LOW-LIGHT PRACTICE TIPS

Despite the mindsets of certain people out there, defending yourself in low light is not as simple as having a light. There are some challenges you have to get used to and practice to overcome. Having a light on your person means very little, just like having a gun makes you just as capable of defending yourself as owning pots and pans makes you a world class gourmet chef.

ONE-HANDED SHOOTING

I have mentioned in the past that being able to shoot with one hand is a vital skill to have. In low light, if you are limited to shooting with one hand due to limitations or circumstance, you might want to be capable of putting your rounds on target with precision and with haste. It is not as easy as you may think, but it is not too hard to get proficient at with some practice. Most of the time having a good grip and steady arm will transfer the rest of the muzzle flip control off to the gun so you can get fast accurate follow up shots. If practiced with consistency, you will notice that shooting one handed is not that hard and is almost as fast as shooting with two hands. I say almost because you can never get too much control of your handgun, in my opinion.

TARGET ENGAGEMENT

Using a white light in low light or complete Alaska winter time blackout, you will find yourself concentrating on things in the beam of your light. Due to the psychological effects limited visibility causes, you may want to practice acquiring your target and going through the OODA loop of engaging that threat. This means scanning for your target, identifying it, planning your actions and then acting on your plan. This is not something you typically are going to be able to do quickly without getting your brain in the habit of solving these problems while suffering from sensory deprivation. Don't think you are just going to rise to the occasion. Be honest with yourself and take steps to be better.

MANIPULATIONS

Manipulations in low or NO light are one of the worst things a novice shooter will have to deal with. Due to the fact that you need to be mindful of not telegraphing your position, the need to stay aware of your surroundings, and being able to work in the dark means that even basic manipulations are going to be a bit strained. You will not exactly be able to see your gun, and therefore you will need to reload, clear malfunctions, operate safeties without being able to see the gun. This does not mean you will never be able to see the gun, but I would advise you to get used to doing all your manipulations without having visual contact with your firearm.

Another consideration you will wanna be aware of and practice is reloading and clearing malfunctions while holding a handheld light or having a weapon mounted light on. Depending on the circumstance, you may wanna practice turning off the light before performing any manipulations. This would be good so you do not telegraph your position or point the light in an area that will cause you to flash and possibly blind yourself. When using a handheld light, manipulations and reloads are going to obviously be a bit of a juggling act at first. However, I found that it is not too hard to pick up a personal technique for retaining the light in my hand while conducting manipulations.

​Just remember that low light is a huge sensory deprivation situation and mental soundness will be key. Practicing until these manipulations are second nature and don't require visual concentration will greatly reduce your stress and help you concentrate on saving your life.

HANDHELD LIGHT OR PISTOL LIGHT

When you go to a course on low light shooting, the instructors will almost always tell you to have a handheld light in addition to the pistol light. This is for administrative tasks like searching for things and identification of suspicious things. When it comes to using a handheld light, some instructors advocate sticking with the handheld light during the engagement if you were using it just prior to the engagement. However, other instructors have advocated completely ditching the handheld light upon deciding to engage and just switch to the pistol light. However, my opinion lies somewhere in between.

Let us just say that I would prefer to let the situation dictate my method. Distance will determine the time I have, and if I am close or my response time is strained, I would opt for keeping my handheld light in favor of getting my gun out faster. However, if time and distance permits, I think it is fine to just say good bye to the handheld and take the extra second to activate the pistol light. However, if I am using a handheld light and drawing my pistol becomes necessary, I doubt I am going to feel that any extra time can be spared. However, knowing when you will have time to switch to the pistol light, if you have one, would be good to practice.

SUMMARY

There are several things that go into low light shooting, and I go over alot of these things in an earlier article. Since it is still winter here in Alaska, there is not much sun and low or no light is a constant. Therefore, I have taken the liberty to get further training in how to fight in low light. I have found that I only really needed to get acquainted with things that are psychologically based, such as target engagement and speeding up the OODA loop process in the dark. I already know how to work with a light or other stuff in my hand during manipulations without looking, and I am well acquainted and comfortable with shooting with one hand. In all, I still have things to work on and I hope to get help ironing these things out and sharing what I have learned.

Training is not the only time you should practice this stuff, but rather an initial push to show you the type of things you can do to get better and to see where you are at. That said, do what you can to get training other than articles, books, and my YouTube videos. Nothing can substitute an in-person class with a team of teachers and students to give you a healthy learning environment. With all that said, I look forward to writing about what I have learned and hearing what you think.