Night Fighting (Scotopic Combat)

EQUIPMENT

The vast majority of shootings occur at night or in low light conditions. If you are to be proficient with your handgun at night, against armed adversaries, it is virtually mandatory to become good with either a weapon mounted light or one of the various flashlight techniques. Weapon and light techniques must be so ingrained that you can handle them without conscious thought, thus allowing you to stay focused on your tactical situation and your adversaries.

It is ironic that very few people, even those who are good with their handguns, have been trained under no-light and low-light conditions: the conditions most likely to be present in a modern-day combat situation. Military, police and firearms professionals should all be heavily trained in proper light techniques. Yet, in working with them, it is obvious that most often their training has been extremely rudimentary. Civilians, even those who are very good with their handguns, are seldom trained in low light situations. Most don't even own a tactical light.

A man who is good with a gun and is well trained in the use of a tactical light has a distinct advantage in low light engagements:

First, he has the ability to identify his opponents from innocent civilians.

Second, he can temporarily blind opponents, gaining tactical advantage from the sensory overload that a powerful light can induce. All of us have had a light shined in our eyes at night and have experienced the resulting loss of vision that lasts until our eyes re-adjust to the darkness. Modern tactical lights, such as those available from "Surefire" are incredibly bright. The automatic response is to close your eyes and turn your head away. This provides an enormous tactical advantage to the person holding the light. While your opponent is closing his eyes and averting them, you can either engage your opponent with your weapon or use a verbal challenge, whichever is appropriate.

Third, the capacity to see while moving in unfamiliar terrain is an obvious edge over an opponent. You have the option of advancing behind the light or briefly lighting up the area in search techniques, then cutting the light and moving. Opponents can be well hidden and the light can help cover your advance even when you are unable to see your adversaries.

Simply stated, a powerful light allows one to search, move, and identify adversaries…all behind what has been referred to as a "wall of light".

Lights as Double Edged Swords

A powerful tactical light is a double edged sword. Improper employment of the light simply marks your location and makes you a target. There are an incredible amount of mistakes you can make with a light, all of which can have some pretty serious consequences…such as getting you shot! Some examples of common mistakes are:

Poor use of ambient light can divulge your position too soon, thus turning over any advantage you may have had. Military personnel in particular do not want to give up their position unless they have to.

Lack of training in when and how to cut it on, and more importantly when to cut it off can cause fear and uncertainty, and/or hesitation when decisive action is required. Each time you cut it on it identifies your location .

Back-flash. This is the unique ability to blind yourself and identify your location to all threats in the area at the same time. Some tactics taught by some organizations can induce this. For others it is a God-given talent.

Advancing quietly in the dark against armed opponents when one of your teammates accidentally lights YOU up!

Weapon Mounted vs. Hand Held

Modern Illumination tools are a far cry from the "D" cell flashlights of old, which put out a poor amount of light with an unfocused beam in an incredibly unwieldy and unreliable package. For most tactical employment of a light, a hand held light is superior, however in several instances the weapon mounted light is necessary.

A military unit or S.W.A.T. team moving into a building to engage known hostiles would overwhelmingly choose a weapon mounted light. A police officer working the street or a civilian with a C.C.W. would not want to point his gun at every suspicious person or potentially dangerous area that they want to light up.

Lawsuits, disciplinary action, loss of C.C.W., etc. would soon follow. A good system for civilian use is a weapon mounted light at home, and a hand held light for legal concealed carry. For the average officer on the street, a powerful hand held light is generally the best way to go. If issued a weapon mounted gun light system, a second hand held light would still be necessary to inspect and identify people and areas that you do not want to cover with your muzzle in the vast majority of the situations confronting you.

Weapon Mounted Handgun Light

The operating systems for weapon mounted lights can be either switch or pressure sensitive. Pressure operated switches are optimum because they allow you to maintain your normal firing grip. Disable switches, which allow you to shut off the pressure operated switches, are also extremely desirable for those times you must absolutely not give your position away by an involuntary convulsive grasp. It is common when training individuals to operate with weapons at night, to see repeated unintentional illumination of their lights. Each time a light is accidentally switched on, the individual has jeopardized his location and that of his teammates. In addition, he has ruined a good part of their ability to see in the ambient light, if they had an opportunity to do so. At worst, it also invites a fusillade of hostile fire to that location.

Advantages of Weapon Mounted Handgun Lights

Ability to maintain two handed firing grip Equipment manipulation is facilitated when the support hand is not full of flashlight, thus allowing for prompt reloading, malfunction clearances and use of communication gear. Muzzle light alignment is not affected by recoil or by the support hand's actions Movement is smoother over rough terrain or when confronted with stairs, obstacles, doors, ladders, etc. Handling of suspects or wounded is obviously easier with one hand free.

