Originally Posted by
SCCY Marshal
I still like Mag-Lite and maintain a small stable both incandescent and LED. I pre-focus the throw, paint an index mark, and wad rubber bands at the joint to discourage it rotating out of focus. While I don't believe in marrying one technique, neck index is my most common hold so I can rest the tail on my shoulder. I find them reliable, appreciate the American manufacture, note that they hold stably on target, can hit things with them like reseating hinge pins in doors or clearing dead branches out of my way, and they are relatively inexpensive.
That said, my bedside light is a PepperBall unit since my issue is often shooing a snippy dog out of the yard or reminding the local junkies that my car is not their piggybank. Thankfully, both events have stopped since getting the thing without need to deploy any expensive PAVA balls. I still like that it is rechargeable, the triangular body making index to the button intuitive, and ranged less-lethal capability.
Being awake well into the night and commuting in the depths of it, my strategies vary. From my pocket torch often temple indexed to spin around and light up a sound to grabbing a Mag-Lite for real use around the house/yard/back forty, PepperBall launcher for things that stir me out of bed, random cheapies scattered here there and everywhere if i need something quick to hand without draining my pocket torch, or even a Ryobi lantern. My house is ancient, poorly updated to the electric age, and switches are oddly placed.
When it comes to training to shoot with a light, I very often shift my hold when the gun comes into play. Whatever lets me best use my sights in the current lighting conditions. May be Harries, neck index, or F.B.I. if I'm behind some cover or obstacle. And I don't even think about reloading a handgun with a light while home. In bed, I won't be donning spare ammo so native capacity is the beginning and end of it. While dressed, I can reload in the dark so can kill the light, ditch it in the pocket while going for the speedloader, and then get the light back online. That may not be an industry best practice but is currently mine.