Shooting w. a Flashlight

[Aglifter]

Some of this might be common knowledge, but I haven't read it anywhere (aside from practicing shooting while holding a flashlight, which is common sense.)

I don't know how relevant it will be to anyone else - but I don't see anything clearly idiosyncratic. I am cross-dominant. (Actually, I'm left-handed and eyed, but I learned to shoot w. my right hand.)

A) Practice aiming with the flashlight in your hands. The actual aiming bit isn't too hard, but it is a physical skill part of what to do w. your hands. This could be easily practiced, effectively, in the daytime. (Some shooting should still be at night, to get you used to the muzzle flash, etc, but its not too bad w. a flash-suppressed load.)

B) I used a Tomahawk flashlight, with both strobing, constant red/green mix, low white, and high-intensity white. (Candlepower forum review of a Tomahawk w.o. the red-green LEDs - I agree, well over 100 lumens, compared to other lights I've seen.)

In general, the strobe seemed dimmer than the constant high. If not needed for intimidation/illumination for some other reason, the "high" setting of the red-green mix was the fastest to ID the sights, and the easiest to adjust between the light being off and on - essentially, superior in all ways for the actual shooting.

Strobe was, consistently, the second, except for close, on a gloss surface.

Technique

Flashlight held by index finger of weak hand, buttons worked by weak thumb. Tried to put my hand in as close to a normal position as possible.

I punched out, then turned the light on, once I had a firing grip - I should try to turn on the light as I push out, but that will take practice.

The light was, often, pointed slightly off-center, but it didn't seem relevant inside small rooms. It may preclude any use as a means of intimidation at longer distances (I was ~12 yards from the berm) - but it was, consistently, close enough to provide illumination.

Environments

I was in a run-in shed outside in the dark - darker than any urban environment I've seen - but there was still enough ambient light, once my eyes adjusted, to make out objects, etc. Dark enough that I could see a person, but I would not be able to make out finer facial details.

The other environments were as dark as I could get it, inside a WIC, with white plaster walls, and my plate rack ~45 min after sunset - dark earth berm.

Once I get back to the plant, I will try it in larger, pitch black rooms, and on matte surfaces. I will also try using some XS Big Dots, but I do not foresee those being especially good.

Guns used

I tried 4 guns: A G17 3rd gen, with a TFO front sight, and stock rear - shot about 1000 rounds through this gun in competition; an XDm 5.25 w. and adjustable rear, and a .100" Dawson FO fiber optic - shot ~3500 rounds through it in competition; two P7 PSPs w. green front and yellow rear lamps installed in the original sights - one blued, one w. a matte coating - about 500 rounds in competition, but very easy for me to use.

Range at dusk - really, the darker side of dusk: (G17 not tried.)

FO w. adjustable rear: With the addition of the flashlight, enough ambient light to discern a slight glow from the FO rod. The light bars were discernible, but not perfectly clear.

The night sights worked well, but I saw the dots, more than the actual sights. I wasn't running the timer, but I was slower with the flashlight illumination than sunlight, but holding the flashlight. I suspect this is a practice issue, more than a physics one.

Holding the flashlight will be slower than not.

Run-In Shed.

No noticeable difference between aiming with the strobe, or the constant high. It was easier to use the "high" setting of the red-green mix.

XDm
Excellent sight picture with the FO and adjustable steel rear. FO was invisible, under any illumination. But, a textbook sight picture, especially with the constant high.

Even though this is the gun that I was most familiar with, I had the poorest initial sight alignment.

G17
Decent sight picture - better initial alignment, but not as good with the full-night sights. Front sight rod remained visible, even with the high on. The front sight is not as crisp, and distinct as the trijicon lamps in the rear sight.

PSP, blued.

Best initial alignment - again, great sight picture - this refers more to the physical shape of the sights than anything else.

PSP, matte.

Same as the blued, but slightly easier to maintain sight focus, as there was less glare off the slide.

Closet (Gloss white plaster, dark as possible room.)

For all guns, the red-green LED mix was the best choice to aim. While that was true for all environments, in this situation, the glare back from the wall was difficult to deal with from the high constant beam, and caused immediate, complete, night blindness once turned off, for a few seconds.

None of the sights were easy to use with the strobe - all had an initial shock, and pause to focus - it was hard to maintain sight focus, or to get my dominant eye to take a definite picture of the sights. Although I regularly shoot with both eyes open, I had to close my non-dominant eye to maintain a good sight picture.

The constant high was not much easier to deal with. I could acquire a sight picture, but it was too hard to hold it - again, the best choice was to shoot w. the non-dominant eye closed.

Results were pretty much the same as the shed - but it simply wasn't possible to maintain a good sight picture with the strobe. High Constant was a much, much better choice, but all sights were a struggle, except for the red-green mix. Using a high-power light in this environment severely impaired my night vision.

The matte PSP was more of an advantage in this situation than it was in the shed.

Conclusions:

Earlier, I had shot various sights into a berm, w. the sun setting behind it, and in side-shadow. In those environments, the best sight picture was from the FO front sight, and adjustable rear - the second best was with the TFO, simply because they were not quite as bright as the FO.

The night sights were all but invisible, under a very intense direct sun exposure - even an optical sight is difficult in side shadow, and it isn't possible, TMK, to shoot well from a bright environment into a dark one.

The TFO set-up does cost you sight radius, possibly durability, relative to both the night sight and the FO/Matte rear. There are not many options available to adjust the POA to meet your POI. As it is a larger sight, in daylight, I did not have as good a sight picture as I have w. the FO front and adjustable rear.

But, for guns where the POI/POA line up, I think it is the best system for a carry gun.