Disadvantages of Weapon Mounted Handgun Lights

Presentation from holster is slightly impeded (If required to present rapidly, tenths of seconds could be critical to survival). If you are simply suspicious you cannot light up individuals or areas without covering them with your muzzle. A second hand held light is needed. Can't use intimidation effect of bright light to deter aggressors without deploying weapon. Most do not lend themselves well to concealed carry. For C.C.W. use, they must snap on and off easily, and be small enough to store in a small pouch or pocket. Control switches are crude in most cases. Most control switches use a glue pad and a loose hanging wire. This is far from optimum.

Most Popular Brands of Weapon Mounted Handgun Lights

The two most popular brands of handgun mounted lights are SUREFIRE and INSIGHT TECHNOLOGY.

Surefire offers four dedicated weapon mounted light systems for handguns:

The Nitrolon Series: made of a light weight extremely tough polymer, with a total weight of only 5.5 ounces.

The Military Series: designed at the request of an elite unit in Naval Special Warfare. It is made of aerospace grade aluminum, with a mil-spec, hard anodized finish, and is totally waterproof. The weight also increased to 8.2 ounces. Both the Nitrolon and Military Series offer lamp assemblies in the 65-120 lumens range, with corresponding run times of 60 to 20 minutes respectively.

The Millennium Series: as Surefire states, "the largest, most powerful, handgun weapon light that there is". The weight increases to 10.4 ounces. This is pretty heavy. It must be remembered that the average Glock in an officer's holster is only approximately 22 ounces. We are getting close to half the weight of the gun. The plus side is the corresponding light output at 125 to 225 lumens, doubling the power of the other lights and almost 3 1/2 times brighter than the standard 65 lumen lamp assemblies, if comparing its best output of 225 lumens.

The X200 is "The world's smallest high performance LED weapon light" according to Surefire. The unit is only 3.3 ounces in weight, and approximately 3.25" long. It uses an ultra bright shockproof LED that makes it four times brighter than a 2 D-Cell flashlight. (LED's are vastly more durable than standard bulbs and give far superior run times.) This Mil -Spec hard anodized finished weapon light is waterproof to 30 meters. Mounting easily to all rail equipped Glocks and other popular handguns, the unit also can be attached to the Picatinny rail of your rifle or subgun. It is a 3-watt LED system producing 60-65 lumens. The switching system is an ambidextrous momentary or constant "on" rocker switch with the added capability to accept optional grip activated switches for your handgun or a pressure pad for your long gun. The ease with which it snaps on and off your handgun in seconds makes this an incredibly versatile system.

The Surefire light systems offer a plethora of options to the buyer, including lamp assemblies, switching options, waterproofing, and various surface finishes. These lights are so rugged that Special Forces in the field have reportedly used them to knock opponents down by quick punch to the head in CQB engagements. Obviously, this is not recommended. But, it is a statement on the operator's confidence in the ruggedness of the system. No-one would even think of trying this with anything but a Surefire system. Surefire weapon lights are all shock isolated and water tight. They are the unquestioned choice of entry teams, both military and S.W.A.T. Their ergonomic "slim line pressure switch" is the best you can get. This ambidextrous switch allows your firing grip to be completely normal, and a simple pressure increase of your firing grip turns the light on. Release your grip slightly, and the light goes off. Modern tactics require momentary control of a light switch. Shoot and move tactics require light on, scan, or engage your target, light off and move from that position. In the fractions of a second time frame of a life and death gun fight, you want the light switch to be as natural and convenient a movement as possible, without interfering in any way with your firing grip. Surefire's "Slim line Pressure Switch" does this better than any other brand.

The M3 from Insight Technology is Surefire's only serious competitor. At first glance, this doesn't make sense. The M3 is not nearly as rugged (I have seen people during training hit their M3 into an obstacle and the M3 fell off the gun). Also, Surefire offers lamp assemblies that will easily out perform the M3. Surefire offers light switches that are ergonomically superior, with lots of options to configure the system to your personal needs. In summation, Surefire light systems are brighter, more rugged, with superior ergonomics in actual combat.

So, one may wonder how the M3 could even compete with Surefire. The professionals I have worked with all say the same thing: Insight made an incredibly good compromise. Small, light, portable, inexpensive, and easily mounted to the weapon in seconds. Insight has dominated this niche in the civilian sector. Insights newest entry into the weapon light field is what they call the X series, which are advertised as Mil-Spec, more powerful, rugged, and watertight to 20 meters. Even with the addition of these upgrades to Insight's weapon mounted lights, the dominance they have enjoyed in the civilian sector is seriously threatened by Surefire's new X200.

