Steve Fisher of Michigan Defensive Firearms Institute (MDFI) added a bonus three-hour low light class to the end of his two-day handgun and carbine visit to the Pima Pistol Club, north of Tucson, in mid-January 2008. Low light shooting is hard to master and dangerous to learn alone, and the students were glad to have the chance.
Course overview
- School: Michigan Defensive Firearms Institute
- Length: About 3 hours, late evening until after dark
- Prerequisite: A pistol license or certification
- Required gear: Clear shooting glasses, a good flashlight with spare batteries, a handgun and strong-side holster, and about 200 rounds each of handgun and carbine ammunition
- Host: Scott, who ran the monthly Tucson ACTS rifle matches and knew Fisher through ACTS
What was covered
- Lighting options: the pros and cons of each, plus many ways to mount and manipulate a weapon light.
- Fit the technique to your life: know a few techniques, then practice the one that suits your circumstances. For most people that means everyday concealed carry, so a handheld light with the carry handgun matters more than a weapon-mounted light.
- Drills: handgun and carbine in low light and full dark, with lights and with night vision alone, using everything from the previous two days: light manipulation, shooting technique, transitions, reloads and follow-through.
- Wave drill: one of the last drills had the whole line shooting in quick succession, an impressive display in the dark.
Safety in the dark
- Drills ran slower and under total supervision, some one shooter at a time.
- A light in the parking area behind the line let students reload during breaks without ruining their night vision.
- Conditions were a three-quarter moon, sunset around 5:30 and about 45 degrees, cold enough for a jacket.
- After the class, students swept the range for dropped live rounds before the next morning’s ACTS match.
Observations
- Shooting in low light uses more equipment, takes more thinking and is far more dangerous, so it belongs in a supervised class.
- Students were tired but more alert than ever in the dark.
Takeaways
- Practice with the light you actually carry every day.
- Keep a reload light behind the line to protect night vision during breaks.
- Read the Handgun 1 and Carbine 1 reports from the same visit.
Originally published on After Action.net on January 21, 2008. Rebuilt from the archived report; the original photos were not preserved. See every class in the Training Log, or share your own training experience.
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