Home Defense

[ZigZagZeke]

So, as you see here this AR has a low magnification scope and an illuminated Aimpoint style sight. That's good for daylight hours, but what about at night?

Some background: I live on several wooded acres, with a 150 yard driveway that connects with a quarter mile of one lane gravel road to get to a paved street. the police are 30 minutes away. I have to consider a home invasion scenario where I'm being attacked by several bad guys who are approaching through the woods during the day or at night.

So I added a 2000 lumen flashlight and a high powered red laser with paddle switch to this setup. I tried it out last night and the flashlight is like daylight out to about 75 yards, and provides good visibility through the scope. The red laser is still visible through the scope even with the flashlight on. Looks like this is a really effective setup for repelling invaders in the woods at night. I thought about night vision, but the good night equipment is very expensive and easily destroyed by exposure to too much light. I think this is a good start while I keep thinking about night vision stuff. Thoughts?

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[E4mafia]

Did you bore sight the laser? If not I would suggest that.

Maybe throw on a grip to for easier house controls. Optional master key attachment?

NOD's would be nice but thats ultimately subjective to situation. Still i'd take NODs vs going in the dark entirely. The light exposure isn't as bad as movies and stuff make it out to be unless if you were already directly looking head on into the beam at high lumens anyways. I would suggest Gen2 forwards for NODS like PVS 14's, you can use a skull cap to wear them instead of a ACH+Jhook/Rhino mount.

If you do get NODs for sure practice walking around and doing simple tasks with them. Its a game changer with your depth perception being changed, you'll look like a baby learning how to walk the firs time until you get used to using it.

 

[Ura-Ki]

Mine is an Old School Colt 607 clone SBR with ACOG and Breacher modded brake/suppressor!
For the first time I am considering a weapon mounted light, something very small and low powered that can mount to the side of the front 'A' frame sight! Though I am still looking for the light and switch! Wouldn't mind having a small laser on the opposite side ether, as long as the switches are easy to reach and activate and the units are very small! I have the mount, just haven't found the light/laser yet!

 

[ZigZagZeke]

Did you bore sight the laser? If not I would suggest that.

Maybe throw on a grip to for easier house controls. Optional master key attachment?

NOD's would be nice but thats ultimately subjective to situation. Still i'd take NODs vs going in the dark entirely. The light exposure isn't as bad as movies and stuff make it out to be unless if you were already directly looking head on into the beam at high lumens anyways. I would suggest Gen2 forwards for NODS like PVS 14's, you can use a skull cap to wear them instead of a ACH+Jhook/Rhino mount.

If you do get NODs for sure practice walking around and doing simple tasks with them. Its a game changer with your depth perception being changed, you'll look like a baby learning how to walk the firs time until you get used to using it.

I sighted in the scope and then registered the laser to the scope. That seems to have worked well with other weapons.

 

[E4mafia]

Good enough so long as it'll hit what the lasers pointed at within 50 meters.

Sounds like you got it pretty much dialed in.

 

[ZigZagZeke]

I got this flashlight on Amazon. About $30.

WINDFIRE Tactical Flashlight 2000 Lumens LED Weapon Light with Quick Release Picatinny Rail Mount Offset Mount for Outdoor

Hunting,Remote Pressure Switch

 

[Koda]

Im curious what the Aimpoint is for when you have a scope...?

 

[Member 18201]

View attachment 653678
So, as you see here this AR has a low magnification scope and an illuminated Aimpoint style sight. That's good for daylight hours, but what about at night?
....................

Find a proper range area , and find out how it works at night.

After the first shot, things look different.


...................

 

[ZigZagZeke]

Im curious what the Aimpoint is for when you have a scope...?

An Aimpoint is much quicker than a scope for target acquisition. Due to eyesight considerations, iron sights are out of the question. I did pro tournament paintball for a few years and a scope is not what you want when you need to shoot quickly.

 

[revjen45]

Why not an ensemble to put you on top of the panoply of situations you may find confronting you?
I concur that the AR is well set up. At night 50 yd is probably as far as you would need to shoot, and that's because of your particular situation. For most people it's a lot less. We are on 1/2 ac on a semi-rural cul-de-sac, about 50 yd to the street from the garage with 2nd story overwatch on the driveway. 50 yd would an absolute max.
A shotgun gives you the option for up close crunch with some loss of precision, which is of slightly less concern under low light. For a quick first shot and a follow up with a lot of Clang, Honk, Tweet it's hard to beat a 12 ga. with your favorite size buck.
And, last but not least, a handgun that doesn't have to be light enough to be comfortably carried, a saddle pistol as it were.

 

[Geardo]

I agree with others, night vision would be ideal, but are you going to have time to put it on?

What light did you buy? 2k lumens sounds great, if the Candela and color are correct.

Optimized Weapon Light - Cloud Defensive

OWL BUY OWL OPTIMIZED WEAPON LIGHT What a weapon light should be. BUY NOW Your weapon light needs to be built around your gun and around your needs. Not the other way around. No more retro-fitting traditional lights to your gun. Bottom line: You should succeed because of your weapon light. Not...

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The modlight is another good option.

 

[Member 18201]

Target identification is paramount over target acquisition.

jus' sayin'....

 

[revjen45]

"Target identification is paramount over target acquisition."