Insight's most popular handgun mounted lights:

• M3 - 90 lumen light
• M6 - 90 lumen light with laser illuminator
• M3X - 125 lumen light, shock suppression system, water tight to 20 meters
• M6X - 125 lumen light with laser illuminator, shock suppression system, water tight to 20 meters

Hand Held Lights

Hand held lights dominate the field of day to day use by armed professionals. They are lighter, cheaper, less bulky and far more useful for routine employment. Weapon mounted lights are specialized in their use, while hand held lights are the work horses of the combat light arena.

Advantages of Hand Held Lights

• Presentation of your weapon from your holster is not impeded.
• Allows you to light up an individual or an area without covering them with your muzzle.
• Can use intimidation effect of bright light to deter aggressors without deploying weapon
• Best suitability for C.C.W. use.
• Obvious versatility from combat to civilian use.

Disadvantages with Hand Held Lights

Obvious problems with hand held flashlight techniques:

• Degradation of the two handed firing grip
• reduction of steadiness during firing sequence

• reduction of recoil control and thus rate of fire

• Equipment manipulation is awkward when support hand is encumbered with flashlight, thus preventing smooth reloading, clearing of malfunctions and use of communication gear

• Improper grip can cause displacement of beam with muzzle alignment
• Movement in rough terrain is difficult when both hands are occupied. Obstacles such as stairs, ladders, and doors are more burdensome.
• Ability to handle suspects or wounded is limited

There are numerous other problems. Far too many to list here. Techniques to handle these problems have been developed and some are quite efficient. All require practice for you to be proficient with them in a time of stress. Obviously none are as fast or as steady as when you have the use of both hands and clear vision during daylight.

Most Popular Brands of Hand Held Lights

The hand held light which set the standard in 1987 was the Surefire 6P. A very compact and powerful flashlight. This light is about the size of a marker pen and is stunningly brilliant, able to temporarily blind and disorient your opponent and still fit easily in a pocket. Surefire rules the hand held light arena with no real competitors. The 6P puts out a very good output of 65 Lumens of Light. This will handle most jobs quite well. The last I heard, the company offered lights from 15 lumens to a sun bright 2000 lumens of power. Modern hand held lights are operated from a tail cap on the end of the flashlight. This is a momentary switch that holds the light on only as long as pressure is applied. Some can be locked on by pressing down hard. The number and styles offered by Surefire is a staggering number, with all their different lamp assemblies, switching options, surface finishes, white light, LED, and laser modules.

Summation

The light most likely in the hands and duty belts of armed professionals is a Surefire. It is the industry leader in hand held and weapon mounted lights. The products from the company are incredibly bright from amazingly small packages whose ruggedness and dependability are legendary. If you pay attention to the news when Special Ops or S.W.A.T. teams are fielded, you will probably see a Surefire attached to the weapon they are employing. For use by entry teams, or by your bedside, a weapon mounted light is the best option, and Surefire offers the best weapon mounted light systems for these areas.

For concealed carry or day-to-day uniform use, a hand held light is the best overall option, and, once again, Surefire offers several excellent systems to choose from. I personally own and use Surefire's Z2 because of its overall superiority. For a weapon mounted light, the X200 is outstanding in terms of ruggedness, light weight, small size and convenient rapidity of attachment.

A test of your handgun abilities will most likely occur at night. In order to be proficient with a handgun in low light situations, you must purchase quality equipment and obtain proper training in its tactical employment. When such a situation does present itself, you will consider the time and money spent to be priceless. The confidence this preparedness gives you when the "chips are down," and your skills are needed will be obvious to everyone, friend and foe alike.

1. Equipment : I have purchased and tested a lot of gear from a significant amount of sources in the firearms industry. Some of it worked as advertised and a lot of it turned out to be junk. Very seldom did the manufacturer work with you to find out which of their items truly fit your needs, and if it was a problem most made refund or repair a real headache. If you are serious about the best equipment in lights, you will eventually acquire a Surefire product. In all the years I have bought products from them, any problem was either fixed or repaired instantly without hassle. The people working there are of the highest professional caliber.

Surefire

18300 Mt. Baldy Circle Fountain Valley, CA 92708 (800) 828-8809

Insight Technology

3 Technology Drive Londonderry, NH 03053 (877) 744-4802

1. Training: Nothing beats a professional who is not only good with his gun, but much more importantly, experienced in its tactical employment. There are only two ways to become experienced. One is real life, the other is training as close to real world as you can get.

The average person who wants to feel better able to defend himself will just go buy a new gun. The person who is serious about being good with a gun will buy a good defensive handgun, a professional quality light, and seek training that significantly enhances your ability to survive a night fight. Standing still at a range punching paper in broad daylight doesn't do very much to improve your ability to protect your loved ones or prevail in combat against multiple adversaries, in the dark, in unknown surroundings.

For information about A.D.E. Night Fighting courses, please call or e-mail A.D.E.