{"id":1841,"date":"2025-09-30T22:12:32","date_gmt":"2025-09-30T22:12:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tactical-dailynews.com\/?p=1841"},"modified":"2025-09-30T22:12:33","modified_gmt":"2025-09-30T22:12:33","slug":"how-to-pick-the-right-tactical-light","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tactical-dailynews.com\/?p=1841","title":{"rendered":"How To Pick The Right Tactical Light"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Out for a walk with the dogs, you need even more options. Yes, a light on the pistol, but also a light for the dark corners as well as \u201cwork\u201d within arm\u2019s reach.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

I go over 8 must-consider factors when choosing a tactical light, whether it be for a pistol, a rifle or just everyday carry.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Until we learn to use sonar, or genetic manipulation gives us the means of thermal ID, we need light. But because this is America and there are lots of options \u2026 well, that doesn\u2019t mean they are all correct.<\/p>\n

You have to choose\u2014and you have to choose wisely. Here are a few things to keep in mind.<\/p>\n

1. Enough But Not Too Much<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The idea of a megawatt light source makes some of us a bit giddy. I mean, who doesn\u2019t want to be wielding 2,500 lumens of tactical light or even more?<\/p>\n

Well, try doing anything indoors with that light.<\/p>\n

\"tactical<\/figure>\n

Room-clearing would be an awful experience, yes, but just plain searching for the blasted blankety-blank<\/em> thing you need when the power is out would be a chore. In truth, 2,500 lumens will blind you when it hits those developer-approved Navajo White walls you are fond of.<\/p>\n

Show some restraint when buying a light. We were all agog when SureFire came out with its first handheld tactical light. \u201cSixty lumens? Oh my.\u201d That was considered blinding back then.<\/p>\n

So, if you need a pocket light, consider one with selectable lumen outputs. And if it\u2019s to be mounted on a pistol, keep a hand on your impulses and \u201csettle\u201d for a \u201cmere\u201d 500 lumens\u2014max.<\/p>\n

2. More Than One<\/strong><\/h2>\n

I know what you\u2019re thinking: Oh, right, the two becomes one, one becomes none<\/em> adage, right?<\/p>\n

Well, yes and no. If you\u2019re going to depend on lights, you need backups. But, you also often need more than one tool. Two examples come to mind: dogs and dropped items.<\/p>\n

Each night, when I take the dogs out for their last walk of the day, I\u2019ve got three lights on me. One is a 2,000-lumen blaster. If there\u2019s something moving out there in the dark, I want to do more than just see it. If it might be a hazard, I want its little retinas to fairly sizzle when I light them up.<\/p>\n

\"pistol\"pistol
Having a light on your pistol is good, but not enough. You need a non-gun light source to avoid embarrassment \u2026 or worse.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But when it comes time to pick up dog poop (I\u2019m a responsible dog owner, and the city requires it even if I wasn\u2019t), I don\u2019t need 2,500 lumens. So, I have an adjustable-lumen light clipped to my pocket programmed to start on \u201cLow.\u201d<\/p>\n

No dogs?<\/p>\n

OK, how about this: You\u2019ve walked to your car, and at the car you fumbled and dropped something. Are you going to pull out your concealed handgun, turn on your weapon-mounted light and search for it? If you are, I will disclaim any knowledge of your existence. \u201cBob Smith, the light-on-his-gun-in-the-parking-lot guy? Nope, never met him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Such things are at the very least going to get you talked about. And if anything at all goes awry, you could find yourself in some serious trouble. Have a regular light so you can see dropped things, find the keyhole on the lock, etc.<\/p>\n

3. Know Your Beam<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Lights come with reflectors, and they determine the shape of the slight spread. If you\u2019re going to be putting a light on a rifle in the country to deal with varmints and hogs, yes, you want power. But you also want a \u201chot\u201d center, lots of throw with a lot of those lumens in the center of the beam. The measure of that is the candela power, and for reach you need a hot center.<\/p>\n

But, if you\u2019re going to be working indoors, you want a wide spread so you can see things not in the center. Oh, you\u2019ll want a hot center also, but you need spread as well.<\/p>\n

\"rifle\"rifle<\/figure>\n

So, do your research and buy accordingly. That wide beam doesn\u2019t help when trying to hit that coyote at 100 yards, and the high-intensity hot beam is a big fail indoors.<\/p>\n

4. Control the Controls<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Light only helps if you can call on it when needed. Learn the controls of your light, and practice until you can do them by \u201cI need this\u201d and it happens.<\/p>\n

