There are three types of solutions for low light shooting: night vision, flashlights, and for the bold—tritium night sights. Each has its strengths and weaknesses, and ultimately, the solution you choose depends entirely on your needs.
Night Vision
Night vision lets you see in the dark without giving away your position, which gives you a tactical edge. In theory, you can sneak up on an intruder without them even knowing you’re there. Sounds awesome, right?
Well, here’s the catch: night vision is expensive. We’re talking thousands of dollars for a decent setup. And even if you’re willing to drop the cash, night vision has some quirks. It can mess with your depth perception, and if you’re not used to it, you might find yourself stumbling over furniture or misjudging distances, which completely negates whatever stealth you might have. Plus, most home defense situations happen in pretty tight spaces, and you’ll want to have as much peripheral vision as you can. Most night vision setups restrict your view to what you can see through an optic, monocular, or binoculars, and only very expensive panoramic night vision goggles allow you to have any kind of peripheral vision at all. Also, consider the fact that a bad guy with a cheap hardware store flashlight can blind you through your night vision devices if he shines the light directly at you.
Then there’s the matter of aiming. If your home defense firearm is running only iron sights, you’re simply not going to be able to aim. Your night vision device, unlike your eyes, can only focus on one distance at a time. Any firearm you hold up close to your face will appear very blurry, so IR lasers and red dots are your only options for accurate shooting with a night vision device.
Tritium Night Sights
A small number of people consider tritium night sights to be another option for low-light shooting. These little dots sitting inside the iron sights of some guns glow in the dark so you can always get correct sight alignment, even in pitch black conditions. The good news is that they’re always on and don’t require batteries. The bad news? They don’t help you see your target.
Sure, you can line up your sights perfectly, but if you can’t identify whether you’re aiming at an intruder or your wife making a midnight snack, you’ve got a serious problem. Tritium sights might help with precision, but they won’t stop you from shooting your dog if you aim at the sound of something knocking over a pile of boxes in the dark.
It’s easy to imagine grabbing your gun after you hear a noise downstairs only to run down into a dark kitchen. The reality, however, is that if you’re only running tritium sights, you wouldn’t be able to see the stairs, the corners, the furniture, or—most importantly—your target. If the bad guy is the only one with a light, you only need to use your imagination to guess what happens next.
Flashlights
Unlike night vision, a flashlight doesn’t cost an arm and a leg; and unlike tritium sights, it lets you identify your target, figure out what they’re up to, and take action if necessary. Flashlights are versatile too. They can be handheld, but for home defense, mounting one to your pistol like the INFORCE WILD1 or WILD2 allows you to illuminate your target with one hand, leaving your other hand free to do whatever else you need—like call the cops or grab the kids.
One common concern with flashlights is that they can give away your position. And yes, if you’re running around your house with the light on like it’s a rave, that’s true. But the key here is tactical use. You don’t have to leave it on the whole time. All good tactical flashlights have a mode called “momentary on,” usually activated by holding down your flashlight’s tailcap or activation button. If you want to maintain some semblance of stealth, use this mode to turn your light on when you need to check something, then turn it off and move.
Imagine yourself sound asleep in your bedroom. The sound of breaking glass downstairs spurs you awake, and you grab your pistol with its mounted light before you start moving through your home. With a quick flash, you spot the intruder rummaging through your living room. Now, you know where they are, what they’re doing, and whether or not you need to take action.
When it comes to home defense in low-light conditions, a flashlight gives you the best balance of functionality and affordability. Night vision might be cool, but it’s not practical for most people. Tritium sights have their place, but they don’t help you see what’s in front of you. A flashlight, especially one mounted to your weapon, is versatile, effective, and gives you control over the situation. If you’re serious about home defense, invest in a good flashlight. Your life—and your family’s safety—could depend on it.