SureFire Training | How To Shoot Using Pistol Lights (w/ Kyle Lamb)

Safety, Gear Setup, and Fighting Stance Foundations

The course opens at Royal Range in Nashville with Clint from Classic Firearms introducing a SureFire-hosted low-light pistol event led by Kyle Lamb of Viking Tactics. Lamb immediately reinforces the four fundamental firearms safety rules, stressing muzzle awareness, strict trigger discipline, and only handling loaded guns on the firing line. Students run Glock 17 Gen 3 pistols outfitted with SureFire X300 Turbo weapon lights, Timney Alpha triggers, and Trijicon RMR optics mounted on a higher Dick Defense dovetail system that preserves a usable tritium front and rear iron-sight picture. Lamb then breaks down an efficient draw stroke from the holster, focusing on building a solid firing grip early, driving to a retention position, and then extending to full presentation. He emphasizes adopting a fighter-like, athletic stance instead of standing flat-footed, showing how proper balance, weight distribution, and body alignment directly improve recoil management, speed, and control during rapid strings of fire.

Aggressive Stance, Relaxation, and Handheld Light Setup

Lamb refines the stance into an aggressive, bladed posture with a slight heel lift, loading weight onto the ball of the lead foot to create stability under pressure and explosive movement capability. He demonstrates how this forward weight lets a lead shooter at a doorway move instantly on a signal without first shifting balance. At the same time, he warns against over-tension, coaching students to relax their shoulders and upper body so they can move and shoot faster with less fatigue. The focus then shifts to handheld light setup. Lamb shows a bungee cord retention system that keeps a handheld light accessible during reloads or physical fights, and explains how it complements a pistol-mounted X300 with a DG switch, especially for law enforcement search work. He notes the handheld can also serve as a backup on a carbine’s vertical grip. Using a SureFire P2X Fury, he demonstrates building a syringe-style grip by layering Gorilla tape to create a tactile finger index, which doubles as field-expedient repair tape on gear.

Syringe Grip, DG Switch Use, and X300 Light Controls

Building on the handheld setup, Lamb details adding a ring of Gorilla tape and a fine bungee cord to the flashlight body. This creates a retention loop that allows shooters to let the light hang while reloading without dropping it, then quickly reestablish control. On the range, he refines an adapted syringe grip where a knuckle or thumb sockets into the taped index point, allowing a near two-handed pistol grip even while managing the handheld light. The class then examines the SureFire DG switch on weapon-mounted lights, with Lamb explaining how it solved earlier problems with taped or banded pressure switches by integrating activation into the firing grip. This is especially valuable for one-handed shooting, since grip tension alone can control the light. He walks through the X300’s ambidextrous toggle operation, contrasting a forward press for momentary activation with rocking the switch up or down for constant-on. Lamb repeatedly stresses training to turn the light off quickly after engagements when using pistol-mounted lights, to avoid telegraphing position.

Barricades, Vehicles as Cover, and Low Port Shooting

Lamb shows how the ambidextrous X300 switch can be set to constant-on and then returned to neutral without fumbling, and contrasts the pros and cons of running a handheld light versus relying solely on a weapon-mounted light, including the compromises of the syringe grip. Moving to barricades, he demonstrates bracing knuckles or the thumb against cover for support while keeping the pistol itself off the barricade to avoid interference with recoil and cycling. Around vehicles, he emphasizes minimizing exposure by managing distance and angles, matching muzzle orientation to the shape of the car so the slide does not strike metal during recoil. Students are cautioned not to crowd cover; instead, they maintain a stance that allows quick lateral or rearward movement while still using the barricade effectively. Lamb also addresses shooting through low barricade ports, offering alternative body orientations and head positions to keep sights away from the face, maintain cover, and ensure enough body mass behind tightly sprung carry pistols to prevent malfunctions.

Prone, Under-Vehicle Positions, and Pistol vs. Carbine at Cover

The class explores how compact, tightly sprung carry pistols can malfunction if the shooter’s body does not provide enough support, especially in unconventional positions. Lamb demonstrates alternative prone and side positions, including a “golf drill” where the support hand braces the gun for added stability and reliable cycling. He then introduces the “dead Mexican” position for shooting under low-clearance vehicles: the shooter lies on the side, uses the butt of the pistol on the ground as a reference, switches to the off eye for aiming, and aligns the body to manage recoil while keeping the slide clear. Comparing rifle and pistol use around barricades, Lamb explains how holster placement, body armor, and gear influence leg and knee positioning. He shows how to use a knee as a lever to pull the body back behind cover while staying stable. Finally, he demonstrates that staying too far behind a barricade can actually expose more of the shooter and increase light splash, smoke, and vapor at night, recommending moving closer to reduce signature and improve visibility.

Vehicle Barricades, Seat Belts, and Avoiding Double-Tap Habits

Attention shifts to using vehicles as barricades while managing light splash and understanding height-over-bore issues when shooting around cars. Lamb explains that bullets can deflect unpredictably through vehicle structures, so shooters should prioritize using engine blocks, pillars, and wheels as the most reliable cover while still respecting unknown deflection paths. He demonstrates a simple, stress-resistant method for seat belt removal: maintain a firing grip on the pistol, move the gun through the belt rather than passing it hand-to-hand, and focus on engaging the threat instead of obsessing over the belt. Techniques for entering and exiting vehicles, especially for larger or armored officers, highlight using open doors, engine compartments, and low positions at the front, middle, and rear of the car. The segment concludes with a five-round positional shooting drill and a critique of ingrained “double-tap” habits. Lamb urges students to train with three- to five-round strings instead of fixed two-shot drills to build consistency, accountability, and accuracy at realistic speeds.

