Insomuch as it concerns tactical and shooting accessories one of the most common questions concerning weapon-mounted lights like Picatinny flashlights is this: are they really necessary? Insomuch as it concerns tactical and shooting accessories one of the most common questions concerning weapon-mounted lights like Picatinny flashlights is this: are they really necessary?
Well, there are two ways of looking at this. In the sense that your rifle will fire with or without a Picatinny flashlight, no, they are not necessary. You don’t need a WML to utilize your rifle for its basic purpose.
The other way of looking at it is that you’re hindering yourself if you don’t take advantage of every practical tactical tool at your disposal, and the reality is that WMLs are some of the most valuable of them all.
Being Prepared
For anyone that keeps a rifle for the express purpose of home defense, there is no good, defensible reason not to prepare your weapon with a tactical, rail-mounted flashlight that features easy, accessible activation.
Read that again.
There is no reason whatsoever not to use a Picatinny flashlight.
The reason for this is simple and straightforward. Your weapon has the rail space for it, nothing else would really get in its way, and the most important reason of all: in order to defend yourself, you need to be able to see what’s in front of you.
There is a saying in the industry that what you can’t see can kill you, and it’s unfortunately true. If your AR is a hunting rifle and locked up the rest of the time, fine, don’t mount a light. But if you keep it within reach in your home for things that go bump in the night – you’d better be able to see in the dark.
A weapon-mounted light will help you do just that.
What Else Are You Going to Use That Rail Space for?
There is another less powerful argument to be made for a Picatinny flashlight. You have that rail space – what else are you going to use it for?
What else would you realistically mount that far forward on the handguard? You have the space, equip the platform as fully as you can. Unless the light is going to seriously throw off the balance of your weapon or you’re worried about it snagging on gear, go on and mount one.
There are plenty of situations you could find yourself in where you wish you had a Picatinny rail mounted LED weapon light – but hardly any in which you’ll wish you didn’t.
How Many Lumens Are Tactical Flashlights?
Many tactical lights have a high lumen rating, between 300 and 1000 lumens. Some sources will tell you that you shouldn’t accept a WML unless it offers at least 1000 lumens.
While we can’t disagree, this statement doesn’t paint the full picture. You should choose an LED flashlight for your long gun that offers more than 1000 lumens, but it should have a high candela rating as well.
Lumens only measure the power at the emitter. Candela is a separate rating that measures how focused the light beam remains downrange – the higher the better.
Choose the Most Advanced Picatinny Flashlight in the Industry
Before you make any serious decisions about which WML to choose for your rifle, check out Cloud Defensive at CloudDefensive.com. Both the REIN and the OWL are leaders in the industry, extremely durable, versatile weapon-mounted light systems compatible not only with PIc rails but other handguards as well.
Bright, focused, exceptionally durable, waterproof, dustproof, shockproof, long-lasting and powered by rechargeable batteries, they stand in a class of their own for value and performance.
Visit their website today and contact them directly at [email protected] if you have any questions.
