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Thread: Handheld light question with reloads

  1. #1
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    Handheld light question with reloads

    We are going to do a low light stage with small carry guns. Thus, WMLs are probably not in play. I don't have a small gun with a light rail anyway. You might wear a hat mounted light. I think I have one somewhere but I don't go around town with such. I've practiced with and done some classes with handhelds but never dealt with this. So this might be naive. What do you do with the handheld with you reload?

    No prison wallet suggestions. It just never came up in my classes.

  2. #2
    Depends on the size of the light, I would wager.

    I personally have my handhelds on a lanyard, so I can just let go if need be. The most foolproof way is probably to just stow the light in your armpit while you do the reload; most folks will argue for a bezel forward stow, so that you're not blinding everyone behind you and still providing some lighting forward of you. If the light is small enough, you can also simply put it somewhere else in your hand, as you would a magazine during a reload with retention; for me, my flashlight would go between the ring finger and the pinkie, giving me plenty of hand space to do the reload. I've seen some folks just stick the light into their mouth for this, but that's rather unsanitary if just doing it for a match, especially in an indoor range, and also has the possibility of you fucking up your teeth if you crunch down on it if startled.

  3. #3
    Deadeye Dick Clusterfrack's Avatar
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    Yes, as @Default.mp3 said: lanyard / finger loop. But, it's possible to reload with the light in hand. It just takes some practice, like a reload with retention.
    "You can never have too many knives." --Joe Ambercrombie
    Shabbat shalom, motherf***ers! --Mordechai Jefferson Carver

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    Thanks. Lanyard! Now I was going to shoot a 642 so, the semi mag changes aren't relevant for this one. Lanyard seem reasonable. So I do have Surefire with one - should have thought of that. I pick it up after reading this and practice. letting the light hang on it. It proceeds to fall off the lanyard. Need a better one would seem!

    Problem solved. The Surefire I used had a clip such that when the light hung, the lanyard slipped under the clip. Why this light had a lanyard that could do that, I have no idea. So returning to the collection of Surefires, I have one that allows for bezel up or down with its clip. thus, bezel down clip will hold the lanyard in a position that doesn't let it slip out. Plus a touch of Gorilla tap will block a slip. Not elegant. I should look for a better lanyard but that's it for now.
    Last edited by Glenn E. Meyer; 04-04-2022 at 10:56 AM.

  6. #6
    Deadeye Dick Clusterfrack's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Clusterfrack View Post
    "You can never have too many knives." --Joe Ambercrombie
    Shabbat shalom, motherf***ers! --Mordechai Jefferson Carver

  7. #7
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    PS - since the 642 has a CT grip, I might see if there is enough ambient light to get by. I doubt we will be plunged into total darkness as that would be a touch dangerous for obvious reasons. I've done ambient dim light before.

    Sidebar on that - before I had my cataracts removed, I found in a run in a dimly lit shoothouse, I couldn't see anything at all. I went right by a bad guy in black with a black gun on his chest. Failed that one.

  8. #8
    Deadeye Dick Clusterfrack's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Glenn E. Meyer View Post
    ...I might see if there is enough ambient light to get by. I doubt we will be plunged into total darkness as that would be a touch dangerous for obvious reasons. I've done ambient dim light before.
    I remember shooting a dark house stage the WA IDPA championship at least 10 years ago. I think I was the first shooter other than staff to run the stage, and the SOs were expecting things to happen a certain way--that was not what I did. I had prepared for the stage by closing my eyes and covering my face with my hands to let my eyes adjust. I ran the stage fairly quickly. I don't think I even used a light. When I emerged at the far side, there were no SOs in sight and I could hear yelling. The guy with the timer didn't record my last shots, so I got a re-shoot.
    "You can never have too many knives." --Joe Ambercrombie
    Shabbat shalom, motherf***ers! --Mordechai Jefferson Carver

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Clusterfrack View Post
    I remember shooting a dark house stage the WA IDPA championship at least 10 years ago. I think I was the first shooter other than staff to run the stage, and the SOs were expecting things to happen a certain way--that was not what I did. I had prepared for the stage by closing my eyes and covering my face with my hands to let my eyes adjust. I ran the stage fairly quickly. I don't think I even used a light. When I emerged at the far side, there were no SOs in sight and I could hear yelling. The guy with the timer didn't record my last shots, so I got a re-shoot.
    I read pirates wore a patch for this very reason. They would change the patch to the other eye when going into the dark areas of the boat. Apparently this prevented them from being attacked in the dark as one eye was already adjusted to the darkness.

  10. #10
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    I use the same theory as depicted in the video. The technique is just a little different. I only roll my light hand index finger over the end cap of the light and used the index finger and thumb to extract and change magazines. It works consistently and is simple to learn and maintain.
    "Knowledge is good." Emil Faber, date unknown.

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