Low-Light Cover Work, Vehicle Egress, and Target Engagement Order

Lamb reinforces the earlier point about avoiding fixed two-round strings, again pushing students toward three to five rounds per engagement to better simulate real fights. The class transitions into low-light shooting from behind cover, where Lamb demonstrates leaning out so that primarily the pistol and light, not the torso, are exposed. He highlights the advantages of a narrow-beam weapon light that illuminates targets while keeping the shooter less visible as they move forward. He also shows how placing a standalone light on a car dashboard or under a vehicle can act as a distraction or surrogate light source. Vehicle egress techniques include pinning the door with a foot to control it, drawing while exiting rather than shooting through the windshield, and choosing shooting positions that exploit angled car parts for cover. Lamb stresses turning toward the gun when moving to maintain safe muzzle orientation and enable rapid engagement, including when pulling rear security. From the rear of the vehicle, he teaches exposing only enough to see and engage one target at a time, then sets up a timed drill comparing seatbelt removal, door opening, and first shot under stress.

Seatbelt Timing Drill, Light Maintenance, and X300/Scout Evolution

Students run a vehicle-based timing drill comparing two sequences: unbuckling the seat belt, opening the door, and firing versus simply drawing, opening the door, and shooting. Lamb points out that the roughly three-second difference can equate to several additional rounds fired in a real encounter. He then addresses weapon light maintenance, recommending a small smear of chapstick on the lens so carbon buildup wipes off easily instead of requiring scraping with a knife. The discussion moves to the SureFire X300 Turbo and Scout Light evolution, including using a Scout Light head on an X300-style body to combine ergonomics and performance. Lamb explains why he prefers CR123 battery-powered lights over rechargeables for tactical use, citing reliability and predictable output. He emphasizes the value of a narrow, long-throw beam for positive identification at distance and penetrating tinted windows or photonic barriers. The segment closes with SIM-round room-clearing drills, where students practice sector responsibility in width and depth, keeping the weapon light moving, managing narrower beam spill, and executing proper door checks and hallway reactionary gaps while stacking on entries.

Hallway Movement, Door Work, and Violence of Action

The training dives deeper into CQB team movement down hallways. Lamb explains how the number one and number three shooters coordinate direction changes and why calling “last man” is critical for accountability and safe movement. He argues that units should primarily train fast, dynamic CQB that can be deliberately slowed down, rather than only practicing slow, methodical clearing. Door work becomes the focus: students call out door locations, put guns on the door, and practice rapidly clearing unexpected doors that appear mid-movement. Lamb demonstrates techniques like pinning doors with a foot or conducting full checks when intuition suggests something may be hidden behind them. Teams run room-clearing drills with doors in play, stacking properly, calling door status, and having one member step out to provide cover while others search from the flanks. Handling short or small rooms, Lamb advises limiting the number of entrants, assigning rear security, insisting the muzzle enters first, and demonstrating aggressive, decisive searching as an example of the “violence of action” needed to dominate close-quarters fights.

Surprise, Speed, Muzzle Awareness, and Threat Prioritization

Lamb frames CQB success around three pillars: surprise, speed, and violence of action. He stresses aggressive movement and full commitment to a chosen direction, using speed itself as a form of security that denies the enemy time to react. Techniques for crossing hallways and entering rooms are broken down, including when the first man should drive straight in versus when to post security and let teammates flow. Lamb details how the number one and number two shooters must manage their muzzles to avoid flagging each other while still being able to engage threats immediately. He spends time on muzzle awareness and safe sectors of fire, showing how small positional adjustments can maintain coverage without endangering teammates. Common mistakes, such as failing to clear near corners or getting fixated on non-immediate threats, are corrected. Lamb demonstrates how to physically bypass a close threat to reach a point of domination deeper in the room while keeping the weapon muzzle down and controlled, then rapidly bringing it up to address the most immediate danger first.

Muzzle-Down Control, High/Low Hallway Cross, and Force-on-Force

The focus shifts to muzzle-down rifle handling, where Lamb shows how keeping the rifle pointed down helps retain control if someone grabs the gun and still allows a rapid snap up to engage. He demonstrates using the SureFire X300 pistol light as a standoff device, preventing the slide from going out of battery when the muzzle is pressed into a target at contact distance. In hallway-clearing demos, instructors critique simple path-crossing techniques and introduce a high/low split: one operator goes low while the other stays high, each covering opposite directions to maintain fields of fire without collision. The class transitions into low-light force-on-force training using blue guns that fire marking projectiles. Students run scenarios involving closet checks, target discrimination, and verbal communication under stress. During the debrief, Lamb emphasizes not backing into rooms, always leading with the muzzle, properly clearing uncleared doors and closets, and maintaining team accountability with “one up, two up” roll calls. He also corrects positioning on pull doors so the person opening does not block the stack or muzzle.

Stacking, Competition vs. Tactical Skills, and Turbo vs. Ultra Lights

Instruction continues with proper stacking and door procedures, highlighting why the person pulling the door should not be at the very front of the stack. Lamb encourages students to regularly clear corners in everyday life to maintain a tactical mindset and build subconscious habits. He then addresses the value of competition shooting, arguing that top performers are often professional competitors rather than tactical specialists, and that tactics are useless without solid marksmanship. A SureFire representative presents two nearly identical rifles with 1-6x optics set to 3x, comparing the standard 640 Ultra to a Turbo series light. The 640 Ultra’s 22mm hybrid beam offers a balance of hotspot and spill, while the Turbo’s higher candela, narrower beam reaches farther and aids in positive identification at distance and through tinted windows. The segment closes with an interview with Colion Noir, discussing his Second Amendment advocacy, his crossover content involving cars and guns, and his impressions of the low-light training, including the challenges of handheld light manipulation, pressure-pad grips, and running lights with smaller hands.