WHAT?!?! We don't need no steenking target identification!
The Dispensers of Truth, Justice, and The American Way scream that UNTRAINED CIVILIANS are too stupid and malicious to worry about crap like that. If you watch any TV program depicting gun owners we are a bunch of vicious hicks just hoping for the "chance" to open fire on some hapless (Fill in the blank. The higher the intersectionality score, the more heinous.) who just broke into your house to avoid freezing. (If you hear something just open fire, and do target identification when you turn the body over. That's how we are portrayed)
A light off of the gun permits you look around without sweeping everything you look at. NOT saying the a light doesn't belong on the rifle, just that I would prefer to identify the target prior to pointing the rifle at it. If I'm pointing the rifle mounted light at the Tango, I would probably want the laser on too. Finger still off the trigger.

 

[ZigZagZeke]

Target identification is paramount over target acquisition.

jus' sayin'....

Hence the high intensity flashlight. If you are stumbling around my property at 3 am I am not going to worry about muzzle sweep, and I want both hands on the rifle.

 

[ZigZagZeke]

I agree with others, night vision would be ideal, but are you going to have time to put it on?

What light did you buy? 2k lumens sounds great, if the Candela and color are correct.

Optimized Weapon Light - Cloud Defensive

OWL BUY OWL OPTIMIZED WEAPON LIGHT What a weapon light should be. BUY NOW Your weapon light needs to be built around your gun and around your needs. Not the other way around. No more retro-fitting traditional lights to your gun. Bottom line: You should succeed because of your weapon light. Not...

clouddefensive.com

The modlight is another good option.

I have the paddle switch affixed to the hand guard precisely where the tip of my left index finger naturally ends up. Works great.

 

[Alexx1401]

VERY nice set up. I have a light / laser combo on all of my guns now that I may "go to" in the home. Eye's are old these days. When we lived in the city it was never "dark" unless power died. When I moved out to the county it was a different story and power goes out a lot more. Now days if power dies I feel like I am suddenly in a damn cave
The lights I buy have a rechargeable battery that charges while on the item. Little magnet grabs them to charge. Liked it so much I bought a bunch of them. Many don't like these things buy I am solidly sold on them.

 

[Geardo]

I have the paddle switch affixed to the hand guard precisely where the tip of my left index finger naturally ends up. Works great.

Both the lights I mentioned at $400 setups. That is quite a jump from a $30 amazon light (I missed that reply)

Please consider an Amrytek viking Pro in warm color+ a pressure switch.

It should help you see at distance much better, and its like a $100 setup. They are very durable, I own a few and have gone hundreds of rounds with 2 of them on rifles.

 

[Cerberus Group]

My thought;

A light needs to be mounted to the rifle. Hard to manipulate a rifle with one hand, under pressure...when one hasn't consistently trained to do it...and you won't see anyone with any experience run a rifle without one attached.

Lumens means nothing without Candella to back it up. Think Lumens as Volts, unless you have Amps to back it up...you have little. Candella is the Amps...which is needed for longer sight distance...and the light needs to be as capable as the weapon its attached to.

Case in point; Modlite offers a WML (OKW), which only has 680 Lumens, but has 69,000 Candella. This light will easily ID something at 200 yards, whereas a light with 1,500 Lumens, and with 15,000 Candella...is good for about 50-75 yards or so...and most designated WMLs only run with around 11,000-15,000+ Candella.

Pistol lights on rifles work for close range, as they weren't meant for distance...they don't have the Candella or focused beam for that.

Had a few night light sections of training last year where folks would bring out lights and see how useful they were. Most...were not. Do not short change yourself in this area...ID is paramount.

Lastly...I'd run a remote switch. Keeping a complete grip on the rifle is a plus.

I would go with a LPVO with a lighted reticle, before going with two different sights. I look at weight savings and bulk. Just make sure the LVPO chosen has a true 1 power for close in work.

 

[Geardo]

My thought;

A light needs to be mounted to the rifle. Hard to manipulate a rifle with one hand, under pressure...when one hasn't consistently trained to do it...and you won't see anyone with any experience run a rifle without one attached.

Lumens means nothing without Candella to back it up. Think Lumens as Volts, unless you have Amps to back it up...you have little. Candella is the Amps...which is needed for longer sight distance...and the light needs to be as capable as the weapon its attached to.

Case in point; Modlite offers a WML (OKW), which only has 680 Lumens, but has 69,000 Candella. This light will easily ID something at 200 yards, whereas a light with 1,500 Lumens, and with 15,000 Candella...is good for about 50-75 yards or so...and most designated WMLs only run with around 11,000-15,000+ Candella.

Pistol lights on rifles work for close range, as they weren't meant for distance...they don't have the Candella or focused beam for that.

Had a few night light sections of training last year where folks would bring out lights and see how useful they were. Most...were not. Do not short change yourself in this area...ID is paramount.

Lastly...I'd run a remote switch. Keeping a complete grip on the rifle is a plus.

I would go with a LPVO with a lighted reticle, before going with two different sights. I look at weight savings and bulk. Just make sure the LVPO chosen has a true 1 power for close in work.

Some truth bombs right there.

 

[Geardo]

P&S ModCast 183: A Little Light Science

Primary & Secondary ModCast<br>The panel discusses the science of light, terminology, technology, and application.<br>Host: Matt Landfair<br>Panel:<br>Bill Blowers<br>Jordan Bowles<br>Sean McCauley<br>Matt Tenbarge<br>Episode sponsors:<br>Faxon Firearms - <a href="http://faxonfirearms.com/"...

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