, you don’t need to constantly remind yourself that you have to grab your flashlight. Moreover, if you conceal carry, it will be easier to manage a mounted light.

Recoil Counterweight

Believe it or not, a mounted pistol light does a very good job as a counterweight, as it can help reduce the muzzle climb of a handgun.

As such, a pistol light can improve your accuracy on any follow-up shots, in case you are required to fire them. Naturally, this comes in very handy when you are surprised by an attacker and you need to fire your gun quickly and experience little to no muzzle movement as well.

On top of that, competitive shooters are known to add such counterweights to their handguns to increase their accuracy for follow up shots.

Target Identification

Obviously, this is one of the main reasons why you should have a pistol light – namely, for easier target identification, especially during the night.

First of all, a pistol light can be very helpful even in locations with dimmed lights as you can easily search and identify targets or suspicious places.

Then, it is worth mentioning that the majority of self-defense situations occur either during the night or in dark areas. Therefore, a pistol light is almost mandatory for those that return home during and after the sunset.

Easier to Shoot with Pistol Light

As mentioned, when compared to a hand-held flashlight, a special pistol light makes it much easier to shoot with the handgun.

First of all, if you choose a hand-held light, you will instantly lose some stability and accuracy as you will be holding the pistol with one hand only. True, you can use the back of your other hand to stabilize the gun, but it wouldn’t offer the same stability as a two-hand grip.

Moreover, it is much more difficult to hold both a flashlight and a handgun – don’t let yourself fooled by all of those movies.

Overall, with a mounted light, you avoid putting your safety in a one-handed shot that you can miss quite easily. On top of that, not having to prepare a flashlight also makes you much faster in terms of fastening the pistol, so to say.

Blind the Attackers

Obviously, a source of light directed straight to your eyes doesn’t feel good at all – especially if the light is quite powerful.

As such, you can already determine what’s probably the best use of a pistol light. With it, you can catch your enemy off-guard and blind them. As a result, you could even take them down without firing a single bullet. All you need is them closing their eyes for a split second so that you could approach and take them down – if they are not armed, of course.

However, the fact that you can blind an enemy basically means that you won’t meet any resistance when firing your gun, if necessary. Blinding them will also provide you with a couple of seconds when you can decide whether the perpetrator is dangerous or not.

Home Defense

Naturally, a pistol light is not meant to be used only by authorities or the military. For example, if your home is attacked, you surely won’t spend time turning on any lights – especially if the noise coming from your living room is heavy.

In such scenarios, a pistol light can also scare the attackers away! The light will help you scout your house without fearing that there might be someone hidden behind your minibar or in a dark spot of a certain room.

The Importance of Pistol Light

Let’s now take a closer look at everything that we learned today:

• Defending Your Home – a pistol light makes searching your home and protecting yourself from attackers a lot easier.
• Stun Gun – when aimed properly, a handgun with a light attached can blind enemies and leave them unresponsive for a second or two – just enough for you to make your move.
• Target Identification – naturally, a pistol light makes it easier for you to identify your target and not shoot randomly or waste bullets.
• Recoil Counterweight – as mentioned, a pistol light can improve your aim as it reduced the recoil of your handgun when it comes to any follow-up shots.

The Bottom Line

As you can see, pistol light can be very important, depending on the situations that you may have to face. For example, most police officers think that one shouldn’t be given a service pistol without a mounted light. Why?

This is because, as a police officer, you are often faced with tasks that require a free hand – opening a door or checking something, without lowering your gun.

On the other hand, a pistol light is just as important for the common folk, so to say. No matter whether you conceal or open carry, you should have a light mounted on your pistol as it will increase your chances of successful self-defense!