On handguns, that means learning the controls so you can do momentary or continuous. You can select strobe if you want, and you can turn it off easily. In the dark, under stress, is no time to be learning the controls or trying to remember what you read in the owner\u2019s manual, once. On rifles and shotguns that also means training yourself to where the controls are.<\/p>\n

\"tactical\"tactical
Once you have mounted a light onto your rifle or shotgun \u2026 learn to run it as efficiently as you\u2019ve learned to run your firearm.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Well, first you have to mount them where you can reach them. Then you learn to reach and control them. So, mount the light and its switch (if that is cabled to be remote) and then practice. If the practice just isn\u2019t working, try a different location. \u201cBut that\u2019s where the SEAL team guy who taught us mounted his.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"tactical\"tactical
Practice to see if you can reach the switch. If not, move it until you can, regardless of \u201chow the SEALs do it.\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

His light was mounted where it was for a reason. That reason might have been good, or it might have simply been required. His reasons and requirements may or may not be the same as yours.<\/p>\n

Mount yours where it works for you.<\/p>\n

5. Backup Your Batteries<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u201cBackup\u201d means backup lights and back up batteries for all of them. Your light might come with a battery or batteries. Great. But your practice (and need I remind you to practice?) will use up some of that juice. Buy more now before you need them.<\/p>\n

And here\u2019s a hint: Buy in bulk. Why? OK, a common battery for lights is the CR123A. I did a quick search and found six-packs for $13 or so. Hmm. That\u2019s $2.16 per battery before we even get to shipping? That seems like a lot.<\/p>\n

The last time I bought CR123As, I bought a tray of 100 of them. With shipping, it was around $120. So, $1.20 per. Yes, that\u2019s a lot of batteries, but they do not go bad sitting on the shelf. I have a multi-year supply, and if prices go up (they never go down), my deal gets better and better.<\/p>\n

Store yours in a warm, dry place that won\u2019t get stuff spilled on it. Label the box. Keep an eye on it if you have friends or relatives who might dip into your supply. You\u2019re set.<\/p>\n

\"tactical\"tactical<\/figure>\n

6. Know the Law<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Actually, pay attention to the law, because in this regard the law is pretty much the same everywhere. Pointing a loaded weapon at someone is an assault, and doing so could bring consequences.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re back to that search in the parking lot situation. So, there you are, scrambling in the parking lot or the parking structure, using your one-and-only source of illumination, your pistol light, to find what you dropped, and someone asks \u201cNeed some help there?\u201d Reflexively, you turn the source of light to see who is talking, and you have just committed an assault.<\/p>\n

Will they notice? Will they care? Will they scream for help? Call 911? The responding authorities are not necessarily going to be understanding.<\/p>\n

You might get a warning; you might get more. It would not be unusual in some jurisdictions for you\u2014at the very least\u2014to lose your CPL and not get it back. Or, you might get it back after much legal hassle. So, know when you can use it, and if you do need to, have already worked out the details and processes with your attorney.<\/p>\n

7. Know the Company<\/strong><\/h2>\n

If you break your light, can it be fixed? Will the company stand behind their warranty? Do tire tracks and hammer marks void the warranty?<\/p>\n

Oh, let\u2019s stop beating around the bush. Why are you buying a tactical light made out of chinesium? If this is important, it is important. So, buy good gear. The adage \u201cbuy once, cry once\u201d comes to mind. Cry over the high price and the performance it brings, not over the failure because the cheap, crappy light failed you when you dropped it, once.<\/p>\n

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\"durable\"durable
Buy quality and you won\u2019t regret it. This light has been dropped (even gun writers can be clumsy), and it still works just fine.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

I expect a light, when dropped, to show the marks but still keep working. If I drop a light (hey, we all get clumsy, tired, have our hands full), and the light doesn\u2019t work \u2026 hmm. The maker gets one chance to fix it. If they can\u2019t, won\u2019t or it fails again, I don\u2019t use it. And I won\u2019t show it in an article. (No, I won\u2019t send you a list.)<\/p>\n

8. Learn the Lingo<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Last on this list, but first in your efforts: Learn the lingo. Learn the difference between lumens and candela. Learn the difference between flood and throw. Get a sense of the performance parameters to be had out there. If a new company offers a light that has just as many lumens as the big guys, but promises twice the runtime, be suspicious.<\/p>\n

Know what things mean before you are standing at the counter of your local gun shop, perusing tactical lights.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s your money, after all.<\/p>\n

But then again, it\u2019s your safety, after all, too.<\/p>\n

Editor’s Note:<\/strong>\u00a0This article originally appeared in the November 2025 issue of\u00a0Gun Digest the Magazine<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n\n

More On Tactical Lights:<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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